Orange Revolution in Red, White, and Blue: U.S. Impact on the 2004 Ukrainian Election

Det atlantiska laxbeståndet i Östersjön är idag hotat, vilket är ett resultat av antropogen påverkan, och det har i praktiken inte funnits någonförvaltningsplan för laxen i Östersjön på nästan 10 år. Ett förslag gällande en flerårig förvaltningsplan för Östersjölaxen lades fram av EUkommissionen2011, vilken syftade till att bidra till ett hållbart nyttjande av laxen, och att den genetiska integriteten och variationen bevaras.Huvudsyftet med denna studie är att undersöka utvalda remissvar som framtagits efter förslaget. Remissvaren är officiella utlåtanden från berördamyndigheter och icke-statliga organisationer, och som har framförts till regeringen. Innehållsanalysen kommer att användas i syfte att nå enfördjupning samt identifiera återkommande mönster och teman utifrån remissvaren och de två utförda intervjuerna. Analysen visar att mångaaktörer påvisar en generellt sett positiv inställning till förslaget, men meningsskiljaktigheter och kritik av föreslagna åtgärder och tillvägagångssättkaraktäriserar flera av remissvaren. Detta märks tydligt under förslagen gällande utfasning av utsättningar och smoltproduktionsmålen, där mångaåtgärds- och tillvägagångsförslag är mycket tidskrävande, och förändringar sker över längre tidsperioder. Det är därför av stor vikt attförändringsprocesser påbörjas långt innan man riskerar att nå en punkt där skadan blir oåterkallelig.The population of the Atlantic salmon in the Baltic Sea is threatened by substantial anthropogenic activities, and in practice, an action plan hasbeen missing for almost a decade. A proposal for a multi annual action for the Baltic salmon stock was presented by the EU-commission 2011,this plan aimed to aid attempts of reaching a sustainable exploitation of the salmon stock, and to sustain the genetic integrity and diversity of thespecies. The main purpose of this thesis is to examine selected statements of opinion in regards of mentioned proposal, these statements areofficial recommendations carried out by concerned authorities and NGO’s, and have been delivered to the Swedish government. Content analysiswill be used on the statements of opinion and the two interviews. The analysis shows that various actors are generally positive towards theproposal of a multiannual action plan, but disagreements and critique of proposed approaches tend to be dominant in several statements. This isvery clear in terms of the phasing out of the salmon releases and the smolt production goals, which the proposal deals with. A large number ofproposed measures and associated processes are very time consuming, and thus, changes in matters like these happen over extended periods oftime. It is therefore of great importance that actions are put in motion long before the risks of reaching irreversible damages becomes evident

Cartels as Barriers to International Trade

This thesis examines ways to improve the user experience of a mobile Internetconnection. We discuss how this can be achieved using dierent techniques,but primarily focus on techniques using network performance maps. We designand implement a proof-of-concept system that allows users to record networkperformance experience and share these records among each other such as toimprove their future performance.We use bandwidth measurements at locations over an area to create a networkperformance map. We examine what such maps can be used for and howit is best implemented. We also create a proof-of-concept implementation fora system creating network performance maps using multiple mobile devices.The thesis also discusses how information sharing between mobile devices usingWi-Fi networks can be done eciently. This is also something we use inour proof-of-concept implementation, when synchronizing data between mobiledevices.In summary, our Android-based proof-of-concept implementation allows usersto perform bandwidth measurements, and to share these measurements amongeach other, such as to help each other improve their network performance maps.A good such system allows users to get an overview of the network performanceover the measured area; information that can be used to optimize the Internetusage via download scheduling or bit rate adaption

The construction of global management consulting - a study of consultancies’ web presentations

Management consulting increasingly appears as a global endeavour as reflected in the increasing dominance of a few large, global management-consulting firms. However, features of the consulting service (e.g. its immaterial and interactional character) as well as aspects of management (e.g. its cultural anchoredness) highlight the locality of management consulting. In this paper we approach this tension between the global and the local by seeing consulting as involving the creation of generalised myths. More specifically, we ask the question: How do global consulting companies construct the viability and desirability of their services? Based on a view of management consultants as mythmakers, we study the argumentation on corporate web sites of four leading global consultancies in five different countries. Applying a framework based on the sociology of translation, we analyze the translation strategies used in making the service of global consultancies both viable and indispensable. We find that the need for consultants is to a large extent constructed through defining management as an expert activity, thus creating a need for external advisors possessing globally applicable expert knowledge. In this effort, the consultants ally with three widely spread rationalized managerial myths – the rationality myth, the globalization myth and the universality myth. We conclude, that global consulting firms are actively involved in creating and reinforcing the very same institutions, which are the prerequisites for their future success.management consulting; globalization; myth making

Influence of ground substrate on establishment of reindeer lichen after artificial dispersal

