First-Principles-Based Strain and Temperature Dependent Ferroic Phase Diagram of SrMnO3_3

Perovskite structure SrMnO$_3$ is a rare example of a multiferroic material where strain-tuning and/or cation substitution could lead to coinciding magnetic and ferroelectric ordering temperatures, which would then promise strong magnetoelectric coupling effects. Here, we establish the temperature and strain dependent ferroic phase diagram of SrMnO$_3$ using first-principles-based effective Hamiltonians. All parameters of these Hamiltonians are calculated using density functional theory, i.e., no fitting to experimental data is required. Temperature dependent properties are then obtained from Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. We observe a sequence of several magnetic transitions under increasing tensile strain, with a moderate variation of the corresponding critical temperatures. In contrast, the ferroelectric Curie temperature increases strongly after its onset around 2.5\,\% strain, and indeed crosses the magnetic transition temperature just above 3\,\% strain. Our results indicate pronounced magnetoelectric coupling, manifested in dramatic changes of the magnetic ordering temperatures and different magnetic ground states as function of the ferroelectric distortion. In addition, coexisting ferroelectric and ferromagnetic order is obtained for strains above 4\,\%. Our calculated phase diagram suggests the possibility to control the magnetic properties of SrMnO$_3$ through an applied electric field, significantly altering the magnetic transition temperatures, or even inducing transitions between different magnetic states.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Numerical performance of stability enhancing and speed increasing steps in radiative transfer solution methods

AbstractMethods for solving the radiative transfer problem, which is crucial for a number of sectors of industry, involve several numerical challenges. This paper gives a systematic presentation of the effect of the steps that are needed or possible to make any discrete ordinate radiative transfer solution method numerically efficient. This is done through studies of the numerical performance of the stability enhancing and speed increasing steps used in modern tools like Disort or Dort2002.Performance tests illustrate the effect of steps that are taken to improve the stability and speed. It is shown how the steps together give a stable solution procedure to a problem previously considered numerically intractable, and how they together decrease the computation time compared to a naive implementation with a factor 1000 in typical cases and far beyond in extreme cases. It is also shown that the speed increasing steps are not introduced at the cost of reduced accuracy. Further studies and developments, which can have a positive impact on computation time, are suggested

Porous Gold Surfaces for Implantable Neural Electrodes

Neural electrodes used for measurements of action potentials in brain cells are often made of gold. These electrodes need to be suciently small to cover only one brain cell, but this induces the problem of increased impedance since impedance scales inversely with surface area. This means that if the surface area is too small, only noise will be measured. One way to overcome this problem is to try to enlarge the real surface area by making the gold nanoporous. In this way, the geometric surface area can be kept small while the real surface area becomes several times larger. In this project, attempts to increase the surface area by anodization has been made. First, a silicon wafer with a large number of chips containing six electrodeseach was fabricated using techniques such as evaporation, UV exposure and etching. Then the chips were diced out of the wafer and each chip was glued onto a circuit board. The copper and gold were connected by a thin aluminum wire and covered by silicone for protection and isolation. Different anodization modes and times were tested on the electrodes, and the results were evaluated by both an optical microscope and a SEM. At the best combination of anodization mode and time, the impedance was measured both before and after anodization. Also, cyclic voltammetry was used in order to calculate the real surface area of the electrodes. The results of the measurements show an increase of the real surface area with up to approximately seven times. This was conrmed by the impedance measurements, which clearly showed that the impedance sharply decreased after anodization compared to the impedance measured before anodization. This indicates that surface enlargement of gold electrodes by anodization is a viable method, but it should be carried out on more electrodes in order to get reliable results

Combining Volunteer Tourism and Development Studies A case study of development students’ reflections on volunteering in the Global South

Volunteer tourism (VT) has over the past decades rapidly increased and many young individuals travel to the Global South with intentions to develop communities and travel. Critique has however indicated that unskilled young individuals do not contribute to the development of the community, rather the opposite. This study examines how students of development studies at Lund University reflect back on their volunteer trip, as they hold knowledge within both the field of development and volunteer tourism. The study has used a qualitative case study design to interview students by conducting two focus groups. The material has been analysed based on three frameworks; cosmopolitanism, neo-liberal critique and development education. The findings of this study indicated that development students reflect back on their VT experience with insightful critique towards VT in relation to post-colonial critical theories. Some of the students’ reflections indicate a developed pessimism and cynicism towards the field of development in general. Although students were critical of VT, students also show insightful reflections of potential cultural befits of VT, they however reflect on themselves gaining more cultural knowledge than the host communities. This research contributes academically by increasing the understanding of VT and its outcomes for volunteers and host communities

