<p>The background to this paper is the events that have taken place in the Swedish area of responsibility in Afghanistan where Swedish troops have been ambushed by the insurgents. Although the troops primarily where riding in Toyota Land Cruisers they had no casualties. I think that the Swedish force needs other vehicles that can be armed and are armoured.</p><p>When I compared three different types of armoured vehicles, I found that PTGB 6 is the vehicle of choice, according to the special needs that a Swedish EOD-squad, their task and their equipment have. </p>

The background to this paper is the events that have taken place in the Swedish area of responsibility in Afghanistan where Swedish troops have been ambushed by the insurgents. Although the troops primarily where riding in Toyota Land Cruisers they had no casualties. I think that the Swedish force needs other vehicles that can be armed and are armoured. When I compared three different types of armoured vehicles, I found that PTGB 6 is the vehicle of choice, according to the special needs that a Swedish EOD-squad, their task and their equipment have.

Denna uppsats är skriven inom ramen för ämnet Krigsvetenskap under författarens  studier på yrkesofficersprogrammet 2009 -2012 till nautisk officer. I studien beskrivs risker och metoder i samband med att ammunition omhändertas. Syftet är att belysa en problematik som ammunitionsröjare skulle kunna möta idag då de metoder som finns idag främst är avsedda för röjning på land.  De senaste åren visar en ökad frekvens av attacker utanför Somalias kust. I samband med den här typen av attacker finns chansen att behov av nya metoder också uppstår.  Uppsatsen prövar befintliga ammunitionsröjningsmetoder mot den miljö som möts utanför Somalias kust. Uppsatsen baseras på rapporter från svensk ammunitionsröjningspersonal som befunnit sig i adenviken men också från International Maritime Bureau.

I avsaknad av ett existentiellt hot påbörjades efter kalla krigets slut en transformation av de europeiska försvarsmakterna. Den europeiska integrationen skulle öka staternas säkerhet varpå försvarbudgetarna sakta krympte samtidigt som EU:s fria rörligheter även förenklade rörligheten av skadliga och oönskade element. Kombinationen av bristande ekonomi och en utökad hotbild krävde flexibla och kostnadseffektiva förband. Försvarmakten deklarerade under perioden "strategisk timeout" där den strategiska försvarsplanering reducerades till ett minimum i syfte att istället identifiera Försvarsmaktens framtida förmågor samt vilka förband som skulle bistå med förmågorna. Den ursprungliga ambitionen reducerades kraf-tigt av krympande försvarsanslag och stor påverkan av regional- och industripolitik. För-svarsmakten befann sig i en kaotisk period där förbanden agerade främst för sitt eget bästa snarare än Försvarsmaktens. Under dessa förutsättningar var förbandens närvaro på den internationella insatsarenan en försäkring för förbandets överlevnad. Röjdykardivisionen utvecklade under perioden det nya förbandet marinens EOD med för-måga att röja minor både på land och under ytan. Uppsatsen har syftat till att förklara varför, i konkurrens med andra minröjande förband, Röjdyk tilläts utveckla en förmåga som sedan utnyttjades på den internationella landarenan. Denna uppsats gör en ansats att förklara fenomenet med hjälp av Graham Allisons tre förkla-ringsmodeller som betraktar händelser ur ett rationellt perspektiv, ett organisatoriskt per-spektiv och ett maktkampsperspektiv. Resultatet beskriver bl.a. att Röjdyk kunde utvecklas på grund av att förbandet var kostnads-effektivt och insatsfokuserat, producerade välavvägda och realistiska handlingsalternativ, hade den gemensamma viljan inom hela förbandet att sträva mot ett tydligt mål.

