| 1. |
- Cialani, Catia, 1970-
(author)
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Essays on growth and environment
- 2014
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis consists of a summary and four self-contained papers.Paper [I] Following the 1987 report by The World Commission on Environment and Development, the genuine saving has come to play a key role in the context of sustainable development, and the World Bank regularly publishes numbers for genuine saving on a national basis. However, these numbers are typically calculated as if the tax system is non-distortionary. This paper presents an analogue to genuine saving in a second best economy, where the government raises revenue by means of distortionary taxation. We show how the social cost of public debt, which depends on the marginal excess burden, ought to be reflected in the genuine saving. We also illustrate by presenting calculations for Greece, Japan, Portugal, U.K., U.S. and OECD average, showing that the numbers published by the World Bank are likely to be biased and may even give incorrect information as to whether the economy is locally sustainable.Paper [II] This paper examines the relationships among per capita CO2 emissions, per capita GDP and international trade based on panel data spanning the period 1960-2008 for 150 countries. A distinction is also made between OECD and Non-OECD countries to capture the differences of this relationship between developed and developing economies. We apply panel unit root and cointegration tests, and estimate a panel error correction model. The results from the error correction model suggest that there are long-term relationships between the variables for the whole sample and for Non-OECD countries. Finally, Granger causality tests show that there is bi-directional short-term causality between per capita GDP and international trade for the whole sample and between per capita GDP and CO2 emissions for OECD countries.Paper [III] Fundamental questions in economics are why some regions are richer than others, why their growth rates differ, whether their growth rates tend to converge, and what key factors contribute to explain economic growth. This paper deals with the average income growth, net migration, and changes in unemployment rates at the municipal level in Sweden. The aim is to explore in depth the effects of possible underlying determinants with a particular focus on local policy variables. The analysis is based on a three-equation model. Our results show, among other things, that increases in the local public expenditure and income taxe rate have negative effects on subsequent income income growth. In addition, the results show conditional convergence, i.e. that the average income among the municipal residents tends to grow more rapidly in relatively poor local jurisdictions than in initially “richer” jurisdictions, conditional on the other explanatory variables.Paper [IV] This paper explores the relationship between income growth and income inequality using data at the municipal level in Sweden for the period 1992-2007. We estimate a fixed effects panel data growth model, where the within-municipality income inequality is one of the explanatory variables. Different inequality measures (Gini coefficient, top income shares, and measures of inequality in the lower and upper part of the income distribution) are examined. We find a positive and significant relationship between income growth and income inequality measured as the Gini coefficient and top income shares, respectively. In addition, while inequality in the upper part of the income distribution is positively associated with the income growth rate, inequality in the lower part of the income distribution seems to be negatively related to the income growth. Our findings also suggest that increased income inequality enhances growth more in municipalities with a high level of average income than in municipalities with a low level of average income.
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| 2. |
- Coria, Jessica, 1979, et al.
(author)
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The progress of GHG markets : opportunities and risks
- 2010
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The climate negotiations at the COP15 in December 2009 did not produce a new international treaty with binding emissions commitments but the Copenhagen Accord for dealing with post-2012 climate change. Given the current climate negotiation process it is unlikely that we will see a global climate agreement soon on a global cap between all Convention members participating in a single carbon market. We may be more likely to see a stepwise process moving towards this scenario, most likely involving linkages between different national policy programs when it comes to mitigation as well as offsetting emissions. In such a process countries will offer commitments based on their domestic abilities, preferences and policies, norms and institutions. National and sub-national policies are thus likely to be the de-facto building blocks of nations' abilities to make and fulfill international commitments. However, also with multilateral mitigation programs without binding commitments, carbon markets will be needed as well as international authorities that support measurement, reporting and verification rules and the international registries. Such markets will necessarily be complicated and temporary in a world without an overarching binding agreement. There will be numerous tradeoffs between different kinds of second-best arrangements. The purpose of this report is to build knowledge about the effects of the development of regional and international carbon markets and the auxiliary technology agreements that might be needed. Among the topics we address are: the evolution and integration of carbon markets, the impacts of policy and technology cost uncertainty on the cost of meeting targets through a carbon market mechanism, the effect of banking, price floors and ceilings, institutional constraints and technological change in the further development of carbon markets and their links to other environmental policy instruments, and the potential of REDD-plus to encourage sustainable forest development and climate mitigation.
