| 1. |
- Braunerhjelm, Pontus, et al.
(author)
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The Old and the New : The Evolution of Polymer and Biomedical Clusters in Ohio and in Sweden
- 2000
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In: Journal of evolutionary economics. - : Springer. - 0936-9937 .- 1432-1386. ; 10:5, s. 471-488
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper examines the rapid growth of the polymer-based and biomedical clusters in Ohio and Sweden – two regions of similar size and with similar traditions undergoing similar industrial restructuring.Two issues are addressed: First, why has growth been so strong in these particular clusters, i.e., can we identify the sources of the growth and dynamics in these sectors? Second, why do these two clusters differ in Ohio and Sweden in terms of size, level and type of activity, number and composition of actors, size structure of firms and growth patterns over the last couple of decades? In particular, what is the role of public policies as well as cultural, historical, and geographic factors?Our main conclusions are (1) that there is strong path dependence in both clusters in both countries, and (2) that the key to rapid development is a high absorptive capacity combined with rapid diffusion to new potential users. Our policy discussion addresses these issues.
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| 2. |
- Bäckström, Mattias, et al.
(author)
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Mobilisation of heavy metals by deicing salts in a roadside environment
- 2004
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In: Water Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0043-1354 .- 1879-2448. ; 38:3, s. 720-732
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The seasonal variations of some selected heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) and principal anions in soil solutions were monitored as a function of distance from the road at two field sites in Sweden. During the winter, the conductivity, concentrations of dissolved sodium and chloride increased dramatically due to the application of deicing agents (i.e. NaCl). Due to ion exchange, the pH decreased one unit in the soil solutions, whereas the concentrations of total organic carbon decreased due to coagulation and/or sorption to stationary solids. The heavy metal concentrations increased during the winter, but through different mechanisms. Cadmium concentrations in the aqueous phase increased as a response to ion exchange, possibly also enhanced by the formation of chloride complexes. Similarly, the concentrations of zinc increased, due to ion exchange, with calcium and protons. The mechanisms of mobilisation for copper and lead were not that clear probably due to association with coagulated or sorbed organic matter in combination with colloid dispersion.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Eliasson, Gunnar, et al.
(author)
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Simulating the New Economy
- 2004
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In: Structural Change and Economic Dynamics. - Stockholm : Elsevier. - 0954-349X .- 1873-6017. ; 15:3, s. 289-314
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The IT, the Internet, or the Computing & Communications (C&C) technology revolution has been central to the economic discussion for several decades. Before the mid-1990s the catchword was the “productivity paradox” coined by Robert Solow, who stated in 1987 that “computers are everywhere visible, except in the productivity statistics”. Then the New Economy and fast productivity growth fueled by C&C technology suddenly became the catchword of the very late 1990s. Its luster however, faded almost as fast as it arrived with the dot.com deaths of the first years of the new millennium. With this paper we demonstrate that the two paradoxes above are perfectly compatible within a consistent micro (firm) based macro theoretical framework of endogenous growth. Within the same model framework also a third paradox can be resolved, namely the fact that the previous major New Industry creation, the Industrial Revolution, only involved a handful of Western nations that had got their institutions in order. If the New Economy is a potential reality, one cannot take for granted that all industrial economies will participate successfully in its introduction. It all depends on the local receiver competence to build industry on the new technology. We, hence, also demonstrate within the same model the existence of the risk of failing altogether to capture the opportunities of a New Economy.
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| 5. |
- Eriksen, Niklas, et al.
(author)
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Estimating the expected reversal distance after a fixed number of reversals
- 2004
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In: Advances in Applied Mathematics. - San Diego, USA : Elsevier. - 0196-8858 .- 1090-2074. ; 32:3, s. 439-453
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We address the problem of computing the expected reversal distance of a genome with n genes obtained by applying t random reversals to the identity. A good approximation is the expected transposition distance of a product of t random transpositions in S-n. Computing the latter turns out to be equivalent to computing the coefficients of the length function (i.e., the class function returning the number of parts in an integer partition) when written as a linear combination of the irreducible characters of Sn. Using symmetric functions theory, we compute these coefficients, thus obtaining a formula for the expected transposition distance. We also briefly sketch how to compute the variance.
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| 6. |
- Eriksson, Conny, et al.