<p>Den här uppsatsen är skriven inom ramen för ämnet <em>Krigsvetenskap</em> under författarens studier på <em>Yrkesofficersprogrammet</em> 2006-2009 till arméteknisk officer. I <em>Ammunitions- och minröjning i modern konflikt</em> ges läsaren genom deskriptiv metod en exposé över ammunitions- och minröjningens grunder, historia och nutid. Uppsatsens generella syften är att avhandla problematik som svenska ammunitions- och minröjare i sitt yrkesutövande idag kan ställas inför. Och hur delar av den tekniska organisationen och teknisk utrustning för detektion, lokalisering och klassificering av minor, Explosive remnants of war (ERW), Improvised explosive device (IED) och försåt kan bidra till att lösa denna problematik. Författaren genomför utifrån sina intervjuer och litteraturstudier prediktioner av den kommande utvecklingen på området. Prediktionerna innefattar bland annat tydligare teknisk stödorganisation och multisensorplattformar för detektion, lokalisering och klassificering av minor, ERW och IED. I texten redovisas viss forskning från Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut (FOI) och visst arbete vid Försvarets materielverk (FMV), Totalförsvarets ammunitions- och minröjningscentrum (SWEDEC).</p> / <p>This essay is written in the course of <em>War science</em> during the author’s studies to become an Officer in the technical corps, in the Swedish armed forces. Due to the descriptive method in <em>Explosive Ordnance Disposal and demining in modern conflict </em>the reader gets an exposé of the basics, history, and present time features for the Swedish EOD- and Demining personnel. The main purpose with this essay is to discuss the problems that Swedish Explosive ordnance clearance (EOC) personnel might encounter in their current daily service. The opportunities for parts of the supporting technical corps and the technical equipment for detecting, locating and classifying mines, Explosive remnants of war (ERW), Improvised explosive device (IED) and booby-traps to be at hand in the process of solving these problems are also discussed. From interviews and literature studies the author conducts predictions of the development in the subject area. The predictions contains amongst others a more understandable supporting technical corps and multi-sensing-platforms for detecting, locating and classifying mines, ERW, IED and booby-traps. Some of the research that the Swedish defence research agency (FOI), the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) and the Swedish EOD- and Demining Centre (SWEDEC) have produced is presented in the essay.</p>

Den här uppsatsen är skriven inom ramen för ämnet Krigsvetenskap under författarens studier på Yrkesofficersprogrammet 2006-2009 till arméteknisk officer. I Ammunitions- och minröjning i modern konflikt ges läsaren genom deskriptiv metod en exposé över ammunitions- och minröjningens grunder, historia och nutid. Uppsatsens generella syften är att avhandla problematik som svenska ammunitions- och minröjare i sitt yrkesutövande idag kan ställas inför. Och hur delar av den tekniska organisationen och teknisk utrustning för detektion, lokalisering och klassificering av minor, Explosive remnants of war (ERW), Improvised explosive device (IED) och försåt kan bidra till att lösa denna problematik. Författaren genomför utifrån sina intervjuer och litteraturstudier prediktioner av den kommande utvecklingen på området. Prediktionerna innefattar bland annat tydligare teknisk stödorganisation och multisensorplattformar för detektion, lokalisering och klassificering av minor, ERW och IED. I texten redovisas viss forskning från Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut (FOI) och visst arbete vid Försvarets materielverk (FMV), Totalförsvarets ammunitions- och minröjningscentrum (SWEDEC). / This essay is written in the course of War science during the author’s studies to become an Officer in the technical corps, in the Swedish armed forces. Due to the descriptive method in Explosive Ordnance Disposal and demining in modern conflict the reader gets an exposé of the basics, history, and present time features for the Swedish EOD- and Demining personnel. The main purpose with this essay is to discuss the problems that Swedish Explosive ordnance clearance (EOC) personnel might encounter in their current daily service. The opportunities for parts of the supporting technical corps and the technical equipment for detecting, locating and classifying mines, Explosive remnants of war (ERW), Improvised explosive device (IED) and booby-traps to be at hand in the process of solving these problems are also discussed. From interviews and literature studies the author conducts predictions of the development in the subject area. The predictions contains amongst others a more understandable supporting technical corps and multi-sensing-platforms for detecting, locating and classifying mines, ERW, IED and booby-traps. Some of the research that the Swedish defence research agency (FOI), the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) and the Swedish EOD- and Demining Centre (SWEDEC) have produced is presented in the essay.

