A roller coaster manufacturer became aware that improperly heat treated track couplings were sent to a construction site for assembly. Concerns were that suspect couplings might not meet the engineering specifications and could be vulnerable to sudden failure. A testing company in Oak Ridge, TN that specializes in in-situ and laboratory mechanical testing was contacted by the manufacturer for help in this endeavor. The construction company elected to enlist a local testing firm to perform field tests on the components instead of the company in Oak Ridge. The test methods used are incapable of providing quantitative results that could be measured to the engineering specifications, making it unlikely to identify anything but the worst material conditions. This study is an example that the need for accurate analysis is very important. The manufacturer reported that 60 couplings were replaced, but it is presently unknown how many should have been replaced.

Avec la croissance rapide de l’économie chinoise, les IDE chinois augmentent aussi très vite. De plus en plus études commencent à rechercher les déterminants et les impactes des IDE sortant chinois. Ce papier focalise sur les IDE chinois en Afrique, les motivations et les impactes en comparant avec les autres investissements du reste du monde. Plus intéressant, une étude de cas d’un projet chinois dans le secteur minier en Guinée va être présentée à la fin de la thèse au point de vue des investisseur chinois au niveau industriel et les implications politiques sont tirées à la base des résultats obtenus dans des parties empiriques au niveau macro. Le premier chapitre présente une situation générale du développement de l’IDE chinois et surtout celui en Afrique ; les deuxième et troisième parties sont les deux parties empiriques concernant les déterminants et les impactes de l’IDE chinois en Afrique ; et une étude de cas à la fin. / With rapid Chinese economic growth, the China’s foreign direct investment has as well grown very quickly. More and more studies focus on the determinants and impacts of Chinese outward FDI (OFDI). This thesis targets the Chinese OFDI in Africa, its investment motivations and the impacts to the African host countries compared with other investments from the rest of the world. More interestingly, a case study of a Chinese mining project in Guinea is well presented on the perspective of a Chinese investor’s point of view at industry micro level and the policy implications are drawn based on the empirical results gained from the former chapters at macro level. The first chapter presents the general situation of China’s OFDI, especially that in Africa; while the second and the third chapters are the two empirical parts of determinants and impacts studies; followed by a case study in the final chapter.

La thèse constitue une juxtaposition de plusieurs contributions originales à lélaboration et lanalyse de modèles numériques capables de décrire une vaste gamme découlements à surface libre ainsi que les phénomènes de transport associés. Deux axes principaux sous-tendent les recherches entreprises. Il sagit, dune part, dune contribution à létude de modèles visant à reproduire adéquatement les interactions du fluide avec divers constituants transportés, tels que de lair entraîné, un polluant ou des sédiments. Cette phase du travail inclut également la caractérisation et la prédiction du comportement de lécoulement en présence dune topographie mobile ou érodable, y compris dans le cas dun barrage en remblai subissant une surverse. Dautre part, partant du constat quune modélisation fidèle des processus de transport, notamment hydrosédimentaires, passe inévitablement par un raffinement du calcul hydrodynamique proprement dit, une partie des travaux effectués dans le cadre de cette thèse est spécifiquement orientée vers un enrichissement de la connaissance des champs hydrodynamiques au sein du modèle.

