Birch is the dominant deciduous tree species in Sweden but only 16 % is found in pure birch stands. The majority of the birch (51 %) is to be found in conifer dominated stands. Swedish forest land comprises approximately of 23 % mixed stands and one problem is that for mixed stands there are few management recommendations. The underlying aim of this thesis was to study the management of mixed forest stands of spruce and birch to achieve good timber quality of birch. The study was based on a literature study and measurement in a field experiment launched in 1998 by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

As the volumes are entering the world of computer graphics the pure volume visualisation becomes a more important tool in for example research and medical applications. But the advance in haptics --- force feedback from the computer --- is behind. In volume haptics no equal to the proxy method so popular in surface haptics has yet emerged. Some implementations of volume haptics even use surfaces as intermediate representations so that surface haptics can be used.The intention of this work was to create natural feeling haptic feedback from volumetric density data using pure volume haptics. The haptic algorithm would be implemented in Reachin API for the Reachin Desktop Display, together with other parts to build up a usable volume visualisation environment.To achieve the feeling of stiffness and friction dependent on tissue type, a proxy based method was developed.

The first aim of this study is to discuss and try to understand the relationship between the holy andethics, and more specifically how it can be understood, which is the critical question that I haveformulated, in Giorgio Agamben?s and Emmanuel Levinas? philosophies. The second, moreconstructive aim is to discuss whether the holy can be understood as something good or problematicin relation to the society.Rooted in philosophy of religion and ethics, I have first tried to discuss how the holy has beenunderstood in the philosophy of phenomenology and in the texts of Rudolf Otto, Mircea Eliade andEspen Dahl. The holy has in the history been understood as something central in religions, and hasalso not been connected to the idea of ethics. Recently it has also been critized ? by Dahl ? for notbeing so pure as first thought of.In Levinas texts the holy has been understood as something differentiated through his distiction,in the Talmudic reading ?Desacralization and Disenchantment?, between the holy, which can beseen as something pure, and the sacred which can been seen as something impure and a form ofdegenerated holiness.

In this diploma work the approach of determining the required amount of reinforcement in slabs exposed to pure tension is processed, on behalf of Ramböll Uppsala. It is a well-known problem in the industry that there are uncertainties in the determining of the amount of crack reinforcement, especially for structures exposed to pure tension. Cracking caused during the time of dehydration in concrete slabs is the most common defect according to statistics made by CBI[1], which provides numbers as high as 35 % of all the defects caused on slabs are generated by cracks. Comparisons between Sweden's former national standard BBK 04, Building Regulations for concrete structures due to restrained forces of shrinkage, and the current European standard Eurocode 2 are carried out through theoretical studies and concludes with several examples of calculations. Rigorous calculations of both standards, BBK 04 and Eurocode 2 with application of the national annex in Sweden and Denmark are performed.

In this diploma work the approach of determining the required amount of reinforcement in slabs exposed to pure tension is processed, on behalf of Ramböll Uppsala. It is a well-known problem in the industry that there are uncertainties in the determining of the amount of crack reinforcement, especially for structures exposed to pure tension. Cracking caused during the time of dehydration in concrete slabs is the most common defect according to statistics made by CBI[1], which provides numbers as high as 35 % of all the defects caused on slabs are generated by cracks. Comparisons between Sweden's former national standard BBK 04, Building Regulations for concrete structures due to restrained forces of shrinkage, and the current European standard Eurocode 2 are carried out through theoretical studies and concludes with several examples of calculations. Rigorous calculations of both standards, BBK 04 and Eurocode 2 with application of the national annex in Sweden and Denmark are performed.

This essay studies what has been written about religious experience and visions both in the past and now. It deals with both the religious experience and tries to explain how and if there is any place in the modern society for religious visions and experience. The essay has a strong theoretical perspective to psychology of religion as presented by Anton Geels whose writings in the subject have been of one of my main sources.The study shows that people of all times and cultures have had religious visions and the feeling of a divine experience even if this has changed because of tradition, time and place. Religious experience and visions can furthermore occur both in a spontaneous, unprepared way as well as being cultured through ascetic practice in order to facilitate the divine reception. The study also shows that religious experience in no means is reserved for special ?chosen ones? but can occur to each and every one, no matter what class, race or position in life.

