The authors of this paper will try to identify what different pressure factors have an influence over the Swedish mechanical pulp and paper industry. Moreover, the authors of this paper will try to identify whether different levels of environmental commitment can be identified within the organization. The results show that all of the pressure factors that were identified in the case study, except for regulations and social pressure, are influenced by economic benefits and, therefore, a reactive stance is almost always preferred by the firm when there is a negative correlation between economic performance and environmental performance. Results also indicate a gap in the internal communication of the organization. This is not related to the topic of this paper but might be useful information for the company used in the case study.

SAMMAMFATTNING Bakgrund: Reaktiv hyperemi definieras som ett övergående ökat blodflöde över det normala efter en tids ischemi. Det kan registreras med laserdopplerteknik. Att registrera reaktiv hyperemi är ett sätt att värdera mikrocirkulationen. Det finns många flödesvariabler att studera varav tid till maxflöde efter ocklusion är en. Det har gjorts studier som undersöker om det finns ett samband mellan reaktiv hyperemi och fysisk aktivitet/syreupptagningsförmåga. Det har inte gjorts någon studie som undersöker tid till maxflöde och fysisk aktivitet. Syftet var att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan fysisk aktivitet och reaktiv hyperemi med avseende på tid till maxflöde. Material och metod: Testpersoner fick bära en accelerometer en vecka under dygnets alla vakna timmar samt göra en registrering av reaktiv hyperemi med laserdoppler. För statistiska beräkningar användes oparat T-test för att undersöka skillnad mellan olika grad av fysisk aktivitet och tid till maxflöde. Resultat: Ingen statistiskt signifikant skillnad mellan olika aktivitetsgrad och tid till maxflöde kunde observeras. Slutsats: Den här studien visade inte på statistiskt signifikant samband mellan blodflöde och fysisk aktivitet.

The number of integrated wind farms into the power system is increasing as well as the total installed wind power capacity, which may cause voltage stability concerns. Additionally, there are European Transmission System Operators (TSOs) that do notinvolve wind farms in contributing to the voltage control in any significant extent. In the on-going project by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), to update the European grid requirements, this will probably be changed. The aim of this Master thesis is to demonstrate the voltage variations in the high voltage grid during different operational conditions. Thereafter, clarify when high voltages may occur at the connection point of the studied wind farm. Furthermore, it is investigated whether the wind farm is able to regulate the voltage in the cases when high voltages occur. The load flow and switching studies are performed with the software tool Power System Simulator for Engineering (PSS/E) version 32.1.1. The grid model represents a part of the Swedish high voltage grid. Since voltage stability often is a local issue, special modelling aspects has been performed at the hydropower generators in the close-located area of the wind farm. The main conclusions of this Master thesis are that high voltages is associated with low load situations, i.e., mostly during summer nights. Furthermore, the studied close-located reactor is not able to keep the voltage within desired level by itself. Finally, it has been shown that the wind farm is technically able to contribute to the voltage stability in the close-located area. But since wind power is an intermittent power source it makes the voltage regulating capacity less reliable compared to hydropower. The results and conclusions given in this Master thesis have also been summarized in a conference paper for The 11th International Workshop on Large-Scale Integration of Wind Power into Power Systems as well as on Transmission Networks for Offshore Wind Power Plants, see Lidström et al [35].

This research explores the thermal stability of ZrCrAlN material system. For this purpose fourteen different compositions of ZrCrAlN coatings were deposited onto tungsten carbide substrates by using reactive cathodic arc evaporation. These compositions were further annealed at 800oC, 900oC, 1000oC and 1100oC temperatures. EDS was employed to specify the compositions. The crystal structure of the coatings were analysed by XRD, and the hardness of these coatings was determined by Nanoindentation. The experimental findings reported a significant age hardening of Zr0.16Cr0.12Al0.72N and a delayed h-AlN formation in Zr0.07Cr0.40Al0.52N. ZrCrAlN was thus proved to be thermally stable. / Multifilms,A4:2 Growth and characterization of Multicomponent Nitrides by Magnetron Sputtering and Arc evaporation

