Preservation of cells and tissues by freezing at temperatures below 70°C has led to new possibilities for the storage of germ cells for fertility preservation. During the freezing process problems might occur, the greatest being ice crystallization which can cause membrane destruction and thus cell death. To minimize this risk, solutions that reduce the freezing point can be added to reduce crystallization and increase survival rates. These solutions are called cryoprotectants. The best method for freezing is still not known.The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of various parameters on the survival rate of human semen frozen with liquid nitrogen.

The impact of computer programs in safety-critical systems has increased in the past decades and computer-based systems can now be found in a wide range of applications. A new approach for developing dependable systems is documenting all design rationale that affects safety using Intent Specifications. A recent approach for developing complex systems efficiently and in an upgradeable manner is Component-Based System Engineering. In this thesis, these approaches are combined in the development and upgrade of a Remote Robot Control Unit by using the tool SpecTRM. The case study showed that Intent Specifications and CBSE could successfully be combined.

Business Intelligence may help organizations in making the right decisions byproviding data for analysis which can be presented to decision makers. DataWarehouse which is a central part of Business Intelligence can be built in severalways but the methods presented by Ralph Kimball and Bill Inmons are considered thetwo main methods. The solution provided by Inmon focuses on integrating the entirebusiness into one large database using relational database development. Kimballhowever proposes dimensional database modeling by creating one or more data martsand integrating these using a data bus. Previous research has shown that the quality ofa Data Warehouse can be measured through critical factors such as data quality andsystem quality.

Theatre is often seen as an act to entertain or provoke, however the main argument of this paper is that theatre also can be seen as a process to build peace. This study focuses on and explores how artistic processes, such as Forum Theatre developed by Augusto Boal, can be used as a method to promote psychosocial reconciliation in war-shattered areas. With the use of Forum Theatre the spectators becomes the spect-actors, the subjects that act and not the objects that are acted upon. Subjects that are encouraged to try and find solutions to social problems by acting out possible solutions and evaluating them. By analyzing how a number of organizations have worked with Forum Theater on the Balkans and with a theoretical approach combining Homi K.

Inkorporering av extern data i datalager är problematiskt och problematiken bekräftas av aktuella undersökningar inom området. Detta har medfört att det utvecklats olika former av stöd för att bemöta och analysera problemen som organisationer ställs inför.För organisationer är det i högsta grad viktigt att dess beslutsfattare är välinformerade och klarar av att selektera information från stora mängder data. Det är i dessa sammanhang som en datalagerlösning är en viktig hörnsten för att stödja analys och presentation av data som ursprungligen är lagrad i olika datakällor (både interna och externa). Genom att inkorporera extern data i datalagret uppnår datalagret en betydligt högre potential och således kan även organisationer och framförallt dess beslutsfattare utvinna stora fördelar.Strand (2005) har tagit fram riktlinjer för att stödja inkorporeringsprocessen av extern data i datalager. Dock saknas en utvärdering av riktlinjerna.

Intelligent IT-based solutions, often called Smart Grids, are considered to be the future balancers of renewable energy sources. One area within the Smart Grid concept is called demand response, which is focused on making customers more consumption flexible by making them more active in their consumption. In this thesis the aim is to analyze a business model by investigating the income potential for a demand response solution as well as its market potential. This has been done through literature studies, interviews and development of a computational model.The use of 5000 households with flexible consumption can provide a cost reduction of 17.2% or 2.4 million SEK for a balance responsible party during an average year. If the solution is used to make strategic bids on the regulation markets the study indicates that the largest potential for revenues lies within this strategy.

The relational database model was defined in the 1970?s and is the dominating database type today.  The main difference between data from a relational database and a hierarchical data structure is that the relational database stores records in tables. The records have no particular order, but can include links in terms of relationships with other records. A hierarchical structure organizes data in the form of a tree structure  and  can for an example be found in organizational structures in which different levels involves different responsibilities. If the data stored in a relational database is to be presented in a hierarchically, a conversion of the data structure is required. The intention of this paper is to describe how such a conversion can be performed.  To investigate the conversion methods, case studies has been conducted on the basis of a specific organization?s hierarchical structure.