Methods to improve the recovery of reindeer lichen after soil disturbance or overgrazing are being sought for areas where reindeer are herded. The effects of four substrates – mineral soil, moss, twigs and pine bark – on the establishment of lichen fragments after total removal of the vegetation were thus studied in a middle-aged pine stand and a clear-cut, both located in a lichen-rich pine-heath. Cladina mitis fragments of two sizes were manually dispersed in 1 m2 quadrats and their movements from their respective dispersal points were registered after one year. The natural re-establishment of lichens in the quadrats was monitored over three years by using digital pictures. In the forest stand, no significant differences were detected in either the fragment movement or the lichen establishment between the different substrates, but the fragment size had positive effects on both parameters. In the clear-cut, the moss substrate was the most suitable not only for the artificially dispersed lichens to fasten to, but also for the natural settlement of lichens from the surrounding lichen mat. More lichen thalli fastened to the bark and twigs substrates than to the mineral soil, but the settlement of lichens from the surrounding was greater on bare mineral soil substrate. The results indicate that artificial dispersal of lichen thalli on an appropriate substrate could be a successful strategy for promoting lichen recovery

Kulturarvet som medel för platstolkning och platsspecifik utveckling

Alla landskap bär på spår av tiden. Landskapsarkitekten är aktiv förvaltare av dessa spår. Kulturarv och landskapsarkitektur är förbundna i detta förvaltande och utvecklande. Men på vilket sätt relaterar kulturarv och landskapsarkitekturen till varandra? Genom att studera aspekter av kulturarvet vid Kustdammarna i Lomma kommun, undersöker denna uppsats kulturarvet som ett medel för platstolkning och platsspecifik utveckling. Med stöd av Tunbridge & Ashworths (1997) teorikomplex om kulturarvets dissonans och kulturarvsproduktionsmodellen tolkas kulturarvets närvaro vid Kustdammarna. Analysen visar hur Kustdammarna och Kustdammarna som en del av kommunens utveckling av Strandstråket innehåller värdering, selektering, paketering och inriktning av materiella och immateriella aspekter av det förflutna, och visar på hur det går att förstå platsens konstitution som formad av kulturyttringar och värderingar om landskapets innehåll. Samtidigt visar uppsatsen hur ett kulturarvsperspektiv som medel för platstolkning och platsspecifik utveckling öppnar upp för icke synliga dimensioner av platsens innehåll, vilket kan vara intressant för en djupare förståelse för vad platser är och kan bli. Uppsatsen konstaterar att kulturarvet kan uppmärksamma oss på inslag i landskapet som är av betydelse för att förstå förhållandet mellan landskapet och de som nyttjar det. Med en blick på landskapet som skådar det som av tid och aktivitet format, där uppfattningar, minnen och värderingar tar fysisk form, kan vi ana mångfalden av plattspecifika särdrag som yttrar sig eller kan artikuleras genom formgivning. Kulturarvet kan på så sätt vara ett verksamt medel för platstolkning och platsspecifik utveckling.History is present everywhere in our landscapes. Within the discipline of landscape architecture historic layers are continuously managed and handled. Cultural heritage and landscape architecture are there for closely intertwined. But in what ways do they relate to one another? This study explores aspects of cultural heritage at a specific site, Kustdammarna in Lomma municipality, as to see in what ways cultural heritage can work as a tool when reading and developing site specific content. Through Tunbridge & Ashworths (1996) theoretic assembly explaining heritage dissonance and the heritage production model the presence of cultural heritage at Kustdammarna is interpreted. The analysis showsthat Kustdammarna, and Kustdammarna as a part of the municipality’s ongoing work with Strandstråket, contains valuation, selection, assembling and targeting of aspects of the past, and exemplifies how the constitution of the site can be understood as shaped by cultural expressions and evaluation of its content. Furthermore, this paper shows that a cultural heritage perspective as means for site reading can support the acknowledging of non-visual dimensions of a place, which can generate a deeper understanding for what is there and what it could become. The study notes that cultural expressions can make us aware of landscape content that is of importance for understanding the relationship between site and its users. If gazing at the landscape as constituted of time and activities, where perceptions, memories and values take physical shape, a richness of possible sitespecific expressions emerge, possible to consider when making site specific design decisions. Perspectives on cultural heritage can in that sense be useful for site reading and site-specific development

Governing a just future – what and how to govern? Commentary to Jones

In dealing with the topic of “governing the future”, it is fundamental to understand how different practices define justice in content as well as in processual sense. Premises of justification can be seen as essential indicators of the future direction of societal decision-making in governance networks, as well as in determining whose realities play a part when defining future imaginaries. We are dealing with a complex entity and we need to ask whether a future as such can be distinguished from how it is produced in different governing practices? I would also like to emphasize that the concept of ‘governance’ needs to be taken under careful scrutiny. Governance has not replaced government, as most often both of these management logics are present simultaneously. This is creating tensions within the public sector. My comments to the issues presented in Rhys Jones’ article are grounded in planning theory and my ongoing research concerning justification of new spatial planning practices in the Nordic countries.Non peer reviewe

