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The need to view innovation policy through the lens of policy mixes has gained momentum given the growing complexity, the dynamics of real-world policy and the wide array of difficulties to address the current great societal challenges, notably the increasing pressure on the ecosystems that support our society. One of the main challenges concerning the transition towards bioeconomy, is to gain a more in-depth understanding on the policy mix to stimulate innovation in sustainability transitions. Our paper aims at enriching the portfolio of empirical case studies on policy mixes for innovation and sustainable transitions, by investigating the development of the policy mix underpinning the sustainability transition of the pulp and paper industry in Sweden. We apply a case study approach which draws on event history analysis, semi-structured interviews with industry and policy makers, literature reviews, a participative workshop with stakeholders from the pulp and paper industry, as well as on the IEA databases on climate change and energy efficiency policies and measures. Our analysis emphasises coordination, timing and scale in policy mixes as important elements to understand how instruments interact to accelerate sustainability transitions. The mapping of the policy mix shows that destabilising policies were crucial for accelerating the transition process of the industry. Prior to novelty creation policies, destabilising policies (e.g. environmental policies) were needed for 'innovation policy instruments' to be effective. More specific instruments (e.g. carbon tax), targeting particular functions of the innovation systems, require 'on-the-ground' policy intelligence and benefit from close interaction with industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the efficiency in the Swedish pulp and paper industry using national account data. By using a directional distance function approach we are able to investigate different aspects of efficiency relating to the direction of scaling. In the first analysis, desired output (pulp and paper) and undesired output (pollution) are considered equally important. This analysis shows that there is a 12% potential to simultaneously reduce pollution and increase the production of pulp and paper. In the second analysis, only undesired output is considered. The analysis shows an average potential reduction in pollution of 22%. If, on the other hand, this potential is computed in terms of desired output, keeping undesired output constant, the average potential increase in desired output is 14%. In a fourth analysis we discuss the potential to evaluate the costs of environmental regulations using the DEA methodology. Finally, our paper demonstrates that data from national accounts can be used to investigate different aspects of environmental efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the environmental impacts of different alternatives for handling of sludge from paper and pulp mills in Sweden, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The common practice of incineration of biosludge with energy recovery followed by landfilling of ash (System A) was compared with the alternative of digesting sludge anaerobically to produce biogas using different digestate residue management options. The digestate produced from anaerobic digestion (AD) was assumed to be incinerated for heat energy recovery in System B or pyrolyzed for biochar production in System C to be mixed with forest soils. The impact categories considered in this work are climate change, non-renewable energy use, mineral extraction, aquatic ecotoxicity, carcinogens and non-carcinogens. The LCA results demonstrate that the two proposed systems significantly reduce the environmental impacts of biosludge management relative to incineration. An 85% reduction in the aquatic ecotoxicity impact is achieved in System C, due to the reduced mobility of heavy metals in biochar relative to ash. System C, on the whole, outperformed the other two, leading the authors to the recommendation that the use of pulp and paper mill biosludge in biogas-biochar production systems is preferable to merely recovering energy from it. • Anaerobic digestion (AD)-pyrolysis and AD-incineration were modelled as biosludge treatment technologies. • Immobilization of the heavy metals in biochar significantly reduced aquatic ecotoxicity. • The lowest carcinogens and non-carcinogens impacts were offered by the AD-pyrolysis system. • From an environmental point of view, biogas-biochar is preferable to merely energy recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The pulp and paper industry both uses and produces large amounts of energy and rising fuel prices bring along significant challenges to the sector. Several strategies can be applied in order to remain competitive e.g. an increase in energy efficiency, a switch in fuel and/or a novel energy conversion technology. In this study, we investigate if improved energy conversion strategies can reduce energy costs, primary energy use and CO2 emissions of paper mills within different European countries (The Netherlands, Poland and Sweden). Our results show that differences in history and availability of resources has led to different conversion strategies in the three countries. We found that a natural gas combined cycle, which is largely implemented in The Netherlands due to long term domestic availability of natural gas, has the lowest primary energy demand. Due to a long history of low electricity prices, CHP has not been common in Sweden. Many Swedish mills use biomass as an energy source and due to low CO2 emissions of the national grid the CO2 emission profile of the Swedish paper industry is very low. Our results imply that future conversion routes for the Swedish paper and board industry are again wood based; in case of increasing electricity prices these would be biomass gasification based CHP solutions. With a reduction of 800kg CO2/ton paper on average, a switch from coal to biomass would reduce CO2 emissions in the Polish pulp and paper industry with approximately 0.6Mton/year. A carbon price of 20–25€/ton would, according to our results, be enough to provoke this switch. Due to the high share of natural gas, the CO2 emission reduction potential of the Dutch paper industry (1.5Mton/year) is even larger than in Poland. Due to high biomass prices and relative low CO2 emission profile of natural gas, a carbon prices of more than 60€/ton CO2 would be needed to provoke a switch in The Netherlands. Provided with few alternatives, the most effective strategy in The Netherlands would be an increase in energy efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The pulp and paper industry faces several challenges linked to climate and environmental impact, resource efficiency, rising energy prices, increased competition for biomass resources, and declining demand for traditional printed paper products. However, these challenges also offer strategic opportunities for the industry to develop into a competitive, resource-efficient, and low-carbon industry in line with a biobased economy. Against this background, this paper aims to analyse current energy strategies in the pulp and paper industry in Sweden. Specifically, the paper analyses how companies combine continuous process efficiency to reduce energy costs with activities that could be developed into new energy-related products to increase revenue. Most of the analysed companies work to various degrees with both these strategies, employing methods that include improving energy efficiency, energy security, and energy conversion, as well as developing a wide range of biobased energy products. However, our study indicates that there is an untapped potential associated with energy product development, and we conclude that energy efficiency measures can free up resources, enabling the development of new energy products. Finally, several potential managerial outcomes and implications are outlined. • The paper analyses the energy strategies in the pulp and paper industry in Sweden. • Energy strategies focus both to improve energy efficiency and develop new energy-products. • The companies' energy strategies combined exploitation and exploration. • A number of managerial implications are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the two criteria of potential CO2 reduction and cost of CO2 reduction, technical energy measures in Swedish pulp and paper mills are investigated. Principal CO2-reducing measures analysed are: decreased specific energy utilisation, fuel switch, and CO2 capture and sequestration. Among the investigated measures, conventional technologies for electricity conservation and improved electrical conversion efficiency in existing systems for cogeneration of heat and power are identified as the most cost-effective alternatives that also have large CO2 reduction potentials. For commercially available technologies, the results indicate an accumulated reduction potential of up to 8 MtCO2/y (14% of the Swedish net emissions). If emerging technologies for black liquor gasification (BLG) with pre-combustion CO2 capture and sequestration are considered, the CO2 reduction potential increases by up to 6 MtCO2/y (10% of the Swedish net emissions). Commercialised BLG, CO2 capture and reliable CO2 sequestration technologies are identified as important potential contributors to Swedish compliance with Kyoto Protocol targets, especially in a scenario of nuclear power