Hypertension is associated with end organ damage (EOD). Since EOD is a risk factor for cardio- and cerebrovascular complications, it is a major requirement for these to be detected, prevented and treated. A total of 147 consecutive patients with newly-diagnosed essential hypertension and attending the outpatient clinic were included in this study based on a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria (patients with co-morbid illnesses were excluded from the investigation). Among them, 86% (70 male (M) and 56 female (F)) had one or more EODs, an observation which was very close to statistically significance (P=0.054). The presence of one or more EODs in newly-detected hypertension indicates widespread vascular damage which carries the high risk for cardio- and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality. Although thyroid dysfunctions exert significant effects on blood pressure (BP), published literature available has revealed contradictory data. Objective of our study was to explore the inter-relationships between selected thyroid dysfunctional status (hyper and hypothyroid) and established biomarkers [thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4)]; and BP components [specifically Systolic BP (SBP), Diastolic BP (DBP), and Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP), and uniquely SBP:DBP ratio]. We followed rigid criteria in order to select adults with hyperthyroidism (n=71) and hypothyroidism (n=300), together with healthy age-matched controls (n =300), and applied a series of statistical analyses on the datasets acquired. We have observed thyroid dysfunctional status is associated with elevated BP, and increasing BP is positively-correlated with elevated serum thyroid biomarkers, hyper and hypothyroid disorders should be recognized and treated early in order to avoid critical hazards presented by high BP. Also, we have studied awareness among public and physicians in managing hypertension. Overall, the levels of knowledge and awareness among both groups are sub-optimal. Hence there is an urgent need for empowerment among both groups to enhance awareness and to bring effective standard of care.

Předkládaná práce se zabývá návrhem projektorové soustavy transmisního elektronového mikroskopu (TEM) pro metodu single particle analysis (SPA). Návrh projektorové soustavy byl vytvořen v programu Electron Optical Design (EOD) verze 4.020. Série buzení jednotlivých čoček pro zvětšení projektorové soustavy v rozsahu od 50 do 10000 byla vypočítaná pomocí přístupu využívajícího aproximaci tenké čočky, dále pomocí přístupu využívajícího aproximaci tlusté čočky, metodou linearního zaostření v programu EOD a metodou nelineárního zaostření v programu EOD ve verzi 5.003. Dosažené výsledky byly porovnány a ověřeny pomocí reálného trasování částic v programu EOD.