Visualization and phenotyping of proinflammatory antigen-specific T cells during collagen-induced arthritis in a mouse with a fixed collagen type II-specific transgenic T-cell receptor beta-chain

Introduction: The Vbeta12-transgenic mouse was previously generated to investigate the role of antigen-specific T cells in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), an animal model for rheumatoid arthritis. This mouse expresses a transgenic collagen type II (CII)-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) beta-chain and consequently displays an increased immunity to CII and increased susceptibility to CIA. However, while the transgenic Vbeta12 chain recombines with endogenous alpha-chains, the frequency and distribution of CII-specific T cells in the Vbeta12-transgenic mouse has not been determined. The aim of the present report was to establish a system enabling identification of CII-specific T cells in the Vbeta12-transgenic mouse in order to determine to what extent the transgenic expression of the CII-specific beta-chain would skew the response towards the immunodominant galactosylated T-cell epitope and to use this system to monitor these cells throughout development of CIA. Methods: We have generated and thoroughly characterized a clonotypic antibody, which recognizes a TCR specific for the galactosylated CII(260-270) peptide in the Vbeta12-transgenic mouse. Hereby, CII-specific T cells could be quantified and followed throughout development of CIA, and their phenotype was determined by combinatorial analysis with the early activation marker CD154 (CD40L) and production of cytokines. Results: The Vbeta12-transgenic mouse expresses several related but distinct T-cell clones specific for the galactosylated CII peptide. The clonotypic antibody could specifically recognize the majority (80%) of these. Clonotypic T cells occurred at low levels in the naïve mouse, but rapidly expanded to around 4% of the CD4+ T cells, whereupon the frequency declined with developing disease. Analysis of the cytokine profile revealed an early Th1-biased response in the draining lymph nodes that would shift to also include Th17 around the onset of arthritis. Data showed that Th1 and Th17 constitute a minority among the CII-specific population, however, indicating that additional subpopulations of antigen-specific T cells regulate the development of CIA. Conclusions: The established system enables the detection and detailed phenotyping of T cells specific for the galactosylated CII peptide and constitutes a powerful tool for analysis of the importance of these cells and their effector functions throughout the different phases of arthritis

Optimisation of surface expression using the AIDA autotransporter

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bacterial surface display is of interest in many applications, including live vaccine development, screening of protein libraries and the development of whole cell biocatalysts. The goal of this work was to understand which parameters result in production of large quantities of cells that at the same time express desired levels of the chosen protein on the cell surface. For this purpose, staphylococcal protein Z was expressed using the AIDA autotransporter in <it>Escherichia coli</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The use of an OmpT-negative <it>E. coli </it>mutant resulted in successful expression of the protein on the surface, while a clear degradation pattern was found in the wild type. The expression in the mutant resulted also in a more narrow distribution of the surface-anchored protein within the population. Medium optimisation showed that minimal medium with glucose gave more than four times as high expression as LB-medium. Glucose limited fed-batch was used to increase the cell productivity and the highest protein levels were found at the highest feed rates. A maintained high surface expression up to cell dry weights of 18 g l^-1could also be achieved by repeated glucose additions in batch cultivation where production was eventually reduced by low oxygen levels. In spite of this, the distribution in the bacterial population of the surface protein was narrower using the batch technique.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A number of parameters in recombinant protein production were seen to influence the surface expression of the model protein with respect both to the productivity and to the display on the individual cell. The choice of medium and the cell design to remove proteolytic cleavage were however the most important. Both fed-batch and batch processing can be successfully used, but prolonged batch processing is probably only possible if the chosen strain has a low acetic acid production.</p

Strategic planning harnessing urban policy mobilities : the gradual development of local sustainability fix

The aim of our article is to follow how global policy models affect local policy making. Each city has unique local challenges in promoting development, e.g. economic growth, but also needs to find a balance between these targets and demands for sustainable city solutions. In our empirical study, we follow how ideas of waterfront development - to attract new inhabitants and promote economic growth - and global demands of carbon control were used interactively in a strategic spatial planning process in the city of Tampere, Finland. During the six-year planning process, these two policy targets became interdependent, created a new policy-making domain, and led to a combinatorial development of sustainability elements arising from this domain. These findings demonstrate the serial use of global policy models in the creation of a local urban sustainability fix'. To conclude, the intertwinement of diverse global policy models in a city planning process creates easily a recursive cycle that redefines urban sustainability within cities and intercity networks. This perspective makes local policy narratives and strategic planning highly important in urban sustainability research as promoting urban sustainability becomes an inherently ambivalent practice.Peer reviewe