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Challenges facing urban planners and governments continue to mount as populations in urban areas increase, pressure on the world's resources reaches critical levels and degradation of ecosystems around the world becomes increasingly apparent. The movement towards sustainable development has been met with enthusiasm by decision-makers, although exactly how to achieve this target, or even measure progress towards it, is not entirely evident. This paper explores how complex urban systems can be modelled holistically using a multi-agent based framework, and their sustainability assessed using a systems approach. There are numerous subsystems and corresponding resources (natural, financial, human and man-made) within an urban development such as water, energy, transport, waste, economic and social systems. All of these subsystems and their interrelations can be modelled using multi-agent systems, along with effects of human behaviour, both spatially and temporally, in order to provide planners, developers and decision-makers with a better platform for understanding the complexities of the urban form. As well as the presentation of a general overview of how the complexities of urban systems can be best captured using integrated modelling techniques such as multi-agent systems, the AUSTIME methodology, "Assessment of Urban Sustainability Through Integrated Modelling and Exploration", will be briefly presented. This methodology is designed to show how quantifiable sustainability assessment, based on system resource thresholds, and multi-agent based modelling, can be integrated into a framework that can be used for decision making and management relating to policy, regulation, planning, design and development of urban systems. The framework is designed to form part of a cyclic process, such as an adaptive management and learning or total quality management cycle that can explicitly include stakeholder participation and ongoing evaluation. Specific examples of the implementation of this methodology are provided from a case study of Christie Walk, an eco-development in inner-city Adelaide, Australia. The case study involves the development of a prototype multi-agent based model coupled with a sustainability assessment framework that allows quantifiable sustainability comparisons for a range of indicators between the Christie Walk development and the larger Adelaide metropolitan area. Simulation results show that the eco-development performs significantly better than the majority of Adelaide metropolitan developments, specifically in carbon dioxide production, where the development's occupants rate below the 5th percentile of all Adelaide residents. The model is subsequently used to examine scenarios relating to changes in occupant behaviour, development infrastructure and location. Simulations comparing the relative impacts of car ownership and use behaviour, and infrastructure design changes (where air conditioners and heaters are required to regulate indoor temperatures), show that high in-house electricity use behaviour related to infrastructure changes to Christie Walk could have a greater effect on equivalent carbon dioxide production than increased car ownership and use (potentially due to a location change to an outer suburb of the Adelaide metropolitan area). This result is just one example that highlights the necessity for planners and governments to consider the relative importance and effects of all subsystems in urban areas on the overall system's sustainability before attempting to design and choose management options and plans. It is envisaged that the AUSTIME methodology and case study application will help provide an example of how integrated modelling and sustainability assessment can be built into adaptive management cycles and effectively used as a decision making tool to work towards the sustainable development of urban environments and their inhabitants.

Challenges facing urban planners and governments continue to mount as populations in urban areas increase, pressure on the world's resources reaches critical levels and degradation of ecosystems around the world becomes increasingly apparent. The movement towards sustainable development has been met with enthusiasm by decision-makers, although exactly how to achieve this target, or even measure progress towards it, is not entirely evident. This paper explores how complex urban systems can be modelled holistically using a multi-agent based framework, and their sustainability assessed using a systems approach. There are numerous subsystems and corresponding resources (natural, financial, human and man-made) within an urban development such as water, energy, transport, waste, economic and social systems. All of these subsystems and their interrelations can be modelled using multi-agent systems, along with effects of human behaviour, both spatially and temporally, in order to provide planners, developers and decision-makers with a better platform for understanding the complexities of the urban form. As well as the presentation of a general overview of how the complexities of urban systems can be best captured using integrated modelling techniques such as multi-agent systems, the AUSTIME methodology, "Assessment of Urban Sustainability Through Integrated Modelling and Exploration", will be briefly presented. This methodology is designed to show how quantifiable sustainability assessment, based on system resource thresholds, and multi-agent based modelling, can be integrated into a framework that can be used for decision making and management relating to policy, regulation, planning, design and development of urban systems. The framework is designed to form part of a cyclic process, such as an adaptive management and learning or total quality management cycle that can explicitly include stakeholder participation and ongoing evaluation. Specific examples of the implementation of this methodology are provided from a case study of Christie Walk, an eco-development in inner-city Adelaide, Australia. The case study involves the development of a prototype multi-agent based model coupled with a sustainability assessment framework that allows quantifiable sustainability comparisons for a range of indicators between the Christie Walk development and the larger Adelaide metropolitan area. Simulation results show that the eco-development performs significantly better than the majority of Adelaide metropolitan developments, specifically in carbon dioxide production, where the development's occupants rate below the 5th percentile of all Adelaide residents. The model is subsequently used to examine scenarios relating to changes in occupant behaviour, development infrastructure and location. Simulations comparing the relative impacts of car ownership and use behaviour, and infrastructure design changes (where air conditioners and heaters are required to regulate indoor temperatures), show that high in-house electricity use behaviour related to infrastructure changes to Christie Walk could have a greater effect on equivalent carbon dioxide production than increased car ownership and use (potentially due to a location change to an outer suburb of the Adelaide metropolitan area). This result is just one example that highlights the necessity for planners and governments to consider the relative importance and effects of all subsystems in urban areas on the overall system's sustainability before attempting to design and choose management options and plans. It is envisaged that the AUSTIME methodology and case study application will help provide an example of how integrated modelling and sustainability assessment can be built into adaptive management cycles and effectively used as a decision making tool to work towards the sustainable development of urban environments and their inhabitants.