Replacement of thymidine in DNA by halopyrimidines, such as bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and iododeoxyuridine (IdU), has long been known to enhance DNA damage and cell death induced by ionizing/UV radiation, but the mechanism of action of halopyrimidines at the molecular level is poorly understood. We have applied advanced time-resolved femtosecond laser spectroscopy to this molecular system of biological, chemical and medical significance. We obtained the first real-time observations of the transition states of the ultrafast electron transfer (UET) reactions of halopyrimidines with the ultrashort-lived precursor to the hydrated electron, which is a general product in ionizing/UV radiation. Our results provide a mechanistic understanding of these photo-/radiosensitizing drugs at the molecular level. We found that the UET reaction of BrdU is completed within 0.2 picosecond (ps) after the electronic exciataion, leading to the formation of the transition state BrdU* with a lifetime of ~1.5 ps that then dissociates into Br and a high reactive radical dU•. We have also demonstrated that the reaction efficiency for the formation of the reactive radical dU• to cause DNA damage and cell death is in the order of IdU>>BrdU>CldU>>FdU. This is due to the availability of two precursor states of ~0.2 ps and ~ 0.54 ps lifetimes for dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to IdU, of one precursor state of ~0.2 ps lifetime for DEAs to BrdU and CldU, and no precursors for DEA to FdU. This explains why BrdU and IdU were found to be effective radio-/photosensitizers and indicates that IdU should be explored as the most effective radiosensitizer among halopyrimidines. Moreover, as a by-product of this project, these halopyrimidines have been employed as quantum-state-specific molecular probes to resolve a long-standing controversy about the nature and lifetimes of prehydrated electrons. These findings also have a broader significance as they indicated that nonequilibrium precursor electrons may play an important role in electron-initiated reactions in many biological, chemical and environmental systems. We have also demonstrated UET reactions of nucleotides with the precursor to the hydrated electrons. Our results indicate that among DNA bases, adenine is the most efficient electron trapper and an effective electron transfer promoter, while guanine is the most effective in dissociative electron attachment. These results not only primarily explain the sequence selectivity of duplex DNA containing BrdU/IdU, but imply that the DEA of guanine is an important mechanism for radiation-induced DNA damage in ionizing radiation and radiotherapy of cancer.

Abstract Permeable reactive barrier technology is a cost effective means of treating near surface groundwater contaminant plumes. However, current reactive barrier technology lacks the capacity to manipulate flow rates and thus hydraulic retention time (HRT) within the barriers in order to maximize the effectiveness and longevity of the media. This study examines the effectiveness of tile drains as passive controls on the flow rate of ground-water through an existing wood particle media permeable reactive barrier treating agricultural nitrate. The use of upgradient and downgradient tile drains allowed HRT to be increased from 4.5 to 10 days in one trial and then to be decreased from 11.1 to 0.8 days in a second trial. Influent groundwater NO3-N concentrations of ~100 mg/L were attenuated to detection limit (0.02 mg/L) only 12% of the 4 m long barrier with HRTs of 4.5 to 10 days. During the second trial, HRT was decreased to 0.8 days and NO3-N penetrated to the downgradient edge of the PRB at 1.8 mg/L. The behaviour of SO4 in the PRB was also affected by flow rate. SO4 entered the PRB at 60 to 71 mg/L during the first trial. Under a HRT of 10 days it was depleted to detection limit after traveling through only 13% of the barrier. When HRT was decreased to 4.5 days, SO4 was able to penetrate the downgradient edge of the PRB at concentrations from 4 to 6 mg/L. With a 0.8 day HRT SO4 reduction was highly restricted as calculations showed 90% of available carbon in the PRB was being used to reduce NO3-N, compared to 7.5% being used for SO4 reduction at that time. In comparison, at the 10 day HRT, 61% of carbon being used for NO3-N reduction, 8.7% for SO4 reduction, 0.7 for dissolved oxygen and 29% was lost through DOC leaching. These calculations suggest that barrier efficiency can be greatly enhanced by manipulation of HRT through use of tile drains.

