Mechanical scaling is one of the most complex operations of all in the mining process. The operators are using both hearing, sight and feel to read the rock and to know where to scale and where to leave. They say they go on gut feeling in great extent, something that comes with experience. The scaling machine is placed into the edge of unsecured and newly blasted rock to hammer off the blocks that has become loose after the blast, but not enough to fall down. It goes without sayingthat it is a risky job.

To fulfill the climate target that EU and the Swedish government have decided to apply, it becomes increasingly important that the energy efficiency of existing buildings and making new buildings energy efficient as possible. Of Sweden?s total energy consumption in 2011 was 40% used by residential and service. Of the 40% of the energy consumption was 60% used for heating and domestic hot water. A report from year 2012 shows that one reason why the heating volume is so great could be due to underestimating on the energy consumption for the heating in the planning of the building.

This thesis is built on a field study that was carried out in two seed-tree stands near by Götbrunna in Uppland, Sweden. The aim was to examine if scarification carried out in spring time could generate a more dense seedling establishment when using natural generation, than scarification carried out in autumn. It was also investigated whether there were differences in mortality the first season between the two plot-types. Plots were established block-wise with 50 blocks (pairs) on each site. The spring scarification was made with a hoe during 22-23 of April.

Boliden Mineral AB (Boliden) är Europas ledande metallföretag med kärnkompetens inom bl.a. gruvdrift och smältverk. Rapporten behandlar frågeställningarna kring detaljplanering (korttid resursplanering) och produktionsprocesser hos Bolidens underjordsgruvor; Garpenberg, Kristineberg, Renström och Tara.Gruvorna brottas med återkommande störningar av olika slag i produktionsledet vilket påverkar måluppfyllelse (planföljsamhet) för de fastställda veckoplanen. Företagets senaste tidstudie i Kristineberg visar att maskinernas utnyttjandegrad inte motsvarar förväntningarna och har en fallande trend. Tidstudien visar även att maskinfel utgör ca 40 % av totala störningarna.

Magnesium is an essential mineral that is important for several physiologic and biochemical processes in the body. Deficiency of magnesium is mainly associated with grass tetany, but can also appear in cows during the indoor period. Since long it is known that potassium has a negative effect on the absorption of magnesium. Due to the fact that potassium fertilisation leads to a higher potassium content in forage, it is of interest to study interactions of potassium on the magnesium balance in dairy cows. There are few studies about magnesium feeding to dairy cows in Sweden and the purpose of this study was to investigate how much magnesium and from which feed-sources dairy cows in Sweden get their magnesium. Data was collected from seven farms in the northern part of Uppland and from seven farms in Skaraborg in Sweden.

The aim of this study was to examine the current and historic mercury(Hg) load of the lake Storjuktan due to its recent exposure to a local potential source of Hg in form of the Sulphide mine Blaikengruvan(2006) and an earlier potential sources of Hg-load, the damming of the lake(1960s). Sediments were extracted using a HTH-sampler, freeze-dried, and analyzed for tot-Hg, LOI and activity of 210Pb and compared to samples extracted prior to the opening of the mine(2006). Constant initial concentration (CIC)-dating model was used for dating the samples. Low levels of Hg (100ng/g) were found throughout the lakes sediment. The highest levels of Hg(220ng/g) was detected at a depth of 4-5cm dating back to the mid 1970:s, suggesting that increased levels of atmospheric Hg rather than damming of the lake has caused the increase of Hg.

There is convincing research which shows that the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (ALP) has a central role in the mineralization of bone, more precisely that its catalytic activity is needed in the process. ALP is found on the surface of matrix vesicles where the mineral is formed. One theory about the function of the enzyme is that it binds to fibrous collagen in the bone and thereby incorporating the mineral into the bone. The purpose of this study is to establish whether ALP binds to collagen. If this is the case, more elaborate studies around this will be performed.

Outotec är världsledande inom mineral- och metallprocessteknologi och har genom åren utvecklat flertalet banbrytande teknologier för detta. Förutom teknologier inom mineral- och metallprocesser utvecklar också företaget innovativa lösningar för industriell vattenrening, användning av alternativa energikällor och teknologi för den kemiska industrin.I en av teknologierna, en rostugnsanläggning, används ett inmatningssystem för matning av kopparslig. Kopparsligen är nötande och fuktig som tillsammans med processgas, som innehåller arsenik, ställer höga krav på inmatningslösningen vad gäller funktionalitet och säkerhet. Inmatningen som används idag är, på grund av de höga kraven, en dyr lösning. Ingenjörer på Outotec misstänkte att en billigare lösning med liknande funktionalitet och driftsäkerhet kunde finnas på marknaden alternativt designas.

