Europeanization of domestic civil society organizations

Europeanization has become a key concept to changes due to transfer of competences to EU level. While extensive research has been performed on institutional dynamics and also on the rise of private interest representation at EU-level, little is said about domestic civil society organizations (CSOs) and their integration in EU politics. By zooming out of Brussels we come to realize that also domestic CSOs are starting to recognize the importance of engaging in EU politics. By applying two of the few existing theoretical frameworks dealing with Europeanization of domestic organizations on two cases were domestic CSOs are engaging in EU politics, namely the debate over licensed hunt on wolfs and the question if non-profit organizations should be allowed to be exempted from paying and register VAT or not, this study aimed at contribute to theory development. From the cases studies we could see that domestic CSOs were using a multitude of strategies when engaging in EU politics taking place at both domestic and EU level. The study emphasizes that one must recognize both vertical and horizontal interactions. When doing this it becomes obvious that domestic CSOs can shape alliances with both institutional actors, other CSOs and EU based CSOs to compensate for lack of resources and EU competence. The CSOs are learning and building competences of how to engage in EU politics from a national level. By networking and using alternative strategies also domestic CSOs has proven important actors in EU politics in my two cases. Actions at both levels were intertwined and therefore when trying to predict the Europeanization of domestic CSOs one must go about such predictions carefully and with respect for the multitude of factors that come into play in such a process

Statistical characteristics of L1 carrier phase observations from four low-cost GPS receivers

Statistical properties of L1 carrier phase observations from four low-cost GPS receivers are investigated through a case study. The observations are collected on a zero baseline with a frequency of 1 Hz and processed with a double difference model. The carrier phase residuals from an ambiguity fixed solution and zero baseline coordinate components computed on an epoch-by-epoch basis are used for accessing the statistical properties of the observations. Graphical statistical methods are used for characterizing the statistical properties. For each type of receiver, the residuals have a sample mean value close to zero and the sample variance is time invariant. The residuals from one type of receiver deviate from being normally distributed, whereas the residuals from the remaining receivers are close to being normally distributed. Two of the receivers deliver uncorrelated carrier phase observations. Some of the carrier phase observations from the other two receivers are serially correlated. The correlation is receiver specific and is related to the individual channels of the receivers

Health effects of protein intake in healthy elderly populations: a systematic literature review

The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the evidence behind the dietary requirement of protein and to assess the health effects of varying protein intake in healthy elderly persons in order to evaluate the evidence for an optimal protein intake. The literature search covered year 2000-2011. Prospective cohort, case-control, and intervention studies of a general healthy population in settings similar to the Nordic countries with protein intake from food-based sources were included. Out of a total of 301 abstracts, 152 full papers were identified as potentially relevant. After careful scrutiny, 23 papers were quality graded as A (highest, n = 1), B (n = 18), or C (n = 4). The grade of evidence was classified as convincing, probable, suggestive, or inconclusive. The evidence is assessed as: probable for an estimated average requirement (EAR) of 0.66 g good-quality protein/kg body weight (BW)/day based on nitrogen balance (N-balance) studies and the subsequent recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 0.83 g good-quality protein/kg BW/day representing the minimum dietary protein needs of virtually all healthy elderly persons. Regarding the optimal level of protein related to functional outcomes like maintenance of bone mass, muscle mass, and strength, as well as for morbidity and mortality, the evidence is ranging from suggestive to inconclusive. Results from particularly prospective cohort studies suggest a safe intake of up to at least 1.2-1.5 g protein/kg BW/day or approximately 15-20 E%. Overall, many of the included prospective cohort studies were difficult to fully evaluate since results mainly were obtained by food frequency questionnaires that were flawed by underreported intakes, although some studies were 'calibrated' to correct for under-or over-reporting. In conclusion, the evidence is assessed as probable regarding the EAR based on N-balance studies and suggestive to inconclusive regarding an optimal protein intake higher than the estimated RDA assessed from N-balance studies, but an exact level cannot be determined. Potentially adverse effects of a protein intake exceeding 20-23 E% remain to be investigated

The Effects of Financial Openness on Innovation: An Empirical Study

Using data from 33 OECD countries for the years 1980-2014, we estimate the effects of financial openness on innovation through the use of fixed effects panel data regression. After establishing innovation as a core factor in technological growth, we derive, with the help of Schumpeterian models of growth, an argument that the financial system has a significant role in the development of innovations. The development of a country’s financial system should therefore lead to an increase in innovation. One particular way to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the financial system could be to open the borders to the international financial community, which would allow for international transactions and increase the efficiency of the financial system. By using patents as a measurement for innovation and the Chinn-Ito Index for financial openness we run a regression which confirms our theory that openness indeed has an effect on innovations in a country

Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine 1118 Consequences of Amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus Sampling for Prenatal Diagnosis