A primary purpose of the present work was to develop an experimental technique using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) capable of elucidating phase formation during sintering of a 50 atomic percent Ni and 50 atomic percent Ti powder compact in order to increase the understanding of the sintering mechanisms that take place during solid state and reactive sintering. Using a variety of Nickel and Titanium powder sizes, effects due to powder size, peak temperature and hold time were studied in situ using DSC, which allowed for a number of qualitative and quantitative relationships to be developed. In studying the eutectoid decomposition of β-Ti using DSC, a simple model was developed (Eq. 4-7) to relate the measured enthalpy of this reaction to the area fraction observed microstructurally. This allowed for the determination of the standard enthalpy for the β-Ti eutectoid decomposition, which was found to be ΔHf = 64.8 J/g. This value, coupled with the measured eutectoid enthalpy, allowed for the determination of the weight fraction of β-Ti present as a function of hold time at 900°C. It was found that the β-Ti removal followed a two-stage parabolic decay. The rate constant for stage I was found to be kI = -0.0347 fβ/(mins)^1/2 and that for stage II, kII = - 0.0123 fβ/(mins)^1/2. A relationship between the enthalpy observed for the combustion reaction versus the fraction of β-Ti present at the time of combustion was also developed (Eq. 4-15). This represents the first published evidence that combustion actually depends on the β-Ti content, which in turn precipitates a melting event significant enough to initiate combustion.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which utilizes the combination of light and a photosensitizing drug to cause tissue damages, has emerged as a novel clinical approach for the treatment of numerous cancers, as well as some other non-malignant conditions. Although a few photosensitizers have been approved for clinical uses, the mechanism of drug action, especially the initial photochemical reactions that lead to the formation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), is still not well understood. Moreover, the PDT efficiency of currently used drugs is limited due to the strong attenuation of light by tissues in the wavelength range of 630-690 nm, where these drugs are photo-activated. Photosensitizers which are sensitive to near infrared (NIR) light are believed to be able to overcome this limitation. In this thesis work, the molecular mechanism of action of indocyanine green (ICG), a potential NIR PDT drug, was investigated using our femtosecond time-resolved laser spectroscopy. Femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence decay profiles of ICG in water were obtained using the fluorescence up-conversion technique. The lifetime of ICG excited singlet state was determined to be about 150 ps, directly from the fluorescence decay kinetic traces. The excited triplet-state yield of ICG in water was found to be extremely low, according to the result of the ground-state bleaching recovery measurement. This observation is contrary to the conventional understanding that the ROS would be generated mainly from the excited triplet state of the photosensitizer and, therefore, suggests the existence of a new reaction pathway. Pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy was applied to study the reaction between ICG and oxygen in more details. The results reveal that the formation of ICG and oxygen ground-state complexes ([ICG]_m:[O₂]_n) is a key step in the generation of the ROS. Electron transfer from the excited singlet state of ICG to oxygen has been proposed to be a possible pathway for the generation of ROS.

The effective and efficient remediation of contaminated groundwater sites requires site specific information regarding the physical, chemical and biological properties of the aquifer. Building on the dipole flow test (DFT) and the dipole flow and tracer test (DFTT), the dipole flow and reactive tracer test (DFRTT) has been proposed as an alternative to current aquifer parameter estimation methods. A steady-state dipole flow field is created by circulating groundwater between chambers isolated by the dipole tool. A tracer is released into the injection chamber and the breakthrough curve at the extraction chamber is interpreted with the DFRTT specific model. The overall goal of this thesis was to demonstrate the ability of a prototype dipole system to produce tracer BTCs in conventional wells installed in an unconfined sandy aquifer. The Waterloo dipole probe was constructed and field tested at CFB Borden. DFTs conducted along the length of the screen of non-filter packed monitoring wells provided similar estimates of radial hydraulic conductivity (Kr) to slug tests and literature values. The geometric mean Kr estimated in the filter packed wells was approximately an order of magnitude greater than the mean Kr estimate for the non-filter packed wells due to short-circuiting through the filter pack. A total of 46 DFTTs were completed in the monitoring wells at CFB Borden to investigate the properties of the BTCs. The shape of the BTC for a conservative tracer is affected by test set up parameters, well construction, and aquifer formation properties. The BTCs from the DFTTs completed in the non-filter pack monitoring wells were categorized into four “type curves” based on the BTC properties. The differences between the type curves were largely defined by the ratio of K between the skin zone and the aquifer (Ks/Kr). Now that a series of DFTT BTCs have been generated, the DFRTT model will be used to estimate the aquifer parameters. To continue the work outlined in this thesis, DFRTTs are planned for well-documented contaminated sites.

The thesis provides a political analysis of a position paper on government programming recently adopted by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) a national ethno-cultural organisation that ostensibly represents over one million Canadians of Ukrainian heritage and a historically important player in the development of multiculturalism in Canada. The impetus for such an analysis is to explore whether there are alternative policy directions available to the UCC that could satisfy its mandate developing and enhancing the Ukrainian-Canadian community while taking into account the reality that Ukrainian-Canadians culturally resemble more and more the broader Canadian society. <p>In a wide-ranging analysis that criticizes both, official Canadian multiculturalism for falling short in meeting its commitment to cultural pluralism and the UCC for upholding a position that relies on a static or retrograde version of culture, the thesis makes the case for a multiculturalism that can recognize cultural differences while allowing for change. <p>The thesis is significant because it asks relevant questions concerning how multiculturalism in Canada takes into account an increasingly heterogeneous citizenship characterized by cultural change. In this regard, the thesis is of particular importance to Canadians who claim a multiplicity of cultures rather than a single ethnicity and yet still express a desire to be included in the discourse on Canadian national identity.