Kommuner har en unik position i säkerhetsarbetet genom att vara nära både medborgarna och de olyckor och skador som drabbar befolkningen. Trots långtgående framsteg inom teknologi och ett etablerat välfärdssamhälle utgör personskador till följd av olyckor ett betydande folkhälsoproblem i Sverige liksom i övriga nordiska länder. De svenska kommunerna har ålagts ett vidsträckt ansvar och förväntas vidta åtgärder inom flera samhällsområden för att värna människornas trygghet och säkerhet. De senaste två decennierna har utvecklingen i allt högre grad inneburit olika former av systematiskt och tvärsektoriellt säkerhetsarbete i kommunerna. I detta arbete används olika verktyg och metoder som hjälpmedel och stöd. Vissa verktyg är obligatoriska att använda enligt lagstiftning medan andra är frivilliga. Denna uppsats syftar till att kartlägga kommunernas användning av några av dessa säkerhetsverktyg, samt att för ett av verktygen – olycksutredning – undersöka i vilken utsträckning några särskilda utredningsmetoder förmår stödja den samlade praktiska hantering som en olycksutredning innebär. Uppsatsen bygger på två delarbeten, varav det ena är publicerat i en internationell vetenskaplig tidskrift och det andra är inskickat för bedömning till en annan tidskrift. Artikel I bygger på en enkätstudie till 1283 tjänstemän i 73 kommuner. En fråga handlade om användningen av 16 olika säkerhetsverktyg. Denna fråga besvarades av 50 % av de tillfrågade personerna. Resultaten tyder på att verktygen skyddsrond, riskanalys och riskinventering hade utbredd användning i samtliga sektorer medan övriga verktyg användes begränsat inom vissa sektorer eller nästan inte alls. Artikel II studerar hur olika olycksutredningsmetoder stödjer den praktiska utredningsprocessen. Analysen grundas i en processmodell särskilt framtagen för utvärdering av metoderna. Slutsatserna stöds av data från 114 tester av sådana metoder i kursen Kvalificerad olycksutredningsmetodik vid Karlstads universitet. Över 170 kursdeltagare från olika branscher har medverkat i testerna, som en del i undervisningen. Resultaten visar att bland de bedömda metoderna så är det endast metoderna Avvikelseutredning och STEP som ger ett bra stöd i hela utredningsprocessen. Övriga metoder stödjer huvudsakligen endast själva analysdelen i en olycksutredning. De sammanfattande slutsatserna visar att kommunerna använder sig av verktyg i sitt säkerhetsarbete, men att endast ett fåtal av verktygen används brett i alla kommunsektorer. Bland de undersökta metoderna för verktyget olycksutredning konstateras att det finns stora skillnader i hur dessa stödjer utredningsprocessen. Flera metoder borde kanske snarare benämnas olycksanalysmetoder, istället för olycksutredningsmetoder, då de främst ger stöd för själva analysdelen i utredningsarbetet. / Municipalities have a unique position in safety work by being close to both the citizens and the accidents and injuries that affect the population. Despite far-reaching advances in technology and an established welfare state, injuries resulting from accidents constitute a significant public health problem in Sweden as well as in other Nordic countries. Swedish municipalities are subjected to wide-ranging responsibilities and are expected to take action in a number of societal areas to safeguard people's safety and security. The last two decades are increasingly characterized by systematic and cross-sectorial safety work of various forms in municipalities. In this endeavor a variety of tools and methods intended to aid and support safety work have been introduced. Some tools are required by law while others are optional. This thesis aims to identify to what extent local authorities utilize a number of these safety tools, and secondly to examine whether a set of particular methods aimed to guide one of the tools – accident investigation – are actually supportive to the entire practical investigative process. The thesis is based on two papers, the first of which has been published in an international scientific journal, and the second has been submitted to another journal. Article I is based on a survey targeting 1283 officials in 73 municipalities. One question was about the use of 16 different safety tools. This question was answered by 50 % of the officials. The results show that safety round, risk analysis and risk inventory were reported to be used frequently in all sectors while other tools were used only in certain sectors or virtually not at all. Article II analyzes how different accident investigation methods support the practical investigative process. The evaluation is based on a process model intended to illustrate this process. The analysis comprises data from 114 tests of nine selected methods taught in a recurrent course entitled Advanced Accident Investigation Methodology at Karlstad University. More than 170 participants representing various industries and sectors were involved in the tests. The results show that among the nine assessed methods, only Deviation Analysis and STEP gives good support throughout the entire investigative process. Other methods provide support primarily during the analysis phase of an accident investigation. In summary, our findings show that local authorities make use of safety tools, but only a few of the tools are broadly used across all municipal sectors. Regarding the assessed methods of the tool accident investigation it can be concluded that there are major differences in their way to support throughout the investigative process. It is suggested that several methods should rather be described as accident analysis methods instead of accident investigation methods since they provide support mainly for the analysis step.