В статье рассмотрена значимость Арктической зоны Российской Федерации, отражены основные национальные интересы Российской Федерации в Арктике, исследованы данные концентрации большинства уникальных и крупных месторождений с запасами углеводородов, проанализированы данные неразведанного потенциала Арктической зоны. Рассмотрены тенденция развития удаленных и малодоступных регионов страны, промышленности, укрепления стратегических позиций Российской Федерации, перспектива внедрения крупнейших инвестиционных проектов. Дана краткая оценка экономического состояния Арктической зоны России, подчеркнута необходимость оценки экологических рисков и разработки системы предупреждений аварий и ликвидации их последствий, ликвидации загрязнений прошлых лет, накопленных на островах арктических морей с 40-х годов прошлого века, разработки мер по сохранению видового разнообразия Арктики. Отражены обязанности компаний по выполнению плана по предупреждению разливов нефти и нефтепродуктов, подтверждающего финансовые возможности для выполнения работ, обязанности по созданию системы наблюдений за состоянием морской среды. Рассмотрены законодательные изменения по установлению требований к содержанию плана предупреждения и ликвидации разливов нефти и нефтепродуктов, представлен ряд программных правительственных документов, которые в конечном итоге ориентированы на стратегию социально-экономического развития России до 2020 года. Рассмотрена современная геополитическая ситуация Российской Федерации, испытывающая мощное давление со стороны стран-конкурентов, которые заинтересованы в том, чтобы сохранить Россию в качестве поставщика сырьевых ресурсов. Проанализированы санкции ЕС и США против нефтегазовых компаний России и их влияние на экономику. Рассмотрены опыт Ирана, в отношении которого были инициированы санкции со стороны США, и пути выхода Ирана из кризиса процессом импортозамещения. Также в статье представлены результаты исследования экономических и политических механизмов, используемых для решения проблемы освоения морских месторождений нефти в Арктике, дана экономическая оценка некоторым типам нефтяных проектов. ; The article discusses the importance and the unexplored potential of the Arctic zone, highlights Russia's national interests in the Arctic and studies the data on the concentration of the majority of unique large hydrocarbon deposits. Further, we look at the development trends in this industry, Russia's remote regions and those difficult to access, as well as at the country's strategic position getting stronger. Prospects of introducing large investment projects are also considered; a brief assessment of the economic status of the Russian Arctic is provided. We highlight the need for environmental risk assessment and systems to prevent accidents and eliminate their consequences as well as those resulting from the pollutants and waste that has accumulated on the Arctic islands since the 1940s. Moreover, measures need to be developed in order to preserve species diversity in the Arctic. Further, the paper dwells on the responsibilities of companies to prevent oil spills, prove their financial capacity to perform this work and develop a system to monitor the state of the marine environment. Moreover, changes to the law on the content of oil spill prevention and response plans are considered as well as a number of government policy documents focused on the strategy for the socioeconomic development of Russia until 2020. In addition, we study the current geopolitical situation as Russia is facing intense pressure from its competitors interested in the country's staying a raw material supplier. Further, the paper analyses the EU and US sanctions against Russian oil and gas companies and their impact on the economy, paying attention to the Iranian experience under US sanctions and the country's way out of the crisis by means of import substitution. Also in this paper we present the results of the study on economic and political mechanisms used to solve the problem of offshore oil-field development in the Arctic and provide an economic assessment of certain types of oil projects.

Представлен анализ вариантов обновления газомазутных энергоблоков мощностью 300 МВт (замещение паросиловых энергоблоков на энергоблоки с парогазовыми установками, техническое перевооружение энергоблоков путем реконструкции или модернизации паровой турбины, осуществление замены паровой турбины на аналогичную новую турбину, продление срока службы находящегося в эксплуатации оборудования). Варианты обновления энергоблоков указанного типа на ТЭС России могут базироваться на различных технических решениях, основанием для выбора которых должны служить средне- и долгосрочная перспективы структуры их топливного баланса (природный газ, синтез-газ, мазут, пылеугольное топливо, включая обогащенный уголь и отходы производства углеобогащения), выставляемые ОАО «СО ЕЭС» требования по участию энергоблоков в регулировании частоты и перетоков мощности, развитие в стране распределенной генерации и связанные с этим перспективы использования установленной мощности реконструированных ТЭС в соответствующих узлах энергосистемы, развитие смежных отраслей экономики страны, темпы освоения экологическичистых отечественных парогазовых и угольных технологий, создание конкурентоспособной отечественной элементной базы микроэлектроники. Внедрение импортных парогазовых установок требует совершенствования в стране ремонтно-сервисного обслуживания, провоцирует повышенные риски и материальные затраты, способствует снижению уровня энергетической и национальной безопасности государства. Ориентация энергетиков страны на импортные газовые турбины большой единичной мощности не способствует развитию отечественного энергомашиностроения. Для снижения стоимости оборудования ТЭС на 12-15 % энергетикам целесообразно сформировать перспективный заказ на продукцию на период после 2016г. С учетом складывающейся политической и экономической обстановки в мире техперевооружение ТЭС стран Восточно-Европейского региона в среднесрочной перспективе пойдет по пути реконструкции/модернизации оборудования энергоблоков 300 МВт и продления установленных сроков его службы. ; The author presents analysis of renovation variants for 300 MW oil-gas power blocks: substitution of the steam-power energy blocks by those with gas-steam cycle units, technical re-equipment of the energy blocks by means of reconstruction or modernization of the steam turbine, substitution implementation of the steam turbine with an analogous new one, prolongation of the operation life of the equipment in service. Renovation variants for the power blocks of the specified type in the TPPs of Russia can be chosen based on various engineering solutions concluded on the following grounds: mediumand long-term perspectives of their fuel balance structure (natural gas, synthetic gas fuel-oil residual, pulverized coal fuel including clean-coal and coal-benefication production wastes); the demands laid by JSC the JI UES on the participation of power blocks in frequency regulation and node inter-flow; development in the country of the distributed generation and the perspectives associated with it of the reconstructed TPPs installed capacity utilization in corresponding power-grid nodes; the development of related industries of the country's economy; the speed of mastering the eco-friendly homegrown steam-gas and coal technologies; creation of the competitive national element base of microelectronics. Introduction of foreign steam-gas generators in this country requires development of the repair-and-service maintenance, provokes elevated risks and tangible costs, conduces to level decrease in the energy and national safety of the state. Orientation of the country's power engineers to foreign gas-turbines of large single-unit capacity does not contribute to domestic power-plant industry development. With the view of reduction in value of the TPP-equipment by 12-15 %, it is prudent for power engineers to form a perspective manufacturing order for the period after 2016. In light of emerging political and economic situation in the world, technical re-equipment of the TPPs in the countries of the East-European region in the medium term is going to follow the way of reconstruction/modernization of the 300 MW-capacity power-block equipment and prolongation of the specified operation life.

