Economical considerations of renewable electric energy production—especially development of wave energy

Investments in renewable energy plants normally only take standard economic key figures into account, such as installed rated power, the market price of energy and the interest rate. The authors propose that the degree of utilisation, i.e. the ratio of yearly produced energy in the installation to the installed power, must be included due to its significant impact on the present value of the investment. A site with a limited average wave height could be of economic interest if the utility factor for the installation is high, since the investment cost (associated with the power installed) can be better adjusted to conditions at the particular site. In the case of wave power from the Baltic Sea with its limited variation in wave height (and limited average wave height), this indicates that the economic potential is best for smaller units.     

Risk perception and work behaviour in forestry: Implications for accident prevention policy

The rate and seriousness of accidents in tree felling operations have remained at a high level despite prevention measures; training, motivating films, safety regulations, anti-kickback power saws, etc. In this study 731 subjects assessed the risks of 10 forestry situations. The subjects represented six different groups of forestry personnel and the assessments were made individually by means of paired comparisons. One of the stimulus situations was not concerned with felling and served as a calibration. Evaluation and statistical tests were made after arcsine transformation of the judgement proportions. The results supported the hypothesis that the fellers had an accurate and consistent knowledge about the risks in typical felling situations. It is concluded that the accident rate can not be reduced substantially by further training and motivational programs aimed at changing the fellers' working behavior; instead the fellers need better equipment, production methods and work organization which support safe behavior. The risk assessments of supervisors were the lowest of all groups, showing the need for closer collaboration between the production and the safety systems.     

Domestic indoor temperatures in Sweden

This paper describes a comprehensive study of domestic indoor temperatures in Sweden. A statistical sample survey was carried out in nine municipalities during the spring of 1982, covering a total of 144 dwellings. Temperature measurements were taken continuously, using specially designed measuring equipment comprising a microcomputer and two temperature sensors. This report presents the survey results. Average indoor temperatures for different building categories by types of room and family composition are given. Different parts of the country are compared. Finally, the generalization of the results is discussed. Implications for energy saving potentials in dwellings as a result of lowering indoor temperatures are also discussed.     

Metabolic control in isolated brown fat cells

Experiments with brown fat cell preparations from the adult hamsters are described. The mitochondria of brown adipose tissue were shown to have a classical electron transport system. The basal respiration of brown fat cells was demonstrated to be coupled to oxidative phosphorylation. Evidence is presented for partial uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation as a mechanism for controlling respiration during norepinephrine stimulation. Exogenously added fatty acids were found to mimick the norepinephrine stimulation of respiration. Norepinephrine and cyclic AMP were shown to have no effect on brown fat mitochondria. Experiments with labeled oleate showed that the triglyceride reesterification cycle does not control respiration in brown adipose tissue. One of nine papers to be published from the Symposium “Brown Adipose Tissue,” presented at the AOCS-AACC Joint Meeting, Washington, D.C., March 1968.     

Tagging municipality FAQs: a quest for interoperability

All organisations must be able to answer questions from their respective constituencies. It is not an exaggeration to say that, in this respect, it is a challenge to handle the extremely broad action platform of local government administrations (municipalities). The present paper is a walk-through of questions from the citizens that are managed at Botkyrka municipality, Sweden. It is focussed on the use of an ‘intelligent’ citizen assistant.     

Simulation of partially coherent image formation in a compact soft X-ray microscope

In this paper, we describe a numerical method of simulating two-dimensional images in a compact soft X-ray microscope using partially coherent illumination considerations. The work was motivated by recent test object images obtained by the latest generation in-house compact soft X-ray microscope, which showed diffraction-like artifacts not observed previously. The numerical model approximates the condenser zone plate as a secondary incoherent source represented by individually coherent but mutually incoherent source points, each giving rise to a separate image. A final image is obtained by adding up all the individual source point contributions. The results are compared with the microscope images and show qualitative agreement, indicating that the observed effects are caused by partially coherent illumination.     

MicroRNA Detection by DNA‐Mediated Liposome Fusion

Membrane fusion is a process of fundamental importance in biological systems that involves highly selective recognition mechanisms for the trafficking of molecular and ionic cargos. Mimicking natural membrane fusion mechanisms for the purpose of biosensor development holds great potential for amplified detection because relatively few highly discriminating targets lead to fusion and an accompanied engagement of a large payload of signal‐generating molecules. In this work, sequence‐specific DNA‐mediated liposome fusion is used for the highly selective detection of microRNA. The detection of miR‐29a, a known flu biomarker, is demonstrated down to 18 nm within 30 min with high specificity by using a standard laboratory microplate reader. Furthermore, one order of magnitude improvement in the limit of detection is demonstrated by using a novel imaging technique combined with an intensity fluctuation analysis, which is coined two‐color fluorescence correlation microscopy.     

Contribution of display size to speech intelligibility in videophone systems

Widespread use of videophones has been limited due to cost factors and human factors. If demands for image size and quality were relaxed while preserving the communicational value added by visual data, low end videophones may become feasible. After a review of pertinent research, we describe an experiment indicating modest visual augmentation significantly aids speech intelligibility. The results suggest several directions for further research.     

Application of the seed-film method for the preparation of structured molecular sieve catalysts

The seed-film method has been applied for the preparation of various materials of potential interest as structured molecular sieve catalysts. The method has proven to be very flexible and allows for the reproducible preparation of a number of molecular sieve–substrate combinations as well as the control of the materials’ properties of importance in catalytic applications such as zeolite loading, film thickness, film density and crystal orientation. The preparation of thin molecular sieve films on ceramic foams, -alumina pellets and porous alumina supports as well as various metal surfaces is described. The preparation of zoned coatings with a compositional gradient is also discussed.     

Characterization of Glycosphingolipids in the Human Parathyroid and Thyroid Glands

As part of a systematic investigation of the glycosphingolipids in human tissues, acid and non-acid glycosphingolipids from human thyroid and parathyroid glands were isolated and characterized with mass spectrometry and binding of carbohydrate-recognizing ligands, with a focus on complex compounds. The glycosphingolipid patterns of the human parathyroid and thyroid glands were very similar. The major acid glycosphingolipids were sulfatide and the gangliosides GM3, GD3, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b and Neu5Ac-neolactotetraosylceramide, and the major non-acid glycosphingolipids were globotriaosylceramide and globoside. We also found neolactotetra- and neolactohexaosylceramide, the x₂ glycosphingolipid, and complex glycosphingolipids with terminal blood group O and A determinants in both tissues. A glycosphingolipid with blood group Le^b determinant was identified in the thyroid gland, and the parathyroid sample had a glycosphingolipid with terminal blood group B determinant. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the expression of blood group A antigens in both the thyroid and parathyroid glands. A weak cytoplasmatic expression of the GD1a ganglioside was present in the thyroid, while the parathyroid gland had a strong GD1a expression on the cell surface. Thus, the glycosylation of human thyroid and parathyroid glands is more complex than previously appreciated. Our findings provide a platform for further studies of alterations of cell surface glycosphingolipids in thyroid and parathyroid cancers.