closure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Due to the increased use of variable renewable energy sources, more capacity for reserves is required. Non-generating resources such as large industrial consumers can arbitrage energy prices and provide reserve capacity by exploiting the inherent flexibility in selected industrial processes. A large enough industrial consumer can capitalize on this flexibility through optimized bidding in electricity markets. In this work, the day-ahead cost minimization of a risk-averse pulp and paper mill is formulated as a two-stage stochastic problem, considering thermodynamic and electrical constraints. The bids in the energy and reserve markets are jointly optimized subject to price uncertainty as well as uncertainty of frequency realization. The results of a case study in Sweden display a significant economic benefit in exploiting the flexibility of integrated pulp and paper mills with electric boilers. The expected cost of the pulp and paper mill resulting from different strategies are compared and the risk-aversion of the pulp and paper mill is investigated. Reserve offers are mainly facilitated by fast-acting electric boilers and supported by flexibility in the steam network. We show that reserve offers can significantly improve the profitability of the pulp and paper mill. • Pulp and paper mills with electric boilers can supply primary frequency reserves. • Electric boilers can provide up to 50 MW flexibility of 100 MW rating. • An algorithm is developed to optimize the energy & reserve bids of the mill. • Expected cost savings range between 7.4% in summer and 2.3% in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the incentive structure and the effectiveness of the Swedish producer responsibility ordinance, i.e., the ability of the system to induce producers to economize with cardboard packaging and to fulfill the related environmental goals cost effectively. A secondary purpose is to discuss if the empirical evidence in any way suggests that an alternative supply chain management regime, i.e., the UCTS-system, could be more effective. According to the results, both the Swedish producer responsibility scheme and the UCTS system fulfill two important cost effectiveness criteria. The packaging fee in the present Swedish system and the packaging tax in the UCTS system provide similar incentives to an output effect. Furthermore, both systems also give rise to input substitution effects. For instance, both systems encourage the use of secondary materials at the expense of virgin materials by subsidizing collection and recycling activities. However, in the Swedish producer responsibility system, waste collection entrepreneurs in areas with high marginal costs of collection also often obtain high refunds. This implies a violation of the cost effectiveness principle. Neither of the systems tends to encourage enough of design for recyclability, but here the Swedish producer responsibility seems to be somewhat more effective than the UCTS system. Our analysis of the transformation and transaction costs involved in the two waste management systems suggests that it is hard to a priori determine which system will minimize waste management costs. It will depend on, for instance, households’ valuation of sorting efforts, and the presence of economies of scale in the waste collection system. This implies that different systems can be preferred in different parts of the country. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article offers information on reduction of disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis from High intensity exercise for three months, as compared with standard care.

• Case study at a paper mill, focusing on workers. • New OHS programme supported by the local trade union is resisted by workers. • Work identity, facilitation and visibility affect resistance. • Resistance is explained by socialising forms of accountability. The seemingly paradoxical phenomenon of workers' resistance to health and safety measures has been explained in various ways, for example through production or efficiency pressure, risk-taking behaviours or problematic safety cultures. This article addresses resistance but analyses it through the lens of hierarchical and social accountability. In a case study of a Swedish paper mill, a health and safety programme is resisted by workers even though it enjoys support from the local trade union. Explanations for this is found in the socialising form of accountability that conditions how workers perceive of work-related health and safety. The aspects of work identity, facilitation and visibility are identified and understood in terms of accountability. Who you are, how you perform work, and what is visualised is filtered and evaluated through horizontal relationships rather than in terms of hierarchical accountability to the company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union has set strict recycling targets for municipal solid wastes, but the implementation of circularity is still hindered by a variety of present set-ups. This paper addresses the recycling transitions and their complex nature in Austria, Sweden and Finland and points out the differences that are connected to the level of success in recycling. Furthermore, this study identifies present lock-ins in the waste management regime to provide an understanding on the factors preventing further development towards a recycling society. This is done by analysing different waste policy documents and interviews of national waste experts. The study employs the multilevel perspective (MLP) framework that is a commonly used approach in sustainability transitions research. The results highlight the variety of social, political, technical and economic elements, but also the connections between them that result in a stable regime. The pathways to achieve the recycling society differ between Austria, Sweden and Finland. National waste policy, the division of responsibilities, the variety of infrastructure and collection systems in waste management, the level of general awareness, public-private co-operation and the quality of waste data act as key characteristics that reflect the success in the recycling transition. Identified lock-ins for recycling seem to be slightly stronger in Finland compared to Austria and Sweden, while some of the lock-ins are the same in all countries, such as incineration capacity, malfunction of markets of recyclables or lack of product design for recyclability. • The pathways to a recycling society differ between Austria, Sweden and Finland. • Pressure for recycling has been explicit in Austria at the landscape level. • There are more identified lock-ins in Finland compared to other countries. • Clear responsibilities, a variety of practices, public awareness and quality of data reflect success. • Bottom-up approaches could be utilised in solving the frictions between public and private actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Previous studies point out a large (untapped) potential for energy efficiency in industry through the adoption of energy management practices. The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze energy management practices in two different Swedish energy-intensive industries: the pulp and paper industry and the foundry industry. The results show that one third of the studied mills and about two fifths of the studied foundries do not allocate energy costs by means of sub-metering, which probably contributes to reinforce the split incentive problem. Moreover, about one fifth of the mills and about half of the foundries lack a long-term energy strategy. The results also show that only about 40% and 25% respectively of the studied mills and foundries may be categorized as successful when it comes to energy management practices. If energy management is not fully prioritized even in energy-intensive industries – such as the studied foundry and pulp- and paper industry it will, in all probability, not be prioritized in less energy-intensive industrial sectors or countries either, indicating a large untapped potential in regard to cleaner, more environmentally sound, production in the industrial sector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The early Riksbank played an important role in providing emergency finance for Sweden. • I find that political and legal restrictions on the Riksbank were at least a proximate cause of Sweden's military defeats. • Policy experimentation at the Riksbank led to inflation and corresponding reductions in economic activity. At the beginning of the 18th century, Sweden was an imperial power that had just sustained a century of modest economic growth. In 1800, Sweden's empire was gone, after a series of military defeats. Real GDP per capita had fallen to the same level as the early 1600s. In other words, the 18th century witnessed the end of the Swedish Empire and a startling reversal of economic progress. In this paper, I propose a possible explanation for both of these outcomes. First, I argue that Sweden's limited fiscal capacity played an important role. The creation of the Riksbank should have facilitated government borrowing and military spending as the Bank of England did for the British. However, the Riksbank was not designed or equipped for this role. I document the constraints on financing national defense through the Riksbank and argue that the bank was ill-equipped to finance an adequate national defense. This explains the reversal of the empire. Second, when the Hats took power in the Riksdag in 1739, they used the Riksbank to give loans to firms, which were financed through the issuance of bank notes. The objective was to increase investment and economic activity. I find no evidence that these loans had any effect on real GDP per capita. However, the resulting inflation has a negative and significant effect on output during the period of inconvertible paper money. The combined evidence suggests that Hat policy contributed to the decline in economic activity during the reversal of fortune. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development paths leading to the transition to cleaner bleaching technologies in the pulp industry. It devotes particular attention to the key features of the Swedish transition, but also compares this to the Finnish experiences. The empirical investigation builds on an analytical framework highlighting the conditions under which pollution regulations can provide efficient incentives for deep emission reductions at industrial plants. Existing and new archive material, including not least comprehensive license trial acts for Swedish pulp mills over an extended time period, are studied. Based on this historical analysis our findings contradict previous literature, the latter emphasizing that pressures from consumers and the public were the most significant driving forces behind the adoption of–and innovation in–alternative bleaching technologies during the late 1980s. Instead, this paper asserts, the green pulp transition was characterized by regulation-induced technological change and was made possible by long history of industry-wide cooperation in environmental R&D. Furthermore, while previous research has emphasized the leading role of the Nordic countries in green pulp innovation, we identify a number of profound differences between Finland and Sweden. These emerge from various national contexts in terms of, for instance, industry structures and strategies, political cultures, and regulatory styles. Finally, at a more general level the paper provides a few policy implications for supporting the ongoing transition towards a forest-based bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses how Vision Zero (VZ) efforts in New York City (NYC) account for equity and social justice implications of road safety work. VZ policy documents, research literature, popular science and opinion articles on road safety work in the city were studied with a prime focus on equity and social justice. Twelve semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in road safety and transport planning in the city and at national level were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of policy design, the adoption process, and the role of equity considerations in the city's road safety work. The results show that major equity and social justice issues arise in the adoption and implementation of VZ. These issues are primarily related to equity and fairness in the distribution of life saving interventions, the socio-economic impacts of road safety strategies, and the nature of community engagement in policy design and implementation. The findings point to a need for VZ practitioners to give due considerations to equity and social justice implications of VZ policies and strategies. Among others, it supports the need for understanding the nature of past equity and social justice problems in road safety and transport planning in the VZ policy design process. Moreover, the findings suggest the need for empirical studies on the socio-economic implications of VZ strategies and interventions. • There were major road safety related inequities and injustices prior to the adoption of Vision Zero in New York City. • The promotion of Vision Zero also gives rise novel equity and social justice concerns related to its adoption process and the choice of road safety strategies and interventions. • A successful and morally acceptable implementation of Vision Zero demands recognizing and proactively accounting for ethically problematic aspects of road safety work, including those related to equity and social justice. • Vision Zero should integrate equity and social justice into road safety work, for example, by adopting a broader conceptualization of a data driven approach that includes socioeconomic and community data in addition to quantitative crash data. • The promotion of Vision Zero should allow meaningful inclusion and participation of different road user and socioeconomic groups in the goal setting and implementation of Vision Zero policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mobile stroke unit (MSU) is a specialized ambulance, enabling to shorten the time to diagnosis and treatment for stroke patients. In the current paper, we present a simulation-based approach to study the potential impacts of collaborative use of regular ambulances and MSUs in prehospital transportation for stroke patients, denoted as co-dispatching. We integrated a co-dispatch policy in an existing modeling framework for constructing emergency medical services simulation models. In a case study, we applied the extended framework to southern Sweden to evaluate the effectiveness of using the co-dispatch policy for different types of stroke. The results indicate reduced time to diagnosis and treatment for stroke patients when using the co-dispatch policy compared to the situation where either a regular ambulance or an MSU is assigned for a stroke incident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambulance travel time estimations play a pivotal role in ensuring timely and efficient emergency medical care by predicting the duration for an ambulance to reach a specific location. Overlooking factors such as local traffic situations, day of the week, hour of the day, or the weather may create a risk of inaccurately estimating the ambulance travel times, which might lead to delayed emergency response times, potentially impacting patient outcomes. In the current paper, we propose a novel framework for accurately estimating ambulance travel times using machine learning paradigms, employing real-world spatiotemporal ambulance data from the Skane region, Sweden. Our framework includes data preprocessing and feature engineering, with a focus on variables significantly correlated with travel time. First, through a comprehensive exploratory data analysis, we highlight the main characteristics, patterns, and underlying trends of the considered ambulance data set. Then, we present an extensive empirical analysis comparing the performance of different machine learning models across different ambulance travel trip scenarios and feature sets, revealing insights into the importance of each feature in improving the estimation accuracy. Our experiments indicate that the aforementioned factors play a significant role when estimating the travel time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of electric vehicles offers a promising approach to achieving a more sustainable transportation system, given their lower production of direct emissions. However, the limited driving range and insufficient public recharging infrastructure in some areas hinder their competitiveness against traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines. To address these issues, this paper introduces an "iterative route cover optimization method" to suggest charging station locations in high-demand regions. The method samples routes from a route choice set and optimally locates at least one charging station along each route. Through iterative resampling and optimal allocation of charging stations, the method identifies the potential recharging demand in a location or a region. We demonstrate the method's applicability to a transportation network of the southern part of Sweden. The results show that the proposed method is capable to suggest locations and geographical regions where the recharging demand is potentially high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper has the aim of providing an evidence base for framing Mobility as a Service (MaaS) - or MaaS-like - solutions (i.e. technology-led) in rural or remote areas. This is explored particularly within the context of the policy of reducing transport disadvantage. We begin with a definition of MaaS – what it is and what it is not. This is followed by discussion of the array of existing mobility solutions typically found in rural areas which may be incorporated within MaaS. The main body of the paper focusses on the experience to date with MaaS in a regional and rural setting with consideration of recent evidence in an international context. We consider the elements of rural MaaS, and a variety of MaaS schemes, their status and levels of integration. A key discussion point is the finding that most previous and extant "Rural MaaS" schemes do not go beyond "MaaS level 2", suggesting the need for a renewed focus on understanding the barriers to the implementation and growth of MaaS in a regional and rural setting. Findings show that MaaS in a rural context is dominated by a preponderance of short-lived pilots with only a small user base, even in Finland and Sweden which can be described as the trailblazer locations. There are examples of niche schemes such as tourist focussed and there is evidence that car-based services are becoming more prevalent. Ultimately, prospects for scalability appear limited in current Rural MaaS activities since this will depend on how well MaaS segments the market. • An investigation of recent experience with MaaS in a rural and regional context. • MaaS in a rural context is dominated by a preponderance of short-lived pilots. • Prospects for scalability appear limited in current rural MaaS activities. • There is evidence that car-based modes are becoming more prevalent. • Barriers to the implementation and growth of rural MaaS need to be better understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The county of Värmland, Sweden, has shown a high frequency of multiple sclerosis in several investigations. It has been presented in three studies; a period prevalence study in 1925–1934, a mortality study during 1952–1992 and a prevalence investigation in 2002. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of industry in this high-risk area for multiple sclerosis. The three investigations were correlated with industry in 1913 and in the 1950s, all analyzed by the Kruskall–Wallis test. Select industries from wood-pulp, paper and iron/mechanical sectors were tested also in whole Sweden. The Spearman rank correlation was used for these data and forestry data in Värmland. In Värmland, industrial data from 1913 revealed that large sawmills were associated with the period prevalence in 1925–1934 and there was a possible correlation with the prevalence for 2002. Wood-pulp factories showed a possible association with the prevalence 1925–1934 and the mortality 1952–1992. Some industries in the 1950s were correlated with the prevalence 2002. Wood and paper industries in Sweden 1913 showed an association with the MS mortality 1952–1992. In summary, data on MS prevalence in Värmland and mortality both in Värmland and all Sweden from the past 100years suggest an association with wood-related industries in 1913 and in the 1950s, whereas no consistent association was found for other industries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• This study aims to identify and evaluate e-scooters' controversial reputation in Sweden. • We use a mix method approach based on a news item analysis and a quantitative survey. • The local press portrays e-scooters as a problem; there are around five negative comments for every positive one. • Users and non-users have different perceptions but are all concerned about e-scooters' safety, cost, health and eco-friendliness. • Even non-users see e-scooters as fast, convenient and pleasant services; this triad can be the basis for an image-reshaping. E-scooters, one of the most rapidly growing forms of micromobility globally, entered our cities as an innovative first and last-mile travel mode looking to complement public transit and reduce short car trips. However, there are many voices openly suggesting that e-scooters, despite representing still a very low modal share, have instead been the source of traffic accidents, transport system disruption and public space anarchy. Despite a wealth of e-scooter research appearing lately, knowledge gaps about e-scooters' current reputation and how this matches actual user and non-user perceptions do exist. Our two-phase mixed method approach means to fill in these gaps by examining the intriguing context of Sweden, a country hosting more than 30 million e-scooter trips on an annual basis but recently enforcing new stricter rules for their regulation. This paper contributes to the state of the art by contextualising the current reputation of e-scooters in Sweden through a discourse analysis of local press items and by analysing an attitudinal survey that ran in Stockholm and Gothenburg with almost equal numbers of e-scooter users and non-users. First our news item analysis identifies six reputation-defining themes: cityscape fit; traffic safety and irresponsible user behaviour; rules, regulations and exploits; business; sustainability; and convenience and concludes that e-scooters' portrayal in Sweden is very negative. There are approximately five negative comments in the press for every positive one. Our survey offers statistical evidence that there are significant differences in the evaluations of users and non-users when it comes to seven perceived e-scooter qualities (s afety; speed; eco-friendliness; cost; convenience; fun; health and wellbeing) and two policy practicalities (regulations clarity; and parking provision). Users' perceptions are always more positive from those of non-users, but they do agree with them that safety, eco-friendliness, cost, health and wellbeing are areas of concern for e-scooters. Both groups see value in enhanced regulation clarity and better parking provision. Non-users however, to some degree, do recognise that e-scooters offer fast, convenient and pleasant mobility services making this the tripole where image change and positive rebranding could start from. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry is crucial to the current global economy; however, it confronts sustainability challenges. Recovering secondary metals from mining residues is a promising opportunity to enhance the sustainability of the mining sector. This paper introduces a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) to evaluate the sustainability of a new valorization process designed for a residue from a sulfidic mine located in Sweden. Results show mixed environmental impacts, with higher climate change (+22%) but lower mineral resource use (-98%) compared to primary mining. Economic analysis suggests that with a CAPEX between 80 M€and 120 M€, the final NPV is between 8.2 M€and 48 M€, depending on the purity of the recovered cobalt. Social analysis reveals fair worker compensation and limited access to local resources as crucial social risks. In the case study presented in this paper, the LCSA provides valuable insights for future cleaner production and more sustainability-oriented decision-making. • A Sustainability assessment evaluates mining residues valorization development. • The LCA, except for climate change and land use, shows clear benefits. • The purity of recovered cobalt is the key driver to economic viability. • Fair salary and access to local resources are the main social hotpots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Shortage of oil, large variations in exports from Russia of wood to Europe, plenty of abandoned agriculture land, new ideas about a more intensive silviculture; these circumstances are driving forces in Sweden for planting fast-growing poplar and hybrid aspen clones on suitable land. The advantage of such trees is that the wood can be used for both energy (heat, biofuels, electricity), paper and for construction. Poplar clones bred in the USA and Belgium, and older hybrid aspen clones from Sweden, together with new poplar clones collected and selected for Swedish conditions from British Columbia, Canada, were planted during the 1990s in south and central Sweden. The stem diameters and heights of the trees have been measured during the last 10 years and the woody biomass production above ground has been calculated. MAI for all the plantations is 10–31m3 or 3–10ton DM per hectare with the highest annual woody production of 45m3 or 15ton DM per hectare in some years in a very dense plantation in the most southern part of Sweden. All the plantations have been fenced for at least the first ten years. The damage has been caused by stem canker, insects, leaf rust and by moose after removal of the fences. The possibilities for the use of poplar plantations as energy forest and vegetation filters are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In several locations along Sweden's northern Baltic coast there are deposits of contaminated fibrous sediments that are known as fiberbanks. Historically, these anthropogenic fiberbanks and associated contaminants were formed outside pulp and paper factories because of unregulated waste discharges. Some of the fiberbanks are located on seafloor slopes that are unstable and may fail, which could result in large amounts of fiber and contaminant dispersion. Hydroacoustic surveys have revealed that some parts of the fiberbanks have been dispersed to a wider area by submarine landslides. However, the unusual nature of these cellulose-rich sediments makes it difficult to apply conventional techniques for assessing submarine slope stability. Therefore, a combination of investigation techniques and interpretation methods was tested to assess the stability and triggering mechanisms for submarine slope failure identified in fiberbanks from the Ångermanälven river estuary on the Baltic sea coast. The integration of bathymetric data, sediment lithology and geotechnical characteristics from in-situ and laboratory measurements, enabled the characterisation of underlying natural sediments and the fiberbanks at two sites. Despite low densities, which indicate that the fiberbank material is near the buoyancy level, the fiberbank deposits seem to be relatively stable. Our results indicate the underlying natural sediments are also stable and would require an external triggering mechanism to generate the observed slope failures. We suggest that pore water pressure, potentially related to groundwater table fluctuations, may be an important trigger for submarine landslides in the study area. Management of fiberbanks and associated fiber-rich sediments, which are numerous along Sweden's north east coast, requires that sites are risk assessed and prioritized for remediation. To do so, under water slope stability should be considered as a possible dispersion pathway and therefore needs to be investigated. The study illustrates