While the concepts of brain drain and brain waste are frequently used to analyse migration from Central and Eastern Europe, this paper starts with an assumption that mobile workers usually gain important skills and knowledge which may help them to return and integrate into the labour market of the home country. Furthermore, this paper focusses on a very specific group for whom the above-mentioned effect is all the more likely: the highly qualified migrants defined narrowly as people with high education who held qualified jobs when working abroad. In this paper, the above-mentioned assumption is tested empirically, drawing on a number of surveys (representative surveys of Lithuanian residents, employers and returnees, a survey of graduates of the "Create for Lithuania" programme, an internet-based survey of highly qualified returnees) and interviews. We found that professional aims (such as the intention to take advantage of their skills and knowledge) were very important reasons for return, although they worked in parallel with broader family and home-sickness motives. In addition, around 2/3 of returnees in our sample mentioned that they wanted to contribute to the progress of Lithuania, and the majority of them agreed that they succeeded in doing that. The data also showed that most of the returnees in our target group were able to find employment without major difficulties. The majority of respondents indicated that skills and knowledge they gained abroad were very useful both for finding a job and pursuing a further career. We identified a number of structural factors that sometimes help and sometimes hinder the integration of the returnees. The returnees did take into consideration the improving economic outlook of the country (while many EU countries have been stagnating) and a rather high standard of the quality of life (in Vilnius). While the majority in the society and among the employers are quite sceptical about the human capital of the returnees (because they consider return as an evidence of failure), they are more receptive towards the highly qualified persons. In turn, the returnees themselves have to deal with a limited number and rather specific circle of potential employers where the appreciation of foreign experience is more likely (e. g., foreign-own companies). Furthermore, the returnees in our sample were also relatively skilled at presenting themselves and had many options for signalling their labour market credentials (such as diplomas, recommendations or brands of their foreign employers). In addition, a significant number of returnees do choose to become self-employed or start their own business. The public sector has played a contradictory role. On the one hand, the returnees were quite sceptical about the Lithuanian public sector in general (too much bureaucracy was the key criticism) and its migration policy efforts in particular. The continuous stalemate with regard to the double citizenship issue was frequently quoted as a symbol of the state being at odds with the needs of its mobile population. The returnees who actually returned to the public sector (six of our interviewees were university researchers) argued that gaining a permanent teaching or research position for scientists from "outside" is still way too difficult, the level of internationalisation and internal cooperation is too limited, and research agenda in humanities is too self-centred on national topics. On the other hand, some migrants returned in response to public sector initiatives, such as the programme for young professionals "Create for Lithuania", EU-supported research grants, and the FDI policy that helped to attract some large employers of highly qualified employees (such as the IT unit of the Barclays bank). Our research also showed the continuing demand for "traditional" migration policy measures such as informing the returnees and helping their children to integrate into the system of secondary education.

The demands for energy is leading to social and political conflicts in the world. For example, the limited resources of fossil fuels causing a dependence on the oil conveying countries in the world, leading to political discords. One way to save energy is to increase the efficiency of a process. In the field of thermoelectricity waste heat is used to produce electricity, this leads to an improvement of the efficiency. Heusler compounds with C1b structure with the general formula XY Z (X, Y = transition metal, Z = main group element) are in focus of the present thermoelectric research. Their mechanical and thermal stability is exceptional in comparison to the commonly used thermoelectric materials. The possibility to substitute small amounts of elements from the parent compound without destructing the lattice structure allows tuning the electronic properties. This tunability also allows to avoid the use of toxic and expensive elements. The reported thermoelectric Heusler compounds exhibit high electrical conductivity and moderate values of the Seebeck coefficients, which lead to a high powerfactor. The disadvantage of Heusler compounds is their high thermal conductivity. Introducing mass disorder on the X-site lattice is one effective way to produce additional phonon scattering and with it to decrease the thermal conductivity. Another approach is to implement a nano or micro structure in the thermoelectric material. This can be achieved by phase separation, composite materials, pulverization with additional spark plasma sintering or by a complex lattice structure. In the first part of this work, the influence of element substitutions on the Zr0.5Hf0.5NiSn system was investigated, to obtain the knowledge on how to optimize the electronic properties of the Heusler compounds with C1b structure. In line with this, the change of the electronic structure was investigated and a possible mechanism is predicted. In the second part of this work, the phenomenon of phase separation was investigated. First, by applying a phase separation in the well-known system Co2MnSn and subsequently by systematic investiga- tions on the TixZryHfzNiSn. In the third part, the results from the previous parts before were used to produce and explain the best reported Heusler compound with C1b structure exhibiting a Figure of Merit of ZT= 1.2 at 830 K. ; Der Bedarf an Energie führt zu sozialen und politischen Konflikte in der Welt. Zum Beispiel, die begrenzten Ressourcen fossiler Energieträger verursacht eine Abhängigkeit von den Ölförderländer der Welt, was zu politischen Dissonanzen führt. Ein Weg, um Energie zu sparen, ist die Effizienz eines Prozesses zu erhöhen. Im der Thermoelektrik wird Abwärme zur Stromerzeugung genutzt, was zu einer Verbesserung des Wirkungsgrades führt. Heusler-Verbindungen mit C1b-Struktur mit der allgemeinen Formel XY Z (X, Y = Übergangsmetall, Z = Hauptgruppenelement) sind im Fokus der aktuellen thermoelektrischen Forschung. Deren mechanische und thermische Stabilität ist außergewöhnlich im Vergleich zu den üblicherweise verwendeten thermoelektrische Materialien. Die Möglichkeit, kleine Mengen von Elementen aus der Stammverbindung ohne Zerstören der Gitterstruktur zu ersetzen erlaubt die Abstimmung der elektronischen Eigenschaften. Diese Einstellbarkeit erlaubt es auch, die Verwendung von toxischen und teure Elemente zu vermeiden. Heusler-Verbindungen weisen eine hohe elektrische Leitfähigkeit und einen moderaten Werte des Seebeck-Koeffizienten auf, die zu einem hohen Leistungsfaktor führen. Der Nachteil der Heusler-Verbindungen ist ihre hohe Wärmeleitfähigkeit. Die Einführung von Massenunterschieden auf dem X-Ort-Gitter ist eine effektive Möglichkeit, zusätzliche Phononenstreuung produzieren und damit die Wärmeleitfähigkeit verringern. Ein weiterer Ansatz ist, ein Nano- oder Mikrostruktur des thermoelektrischen Materials zu implementieren. Dies kann durch Phasentrennung, Verbundwerkstoffe, die Pulverisierung mit zusätzlichen Funkenplasmasintern oder durch eine komplexe Gitterstruktur erzielt werden. Im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit wurde der Einfluss des Elements Substitutionen an der Zr0.5Hf0.5NiSn System untersucht, um das Wissen, wie man die elektronischen Eigenschaften der Heusler-Verbindungen mit C1b Struktur zu optimieren erhalten. Im Einklang damit wurde die Änderung der Elektronenstruktur und eine mögliche Mechanismus vorhergesagt wird. Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit wurde das Phänomen der Phasentrennung untersucht. Zunächst wird durch Anlegen einer Phasentrennung in dem bekannten System Co2MnSn und anschließend durch systematische Untersuchungen über die TixZryHfzNiSn. Im dritten Teil werden die Ergebnisse aus den vorherigen Teilen, bevor wurden verwendet, um zu produzieren und zu erklären, die beste berichtet Heusler-Verbindung mit C1b Struktur, die eine Leistungszahl von ZT = 1,2 bei 830 K. ; 145 S.

