Explaining adoption of end of pipe solutions and clean technologies—Determinants of firms’ investments for reducing emissions to air in four sectors in Sweden

We estimate firms’ probability of technological adoption based on a firm level panel data set from four major sectors in Sweden between 2000 and 2003. Technological adoption is measured by environmental protection investments (EPI), and we focus particularly on differences between the decisions to adopt end of pipe solutions and clean technologies. We find that there seem to be different drivers for investments in end of pipe solutions and clean technologies, in particular we show that the probability of a firm investing in clean technologies to reduce emissions to air increases if the firm has expenditures for R&D related to environmental protection (green R&D), while price on energy is important for the investment in end of pipe solutions. Furthermore, our results indicate complementarity between the two types of technologies.     

Understanding adoption and use of BIM as the creation of actor networks

There has been a considerable time lag between the emergence of visionary expectations of BIM's (Building Information Models) transformative potential in the architecture, engineering and construction industry, and the deployment of the technology in the industry's daily practice. By viewing adoption and use of BIM as the inter-linkage of actors forming a building and construction project, the aim of the paper is to uncover mechanisms facilitating and constraining the creation of actor networks in which BIM is adopted and used. The aim is pursued by a case study in a major Swedish construction company. It is concluded that the possibility of incremental implementation of BIM applications is well aligned with the character of the industrial context. But the context can also constrain the use of applications requiring more long term thinking. However, because of the disruptive nature of building and construction projects, the challenge is to maintain and re-establish the network in which BIM is used in consecutive projects. When clients and regulating bodies recognize benefits from BIM usage, the main obstacle created by these characteristics of the industry will diminish.     

Einfluss der Tiefkühlbehandlung auf die Maßhaltigkeit von Stahlbauteilen

For a tool steel AISI D2 (1.2379) and a case hardening steel (1.7131) the opportunity of reduction processing time and improvements of final properties and dimensional stability using deep cold treatments were investigated. Hardened blocks were subjected to various combinations of single and multiple tempering steps (520 °C and 540 °C for 1.2379 and 180 °C for 1.7131 respectively) and short- as well as long-time deep cold treatments (-90 °C, -120 °C and -150 °C). The greatest dimensional stability was achieved by deep cold treatments at the lowest temperature (-150 °C) and was independent of the deep cold treatment time.     

Throwing Some Light on the Vast Darkness that is Analysis: Niels Henrik Abel's Critical Revision and the Concept of Absolute Convergence

During the first half of the nineteenth century, mathematical analysis underwent a transition from a predominantly formula-centred practice to a more concept-centred one. Central to this development was the reorientation of analysis originating in A ugustin- L ouis C auchy's (1789–1857) treatment of infinite series in his Cours d'analyse . In this work, C auchy set out to rigorize analysis, thereby critically examining and reproving central analytical results. One of C auchy's first and most ardent followers was the Norwegian N iels H enrik A bel (1802–1829) who vowed to shed some light on the vast darkness in analysis.
This paper investigates some important aspects of A bel's contribution to the reorientation in analysis. In particular, it stresses the role for critical revision in the process of rigorization. By critically examining past practice, the new practice sought to explain the relative success of the previous—now outdated—approach. This is illustrated by discussing a number of issues related to A bel's new proof of the binomial theorem (1826) including his reactions to the exception that he encountered to one of the central theorems of C auchy's theory.
Following this discussion, the formation of new concepts as the result of critical revisions is illustrated by analysing the early history of the concept of absolute convergence. Thereby, it is shown how a new concept was distilled, investigated, put to use and eventually superseded.     

Psychopathy and suicide: A multisample investigation.