Bakgrund: Osteoporos har under de senaste decennierna utvecklats till en av de stora folksjukdomarna. I Sverige drabbas cirka 70 000 människor av osteoporosrelaterade frakturer varje år och av dessa är det främst kvinnor som drabbas. Risken för att en svensk kvinna någon gång under sin livstid skall drabbas av en osteoporosrelaterad fraktur är 50 %. Hur snabbt en kvinna förlorar benmassan samt hur stor benmassa hon har från början är avgörande för om hon kommer att drabbas av osteoporos och därför är prevention i ett tidigt skede viktigt. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att belysa preventiva åtgärder för premenopausala kvinnor som kan förebygga primär osteoporos.

This thesis was carried out to give some background information to a report of SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) for the Swedish National Rail Administration (Banverket). The requested information was to provide basic data for an environmental impact assessment of the construction of the tunnel through Hallandsås. The aim with the thesis work was to discuss and quantify the leaching of nitrate and the emission of nitrous oxide from the soil at the groundwater level established through the tunnel project. The nitrogen related processes that could be affected were described and discussed. The different areas where a decreased groundwater level can cause changes in the nitrogen processes are the wet and moist areas.

Scandinavian Biogas is involved in the planning of a combined ethanol and biogas factory in Karlskoga, Sweden. Besides biogas and ethanol large amounts of digester residues will be produced, about 450 000 liquid tonnes residue (~7,3 % Dry Substance( DS)). The objective of this thesis was to investigate possible uses of the residue from the biogas production process ScandgasEthanol developed by Scandinavian Biogas, and to derive a methodological approach how to evaluate and compare handling systems. Three systems where proposed and compared in this thesis; spreading of the untreated residue as fertilizer (system 1), dewatering to a higher DS content to reduce transportation before spreading as fertilizer (system 2) and production of a solid fuel by dewatering and drying the residue (system 3). The general conditions for the proposed systems were investigated in terms of practical viability, economical aspects, environmental impact and energy inputs/outputs.

Decomposition of organic matter is a critical process in the ecosystem, which involves many essential biotic and physical parts. Decomposition is therefore an important process both above and below ground. The rate of decomposition is dependent of many environmental factors for example: pH, moisture and supply of oxygen. The decomposition can therefore be affected by large scaled environmental influences, such as acidification and climatic changes. The root litter in the forest is in different ways affected by acidification, liming and manuering.

This Bachelor paper deals with skeletal diseases like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. 24 medieval individuals from the block Banken 1 in Visby, Gotland were chosen for an osteological analysis. Osteoporosis affects the bone with low bone mineral density and can lead to possible fractures and Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. A DEXA reading was done at Dr. Roland Alvarssons Doctorial practice in Visby and the results from the DEXA reading showed that none of the individuals suffered from osteoporosis, but one suffered from osteopenia.

Föreliggande arbete har syftat till att dels undersöka glimmers förmåga att absorbera och kvarhålla fukt genom kapillära krafter i jämförelse med finfraktion utan glimmer, och dels att studera glimmers kohesiva egenskaper. Även en litteraturstudie har genomförts med inriktning att belysa den påverkan som glimmer har på bergmaterialegenskaperna och vilka problem det medför i byggkonstruktioner. Fyra olika provmaterial av fraktioner mellan <0,063-2,0 mm med varierande glimmerhalt har studerats med avseende på kohesion, absorptionsegenskaper samt förmåga att kvarhålla fukt. den specifika vattenabsorptionen (mg vatten/1 g prov) har beräknats och volymförändringar vid vattenmättning har registrerats. undersökningens resultat indikerar stark att andelen fri glimmer i finfraktion har stort inflytande vad gäller magasinering av fukt.

Many product launches are postponed today, however very little research regarding to customer responses to such events has been carried out. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how people react to a postponed product launch. An experimental study of responses to a postponed launch of a mobile phone, a mineral water and a music album is used to investigate customer reactions. The respondents exposed to the postponed launch showed a higher value of reactance. This reactance affects the attitude, purchase intention and perceived quality of the product in a negative way.