The demands on efficiency and quality in the public sector have increased over the past few years, which have raised the need for strategies on how the public sector can be improved (Denhardt and Denhardt, 2000). Consequently, the concept of Lean production, or just Lean, have become increasingly spread, especially in health care, but also in government agencies, police, military and social services. Lean production is an integrated operational and socio-technical system with the aim of creating value and reducing waste in operations. Some research has been conducted on Lean in the public sector, but it has been too focused on the a few operational tools and results of these, and there is lack of a comprehensive critical review of Lean from a holistic perspective. The aim of this thesis is to increase understanding of how Lean production is used in different contexts. The thesis particularly focuses on the public sector, and investigates the possibilities and limitations of Lean production in this context. A total of seven organizations have been studied, including two manufacturing companies, three care units and two local businesses. In particular, qualitative methods have been used, along with some quantitative. The thesis shows several possibilities and limitations of Lean in public sector. One possibility is the improved flow orientation that reduces the lead time and efficiency in back office processes. Moreover, the new roles and responsibilities can lead to improved job characteristics for public sector employees. One limitation is that Lean is more commonly used to improve the technical quality than the functional, which means that the focus has been placed on improving the instrumental performance of the service, rather than how the service is provided. There is also often a focus on efficiency in the back office rather than the front office processes. This means that Lean initiatives may become too focused on internal efficiency and thereby miss important aspects of user perceived quality. ; Kraven på effektivitet och kvalitet inom offentlig sektor har aktualiserats under de senaste åren, vilket har ökat behovet av strategier för hur offentlig verksamhet kan förbättras (Denhardt and Denhardt, 2000). Som ett led i detta har konceptet Lean Production, eller bara Lean, fått en allt större spridning, framförallt inom hälsooch sjukvård, men även inom statliga myndigheter, polisväsen, militär och socialtjänst. Lean Production är ett integrerat operationellt och sociotekniskt system med syfte att skapa värde och minska slöseri i verksamheter. Det har utförts en del forskning om Lean i offentlig sektor, men den har varit allt för inriktad på enskilda operationella verktyg och resultat av dessa och det saknas en övergripande kritisk granskning av Lean ur ett helhetsperspektiv. Syftet med avhandlingen är att öka förståelsen om hur Lean används i praktiken och vilka möjligheter och begränsningar som det har inom offentlig sektor. Totalt sju organisationer har studerats, varav två tillverkningsföretag, 3 vårdenheter och 2 kommunala verksamheter. Framförallt har kvalitativa metoder använts, men även inslag av kvantitativa. Avhandlingen visar flera möjligheter och begränsningar med Lean inom offentlig sektor. En möjlighet är ett förbättrat flöde, som minskar ledtider och effektivitet i backoffice processer. Dessutom kan nya roller och ansvarsområden leda till förbättrade jobbegenskaper för anställda i offentligt sektor. En begränsning är att Lean är oftare används för att förbättra den tekniska kvalitet än den funktionella, vilket innebär att fokus har lagts på att förbättra den instrumentella prestandan av tjänsterna, snarare än hur de utförs. Det är ofta ett fokus på effektivitet i backoffice i stället för frontoffice processer. Det innebär att Lean initiativ kan bli alltför fokuserade på intern effektivitet och därmed missa viktiga aspekter av användarens upplevda kvalitet.