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| 3. |
- Gatchell, Michael, et al.
(author)
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Commissioning of the DESIREE storage rings - a new facility for cold ion-ion collisions
- 2014
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In: XXVIII International Conference on Photonic, Electronic and Atomic Collisions (ICPEAC 2013). - : Institute of Physics (IOP). ; 488:1
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the ongoing commissioning of the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment, DESIREE, at Stockholm University. Beams of atomic carbon anions (C-) and smaller carbon anion molecules (C-2(-), C-3(-), C-4(-) etc.) have been produced in a sputter ion source, accelerated to 10 keV or 20 keV, and stored successfully in the two electrostatic rings. The rings are enclosed in a common vacuum chamber cooled to below 13 Kelvin. The DESIREE facility allows for studies of internally relaxed single isolated atomic, molecular and cluster ions and for collision experiments between cat-and anions down to very low center-of-mass collision energies (meV scale). The total thermal load of the vacuum chamber at this temperature is measured to be 32 W. The decay rates of stored ion beams have two components: a non-exponential component caused by the space charge of the beam itself which dominates at early times and an exponential term from the neutralization of the beam in collisions with residual gas at later times. The residual gas limited storage lifetime of carbon anions in the symmetric ring is over seven minutes while the 1/e lifetime in the asymmetric ring is measured to be about 30 seconds. Although we aim to improve the storage in the second ring, the number of stored ions are now sufficient for many merged beams experiments with positive and negative ions requiring milliseconds to seconds ion storage.
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| 4. |
- Gatchell, Michael, et al.
(author)
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First results from the Double ElectroStatic Ion-Ring ExpEriment, DESIREE
- 2014
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In: XXVIII International Conference on Photonic, Electronic and Atomic Collisions (ICPEAC 2013). - : Institute of Physics (IOP). ; 488
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have stored the first beams in one of the rings of the double electrostatic ion-storage ring, DESIREE at cryogenic and at room temperature conditions. At cryogenic operations the following parameters are found. Temperature; T= 13K, pressure; p <10(-13) mbar, initial number of stored ions; N > 10(7) and storage lifetime of a C-2(-) beam; tau = 450 S.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Hartman, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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First storage of ion beams in the Double Electrostatic Ion-Ring Experiment : DESIREE
- 2013
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In: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 84:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the first storage of ion beams in the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment, DESIREE, at Stockholm University. We have produced beams of atomic carbon anions and small carbon anion molecules (Cn-, n = 1, 2, 3, 4) in a sputter ion source. The ion beams were accelerated to 10 keV kinetic energy and stored in an electrostatic ion storage ring enclosed in a vacuum chamber at 13 K. For 10 keV C2- molecular anions we measure the residual-gas limited beam storage lifetime to be 448 s +/- 18 s with two independent detector systems. Using the measured storage lifetimes we estimate that the residual gas pressure is in the 10-14 mbar range. When high current ion beams are injected, the number of stored particles does not follow a single exponential decay law as would be expected for stored particles lost solely due to electron detachment in collision with the residual-gas. Instead, we observe a faster initial decay rate, which we ascribe to the effect of the space charge of the ion beam on the storage capacity.