the value of using a combination of geophysical and geotechnical field and laboratory methods, together with empirical relationships, to assess relevant input parameters for slope stability calculations for this type of sediment. • A multi-faceted offshore site investigation of contaminated fibrous sediments. • The stability of fiberbank sediments were tested with a tipping box. • Stability of underlying slopes could be compromised by small excess pore water pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to connect central theoretical contributions to the study of brokerage and propose a novel conceptual and analytical approach for investigating it. On one hand, it builds on, and further substantiate the utility of, the innovation of conceptualizing brokerage activity and brokerage exclusivity separately, whilst analyzing them together. On the other hand, it also builds on the seminal notion of qualitatively different brokerage roles and introduces the conceptual innovation of brokerage role diversity to study the implications of and for actors occupying one or several roles to similar or varying degrees. These implications are further unpacked by analyzing the specific brokerage activity and exclusivity for each brokerage role separately, before reassembling the results into a rich description of the patterns of brokerage among different types of actors. This three-dimensional approach was applied to study brokerage in a network of individual actors governing flood risk mitigation in a catchment area in Southern Sweden. The results suggest that studying these three dimensions of brokerage simultaneously provides a sharper lens that picks up important nuances that available approaches may fail to reveal. The paper makes a substantive contribution to the knowledge of brokerage in collaborative governance of complex issues, as well as a methodological contribution to the study of brokerage in general. • A three-dimensional approach to brokerage in networks that picks up vital nuances. • Brokerage activity and exclusivity is more informative than weighted brokerage. • Connects novel ideas on brokerage activity and exclusivity, with brokerage roles. • Introduces brokerage role diversity, and brokerage role activity and exclusivity. • Reveals patterns of how brokerage may differ across different types of actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A process for obtaining valuable sugars from biorefinery side streams was designed and simulated. • A Swedish thermo-mechanical pulping plant, Hallsta Paper Mill , was used as a case study. • A very detailed techno-economic analysis was performed based on latest process technology. • The profitability of the process depends mainly on the market price of produced specialty sugars. • The analysis showed that the process is widely applicable to hemicellulose-rich side-streams. The current work describes a process for converting hemicellulose-rich industrial side streams to specialty sugars utilizing green technology and commercially available acidic heterogeneous catalysts. Focus is placed on the detailed overall process design and techno-economic assessment of integrating the concept into an existing thermo-mechanical pulping plant, namely the Hallsta Paper Mill , located near Hallstavik in Sweden. The techno-economic analysis is based on laboratory relevant results for the process under study including catalyst performance and kinetics as well as extensive operational and economic data on cost formation. A detailed sensitivity analysis was also performed to evaluate the performance of concept in a changing economic environment. The results show that the process would be highly profitable in the studied case with a rather high safety margin. The process is widely applicable to other biorefinery concepts with hemicellulose containing side streams and the presented techno-economic analysis is very relevant for the evaluation of site-specific viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For several decades, modal shift within the freight transport sector has been promoted by policy makers as an important basis for achieving lower transport emission targets. Even though the literature on mode choice is well established, there is less consensus about the volume of freight with the potential to shift and, more importantly, the actual contribution of freight modal shift to achieving less climate and air pollution impacts. The climate contribution of freight modal shift can be increasingly questioned, as decarbonization is taking place at increasing rates within road freight transport. In this paper, the role of modal shift policies in realizing climate objectives is scrutinized by focusing on the case of Sweden, which serves to illustrate some general insights. We highlight how modal shift is often analyzed and discussed in isolation, even though it forms an important part of a policy mix in which it may contribute to achieving climate objectives. Treating modal shift as an objective in its own right may render less effective and cost-efficient policy instruments. • The climate contribution of freight modal shift is increasingly questioned. • The role of modal shift policies in realizing climate objectives is scrutinized by focusing on the case of Sweden. • Modal shift is often analyzed and discussed in isolation. • Treating modal shift as an objective in its own right may render policy instruments less effective and cost-efficient, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To contribute to more balanced perspectives on sub-municipal population change in sparsely populated areas (SPAs), this paper closely examines a local pocket of growth in a shrinking Northern Swedish municipality. Integrating Swedish register data with in-depth qualitative insights, the geographic study examines patterns and processes of uneven local population dynamics linked to life course migration. This is done through a socio-spatial cluster analysis containing, first, 15 aggregate socioeconomic variables for sub-municipal areas, and then individual characteristics like birth countries, age groups, sex ratios, educational attainment, and employment status. A Foresight approach and interviews with locals, municipal officials, and incoming lifestyle migrants complement this. Studying these individuals' practical compromises regarding housing, income, and leisure at sub-municipal levels helps in overcoming fallacies in population change research at broader regional levels, and illustrates the limits of relying solely on quantitative demographic change indicators. The paper shows that urban traits in the municipal centre and rural natural amenities around a dogsledding trail combine to attract and retain different population groups. This adds to population change studies and shows that municipal administrative centres in SPAs are not necessarily growing while other villages are declining, and that population redistribution at the municipal level does not automatically imply the movement of people to municipal centres from a municipality's minor villages. • This paper analyses migration flows at sub-municipal levels. • We integrate quantitative and qualitative approaches. • Microurbanisation in SPAs is connected with various migration flows. • Population redistribution did occur in places' immediate context. • People make practical compromises between urban and rural traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy transition towards sustainable resources is more urgent than ever given the environmental and geopolitical challenges. Being one of the major energy users, cities need to understand their energy sector to accomplish its transition, by means of data. However, data are not easily accessible and have their own challenges. This paper presents a joint effort between researchers, city representatives and industry to provide an urban system service that supports research, accelerates urban innovation, and involves the community. An energy data portal, "NRGYHUB", has been developed, where hourly data from thousands of energy meters are available. These meters were collected from neighborhoods in the city of Västerås, Sweden, and they measure electrical and heating energy. In addition, the data are complemented by geometrical and non-geometrical information of the buildings, as well as demographic statistics of the areas. The paper describes the process of data collection, preprocessing, and visualization, in addition to the main challenges and limitations of the project. This dataset can be used for energy use benchmarking, prediction, and analysis. • The creation and implementation of an energy data portal is detailed and made available on nrgyhub.mdu.se. • Legal and licensing issues in data sharing are explored, offering insights for those interested in Sweden and beyond • By showcasing real-world problems, the impact and role of this data sharing initiative are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rental housing laundering is subject to care practices and topologies of power. • Social dimensions of communal laundering are at risk. • The concept care could include spatial and temporal aspects. Laundering activities enact a range of socio-material relations and spatialisation of infrastructures such as provision of machines, water, energy, laundry and lately digitalisation. Drawing on a case study on communal laundry facilities in Sweden, this paper focuses on socio-material relations and explores laundry practices in Swedish rental housing, aiming