Las competencias clave propuestas por la Unión Europea suponen una de las políticas educativas más importantes que se derivan del trabajo realizado por esta organización supranacional por dos motivos: En primer lugar, por tratarse de una medida con repercusiones reales en las políticas nacionales de los Estados miembros. En segundo lugar, sobre todo, porque mediante este nuevo enfoque educativo se pretende responder de forma más adecuada a los retos propios de la sociedad contemporánea, algo en lo que años antes ya venían insistiendo otras organizaciones e instituciones internacionales. El análisis de la documentación original de la Unión Europea a este respecto ofrece, en sí mismo, muchos aspectos para la reflexión que en pocas ocasiones se han visto reflejados en discusiones educativas, académicas o políticas. En este sentido, el presente artículo ofrece una síntesis reflexiva en torno a la conceptualización y las implicaciones del aprendizaje por competencias, en general, y de las competencias clave, en particular. Enmarcar este nuevo enfoque en la sociedad actual y en el planteamiento del aprendizaje permanente será la primera de las tareas que se propone el artículo: esto facilita una compresión más profunda del enfoque de aprendizaje por competencias, de su importancia y su pertinencia y, sobre todo, ayuda a superar la idea generalizada en el ámbito educativo de que este planteamiento no introduce grandes novedades respecto a lo ya existente. Por otra parte, también parece necesario evitar caer en un idealismo pedagógico: existen riesgos y retos derivados de esta nueva propuesta educativa que se deben abordar. Con todo, en este artículo se defiende la necesidad de no perder más oportunidades para adecuar de forma real nuestro sistema educativo al aprendizaje por competencias y, en especial, a la adquisición de las competencias clave por parte de todos los ciudadanos de la Unión Europea al término de su educación obligatoria. ; The key competences proposed by the European Union are one of the most important education policies stemming from the work done by this supranational organization, first, because the key competences measure has a real impact on the educational policies of Member States and, secondly and more importantly, because this new educational approach aims to respond more adequately to the main challenges of contemporary society (something that other international organizations and institutions have been insisting on for years). Analysis of the original EU documents on this topic provides much food for thought that has only rarely been reflected in educational, academic and political discussions. This paper offers a thoughtful synthesis of the concept and implications of competence-based learning in general and the key competences in particular. Placing this new approach within the framework of today's society and the lifelong learning approach is the first objective the authors propose; this would facilitate a deeper understanding of the competence-based learning approach, its significance and its relevance and above all would help to overcome the widespread idea in education that the competence-based approach involves no major changes from the status quo. The authors warn again pedagogical idealism: There are risks and challenges in this new educational proposal that must be considered. Altogether, the authors argue that we must not waste any further opportunities to really adjust our educational system to competence-based learning and, above all, the acquisition of key competences by all citizens of the European Union at the end of their compulsory education.

What does it mean to be a ''just'' and ''caring'' society when we have only limited resources to meet virtually unlimited health care needs? In Just Caring. Health Care Rationing and Democratic Deliberation Leonard Fleck identifies health care rationing as the moral problem of contemporary health care. At present, millions of Americans go without health insurance, thousands of whom die prematurely, unable to afford the health care needed to save their lives. If these facts run contrary to our sense of justice, as the author believes they do, health care rationing decisions are necessary and a fundamental reform of the American health care system is warranted. Although Just Caring seems to be written for an American public primarily, the book is extremely interesting for Europeans as well. Firstly, Fleck provides us with a very detailed account of the present state of the American health care system. Secondly, the problems Americans and their health care have to deal with are not unique to the United States. Although the American system seems to result in inequities Western Europeans particularly are largely unfamiliar with, at a more fundamental level both sides of the Atlantic share an interest in tackling the same problems: ageing populations, advancing medical technology and rising costs. In the end every health care system faces the challenge of meeting virtually unlimited health care with limited resources. First of all, the author argues convincingly the inescapability of health care rationing. The so-called ''efficiency first'' approach, defended by policy analysts who hold that health care rationing is unnecessary once all the waste is removed from the system, is misleading in that the proposals they put forward are very often disguised rationing decisions themselves. Fleck makes quite clear that greater efficiency, more astute health care management, or finding the right incentives to shape the behavior of patients or physicians is not going to obviate the need for rationing decisions with life and death consequences for different individuals or different groups of individuals. If an individual is in need of health care but is denied access to health care, such an individual is affected by a rationing decision if that health care is available to others. Such decisions are not necessarily morally wrong by themselves, but the problem is that they tend to be implicit. Nowadays, rationing decisions are almost never visible and explicit as rationing decisions. The reasoning is very seldom public and outsiders are denied the opportunity to correct possible errors. It is not open to critical assessment. Furthermore, implicit rationing tends to disadvantage the weak and vulnerable in society, as is made painfully clear by the numerous examples given by the author. Of course, as phenomenon implicit rationing is not unique to the American health care system. Rationing is primarily a moral problem that ought to be resolved in accordance with the requirements of morals and justice. Economic, managerial and organizational considerations come second. Since rationing is generally implicit, Fleck argues, there is no assured rational relationship between medical need or likelihood of medical benefit and the care that is actually provided. Secondly, and equally important, there is no assured connection between the values that drive implicit rationing decisions and the values of R. Andorno (&) Institute of Biomedical Ethics, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 115, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland e-mail: andorno@ethik.uzh.ch

Abstract: Panteriek village is one of the villages located in Lueng Bata sub-district of Banda Aceh that has problem regarding the decline of the groundwater quality. The groundwater contamination is caused by the community activity, resulting domestic waste water channeled to the oxbow area located around the community settlement. Oxbow is a river region which has been cut off its watercourse. The purpose of this research was to make arrangements for groundwater quality management in Panteriek village, Lueng Bata sub-district of Banda Aceh. This research used various methods in accordance with aspects to be investigated, that is, testing the quality of well water belongs to citizens, oxbow and river water, then drawing the contour of the spread of the groundwater flow in research location. The second step was to identify the water usage involving in the usage of groundwater, garbage disposal, environment sanitation, disposal of household wastewater, and physical condition of the wells. The final step was to arrange the strategy plan of groundwater contamination management by using SWOT analysis. From the measurement, it was obtained that the groundwater and oxbow was in Class-C quality category and moderate contamination level. From the groundwater flow contour, it was known that oxbow water filled citizens well. The oxbow and septik tank have contaminated the wells resources. The strategy obtained from SWOT analysis was government institution, along with the community, improving the quality of the groundwater in simple ways. The citizens can implement simple management to increse the quality of well water by applying three methods: aeration, filtration, and disinfection. It is expected that the Local government must satisfy the sustainability of the water quality reducvement from Water Company to fulfill clean water for Panteriek citizens.Keywords : Groundwater Contamination, Oxbow Area, SWOTAbstrak: Desa Panteriek adalah salah satu desa di Kecamatan Lueng Bata di Kota banda Aceh yang mengalami permasalahan mengenai penurunan kualitas air tanah . Pencemaran air tanah berasal dari aktifitas masyarakat yang menghasilkan air limbah domestik yang di alirkan ke daerah oxbow yang berada disekitar pemukiman penduduk. Oxbow adalah daerah sungai yang telah ditutup alirannya atau juga disebut dengan sungai mati. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menyusun langkah-langkah pengelolaan kualitas air tanah di wilayah Desa Panteriek, Kecamatan Lueng Bata Banda Aceh. Penelitian ini diawali dengan melakukan pengujian kualitas air sumur warga, air oxbow dan air sungai untuk mengetahui kualitas air nya, kemudian dilakukan penggambaran kontur penyebaran pencemaran air tanah di lokasi penelitian. Selanjutnya mengidentitifikasi penggunaan air meliputi pemakaian air tanah, pembuangan sampah, sanitasi lingkungan, pembuangan air buangan rumah tangga, dan kondisi fisik sumur. Terakhir melakukan penyusunan perencanaan strategi pengelolaan pencemaran air tanah di lokasi penelitian yang menggunakan analisis SWOT (Strengh, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat). Dari hasil pengukuran didapat air tanah dan air sumur berada pada baku mutu kelas C dengan tingkat pencemaran sedang. Dari penggambaran Kontur aliran air tanah diketahui bahwa air oxbow mengisi air sumur warga. Oxbow telah mencemari sumber daya air sumur di lokasi penelitian. Strategi yang didapat dari analisis SWOT adalah kelembagaan pemerintah bersama-sama masyarakat melakukan perbaikan kualitas air tanah secara sederhana. Warga dapat melakukan pengolahan sederhana untuk memperbaiki kualitas air sumur dengan 3 metoda yaitu aerasi, filtrasi dan desinfeksi. Srategi selanjutnya adalah masyarakat tetap memelihara enceng gondok di kawasan oxbow dan menanam tanaman akar wangi diperumahan warga untuk mengurangi pencemaran air tanah.Kata kunci : Pencemaran air tanah, daerah oxbow, SWOT.