Opting out of GM agriculture - The scope for EU Member States to restrict cultivation of genetically modified crops

Odling av genetiskt modifierade organismer (GMO) har länge varit ett omdebatterat och politiskt känsligt ämne i EU. Sådan odling väcker en mängd olika betänksamheter och frågor hos europeiska medborgare. I spektrumet återfinns bland annat frågor om risker för miljön och hälsa till socioekonomiska och etiska betänkligheter. Den här uppsatsen undersöker medlemstaters möjligheter att svara upp mot sådana betänkligheter genom att införa nationella begränsningar mot odling av GM grödor. Det EU-rättsliga ramverket för GMO har sedan dess tillkomst kännetecknats av en hög grad av harmonisering och centralisering. På detta följer att en GMO som har beviljats odlingstillstånd via regelverkets tillståndsförfarande i princip kan odlas i hela Unionen. Utrymmet för nationella begränsningar efter beviljat tillstånd har i stort sett varit begränsat till explicita undantagsbestämmelser i EU:s primär- och sekundärrätt. Fram tills nyligen har dessa undantagsregler främst bestått av vetenskapsinriktade sådana, vilka föreskriver att miljö- och hälsobetänkligheter kan åberopas. 2015 kom GMO- ramverket att delvis revideras genom en partiell ”av-harmonisering” av medlemsstaters möjligheter att begränsa av odling. Artikeln som återfinns i tilläggsdirektivet innehåller även en innovativ processuell förändring. Den innebär att medlemsstater kan ingå överenskommelser med företag som söker odlingsstillstånd under tillståndsprocessen så att det geografiska området där odling får ske begränsas. På pappret innebär den ovan nämnda av-harmoniseringen att i de fall där sådana överenskommelser inte kan nås så kan medlemsstaterna nu åberopa en mängd nya grunder till stöd för restriktiva åtgärder efter beviljat odlingstillstånd. Detta förutsätter dock att åtgärderna står i överensstämmelse med unionsrätten. I uppsatsen utreds utrymmet under de ursprungliga, ännu gällande bestämmelserna och tilläggsdirektivet för medlemsstaterna att begränsa odling av GM grödor. Genom en granskning av rättspraxis och det tidigare bruket av de ursprungliga bestämmelserna framgår i uppsatsen att centrala institutioner, såsom Kommissionen och EU-domstolarna har tolkat dessas materiella rekvisit restriktivt. Medlemsstaterna har genomgående misslyckats med att bevisa att kraven är uppfyllda, vilket i teorin gör att miljömässiga betänkligheter juridiskt sett är svåra att framföra under dessa bestämmelser. Till Kommissionens förtret har dock processuella regler i många fall möjliggjort att medlemsstater kunnat behålla sina nationella odlingsbegränsande bestämmelser. I andra fall har Kommissionen själv visat på en relativt återhållsam inställning till restriktiva åtgärder, vilket har möjliggjort för deras införande och bibehållande. Gällande artikeln i tilläggsdirektivet finner uppsatsen att en mängd frågor uppenbarar sig rörande vilket utrymme den faktiskt ger medlemsstaterna och hur den ändrar de övergripande möjligheterna att införa nationella begränsningar. Till att börja med finns det ingen garanti att medlemsstaterna lyckas i förhandlingarna med tillståndssökare. För det andra medför den partiella av-harmoniseringen frågor gällande om den alls ändrar möjligheterna att åberopa miljöskäl. Därtill innebär krav på de restriktiva åtgärdernas förenlighet med generella regler och principer för inre marknaden att utrymmet i praktiken kan komma att vara begränsat. Flera potentiella hinder identifieras i ljuset av rättspraxis gällande reglerna för fri rörlighet. I detta avseende kommer eventuell framgång vid åberopande av de nya grunderna som stöd för begränsning av GM odling i stor utsträckning bero på Kommissionens och EU-domstolarnas förhållningssätt till den nya artikeln.Cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has for a long time been a disputed and politically sensitive topic in the EU. To many European citizens such cultivation raises concerns, ranging from safety and socioeconomic questions to ethical issues. This thesis examines the possibilities for Member States to respond to such concerns by imposing national GM cultivation restrictions. This in an area of regulation that is part of a larger internal market context. The EU legal framework on GMOs has since it was put into place been characterised by a high degree of harmonisation and centralisation. Following this, a GMO that has been authorised for cultivation purposes may in principle be cultivated throughout the entire Union. National restriction after such authorisation has been granted has in large been limited to explicit derogation provisions in secondary and primary EU law. Until recently, these mainly science-based provisions have mostly provided for health and environmental concerns to be invoked by Member States. In 2015, the possibilities for Member States to limit GM cultivation were amended by partial “de-harmonisation” of the GMO framework. The article enshrined in the amendment also comes with some innovative procedural changes. It holds that before authorisation Member States can reach agreements with the economic operators applying for authorisation on restricting the geographical scope of where the GMO can be cultivated. On paper the mentioned de-harmonisation means that where such agreements are not reached, a wide range of concerns can form the basis for Member State restrictions after authorisation, if the measures in question are in conformity with Union law. In the thesis the scope for Member States to “opt out” of GM cultivation under the original still-existing provisions and the amendment are put under scrutiny. By looking back at their historical use, the examination shows that the central institutions such as the Commission and the EU Courts have interpreted the substantive conditions of the original provisions strictly. As such Member States have been unsuccessful in fulfilling their substantive conditions, which in theory makes environmental considerations hard to pursue under them. However, much to the dismay of the Commission, procedural rules have often allowed Member States to keep their national restrictions. In other cases, the Commission itself has had a rather lax approach to restricting measures, making restrictions possible. Regarding the amendment, it is found that many questions arise as to its actual scope and how it changes the overall possibilities to adopt restrictions. First, there is no guarantee that Member States will succeed in negotiations with companies seeking authorisation. Second, the partial de-harmonisation comes along with questions as to if this at all changes the possibilities to invoke environmental concerns. Moreover, requirements on the restrictive measures’ compliance with general rules and principles of internal market law could limit the scope of the new article. A number of potential hurdles are identified in light of the case law on free movement provisions. In this regard, the future of restricting GM cultivation by relying on the new derogation grounds will depend on the approach taken by the Commission and the EU courts to the new article