for a theoretical contribution in the field of care, which could incorporate spatial and temporal aspects to be more inclusive. Theoretically based in topologies of power, with sensitivity to processes of spatialisation and temporalities, the analyses show how decisions about design, space and technologies influence everyday life of tenants. The paper illuminates how availability and access to laundry facilities were conformed and individualised to reach expected standards. Laundry spaces were subject to digitalisation and automation technologies introduced to meet efficiency and environmental demands and handle perceived problematic tenant practices. Conclusions are that relational materialism in the field of care and scripting processes would benefit from explicitly including theoretical thinking about space and temporality, conceptualised as choreography. The approach "thinking with care" brought backgrounded laundering phenomena to the fore and pointed out laundering as a matter we should care about. Digitalisation and automation facilitated control of shared laundry spaces and ambitions to individualise laundry made private spaces, such as bathrooms, more attractive to host laundering activities but backgrounded social dimensions of communal laundering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the importance of incorporating online home delivery services (OHDS) into the concept of accessibility and marginalization. The authors propose a method to quantify access to OHDS and assess levels of inequalities in access to OHDS using data from OHDS providers in the pharmaceutical and food sectors, as well as from transport operators delivering parcels. The Västra Götaland Region in the West coast of Sweden is used as a case study. The results show significant inequalities in access to OHDS. Moreover, there are segments of population under a compound marginalization during the COVID-19 pandemic due to (i) limited accessibility to OHDS services, (ii) high incidence of COVID-19 cases in their area that makes physical visits to a store a risk activity, and (iii) high vulnerability (e.g., high share of individuals older than 65). These results reveal a need for the public sector to prioritize innovations in services that target specific clusters of the population that are vulnerable and marginalized, but also shows the imminent risk for some of these segments during the pandemic. • This paper discusses the need to extend online home delivery services (OHDS) by the concepts of accessibility and marginalization. • It proposes a method to assess the inequalities in access to online delivery services with quantitative data. • It compares access to online delivery services and demographics in the Västra Götaland Region (Sweden). • It discusses inequalities in access to OHDS and identifies population at higher risk during the pandemic due to limited access to OHDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was part of a larger project that aimed to understand the causes for increasing variation in cheese ripening in a cheese-producing region in northern Sweden. The influence of different on-farm factors on raw milk composition and properties was investigated and is described in this paper, whereas the monthly variation in the milk quality traits during 1 yr is described in our companion paper. The dairy farming systems on a total of 42 dairy farms were characterized through a questionnaire and farm visits. Milk from farm tanks was sampled monthly over 1 yr and analyzed for quality attributes important for cheese making. On applying principal component analyses to evaluate the variation in on-farm factors, different types of farms were distinguished. Farms with loose housing and automatic milking system (AMS) or milking parlor had a higher number of lactating cows, and predominantly Swedish Holstein (SH) breed. Farms associated with tiestalls had a lower number of lactating cows and breeds other than SH. Applying principal component analyses to study the variation in composition and properties of tank milk samples from farms revealed a tendency for the formation of 2 clusters: milk from farms with AMS or a milking parlor, and milk from farms with tiestall milking. The interaction between the milking system, housing system, and breed probably contributed to this grouping. Other factors that were used in the characterization of the farming systems only showed a minor influence on raw milk quality. Despite the interaction, milk from tiestall farms with various cow breeds had higher concentrations (g/100 g of milk) of fat (4.74) and protein (3.63), and lower lactose concentrations (4.67) than milk from farms with predominantly SH cows and AMS (4.32, 3.47, and 4.74 g/100 g of milk, respectively) or a milking parlor (4.47, 3.54, and 4.79 g/100 g of milk, respectively). Higher somatic cell count (195 × 103/mL) and lower free fatty acid concentration (0.75 mmol/100 g of fat) were observed in milk from farms with AMS than in milk from tiestall systems (150 × 103/mL and 0.83 mmol/100 g of fat, respectively). Type of farm influenced milk gel strength, with milk from farms with predominantly SH cows showing the lowest gel strength (65.0 Pa), but not a longer rennet coagulation time. Effects of dairy farming system (e.g., dominant breed, milking system, housing, and herd size) on milk quality attributes indicate a need for further studies to evaluate the in-depth effects of farm-related factors on milk quality attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper unpacks the relational processes that shape industrial developments in rural settings and offers a springboard for reflecting upon rural clusters as social constructs that result from a complex and dynamic process, which is a subject to constant change. To identify and map different types of social ties as well as analyze their role in different phases of bio-cluster development, the paper proposes an analytical framework that combines the function of social ties (bonding, bridging and linking) with aspects of geographical and organised proximity. A 'critical case' design has been employed to operationalize the analytical framework proposed and test its suitability for grasping and explaining real-life phenomena. This 'critical case' illustrates the long and winding relational routes collegially taken by local entrepreneurs in bringing together what eventually became a rural cluster. • Applied an evolutionary proximity approach to explain the social constructing of a rural cluster. • Social capital helps to unfold entrepreneurial discovery process in practice.Social entrepreneuril • Adopitin The play out of social capital varies at different stages of cluster formation.. • Entrepreneurial networks are mostly composed of dormant, yet proximate and actionable relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The basic reasoning model used by permit officers is condition-based aggregation. • It is hard to add disadvantages when performing value difference-based aggregation. • It is hard for permit officers to assess the value of renewable energy. • Multi-criteria reasoning models could be practical tools for application assessment. Assessment of an application for wind power establishment is a multi-criteria problem including the core problem: whether to grant permission or not. In Sweden, County Administrative Boards decide the outcomes of these kinds of applications. Five permit officers were interviewed to investigate the difficulties and the type of value aggregation in this work, and to test reasoning models as possible decision support tools. The commonly used type of aggregation was condition-based aggregation. Aggregation based on value differences, which means weighing together aspects for and against the wind power establishment, was considered difficult to apply by the respondents. Most of them agreed that some of the aspects that speak against granting permission could be aggregated but that aggregation of all aspects would be hard due to differences between aspects. In addition, the value of the main aspect that speaks for permission, climate friendly energy supply, is very difficult to estimate. Thus, aggregation based on value differences is a difficult question and how it could be performed is discussed in the paper. If policymakers wish to make it possible to take both positive and negative aspects into consideration and to discuss the trade-offs transparently, the investigated method can be a way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation is a major contributor to anthropogenic climate change driven primarily by private automobility and for nearly a century, cities have used a suite of policies and regulations that reinforce high rates of car ownership. One such regulation is minimum parking requirements, enacted to ensure that private properties can accommodate the storage of private vehicles. In recent years, cities have begun to reevaluate these parking requirements, with some municipalities reducing them, others providing opportunities for flexible parking, and some even removing parking requirements in part or all of the city. This article explores the relationship between parking requirements and car ownership by analyzing a survey of 56 municipalities across Sweden. In this paper, we develop two methods for comparing different parking metrics that municipalities use (parking spaces per apartment and parking spaces per building area). Our analysis examines variation between different sizes and classifications