The overall purpose of this thesis is to investigate market developments and policy issues that influence the environmental performance of the industry sector. The analysis concentrates mainly on the industry's input use in the form of energy and forest raw materials. The thesis consists of an introductory part, and five self-contained papers. Paper I addresses important market signals and firm specific management practices that may explain differences in observed energy intensities across industrial firms. The paper combines interview statistics with secondary data on energy prices, output etc., that are used in a simple econometric model in which the energy intensities of 89 process firms over the time period 2004-2010 are analyzed. The descriptive results show a significant increase in firm and top management energy efficiency awareness. The respondents stress that increased awareness is due to rising energy costs. In line with this, the model estimations show that awareness will not have an effect on firm's energy intensity. Instead, rising energy prices will significantly reduce the energy intensity. Paper II addresses the role of voluntary energy efficiency programs in the industrial sector. We expand on earlier work by explicitly considering the self-selection mechanism in these programs as well as the role of different management and decisionmaking practices for understanding program outcomes. The results show that the probability for choosing to participate in PFE as well as the level of self-reported energy savings for those who participate tend to increase with increased electricity intensity and electricity use. Different management practices also affect the probability of participation; firms in which the energy manager has fewer responsibilities and works closer to the CEO have been more likely to participate in the program. The above suggests that PFE may primarily have attracted firms that already have had plenty of experience with energy efficiency issues. Increasing the use of renewable energy is of principal EU energy policy concern. In this respect, investigating European trade in forest raw materials is important for understanding how industry sectors in the EU will be affected by these policies. Papers III and IV therefore, quantify and analyze possible trade patterns in forest raw materials in the presence of EU energy policy. Specifically, in Paper III the White Paper and the RES-E Directive are analyzed whilst the RES2020 Directive is of focus in Paper IV. The analysis builds on developing and employing a partial equilibrium model of trade in selected forest raw materials in Europe. In Papers III and Paper IV, the results suggest that the policy implementations will increase the trade in forest raw materials by up to 67 and 110 percent, respectively. Since the national goals in the RES2020 Directive are mandatory in contrast to the indicative recommendations stated in previous EU energy policies on renewables, Paper IV concludes that more ambitious goals will inevitably affect the input competing industries. Finally, Paper V provides a critical survey of previous econometric analyzes of supply and demand elasticities in wastepaper markets. A key finding is that the own-price elasticity of wastepaper supply is overall low (around 0.20-0.30). This adds to our understanding of the price volatility in wastepaper markets, and carries important implications for the impacts of – and the efficient choice between – price- and quantity-based waste management policies. ; Godkänd; 2013; 20130315 (andbra); Tillkännagivande disputation 2013-04-16 Nedanstående person kommer att disputera för avläggande av filosofie doktorsexamen. Namn: Anna Mansikkasalo Ämne: Nationalekonomi / Economics Avhandling: Greening Industry: Essays on Industrial Energy Use and Markets for Forest Raw Materials Opponent: Professor Per Mickwitz, Finnish Environmental Institute, Helsinki, Finland Ordförande: Universitetslektor Patrik Söderholm, Institutionen ekonomi, teknik och samhälle, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Onsdag den 8 maj 2013, kl. 13.00 Plats: A1547, Luleå tekniska universitet

Background and Objective: A considerable amount of sulfur hexafluoride is applied to evaluate the performance of each laboratory hood according to ASHRAE–110-95 method. SF6 is extremely hostile to environment and expensive. In present work, the possibility of conducting this method of hood performance test with less volume of SF6 was investigated.Material and Methods: The performance of a laboratory hood was evaluated using ASHRAE110-95 standard method at three different ventilation capacity as well as three different volumetric flow rates of injected SF6 while a mannequin was located at the front of hood. Face velocity was measured 180 times using a thermal anemometer TA-2 model. Air flow was visualized through injecting low and high volume of smokes at 18 tests. Sulfur hexafluoride was injected at three different volumetric flow rates of 2, 3 and 4 lit/min. The occupational exposure of a hypothetic hood operator was determined 27 times through direct reading.Results: The average and standard deviation of face velocity at hood inlet were 0.42±0.04, 0.6±0.07, 0.7±0.11 m/s respectively, ranging from 0.36-1.1 m/s. the studied hood did not have an acceptable performance when tested with high volumes of smoke, but it did have an acceptable performance while it was tested with low volumes of smoke.Conclusion: The application of ASHRAE 110-95 hood performance test with smaller volume of tracer sulfur hexafluoride gas is not recommended.REFERENCES: 1. Esmaeilzadeh A, Golbabaee F, Shahtaheri S. Evaluation of laboratory fume-hoods performance in a petrochemical industry based on ASHRAE 110 Standard. Journal of School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research. 2008;6(3-4):111-7.2. Fk.T. Chemical Fume Hood Safety Protecting the Health of Laboratory Workers. eScholarship University of California. 