(author)
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Working range of roll pass sequences in wire rod rolling with interstand tensions
- 2004
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In: Ironmaking & steelmaking. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0301-9233 .- 1743-2812. ; 31:1, s. 81-92
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the high speed rolling of wire rod in blocks, interstand tensions are utilised in order to keep the process stable. However, interstand tensions influence the rolling process, and especially the spread and forward slip, which are dependent of tensions between the stands. By the influence on spread, the tolerances of the rolled product depend on the tensions and usually the interstand tensions are kept as low as possible in order to obtain required tolerances. A narrow spread technology is used to utilise interstand tensions in order to increase the working range of a pass sequence and move the product range towards smaller sizes. By adapting a certain amount of interstand tensions, smaller sizes can be rolled by a given roll pass schedule. A practical problem in this method is the fixed gearings in the common blocks, which require a certain and given level of interstand tensions and corresponding reductions. In the latest generation of blocks, where the stands are arranged in units, two by two, with each unit driven by a dedicated electrical motor, it is possible to introduce 'inter unit' tensions, and by this method extend the working range of the pass sequence. A special computer program for analysis of interstand tensions has been developed by combining a program TENSION, developed at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, dealing with the basic principles of rolling with interstand tensions, with the recently published program WORKRAN, which analyses the working range of any roll pass sequence built up by common two-symmetrical grooves. From the analysis and experimental data it is shown that interstand tensions at the level of 10% of the yield stress of the material increase the working range in a six stand block by 2% and reduce the lower limit of the exit section area by about 15%. Higher tension levels have a larger effect both on the extension of the working range and on the reduction of the minimum exit area but it becomes more difficult to control the tolerances at higher tension levels. The influence of interstand tensions on the reduction and on the working range of the pass sequence is mainly obtained by the influence on the round passes, while the oval passes have a counteracting effect on the influence of interstand tensions
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| 7. |
- Herdenstam, Anders P. F., 1970-
(author)
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Sinnesupplevelsens estetik : vinprovaren, i gränslandet mellan konsten och vetenskapen
- 2004. - 2:a
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Can art express things that science can´t? Communicating experiences of wine attributes is one important part of the practical knowledge of professional wine tasters working in different contexts. From this point of view a central question arise concerning how common terms and concepts emerge and how they are communicated in the wine tasting situation. The analytical perspective have been generated in attempts to quantify experienced and verbalised attributes, using analytical methods with no regard to context . The synthetic perspective, on the other hand, assumes that the wine taster first acquires an overall understanding of a wine's character and then, to the best of his ability, breaks this experience down into separate attributes. The synthetic experience is characterized by being generated during the interaction between the taster and the wine and therefore is related to the context. The synthetic experience, in comparison with the analytical one, is hard to grasp with traditional methods. On the other hand, when adapting an aesthetic perspective on the sensory experience we conclude that there are dimensions of the practical knowledge of wine tasters that can be explored in pragmatic-constitutive studies.The technique, inspired by the Dialogue seminar method, was applied in order to compare the judgements of attributes in four wines within different tasting groups of professional wine tasters. It was found that the variances in the terminology for the attributes investigated could be explained by the use of different markings for the same attribute. This indicates that the Dialogue seminar method, with applied modifications, might be a useful tool when training professional wine tasters. This might generate an overall understanding of the reality experienced by the wine taster. Based on our findings, we suggest that the method also can be used in order to introduce new concepts which might be included in a common language and thus make a connection between the analytical and synthetic experience.