of municipalities. We find that across all municipalities, there is a positive relationship between minimum parking requirements and car ownership, meaning that higher minimum parking requirements are associated with higher rates of car ownership. City size is an important factor in rates of car ownership, but our analysis shows that even among similarly sized municipalities, minimum parking requirements tend to be associated with higher rates of car ownership. These findings show that reducing parking minimums can be an effective policy to reduce car ownership, but it is important to consider that these changes only impact new development and repurposing parking areas in existing housing areas may be an equally effective policy to curb car ownership. • Research on the relationship between minimum parking requirements and car ownership. • Analyze a survey of parking requirements and car ownership in 56 municipalities in Sweden. • Develop and compare two different methods for comparing parking numbers used by municipalities. • Results show a positive relationship between minimum parking requirements and car ownership within similarly categorized municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When negotiating sensitive and taboo topics language needs to be used carefully so as not to cause offence or disrupt the interlocutors' relationship. One way to do this is through the use of vague language. In this study, we provide an in-depth, qualitative analysis of vague, euphemistic language, which may be perceived as marginally 'figurative', that is used to negotiate taboo and sensitive topics concerning culture, immigration, race and class. We use the term figurative to include metaphor and metonymy. The paper's focus is on linguistic strategies that employ content words which are in turn, ambiguously figurative, vague and de-emphasising, as well as emphatic qualifiers, and hedging signals, that distance the speaker from their words or prepare the listener for figurative language to come, as tuning devices. The data used in the study are from the METCLIL (Alejo-Gonzalez et al., 2021) corpus and comprise two classes of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) students in Sweden studying international marketing in a post-graduate program. After a detailed discourse analysis, we show how L2 users exploit the vagueness inherent in ambiguously figurative language (i.e. language that we perceive to be "on the fringes of metaphor") to discuss complex topics in a pragmatically sensitive manner in ways that expand previously established categories for VL and collapse others. • EMI L2 users employ a sophisticated combination of vague language (VL) and figurative language (FL). • This use is non-prototypical, on the "fringes" of metaphor, and provides nuance for sensitive topics. • VL and FL interact dynamically: FL may introduce VL (and vice versa) or constitute its use. • Two VL categories (de-intensifiers/vague categories) may be collapsed: both decrease tone. • L2 users can make nuanced use of language to discuss complex topics in a pragmatically sensitive way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dairy farmer's decision to cull or keep dairy cows is likely a complex decision based on animal health and farm management practices. The present paper investigated the relationship between cow longevity and animal health, and between longevity and farm investments, while controlling for farm-specific characteristics and animal management practices, by using Swedish dairy farm and production data for the period 2009 to 2018. We used the ordinary least square and unconditional quantile regression model to perform mean-based and heterogeneous-based analysis, respectively. Findings from the study indicate that, on average, animal health has a negative but insignificant effect on dairy herd longevity. This implies that culling is predominantly done for other reasons than poor health status. Investment in farm infrastructure has a positive and significant effect on dairy herd longevity. The investment in farm infrastructure creates room for new or superior recruitment heifers without the need to cull existing dairy cows. Production variables that prolong dairy cow longevity include higher milk yield and an extended calving interval. Findings from this study imply that the relatively short longevity of dairy cows in Sweden compared with some dairy producing countries is not a result of problems with health and welfare. Rather, dairy cow longevity in Sweden hinges on the farmers' investment decisions, farm-specific characteristics and animal management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We provide insights on policy mobilities in regional and peripheral settings. • We combine perspectives on the bioeconomy with approaches from policy mobilities. • We show how specific industrial sectors are supported by EU green economy policy. • Our findings suggest more studies on green policy mobility on the regional scale. Interest has grown over recent years in policy programs targeting a green, bio-based economy. In the European Union, the European Commission promotes the development of bioeconomy policy and encourages the use of biomass and waste for industrial purposes. Alongside these technical dimensions, European bioeconomy policy also promotes knowledge sharing, learning from others, and so-called 'best practice'. Consequently, many European places and policymakers that have committed to developing a bio-based economy are now sharing their positive policy experiences. However, sharing 'best practice' for green economy policy programs has sometimes been described as producing oversimplified views of complex climate issues. Despite such criticisms, policymakers continue to search for and share bioeconomy policy 'best practice'. This paper explores the development of bioeconomy policy with a focus on shareability and dissemination of 'best practice' in two Swedish regions, Värmland and Västerbotten. Herein, we adopt the conceptual underpinnings of urban policy mobilities to explain green policymaking, and more specifically bioeconomy policy development on a regional scale. So far, policy mobilities research has had a primarily urban focus, whereas this paper provides valuable insights into how these processes take place within regional and more peripheral settings. Thus, we seek to understand the role of 'best practice' in the development of regional bioeconomy policies and which elements of these policies are promoted as transferable elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study of the district heating (DH) system in the city of Kisa, Sweden, shows how, through energy cooperation with a nearby sawmill and paper mill, a local energy company contributes to energy-efficient DH and cost-effective utilization of a new biofuel combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Cases of stand-alone and integrated energy systems are optimized with the linear program MODEST. The European power market is assumed to be fully deregulated. The results show clear advantages for the energy company to cooperate with these industries to produce heat for DH and process steam for industry. The cooperating industries gain advantages from heat and/or biofuel by-product supply as well. The opening to use a biofuel CHP plant for combined heat supply results in cogenerated electricity of almost 29 GWh/a with an increased biofuel use of 13 GWh/a, zero fuel oil use and CO 2 emission reductions of 25,800 tons CO 2 /a with coal-condensing power plant on the margin and biofuel as limited resource. The total system cost decreases by −2.18 MEUR/a through extended cooperation and renewable electricity sales. The sensitivity analysis shows that the profitability of investing in a biofuel CHP plant increases with higher electricity and electricity certificate prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swedish farming fathers are facing new expectations about their level of involvement in their children's upbringing – expectations of their own, but also arising from gender equality policy and shifting societal norms. A gender-neutral parental leave scheme has been in place in Sweden since 1974 and gives parents a generous opportunity to take paid time off work to stay at home with their children. Generally, however, fathers tend to take only a small share of the days allotted for parental leave, with farming farmers among those making least use of this opportunity. In this paper we explore farmers' expectations of fatherhood and how different types of farm management can be combined with parenting. The paper draws on qualitative interviews conducted with three generations of farmers. Our results indicate that the notion of involved fatherhood, i.e. being emotionally present and nurturing, is identified by farmers as a societal norm laid on farming fathers today, and that farmers indeed want to pursue involved fatherhood. We conclude that farm operators face several barriers to fulfilling the ideal of involved fatherhood, especially related to the difficulties of being able to afford and find a competent replacement during long periods of parental leave. However, two types of farms stand out as offering opportunities to overcome these issues: farms run as corporations where the farm operator is employed, and small farms with a high degree of flexibility in how time is spent during the day or over the year. • Farmers have become more involved fathers over the last three generations. • Barriers