2000:p.8.3. Karimi Zare A. Evaluation of laoratory hoods in Tehran Water and Waste water Co. Tehran: Islamic Azad university; 2000.4. Rydock JP. Tracer performance testing of installed fume hoods: One European perspective. Chemical Health and Safety. 2002;9(4):7-9.5. Ivany RE, First MW, Diberardinis LJ. A new method for quantitative, in-use testing of laboratory fume hoods. The American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal. 1989;50(5):275-80.6. Hitchings DT. Laboratory fume hood and exhaust fan penthouse exposure risk analysis using the ANSI/ASHRAE 95 -110 and other tracer gas methods. Transactions-American Society of Heating Refrigerating aqnd Air Conditioning Engineers. 1997;863:72-103.7. Guffey EJ. Nitrous oxide as a substitute for sulfur hexafluoride in the ANSI/ASHRAE 110 Method of hood performance evaluation. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2011:1-448. Occupational Safety & Health Administration. 2012 [2 dec]; Available from: www.oshagov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_268600html/Accessed.9. Jacobs PJ. Laboratory fume hood performance. 2009; p:20-50.10. Taylor S, Initiative TC. Fume Hood Study: Tufts University. 2044; p: 1-40.11. Roni v. Choosing less environmentally damaging gases for fume hood tracer gas testing. Alternative gases to meet. 2007; p: 2.12. Kalantari S. Ethylene as a Substitute for Sulfur Hexafluoride in the ASHRAE 95-110 Method of Hood Performance Evaluation. Tehran: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science; 2013.13. Bell G, Sartor D, Mills E. The Berkeley hood: development and commercialization of an innovative high-performance laboratory fume hood Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley. California2003.14. Dale T, Maupins K. Using the ASHRAE 110 Test as a TQM tool to improve laboratory fume hood performance. ASHRAE Transactions. 1997;14:851-62.15. Crawley LH. Application of non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) spectroscopy to the measurement of atmospheric trace gases. 2008.16. Industrial Ventilation a manual of practice for designe 27th ed. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hyginiests (ACGIH); Cincinnati: ACGIH; 2010.17. Ojima J. Tracer gas evaluations of push-pull ventilation system performance. Industrial health. 2009;47(1):94-6.

Very successful applications of the Lean Startup's principles in the software industry have been emerging lately, especially from startups in the USA. Additionally, it has recently been used by the American government who have also adopted the method in the development of an online-based public service. The main goal of this dissertation was to analyse whether the scientific approach provided by the Lean Startup methodology is applicable, as well as a plus, to hardware development. In order to achieve such conclusions, it was sought the experience of entrepreneurs who own startups developing (physical) technological products. The Eric Ries' book "Lean Startup" was considered in besides of other important contributions, e.g. "Running Lean" by Ash Maurya. Several of the sources used were very recent given the still on-going movement around the subject. Interviews were conducted to entrepreneurs from the companies: Alteraid, Fractus, On-Sun Systems and Technology Assistance BCNA. The interviews consisted in a first brief presentation of the methodology's main concepts, and a 50 minutes debate around the subject of the possible applicability of the Lean Startup approach to their startups, based on their knowledge and experience gained developing their businesses. The interviews covered a group of 15 questions. All the entrepreneurs' opinions from the interviews indicate that the Lean Startup is applicable to hardware development. The removal of wastes (time and money), product development agility, as well as customer interactivity, seem to be applicable, suitable and advantageous to the development of physical products. However, in order to apply the method to hardware development it will require adaptation, which the results suggest that it is industry dependent. ; Català: Aplicacions amb molt d'eixit del Lean Startup han anat sorgint últimament en la indústria del sofware, sobretot de startups als EUA. A més, recentment ha estat utilitzat pel govern dels Estats Units que també han adoptat el mètode en el desenvolupament d'un servei públic en línia. L'objectiu principal d'aquest escrit ha estat analitzar si l'enfocament científic proporcionat per la metodologia Lean Startup és aplicable per al desenvolupament de hardware. Per arribar a aquestes conclusions, es va buscar l'experiència dels empresaris que són els propietaris de les Startups que estan en vies de desenvolupament de productes tecnològics. El llibre d'Eric Ries '"Lean Startup" va ser considerat, en contes d'altres contribucions importants, com per exemple, " Running Lea" per Ash Maurya. Moltes de les fonts consultades són molt recents, donat que encara esta en funcionament i va canviant. Es van realitzar entrevistes a empresaris de les empreses: Alteraid, Fractus, On-Sun Systems i Technology Assistance BCNA. Les entrevistes van consistir en una primera presentació breu dels conceptes principals de la metodologia, i un debat al voltant de 50 minuts sobre el tema de la possible aplicació de l'enfocament Lean Startup per a les seves noves empreses, en base als seus coneixements i experiència adquirida en el desenvolupament dels seus negocis. Les entrevistes van consistir un grup de 15 preguntes. Totes les opinions recollides indiquen que Lean Startup és aplicable al desenvolupament de hardware. L'eliminació de problemes (temps i diners), l'agilitat de desenvolupament de productes, així com la interactivitat client, sembla aplicable, adequada i avantatjosa per al desenvolupament de productes físics es a dir hardware. No obstant això, per tal d'aplicar el mètode per al desenvolupament de maquinaria es requerirà l'adaptació, perquè els resultats suggereixen que és dependent de la indústria.