Invasive exotic species threaten the biodiversity and function of native ecosystems. Existing models, attempting to predict and control successful invaders, often emphasize isolated stages of in their life history and fail to formalize interactions between exotic species and recipient environments. In order to elucidate key mechanisms in the success of select invaders, I investigated the role of dispersal, establishment, proliferation, and persistence in their threat to natural areas. Focusing on Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada, I integrated the native climatic range and biological traits of 251 exotic vascular plants reported inside and outside the park. Based on their climatic range in Europe, 155 among 174 exotic plant species absent from the Park were predicted to establish within its boundaries; among these, 40 clonal perennials were considered the highest threat to the Park’s biodiversity. Focusing on smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.), a Eurasian perennial, threatening the structure and function of native prairies throughout the Great Plains, I extended my research to investigate the role of dispersal, establishment, proliferation, and persistence in characterizing its threat to the endemic diversity of northern fescue prairies, protected within Riding Mountain National Park. Patterns of smooth brome invasions were contingent on the type of propagules dispersed. The shallow dispersal gradient of individual florets combined with the steeper gradient of panicles and spikelets suggested that smooth brome is capable of simultaneously invading along dense fronts as well as by establishing isolated foci. While low correlations between the number of dispersed seeds and their recruitment suggested post-dispersal transport, seedling establishment remained contingent on prairie diversity. Seedling biomass increased with declining plant diversity, however, its impact depended on the availability of soil nitrogen. As a result, disturbed areas, preserving the root function of native plants, resisted smooth brome establishment. Even though low nitrogen contributed to a decline in seedling biomass, physiological integration between ramets facilitated their vegetative proliferation in low resource environments. Despite its rapid establishment and proliferation, smooth brome productivity declined at the center of invading clones. Although field and greenhouse observations failed to implicate soilborne pathogens, reasons for the observed decline remain unresolved. My research demonstrates that while Riding Mountain National Park and other natural areas in western Canada will continue to be impacted by exotic plants, integrating key stages in their life history provides an important conceptual framework in predicting their threat to natural areas and prioritizing management. / October 2008

There are problems with poor quality, poor scheduling and poor working climate in the Swedish construction industry. Many parts have been involved, trying to solve the problem. This spring a new planning and building-law becomes final. In this law, the requirements set on the controls are greater. Hopefully this will lead to fewer construction errors. The requirements set on the working environment have also increased, forcing consultants and contractors to focus on safe workplaces. For each project requiring a building permit, an inspection plan has to been drawn. The inspection plan aims to ensure that the constructed building is operational. To ensure that the control plan is followed, self monitoring is performed. For each project, every designer also has to do a risk analysis to ensure a safe working environment. This report presents an investigation of stakeholders’ roles in the construction process. It also points out what by law should be controlled and against what. The result of the report is templates for control against PBL, self-monitoring plan and risk analysis. / Det finns stora problem med bristande kvalitet, dålig tidplanering och undermåligt arbetsmiljöklimat i den svenska byggbranschen. Detta problem är något som berörda parter lagt ner mycket tid på för att komma till rätta med. Som ett led i strävan mot kvalitetssäkring träder en ny Plan- och bygglag i kraft den 2 maj, som ökar kravet på innehåll i kontrollplaner, och därmed egenkontrollplaner. Arbetsmiljöfrågor har under senare år även de blivit mer aktuella med krav på byggarbetsmiljösamordnare och riskanalys. För samtliga projekt som kräver bygglov, rivningslov, marklov eller anmälan krävs en kontrollplan. Dessutom ska en egenkontrollplan samt en riskanalys finnas för samtliga projektörer i samtliga projekt. Riskanalyser ligger ofta till grund för val av lösningar eller omdirigeringar för att undvika personskador. I denna rapport redovisas en grundlig utredning av nyckelpersoners roll i kvalitets- och arbetsmiljöarbetet, samt vad som egentligen ska kontrolleras och mot vad. Nyckelpersonerna identifieras efterhand i rapporten. Resultatet av utredningen är förslag på utformning av mallar för kontrollplan-PBL, egenkontrollplan samt riskanalys.