Amniocentesis (AC) and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) are the principal methods for fetal karyotyping. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate psychological reactions and risks associated with the procedures. A semi-randomised study was made on 321 women, where AC (147) and CVS (174) at 10-13 weeks' gestation were done trans-abdominally. Spontaneous fetal loss occurred in 6.8% and 1.7% of the women in the AC and CVS groups, respectively. Repeat testing was required more often in the AC (19.0%) than in the CVS (5.2%) group. A subgroup of 94 women answered a questionnaire prior to the procedure. Anxiety was stated as reason for invasive testing in 38% of the women. Mean scores according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for anxiety and depression were low. Likewise, mean scores for the Impact of Event Scale, evaluating the psychological distress evoked by the procedure, were low. Yet, a number of women had higher scores, indicating a risk of clinical anxiety and depression or psychological distress. The women worried most about miscarriage, fetal injury by the procedure and waiting for the result. Fetal, infant and maternal outcomes were evaluated in a cohort of 71 586 women aged 35 to 49 years old, with single births in Sweden during 1991 to 1996. Altogether, 21 748 were exposed to AC and 1984 to CVS. Women exposed to AC and CVS were compared with non-exposed. Outcomes were extracted from the Swedish Medical Birth Register, the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register, and the Swedish Malformation Register. An increased risk of musculoskeletal deformities, such as club foot (OR=1.45) and hip dislocation (OR=1.22), and respiratory disturbances such as neonatal pneumonia (OR=1.29), was found for infants born in the AC group. Risk increased with earlier gestation at the procedure. Fewer women in the AC group had a normal delivery and more had a Caesarean section. Complications related to the amniotic cavity and membranes (OR=1.15), hypotonic uterine dysfunction (OR=1.12) and instrumental vaginal deliveries (OR=1.11) were more common in the AC group. No significant differences were found for the CVS group. CVS is the method of choice for prenatal karyotyping in the first trimester. AC should not be performed before 15 weeks' gestation. Further research to develop methods to better identify women at increased risk of chromosomal abnormal pregnancies and to develop non-invasive tests for prenatal diagnosis is needed. Thereby, the number of women exposed to invasive procedures and the adverse effects caused by these procedures can be minimised

Alternative outbound transportation moder for sony Ericsson

Purpose: Identify alternative to the current air transportation routes from supply units in Asia to European customers. The authors strive to provide the department of Supply Flow & Logistics with proposals of how they can reduce their costs and environmental effects connected to transportation. The authors also strive to display and evaluate the risk connected to a change in transportation mode. Method: A supply chain is built on many parts that interact, hence, a system approach was chosen by the authors. Since the authors did not have any knowledge of how the operational work related to the topic was conducted at Sony Ericsson, an inductive research methodology have been used. In order to maintain a high degree of credibility to the study triangulation methods were used. All literature used in the thesis has its sources in well known universities or international organizations. To be published through these universities or organizations the content is assumed to have a high level of credibility. Therefore it is believed by the authors that these sources are accurate. Conclusions: The authors have found alternative transportation route that can be used to send goods for Sony Ericsson. Two alternative routes were analyzed. One intermodal route from Hong Kong via Dubai to Europe and the other from Beijing along the Trans-Siberian railroad to Europe. The result from the route via Dubai showed to be more expensive and therefore was not recommended for further analysis. The Trans-Siberian railroad route is a new upcoming route. It was implemented as a co-operation between Schenker DB and Russian Railway. An implementation of this route would expose new risks and challenges. The authors have identified and discussed risks such as delays, material shortage, order cancellations and changes, theft and business adoptions. The increased lead-time is the factor that has the larges affect on the supply chain performance. The cost and environmental calculation for this route showed that reductions can be done on both aspects. The freight cost can be reduced by approximately 50 percent and the environmental by 70 percent. An analysis on historical order data showed that 60 full containers could have been sent during a 9 month period under 2008. In order to send customer orders along the alternative route certain criteria had to be fulfilled. The authors have identified long order lead time and orders size as the most crucial factors for shipping along the route

The Boundary Work of Commercial Friendship

With the aim to reconsider lifestyle values in relation to economic rationality in small tourism and hospitality businesses, we focus on the “commercial home” as a site where boundaries between personal and commercial values are constantly performed in practice. Through an interactionist analysis of the narrative of a B&B and gallery owner, we illustrate the emergence of intimacy as a commercial value in the hospitality industry. We analyse the formation of values as a dynamic social process where a traditional market ethos is both rejected and reformulated. We argue that by focusing on the co-creation of value in interactions between producers and consumers, new possibilities to analyse service economy dynamics become visible

The tourism business operator as a moral gatekeeper : The relational work of recreational hunting in Sweden

The article analyses how hunting tourism businesses in Sweden navigate in the nexus between moral and economic value spheres. Through the analytical lens of ‘moral gatekeeper’, the business operators are depicted as acting from a position where they navigate in a contested space. The analysis demonstrates how the operators balance different norms and practices of recreational hunting, wildlife management, business ethics and customer expectations. The study is based on ethnographic interviews with business operators, observations of hunting arrangements, and document analysis of hunting media, with a focus on narratives and accounts of value. The findings show a complex moral economy where stewardship hunting and gift economics are both intertwined with and kept separate from market relations, which makes the hunting arrangements appear as a ‘peculiar’ form of commodity. The analysis demonstrates how moral arguments concerning wildlife management and human well-being are embedded in market relations and discourses on experiences, entailing seemingly opposite forms of commodification. One is related to calculable values, as in trophy hunting, and one is related to the embodied experience of nature. The study provides nuanced and contextual knowledge of the intertwinement of personal and market relationships in recreational hunting and the commodification of wildlife experiences

Commodification of recreational hunting in Sweden : hunting tourism experiences as ‘peculiar goods’

The paper is based on a study of hunting tourism enterprising in Sweden. The study examines how hunting tourism businesses in Sweden navigate in a complex social, economic and moral environment. The aim of the present paper is to identify how tensions between a market- oriented value sphere and a value sphere based on friendship- and community reciprocity are played out in hunting tourism entrepreneurship. In particular, the study focuses on the ambiguous character of the hunting experience product and the different narratives and discourses framing what is considered, by the actors themselves, to be a ‘good’ hunting tourism experience