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| 8. |
- Johansson, Dan, 1964-
(author)
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The Dynamics of Firm and Industry Growth : The Swedish Computing and Communications Industry
- 2001
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The growth of the Swedish Computing and Communicationsindustry is studied in this thesis. Growth is seen as a dynamicprocess moved by the entry, expansion, contraction and exit offirms.The analysis is founded on the theory of the ExperimentallyOrganised Economy, which views the economy as an experimentalprocess. The entire thesis is organised around the problem ofresource allocation and the issue of growth through theintroduction of new combinations into the economic system,using the terminology of Schumpeter (1911). Competence blocsdetermine the efficiency of the economic process, i.e., theextent to which it leads to sustained economic growth ratherthan stagnation. Change is a fundamental feature of theeconomic process, firms have to be flexible to survive and theeconomic system must promote flexibility to grow. Many trials,or experiments, are required to discover and select "winning"firms and technologies. Hence, the turnover (i.e., entry andexit) of firms is supposed to have positive effects on growth.Theory, furthermore, predicts that new and small firms are moreentrepreneurial and innovative and that they, therefore, willgrow faster than old and large firms.The empirical results show that firm growth decreases withfirm age, decreases with firm size, increases with firmindependence, decreases with government ownership and thatindustry growth increases with firm turnover. Moreover, thesmallest firms have been the major job contributors during the1993-1998 period investigated empirically. It is also shownthat employment growth is facilitated by a sustained high entryof firms.Lastly, many policies, several of which were introduced inthe late 1960s and early 1970s, have selectively supportedlarge firms in mature industries. Hence, they have exercised arelatively negative influence on exactly the types of firmsthat have been shown to contribute to growth. These policieshave also made the Swedish economy less flexible. It is arguedthat this partly explains the slow economic growth in Swedencompared to other OECD countries since the 1970s. Aninteresting question is where Sweden would have been today witha different policy orientation.Keywords:The Experimentally Organised Economy;Competence Blocs; Industrial dynamics; Industrialtransformation; Firm age, Small-firm growth; Turnover of firms;Computing and Communications industry; IT industry;Institutions.
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| 9. |
- Persson, Asa E, et al.
(author)
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The mutagenic effect of ultraviolet-A1 on human skin demonstrated by sequencing the p53 gene in single keratinocytes.
- 2002
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In: Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine. - : Wiley. - 0905-4383 .- 1600-0781. ; 18:6, s. 287-293
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Sun exposure is accepted as the major risk factor for developing skin cancer, the most common cancer in the western world. Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation is considered the causative agent, but recently several findings suggest a role also for ultraviolet-A (UV-A) radiation. Repeated suberythemal doses of ultraviolet-A1 (UV-A1) on healthy human skin induce an increase of p53 immunoreactive cells in epidermis, which may indicate cell cycle arrest and/or occurrence of p53 mutations.METHODS: We have investigated the possible mutagenic effect of UV-A1 on skin by sequencing exons 4-11 and adjacent intron sequence of the p53 gene in immunoreactive single cells from three healthy individuals. Previously unexposed buttock skin was irradiated three times a week for 2 weeks with physiological fluences (40 J/cm2) of UV-A1. Punch biopsies were taken before and at different time-points after the exposure, and from these single p53 immunoreactive cells were isolated by using laser-assisted microdissection.RESULTS: Three mutations--all being indicative of oxidative damage and most likely related to UV-A exposure--were found among the 37 single cells from exposed skin, whereas no mutations were found in the 22 single cells taken before exposure.CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a mutagenic effect of low-dose UV-A1 on healthy human skin, which further demonstrates the importance of considering UV-A when taking protective measures against skin cancer.
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| 10. |
- Wester-Herber, Misse, et al.
(author)
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Did they get it? : Examining the goals of risk communication within the Seveso II Directive in a Swedish context
- 2004
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In: Journal of Risk Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1366-9877 .- 1466-4461. ; 7:5, s. 495-506
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article, the success of a risk communication programme conducted in two municipalities in Sweden is evaluated. The communication efforts were initiated in order to comply with the Seveso II Directive, passed as a national law in July 1999. Data from two different questionnaires are used. Between the distribution of the two questionnaires, an information campaign took place in the communities. The first questionnaire was aimed at measuring the public's opinion and understanding of the risks related to chemical industries in their communities, as well as the public's knowledge of emergency behaviour in the event of an accident. The second was aimed at measuring the effects or impact of the risk communication programme on the public. A total of 346 respondents participated in the study by answering two questionnaires. An evaluation of the risk communication efforts was focused around three dimensions: comprehension, audience evaluation and communication failures. The results showed differences between the two campaigns that gave significantly different results in the two communities. In the community with the multimedia channel campaign, the respondents showed greater knowledge of the production process at the local industry, they also judged the health threats for that industry to be less after the campaign, and they saved the information material to a greater extent. However, the overall effects of the information campaigns were weak. Future research is needed to explore the relation between people's emergency behaviour and risk communication.
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