Evidence suggests that behavioral aspects of psychopathy are associated with suicidal behavior, whereas the affective and interpersonal aspects are not. The authors tested the robustness of this bifurcated association across 1,711 persons and 12 samples of adult and juvenile criminal offenders, forensic psychiatric patients, and civil psychiatric patients. The authors observed a small but significant partial correlation (.13) between the behavioral/impulsive lifestyle features of psychopathy and suicidality, but no effect for affective/interpersonal features. Several method and sample features (mental disorder; psychopathy and suicidality measurement format) significantly strengthened or weakened this association. The authors conclude that it is not possible to speak of "the" association between psychopathy and suicide, but that this relationship appears to be partially dependent on methodological (i.e., self-report vs. clinician-administered psychopathy measures) and sample composition (i.e., age; mental illness) factors. Recommendations for practice are provided, including that clinicians should not consider psychopathy a buffer against suicidal behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Data‐Driven Modelling of Quality and Performance Indices in Sintermaking

In developing data‐driven models of complex real‐world systems, a common problem is how to select relevant inputs from a large set of measurements. If the observations of the outputs to be predicted by the model are scarce, which may be the case if the outputs are indices determined in toilsome laboratory tests, strict constraints have to be imposed on the number of model parameters. In neural network modelling, this limitation in practice also restricts the number of hidden nodes as well as the number of input variables, since the dimension of the weight vector strongly depends on these. This paper presents a systematic method for data‐driven modelling with feedforward layered neural networks, including a method for the selection of input variables. The method is illustrated on a problem from ironmaking industry, where sinter quality indices are predicted on the basis of raw material properties. Furthermore, an inversion technique of the resulting network models is proposed, where an optimization problem is solved to maximize the performance of the sintering operation by manipulating the inputs.     

A genetic factor explains most of the variation in the psychopathic personality.

The psychopathic personality can be conceptualized as three interrelated dimensions, (a) an interpersonal style of glibness, grandiosity, and manipulation; (b) an affective disposition of callousness, lack of empathy, and unemotionality; and (c) a behavioral/lifestyle dimension of impulsivity, need for stimulation, and irresponsibility, underpinning a higher order construct, psychopathic personality. The authors used a self-report questionnaire (The Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory) to study the importance of genetic and environmental influences on psychopathic personality traits in a sample of 1,090 monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs, aged 16-17 years. Results showed a strong genetic influence behind the higher order "psychopathic personality" factor, underpinned by the three psychopathic personality dimensions. Over and above the effects to the higher order factor, significant unique genetic influences were also found in the callous/unemotional and in the impulsive/irresponsible dimension, but not in the grandiose/manipulative dimension. The authors propose that this latent psychopathic personality factor is a meaningful target for future etiological research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Control volume based modelling in one space dimension of oscillating, compressible flow in reciprocating machines

We present an approach for modelling unsteady, primarily one-dimensional, compressible flow. The conservation laws for mass, energy, and momentum are applied to a staggered mesh of control volumes and loss mechanisms are included directly as extra terms. Heat transfer, flow friction, and multidimensional effects are calculated using empirical correlations. Transformations of the conservation equations into new variables, artificial dissipation for dissipating acoustic phenomena, and an asymmetric interpolation method for minimising numerical diffusion and non physical temperature oscillations are presented. The capabilities of the approach are illustrated with an example solution and an experimental validation of a Stirling engine model.     

Methods and Procedures for Computer Based Handling of Components Reliability Data at FTL (The Swedish Military Electronics Laboratory)

In order to turn reliability prediction into a readily available tool, a system for computerized handling of failure rates was developed at FTL. This system, which is named RPP-1 (Reliability Program One) is presently covering data of electronic and electromechanical components. From a given list of components and data on stresses and working conditions, the failure rates are automatically searched, processed, and pooled in an assessment for an equipment. To make this possible, a number of decisions and judgements had to be taken regarding codes, formulas, models, bank structure, application factors, etc. This paper gives a summary of the FTL solutions for those basic questions. The system?actually a system of subprograms?has been developed at the Swedish Military Electronics Laboratory. The project was headed by the the author of this paper.