to being an involved father include difficulties in recruiting substitutes. • Farms with flexible work arrangements create opportunities for involved fatherhood. • Larger farms are able to create opportunities for fathers to be on parental leave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an improved new method with differential evolution and the cubic spline approach is proposed to retrieve sea level height based on GNSS SNR observations from a single geodetic receiver. Considering the B-spline function is unstable at the beginning or end, and the feature that B-spline functions do not pass through nodes may introduce errors. Thus, the cubic spline is applied to the retrieval process and accounts for a continuous and smooth in sea level retrieval time series. Besides, the biases caused by tropospheric delay and dynamic sea level are considered and corrected. Testing data from two stations with different tidal range and the final solution agrees well with measurements from co-located tide gauges, reaching the RMSE of 3.67 cm at Friday Harbor, Washington, and 1.36 cm at Onsala, Sweden. Comparison of the nonlinear least squares, this method leads to a clear increase in precision of the sea level retrievals within 50%. Additionally, referring to the result of Purnell et al. (2020) and the IAG inter-comparison campaign, the results of this paper show more potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a directionality framework that highlights goal, sector and solution as key dimensions of transformative policy missions. The framework is used to investigate the directionality of process industry decarbonization in Sweden, by analyzing the orientation of projects supported by the major national funding program the 'Industry Leap' between 2017 and 2022. The results show that innovation activities (i) mainly aim to reduce fossil emissions rather than produce negative emissions, (ii) focus on the steel and chemicals industries, and (iii) engage mostly with carbon capture, electrification and hydrogen. This indicates that innovation activities are somewhat narrow and imbalanced, which suggests that policymakers should promote broader experimentation. The theoretical and empirical contribution of this paper supports academics, policymakers and other actors in understanding, evaluating and shaping the directionality of transformative policy missions. [Display omitted] • Transformative policy missions unfold in goal, sector and solution dimensions. • The directionality of process industry decarbonization in Sweden is analyzed. • Innovation activities focus on decarbonizing steel and chemicals production. • Carbon capture, electrification and hydrogen are the main solution pathways. • Swedish policymakers should promote broader experimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel time reliability is vital for both road agencies and road users. Expected travel time reliability can be used by road agencies to assess the state of a transportation system, and by road users, to schedule their trips. Road network deficiencies, such as insufficient traffic flow capacity of a road segment or poor road design, have a negative impact on the reliability of travel times. Thus, to maintain robust and reliable travel times, the detection of road network deficiencies is vital. By continuously analyzing travel times and using appropriate travel time reliability measurements, it is possible to detect existing deficiencies or deficiencies that may eventually occur unless necessary actions are taken. In many cases, indices and measurements of travel time reliability are related to the distribution of the travel times, specifically the skewness and width of the distribution. The current paper introduces a median-based misery index for travel time reliability. The index is robust and handles travel times that follow a skewed distribution well. The index measures the relative difference between the slow travel speeds and the free-flow travel speed. The index is inspired by the median absolute deviation, and its primary application is to detect routes or road segments with potential road network deficiencies. To demonstrate the applicability of the index, we conducted an empirical case study using real travel speed data from the European route E4 in Sweden. The results from the empirical case study indicate that the index is capable of detecting road segments with slow travel speeds regardless of the travel speed distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweden has since the end of the 1990s, when the environmental objective system was adopted, had the ambition of being an environmental frontrunner. In line with this, in 2009 the Parliament adopted the goal of achieving a fossil free vehicle fleet in 2030. Replacing private car use with public transport is expected to contribute to this goal. In 2008, a co-operation between actors in the public transport sector was launched with support from the Government with the aim to double its use. Sweden however is a country with important geographical differences. Much of the country is sparsely populated, especially in the north. From previous research it is well known that usage of public transport is dependent on population density and accessibility to employment and schools. Understanding how spatial differences influence the cost of public transport provision is therefore crucial when discussing if public transport is a cost-efficient way to achieve national goals for the transport sector. In this paper, Swedish county level panel data, including variables that provide information on geographical differences between the counties, have been used to estimate average marginal costs of boardings. Results show that these are much lower in the three counties with the largest urbanized areas. In the other counties there is a variation which illustrates that there are a number of factors that influence the average marginal costs. In relation to policy, we find that the doubling ambition established in 2008 has not been achieved. • The role of public bus transport provision in reaching national climate objectives. • In Sweden, the estimated average marginal costs of boardings are much lower in the three counties with the largest urbanized areas. • To achieve cost-efficient reductions of CO 2 , the goals for public transport provision should be regionally differentiated. • The topic raised relates to the general question about the alignment between local, regional, national and international targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of STRATONAV experiment to test the precision of the VOR (VHF Omni Range) aircraft navigation system in stratosphere. The experiment has been conducted by the S5Lab research group at Sapienza University of Rome in the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS Programme. STRATONAV has been successfully launched on-board the BEXUS 22 stratospheric balloon from Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden, in 2016. The main payload was composed by two typologies of VOR receivers, a commercial portable receiver and a Software Defined Radio (SDR), alongside the bus and positioning, attitude and temperature sensors. STRATONAV succeeded in collecting VOR radials for the whole duration of the balloon flight. The results prove that VOR can be used as back-up navigation system for stratospheric platforms, ensuring a reliability improvement, while being applied to smaller payloads as primary system for a cost and complexity reduction of experiment developments. The paper analyzes the collected VOR data during the balloon flight. Accuracy and performance plots with respect to distance from the VOR stations and altitude are presented and discussed. The mean errors and standard deviations from all stations for both the receivers are shown with an analysis over the recorded errors. Finally, future perspectives, analyses and applicability of the research are exposed. • STRATONAV Experiment tested the accuracy of VOR (VHF Omni Range) in stratosphere. • The verification was held up to 14 km above the VOR service volume limit height. • The investigation was conducted with a commercial receiver and a SDR. • The observed accuracy rates are compliant with the first ICAO VOR accuracy standard. • VOR can be applied to stratospheric vehicles navigation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper estimates monetary returns to being a local politician in Sweden. • A novel within-party regression discontinuity design is applied to rich data. • The analysis establishes that monetary returns from local politics are absent. • The evidence suggests that local politicians are not primarily motivated by money. The paper estimates causal effects of being elected in a local election on monetary returns. The claim for causality is made in a research design where the income of some candidate who just barely won a seat is compared to that of some other candidate who was close to winning a seat for the same party , but ultimately did not. This research design is made possible thanks to a comprehensive, detailed data set covering all Swedish politicians who have run for office in the period 1991–2006. The analysis establishes that monetary returns from local politics are absent both in the short and long run. By relating this null result to effects on the future political career, the paper provides suggestive evidence that local politicians are not primarily motivated by money. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]