Postoji li nordijski put? O uspjesima i problemima rodne ravnopravnosti u novinarskim redakcijama iz švedske perspektive

Over the last decades several achievements have emerged in Nordic state societies concerning gender equality, particularly with regard to political representation, salaries, and shared parental leave. In most newsrooms one may find a near equal distribution of women and men working alongside one another. Additionally, in the larger newsrooms of Sweden, there is a gender balance at the managerial level. Yet in terms of news content, women remain a minority. By using qualitative and quantitative data from two projects, The Global Media Monitoring Project and The Global Status of Women in the News Media, this article assesses some of the challenges and best practice solutions for gender equality in Scandinavian newsrooms. The major gender discrepancies between newsrooms can often be explained by the level of gender awareness at the societal-level. Further, capable leadership, policies, and gender monitoring seem to benefit a gender balance in the news. National legislation on parental leave and discrimination, additionally, appear to play a key role in creating gender equality in the newsroom.U posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća u nordijskim zemljama postignuti su značajni uspjesi kada je riječ o rodnoj ravnopravnosti, posebno na području sudjelovanja žena u politici, plaća te dijeljenja roditeljskog dopusta. U većini redakcija možemo pronaći gotovo podjednak broj žena i muškaraca. Osim toga u većim novinarskim redakcijama u Švedskoj postoji rodna uravnoteženost i na upravljačkoj razini. Međutim kada je riječ o sadržaju vijesti, žene ostaju u manjini. Koristeći kvalitativne i kvantitativne podatke iz projekata The Global Media Monitoring Project i The Global Status of Women in the News Media, ovaj članak naznačuje neke od izazova i najboljih rješenja za rodnu ravnopravnost u skandinavskim novinarskim redakcijama. Različiti stupanj rodne ravnopravnosti u pojedinim redakcijama često se može objasniti razinom rodne osviještenosti u društvu. Nadalje rodnu ravnotežu u vijestima mogu unaprijediti i sposobno vodstvo, javne politike i monitoriranje rodnih pitanja. Čini se da zakoni o roditeljskom dopustu i diskriminaciji igraju ključnu ulogu u ostvarivanju rodne ravnopravnosti u redakcijama