This study addresses the need for improved risk assessment (RA) during explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) at sea by highlighting the environmental and operational complexities of handling unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the marine environment. It discusses the increasing demand for offshore EOD due to the construction of offshore wind parks and initiatives proactively addressing UXO dump sites. Conducting EOD work professionally and diligently to prevent accidents and environmental contamination will, hence, continue to be of paramount importance. In an effort to understand the RA tools that are available to EOD experts, this work reviews ten RA methods and identifies a methodological gap, thereby revealing the need for a new EOD RA method. Consequently, it introduces a novel method named the Risk Assessment Model for Unexploded underwater Military Munitions (RUMMs). This model is based on a directed graph and considers properties and aspects of the UXO, the environment, and the EOD procedure. RUMMs, which can be used during early EOD planning states or immediately before UXO handling, calculates the probability of an undesired detonation, the consequence of an undesired detonation, and the complexity of the EOD operation. The model is extensively explored by means of local sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation to demonstrate its reliability. Subsequently, RUMMs is tested with twenty EOD operations, which yield plausible model outputs that are in line with expectations and real-world decisions. The model's consistent and reproducible results, unaffected by fatigue or time pressure, add a new layer of reliability to EOD decision-making.:1 Introduction 1.1 Offshore UXO in a Multi-Use and Multiple Stressor Environment 1.2 Focus, Scope, and Purpose of this Dissertation 1.3 Research Hypotheses 1.4 Structure of the Dissertation 2 The Issue of Offshore Unexploded Ordnance 2.1 Background and Context 2.2 UXO Properties 2.3 Potential Effects of the Presence of UXO 2.4 Conclusion—The Case for Explosive Ordnance Disposal 3 Offshore Explosive Ordnance Disposal 3.1 EOD frameworks 3.2 EOD procedure According to the Selected Framework 3.3 EOD in Practice 3.4 Environmental Properties Affecting EOD 3.5 Conclusion—The Case for EOD Risk Assessment 4 Review of Risk Assessment Methodologies 4.1 Risk—A Brief Overview 4.2 Preparation of the Offshore UXO and EOD Risk Assessment Review 4.3 Offshore UXO Risk Assessment Review 4.4 Conclusion—The Case for a Novel Method for EOD RA 5 Development and Description of the EOD RA Model 5.1 Background of the EOD RA Model 5.2 Development Process of RUMMs 5.3 Undesired Events 5.4 Exceptions, Inherent Risk and Residual Risk 5.5 Risk Receptors 5.6 The Two Model Layouts 5.7 RUMMs Factors 5.8 Omitted Factors 5.9 Model Outputs 5.10 Other RUMMs Functionalities 5.11 Model Limitations 5.12 Conclusion—The Case for Model Exploration and Testing 6 Methodological Exploration and Application 6.1 Local Sensitivity Analysis 6.2 Monte Carlo Simulation 6.3 Application of RUMMs 6.4 Revision of the Gap Analysis 6.5 The Future of RUMMs 6.6 Conclusion—The Case for Real World Application 7 Conclusion 7.1 Recap of the Research Hypotheses 7.2 Outlook on RUMMs 7.3 Recommendations for UXO and EOD Research 7.4 RUMMs’ Response to Other Demands 7.5 RUMMs and the Way Forward in Offshore EOD

Communication signals are shaped by the opposing selection pressures imposed by predators and mates. A dynamic signal might serve as an adaptive compromise between an inconspicuous signal that evades predators and an extravagant signal preferred by females. Such a signal has been described in the gymnotiform electric fish, Brachyhypopomus gauderio, which produces a sexually dimorphic electric organ discharge (EOD). The EOD varies on a circadian rhythm and in response to social cues. This signal plasticity is mediated by the slow action of androgens and rapid action of melanocortins. My dissertation research tested the hypotheses that (1) signal plasticity is related to sociality levels in gymnotiform species, and (2) differences in signal plasticity are regulated by differential sensitivity to androgen and melanocortin hormones. To assess the breadth of dynamic signaling within the order Gymnotiformes, I sampled 13 species from the five gymnotiform families. I recorded EODs to observe spontaneous signal oscillations after which I injected melanocortin hormones, saline control, or presented the fish with a conspecific. I showed that through the co-option of the ancient melanocortin pathway, gymnotiforms dynamically regulate EOD amplitude, spectral frequency, both, or neither. To investigate whether observed EOD plasticities are related to species-specific sociality I tested four species; two territorial, highly aggressive species, Gymnotus carapo and Apteronotus leptorhynchus, a highly gregarious species, Eigenmannia cf. virescens, and an intermediate short-lived species with a fluid social system, Brachyhypopomus gauderio. I examined the relationship between the androgens testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone, the melanocortin a-MSH, and their roles in regulating EOD waveform. I implanted all fish with androgen and blank silicone implants, and injected with a-MSH before and at the peak of implant effect. I found that waveforms of the most territorial and aggressive species were insensitive to hormone treatments; maintaining a static, stereotyped signal that preserves encoding of individual identity. Species with a fluid social system were most responsive to hormone treatments, exhibiting signals that reflect immediate condition and reproductive state. In conclusion, variation in gymnotiform signal plasticity is hormonally regulated and seems to reflect species-specific sociality.