<p>The Swedish electricity market was de-regulated in 1996, followed by new laws and a new regulation applied to the natural monopolies of electrical distribution systems (EDS). These circumstances have motivated distribution systems operators (DSOs) to introduce more comprehensive analysis methods. The laws, the regulation and additional incentives have been investigated within this work and results from this study can be valuable when developing risk methods or other quantitative methods applied to EDS. This tendency is not unique for Sweden, the results from a comparative study of customer outage compensation laws between Sweden and UK is for example included.</p><p>As a part of investigating these incentives, studies of the Swedish regulation of customer network tariffs have been performed which provide valuable learning when developing regulation models in different countries. The Swedish regulatory model, referred to as the Network Performance Assessment Model (NPAM), was created for one of the first de-regulated electricity markets in the world and has a unique and novel approach. For the first time, an overall presentation of the NPAM has been performed including description of the underlying theory as a part of this work. However, the model has been met by difficulties and the future usage of the model is uncertain. Furthermore, the robustness of the NPAM has been evaluated in two studies with the main conclusion that the NPAM is sensitive toward small variations in input data. Results from these studies are explained theoretically investigating algorithms of the NPAM.</p><p>A pre-study of a project on developing international test systems is presented and this ongoing project aims to be a useful input when developing risk methods. An application study is included with the approach to systematically describe the overall risk management process at a DSO including an evaluation and ideas of future developments. The main objective is to support DSOs in the development of risk management, and to give academic reference material to utilize industry experience. An idea of a risk management classification has been concluded from this application study. The study provides an input to the final objective of a quantitative risk method.</p>

Historien om betalningsmedel vänder under 2010-talet blad och börjar på ett nyttkapitel. Nästa steg i den monetära utvecklingen sker när de virtuella valutorna ökar ianvändning. Den virtuella valutan Bitcoin introducerades av Satoshi Nakamato år2009 och är en digital valuta, vilket innebär att den inte är kopplad till någon fysisktillgång med rättslig innebörd. När ett nytt betalningsmedel introduceras ärfundamentala faktorer gällande samhällets acceptans och nyttjande ett ekonomisktpussel. Hur kommer det sig att individer byter verkliga varor mot en papperssedel, ettmynt eller en elektronisk signal? Att inneha och aktivt använda nya betalningsmedelsom virtuella valutor medför risker som många inte är bekanta vid. Organisationeroch konsumenter som öppnar upp portarna för nya betalningsmedel måste ha kunskapom dess konsekvenser, både positiva och negativa. Studien syftar till att belysa derisker som uppstår när nya betalningsmedel som Bitcoin gör entré. Forskningsfrågankring vilka risker innehav och nyttjande av virtuella valutor medför besvaras genomen kvalitativ analys av främst forskningsartiklar. Vår studie tyder på att riskerna kringvirtuella valutor som Bitcoin relaterar till förtroende för betalningsmedlet. De flestariskerna uppstår vid innehav av Bitcoin och relaterar inte till tekniska faktorer. / The history of means of payment is taking new shape during the 2010:th decade andstarts on a new chapter. The next step in the monetary evolution will take place oncevirtual currencies become more frequently used. The virtual currency called Bitcoinwas introduced by Satoshi Nakamoto in the year of 2009 and is a digital currency,which means that it is not connected to a physical good with a forensic purpose.When a new mean of payment is introduced fundamental factors regarding theacceptance of society and utilization becomes a financial puzzle. How can it be thatindividuals exchange physical goods for a paper bill, a coin or just somethingelectronic? To possess Bitcoin and to use new means of payment on a frequent basisbring risks many users are not familiar with. Organizations and consumers whomopen up their gates to new means of payment need to gain knowledge ofconsequences both positive and negative. The purpose of this study is to highlight theaforementioned risks, which arise from the fact that new means of payment likeBitcoin is introduced. The research issue regarding which risks may arise frompossession and usage of virtual currencies are concluded by a qualitative analysisresearch containing mostly scientific articles. Our study depicts that the risksassociated with virtual currencies like Bitcoin, are all somehow related to the trust forthe specific mean of payment. Most risks arise from actually possessing a Bitcoin andhence not as much related to the technological element.