There exists a great need among companies and other organizations to be able to visualize statistics. It?s also increasingly common to ask for web-based solutions for increased flexibility and accessibility for users. This paper describes how large amounts of geovisual data, for a large number of regions, can be visualized in an interactive and well-presented manner. The paper let?s you walk through two application scenarios, developed in a Flash environment, using the GeoViz component library for visualization. The first application has been developed for Statistics Sweden (SCB), to give a solution on how to visualize statistics for Sweden?s zip code regions.

The aim of this essay was to describe the power elite of the Swedish town Karlshamn, and its influences on the local political process before the realization of the narrow-gauge railway Karlshamn-Wislanda-Jernväg. During the mid 19th century, a revolutionary period began in the Swedish pre-industrial epoch. The political and institutional regulatory frameworks were disassembled and restructured, away from protectionism and centrally controlled administration, for the benefit of free trade, local self-government and liberalism. The changes were carried through during times marked by a drastic increasing native population and upcoming demands for adjustments to meet the growth of the industrial-, trade- and labour markets. An essential industrial development factor was the building of the national railway network, which started after some important decisions in the Swedish Riksdag during the 1850´s.

All products will eventually end up as waste, which in a sustainable society has to be handled in an efficient and environment friendly way. This report focuses on waste fractions meant for combustion, often difficult to characterize. However, more homogeneous fractions that are treated biologically are also discussed.The study concerns the region of Borås, Sweden, where the waste plant Sobacken has provided a good starting point. On this site, fuel to the Energy-from-Waste plant of Borås Energi is prepared and the biological waste is treated through anaerobic digestion.One important part of the study has been to collect experience-based knowledge from the technical staff at Sobacken and Borås Energi. This information was compiled into an overview of wanted and unwanted fractions to the preparation plant and the boilers respectively.

Benchmarking is an established method of working which is often used in order to develop the quality of the organization. However, almost 70% of the organizations with benchmarking fail due to the lack of planning and structuring of the benchmarking exercise. Maintenance sections in the paper and pulp industry are one of those who have decided to conduct benchmarking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain knowledge of how the maintenance sections in the paper and pulp industry deliberately structure and plan to use benchmarking as a driving force for quality development in the maintenance sections.The study is a hermeneutic case study. Telephone interviews and document analysis have been used as data acquisition methods.The results show that there is a lack of both planning and structuring in the benchmarking process, and lack of management commitment for quality improvements within industrial maintenance.

Hemp is an ancient cultivated plant that came to Sweden in the 1st to 2nd Century and was particularly interesting for use for food, clothing and building materials. Over time, other applications have been developed for hemp, e.g. in energy and health products. Interesting new uses for hemp continue to be identified and this fascinating plant has incredibly versatile applications.In this project, seed production of industrial hemp in Sweden was studied and evaluated. Five different methods are described, four of which are proven under Swedish conditions.

The construction and use of buildings in the EU accounts for half of the EU?s extracted materials and energy consumptions, and a third of greenhouse gas emissions. In the past decade, the construction sector has responded to such concerns by focusing on post production energy efficiency. However, new findings indicate that upstream construction processes influence emissions significantly ? necessitating a shift in focus to include material choices and building processes.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att pröva självständigheten och originaliteten i John Wardensteorier om ?The Enemy as a System? gentemot ?Industrial Web Theory? som utveckladesoch presenterades vid Air Corps Tactical School, ACTS, i USA under 1930-talet.Uppsatsen konkretiserar de valda teoribildningarna, jämför dess olika innebörder och därefterbelyser eventuella skillnader respektive likheter, i syfte att belägga eller motsägaWardens originalitet..

Purpose: To examine the governance mechanisms and the competence PE-firms adds to theirholding companies through an active ownership in order to create growth.Methodology: A qualitative study with interviews as its main source of data.Theoretical perspectives: Corporate governance and relevant theories within that subjectsuch as agent theory, board of directors and management. Previous research within the subjectwill also be presented.Empirical foundation: The empirical foundation consists of three conducted interviews anddata collected from the chosen PE-firms as well as six different holding companies.Conclusions: The governance mechanisms used in the PE-firms we have chosen are stronglyrelated to both theories within corporate governance as well as previous research on thesubject. The governance mechanisms being used are an explicit owners agenda and strategy, athorough acquisition process, usage of external competence, active ownership through theboard of directors and the insertion of incentive systems..