Problem: The Swedish wage-setting has changed since the time for the breakthrough of the industrialism until today. Before that, wages often consisted of perquisites or goods that could be exchanged against other goods. Rural people were often self-sufficient. In some cases the farmer owned the land, in other cases they where tenants. At the time for the breakthrough of industrialism the demand for similar labour were increased.

The purpose of this study has been to examine how elderly people in today?s society look upon themselves and experience their own aging. We have inquired answers to the following main questions: What main events during the life course are emphasized in the elderly?s stories about their lives, and in what way has it affected their experience of growing old? In what way have social relationships, interests and the experience of health changed during the life course? How do the elderly experience their own aging, and what emotions are expressed in the speech surrounding their life course? The results of the study have been analyzed and interpreted with the help of the life course theory, Erikson?s psychosocial development theory and the continuity theory. The results show that elderly people of today don?t feel their age.

On Nasdaq OMX Nordic Stockholm there has been a large increase in issues of preferred stocks since the financial crisis 2008. Aiming to explain whether preferred stocks have most of their characteristics relating to debt or equity, we answer four sub questions. Do all preferred stocks share the same features, or do they differ from each other? Our population is similar in characteristics, except for the preferred stock of Swedbank which is convertible and deviates when it comes to participation in dividends - instead of convertible the others are limited and redeemable. Further, the second sub question treats preferred stock in relation to the common stock quantitatively, in market data.

Uppkomsten av dagens Web 2.0 har skapat möjligheter till större interaktivitet hos användarna. Denna utveckling har även följts av en möjlighet att skapa användargenererat innehåll, ett fenomen som benämns User Generated Content (UGC). En av de viktigaste aspekterna inom UGC är att det måste uppnå en god användbarhet, men likväl måste tjänsterna också erbjuda en rik subjektiv upplevelse. Denna subjektiva upplevelse benämns som User Experience och är ett uttryck för den upplevelse och tillfredställelse en användare känner då den ställs inför ett interaktivt gränssnitt. Syftet med uppsatsen var att identifiera User Experience av UGC-tjänster.

Background: Asthma is an illness that many adolescents have today. The symtom can prevent them to live like contemporaries and the development phase they experience makes asthma difficult to get control of. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe adolescent?s experience of living with asthma. Method: The literature review was performed by reviewing nine scientific articles.

Over the past 20 years, retailers have embraced new international trends, which created a strong economic growth. Experiences are one of the trends that will be a significant part of future retail. The purpose of this thesis is to find components that can provide a positive experience in a clothing store to the customer. We have used a qualitative method with an inductive approach and the empirical data is collected through interviews. Literature we have chosen focus on how an experience is created in clothing stores.

This thesis focuses on the driver?s experience of the road and its surroundings. ?The view from the road? takes place every day and a high-quality ?road experience? is therefore a question of importance. Since cars made their breakthrough in the 1920-30, the approach to ?the driver experience? has varied notably.

In the end of the 20th century, there was an increased interest in creating customer experiences, especially in the service sector. At the same time, the number of visits to the Swedish cinemas is decreasing due to new distribution channels on the market. This study aims to deepen the knowledge of customer reactions towards offerings with an experience approach, by studying similar reactions in cinema visitors. Furthermore, the study examines the contagiousness of the emotions elicited by the experience. The study approaches the problem by using a quantitative method by conducting a survey of cinema visitors.

Background:Nurses can meet women who have been victims of abuse anywhere in the healthcare. Healthcare providers have a responsibility to these women, and it requires a broad range of skills to identify the women and thus be able to help them. It is important to see all patients as unique individuals and provide good care to maintain their specific needs. This paper was done to increase the understanding of nurses' experiences in the encounter with the battered woman.Aim:The aim of this study was to illustrate how nurses experience the encounter with the battered woman.Method:Literature review with both qualitative and quantitative studies. Nine articles were chosen to be read, reviewed and analyzed.Results:Three themes and ten subthemes appeared.