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| 7. |
- Norberg, Eva-Britt, 1956-
(author)
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Dagliga aktiviteter bland äldre personer med kronisk hjärtsvikt : begränsningar och möjligheter
- 2014
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is known to have a substantial impact on activities of daily living (ADL) and symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue are characteristic. Despite this, research in occupational therapy concerning people with CHF is rare. The overall aim of this thesis was to increase the knowledge of ADL ability and fatigue among those with CHF, to describe experiences of limitations in occupational performance and the strategies that these elderly people use to manage their daily activities and also to describe a programme including energy conservation for clients with CHF in primary healthcare.Method Three groups of older people with a verified diagnosis of CHF and one group of occupational therapists (OTs), all recruited from primary healthcare, were analyzed. The ADL ability of 40 participants was described, with reference to dependence on others, perceived strain and quality of occupational performance. The association between ADL ability and the New York Heart Association Classification (NYHA), a functional classification for people with CHF, was analyzed. Fatigue and its association to ADL ability, use of assistive devices and community support were also analyzed. Ten respondents were then interviewed and asked to describe the strategies they used to manage ADL. The interview results were combined with the current body of research and CHF guidelines to form a base for the development of an intervention programme, including energy conservation, for people with CHF. The programme, based on the Occupational Therapy Intervention Process Model (OTIPM), was used by OTs in primary healthcare, and the clients’ ADL, goal achievements and use of energy conservation strategies were described, as well as the five clients’ and two OTs’ experiences of the program.Results Most participants were independent in personal ADL activities (PADL). A majority was dependent in one or more instrumental ADL activities (IADL) and perceived strain when performing the activities independently. The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) showed a reduced quality of occupational performance compared with healthy people of the same age. Age had a significant impact on ADL performance. Despite this, participants in NYHA III/IV showed significantly increased effort (under motor cutoff) when performing ADL tasks compared with those in NYHA I/II. Fatigue was common and greater fatigue was associated significant with increased dependence and decreased quality of occupational performance, with the exception of shopping. Participants who used assistive devices and home care estimated higher physical fatigue, but no correlation was found with community mobility services. Comorbidities, which can affect occupational performance, were common in all the studies.The participants experiences of limitations in occupational performance and the strategies that they used to manage their daily activities were described as redefining an active life, aware of one’s impaired body and planning activities and balancing the degree of effort.During the interventions according to the programme the clients’ increased their participation and independence in daily activities, consciously gave up what were less meaningful activities for them and deteriorated because of the progression of the CHF. Most goals were achieved and many energy conservation strategies were used by the clients. The clients’ experiences were described as working in collaboration to manage daily activities and using professional support from OTs to enhance their activities. The OTs’ experiences of the programme were described as being supported with specific knowledge and a structured way of working and finding clinical benefits from working according to the program, but doubt the possibilitiy of using it, due to constraints in clinical practice.Discussion The participants' physical fatigue and breathlessness had a negative impact on their ADL-ability. Age affected ADL performance, but the impact of a more severe CHF remained adjusted for age. An ongoing process of occupational adaptation due to periodical physical decline and fluctuating day-to-day ability was described. Many of the strategies used by the participants to handle daily activities could be described as energy conservation strategies, an indication that occupational therapy interventions including energy conservation management would be beneficial for clients with CHF. Both the OTs and the clients described that the specialized programme provided structure for the OTs’ work, knowledge about CHF and about valuable energy conservation strategies. The programme seemed to support the OTs to work in a more comprehensive client-centered way.Conclusion The work with this thesis has increased the limited existing knowledge about elderly people with CHF and their ADL ability, fatigue and the adaptation of occupational performance that they use to manage their daily activities. The experiences indicated that a specialized programme including energy conservation for occupational therapy in primary healthcare seemed to support the OTs work in a more comprehensive client-centered way. The programme needs to be further evaluated.
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| 8. |
- Thomas, Richard D., et al.
(author)
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The double electrostatic ion ring experiment : A unique cryogenic electrostatic storage ring for merged ion-beams studies
- 2011
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In: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : AIP Publishing. - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 82:6, s. 065112-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe the design of a novel type of storage device currently under construction at Stockholm University, Sweden, using purely electrostatic focussing and deflection elements, in which ion beams of opposite charges are confined under extreme high vacuum cryogenic conditions in separate rings and merged over a common straight section. The construction of this double electrostatic ion ring experiment uniquely allows for studies of interactions between cations and anions at low and well-defined internal temperatures and centre-of-mass collision energies down to about 10 K and 10 meV, respectively. Position sensitive multi-hit detector systems have been extensively tested and proven to work in cryogenic environments and these will be used to measure correlations between reaction products in, for example, electron-transfer processes. The technical advantages of using purely electrostatic ion storage devices over magnetic ones are many, but the most relevant are: electrostatic elements which are more compact and easier to construct; remanent fields, hysteresis, and eddy-currents, which are of concern in magnetic devices, are no longer relevant; and electrical fields required to control the orbit of the ions are not only much easier to create and control than the corresponding magnetic fields, they also set no upper mass limit on the ions that can be stored. These technical differences are a boon to new areas of fundamental experimental research, not only in atomic and molecular physics but also in the boundaries of these fields with chemistry and biology. For examples, studies of interactions with internally cold molecular ions will be particular useful for applications in astrophysics, while studies of solvated ionic clusters will be of relevance to aeronomy and biology.
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