Invasive exotic species threaten the biodiversity and function of native ecosystems. Existing models, attempting to predict and control successful invaders, often emphasize isolated stages of in their life history and fail to formalize interactions between exotic species and recipient environments. In order to elucidate key mechanisms in the success of select invaders, I investigated the role of dispersal, establishment, proliferation, and persistence in their threat to natural areas. Focusing on Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada, I integrated the native climatic range and biological traits of 251 exotic vascular plants reported inside and outside the park. Based on their climatic range in Europe, 155 among 174 exotic plant species absent from the Park were predicted to establish within its boundaries; among these, 40 clonal perennials were considered the highest threat to the Park’s biodiversity. Focusing on smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.), a Eurasian perennial, threatening the structure and function of native prairies throughout the Great Plains, I extended my research to investigate the role of dispersal, establishment, proliferation, and persistence in characterizing its threat to the endemic diversity of northern fescue prairies, protected within Riding Mountain National Park. Patterns of smooth brome invasions were contingent on the type of propagules dispersed. The shallow dispersal gradient of individual florets combined with the steeper gradient of panicles and spikelets suggested that smooth brome is capable of simultaneously invading along dense fronts as well as by establishing isolated foci. While low correlations between the number of dispersed seeds and their recruitment suggested post-dispersal transport, seedling establishment remained contingent on prairie diversity. Seedling biomass increased with declining plant diversity, however, its impact depended on the availability of soil nitrogen. As a result, disturbed areas, preserving the root function of native plants, resisted smooth brome establishment. Even though low nitrogen contributed to a decline in seedling biomass, physiological integration between ramets facilitated their vegetative proliferation in low resource environments. Despite its rapid establishment and proliferation, smooth brome productivity declined at the center of invading clones. Although field and greenhouse observations failed to implicate soilborne pathogens, reasons for the observed decline remain unresolved. My research demonstrates that while Riding Mountain National Park and other natural areas in western Canada will continue to be impacted by exotic plants, integrating key stages in their life history provides an important conceptual framework in predicting their threat to natural areas and prioritizing management.

En av de viktigaste frågorna i världen idag är naturresurshantering. Med en väx-ande befolkning och hoten från klimatförändringar kommer förvaltningen av jordens naturresurser bli än viktigare, såväl för dagens generation som kommande generationer. En viktig aspekt när det gäller naturresurshantering är hur människor uppfattar och värderar naturen. För att komma närmare dessa miljövärden har ett flertal olika vetenskapliga tillvägagångssätt föreslagits. Den här avhandlingen undersöker hur det är möjligt att närma sig miljövärden under olika omständighe-ter och utifrån olika behov. Detta görs genom att undersöka hur olika teorier har använts, och kan användas, avseende olika våtmarker i Kenya. I utvecklingslän-der har naturresurser, teoretiskt sett, ett högre värde eftersom fattiga människor till en högre grad är direkt beroende av naturresurser och ekosystemtjänster. Ut-gångspunkten i denna avhandling är sex våtmarksområden i Kenya under olika förvaltning och med ett flertal, både aktuella och potentiella, användare. I av-handlingen undersöks hur lokalsamhället, myndigheter, industrier och turister uppfattar och värderar våtmarkerna. Genom att applicera ett arenaperspektiv, som betonar vikten av tvärvetenskap, diskuteras i avhandlingen det ekonomiska värdet av miljön för att sedan applicera andra metoder såsom emergy analys, stakeholder analys, kulturteori och riskanalys för att bredda och berika värderingen av miljön. / One of the most important issues in the world, both for present and future genera-tions, concerns natural resource management. With a growing global population and the threat of climate change, issues relating to natural resource management will grow in importance with time. One fundamental aspect of natural resource management is how people perceive and value the environment. The value that is ascribed to natural resources will be one of the determinants in the choices that people face in regards to their management. A wide range of approaches have been suggested to approach environmental values. This thesis focuses on analys-ing the assessment of environmental values under different circumstances and needs. This is done by exploring the ways various theories have and can be used to approach natural resource valuation in different wetland management situations in Kenya. In the developing world the value of natural resources can, theoreti-cally, be seen as even higher than in the developed world, due to poor peoples’ direct dependency on their natural resources and the ecosystem services and goods that they provide. The point of departure in this thesis is six wetland areas with different management strategies and with multiple users. It examines how local communities, governmental authorities, industries and tourists perceive the value of the wetlands. By applying an arena perspective, that emphasises the need of interdisciplinarity, this thesis discusses the economic value of the environment and applies other methods such as, emergy analysis, stakeholder analysis, cultural theory and risk analysis, to enrich the valuation of environment.