Very successful applications of the Lean Startup's principles in the software industry have been emerging lately, especially from startups in the USA. Additionally, it has recently been used by the American government who have also adopted the method in the development of an online-based public service. The main goal of this dissertation was to analyse whether the scientific approach provided by the Lean Startup methodology is applicable, as well as a plus, to hardware development. In order to achieve such conclusions, it was sought the experience of entrepreneurs who own startups developing (physical) technological products. The Eric Ries' book "Lean Startup" was considered in besides of other important contributions, e.g. "Running Lean" by Ash Maurya. Several of the sources used were very recent given the still on-going movement around the subject. Interviews were conducted to entrepreneurs from the companies: Alteraid, Fractus, On-Sun Systems and Technology Assistance BCNA. The interviews consisted in a first brief presentation of the methodology's main concepts, and a 50 minutes debate around the subject of the possible applicability of the Lean Startup approach to their startups, based on their knowledge and experience gained developing their businesses. The interviews covered a group of 15 questions. All the entrepreneurs' opinions from the interviews indicate that the Lean Startup is applicable to hardware development. The removal of wastes (time and money), product development agility, as well as customer interactivity, seem to be applicable, suitable and advantageous to the development of physical products. However, in order to apply the method to hardware development it will require adaptation, which the results suggest that it is industry dependent. ; Català: Aplicacions amb molt d'eixit del Lean Startup han anat sorgint últimament en la indústria del sofware, sobretot de startups als EUA. A més, recentment ha estat utilitzat pel govern dels Estats Units que també han adoptat el mètode en el desenvolupament d'un servei públic en línia. L'objectiu principal d'aquest escrit ha estat analitzar si l'enfocament científic proporcionat per la metodologia Lean Startup és aplicable per al desenvolupament de hardware. Per arribar a aquestes conclusions, es va buscar l'experiència dels empresaris que són els propietaris de les Startups que estan en vies de desenvolupament de productes tecnològics. El llibre d'Eric Ries '"Lean Startup" va ser considerat, en contes d'altres contribucions importants, com per exemple, " Running Lea" per Ash Maurya. Moltes de les fonts consultades són molt recents, donat que encara esta en funcionament i va canviant. Es van realitzar entrevistes a empresaris de les empreses: Alteraid, Fractus, On-Sun Systems i Technology Assistance BCNA. Les entrevistes van consistir en una primera presentació breu dels conceptes principals de la metodologia, i un debat al voltant de 50 minuts sobre el tema de la possible aplicació de l'enfocament Lean Startup per a les seves noves empreses, en base als seus coneixements i experiència adquirida en el desenvolupament dels seus negocis. Les entrevistes van consistir un grup de 15 preguntes. Totes les opinions recollides indiquen que Lean Startup és aplicable al desenvolupament de hardware. L'eliminació de problemes (temps i diners), l'agilitat de desenvolupament de productes, així com la interactivitat client, sembla aplicable, adequada i avantatjosa per al desenvolupament de productes físics es a dir hardware. No obstant això, per tal d'aplicar el mètode per al desenvolupament de maquinaria es requerirà l'adaptació, perquè els resultats suggereixen que és dependent de la indústria.

Nunavut communities currently depend on imported diesel fuel for virtually all of their energy needs. This dependency not only hinders the ability of communities to be self-sufficient, but also has negative impacts on their environment, health, and social well-being. The current practices waste 65% of the energy created and place a serious economic strain on the society by consuming 20% of the government's annual budget. Although renewable energy technologies (RETs) could partially offset diesel use, there is a lack of sufficient information to mold appropriate policy. This investigation of community perspectives contributes to information needed to develop sustainable energy policies for Nunavut. Open-ended interviews with approximately 10 members from each of three communities were studied using logical analysis, pattern coding, and content analysis. The respondents' greatest concerns about energy in Nunavut are the impacts of technology on the environment and the economy and the lack of government initiatives to explore RETs. In identifying these concerns, respondents expressed an overwhelming need to protect their land and wildlife, likely stemming from Nunavut's dominant Inuit culture. Moreover, Nunavummiut generally supported wind and solar power in their community, but greatly opposed hydropower, though some of these views on hydropower might shift if better information were available to residents. Finally, respondents suggested a variety of community-accepted actions that could be used to increase RET expansion in Nunavut. These actions fit into four categories: policy development, economics, suitable RETs, and capacity and knowledge building. ; À l'heure actuelle, les collectivités du Nunavut dépendent du carburant diesel importé pour répondre à presque tous leurs besoins en énergie. Non seulement cette dépendance empêche-t-elle les collectivités d'être autosuffisantes, mais elle a également des effets négatifs sur l'environnement, la santé et le bien-être social de ces collectivités. Les habitudes actuelles ont pour effet de gaspiller 65 % de l'énergie produite, en plus d'imposer de sérieuses contraintes économiques sur la société en raison de la consommation de 20 % du budget annuel du gouvernement. Bien que les technologies des énergies renouve­lables permettent de compenser une partie de l'utilisation du diesel, il n'existe pas d'information suffisante pour formuler une politique adéquate. L'étude réalisée dans le but de connaître les perspectives des collectivités fournit l'information nécessaire à l'élaboration de politiques d'énergies durables pour le Nunavut. Des entretiens en profondeur effectués avec environ dix membres de chacune des trois collectivités ont fait l'objet d'une analyse rationnelle, d'une codification des tendances et d'une analyse de contenu. Les plus grandes préoccupations des répondants au sujet de l'énergie au Nunavut concernent les incidences de la technologie sur l'environnement et l'économie, ainsi que l'absence d'initiatives de la part du gouvernement pour explorer les technologies des énergies renouvelables. En nommant leurs préoccupations, les répondants ont eu l'occasion d'exprimer l'importante nécessité de protéger leur terre et leur faune, ce qui est probablement attribuable à la culture inuite dominante du Nunavut. De plus, les Nunavummiut se montraient généralement en faveur de l'énergie éolienne et de l'énergie solaire au sein de leur collectivité, mais ils s'opposaient fortement à l'hydroélectricité, quoiqu'ils pourraient être aptes à changer d'avis s'ils avaient accès à de la meilleure information. Et enfin, les répondants ont suggéré une variété de mesures acceptées par la collectivité, mesures qui pourraient permettre d'intensifier la présence de technologies des énergies renouvelables au Nunavut. Ces mesures relèvent de quatre catégories soit l'élaboration de politiques, l'économie, des technologies des énergies renouve­lables adéquates de même que l'acquisition de la capacité et de connaissances.