Cultural Diversity A Glimpse Over the Current Debate in Sweden

A year and a half ago, the Swedish government decided 2006 to be The Year for Cultural Diversity (Agenda för Mångkultur, 2005). The general purpose, according to the directive, is to facilitate the possibilities for all citizens to participate in all aspects of the cultural life by enhancing appropriate arenas for different traditions (Agenda för Mångkultur, 2005). This policy decision was not a surprise to both observers and participants of the diversity debate. There has been a growing interest in the virtues of diversity for business effectiveness and success (mångfald.com), heightened scrutiny of institutional and organizational life by the mass media, and legitimizing debates by political parties which had always had some form of concern for diversity, if not for its own sake, at least for capitalizing on the legitimacy of diversity politics in the expectation of local and parliament elections next September. The proclamation of 2006 as a Year for Cultural diversity thus comes naturally from the broadened debates and organizational programs, each actor trying to get legitimacy by using the concept of cultural diversity to suit the demands of the times. Indeed, cultural diversity has become a priority agenda for any legitimate actor, at least in terms of programs and polices, if not in action. Moreover, the coordinator of the 2006 Cultural Year consistently promised in the mass media that this would be “the starting point”, and not merely a celebratory performance (VK, 28 October 2005; DN 3 January 2006). Already, what are called as the Cultural diversity consultants had worked since 2003 in eight counties as a partial preparation for this year, and to raise the consciousness of relevant actors in the field of culture and cultural institutions, especially those financed by state money. Private cultural associations, however, are invited to participate during the diversity year but they were not invited to co-design the contents of the diversity year. This paper is concerned with describing the concept of diversity as used by the different actors in this context, and also examines the background that has led to the decision of the Cultural Year. An implicit concern is scrutinizing whether in fact this year would be a starting point for more deeply engaged diversity programs and actions or a symbolic act of window dressing. The concerned actors base the paper on accounting the background to the Diversity debate in Sweden, and the different expected programs and agendas. As such, the paper is based on analysis of documents and agendas, interviews with different actors and two multicultural consultants at the county level. Additionally, the author also participated in a couple of seminars and conferences and video-filmed some of the speeches by different presenters to capture the patterns of the debate/discourse on Cultural diversity. Implicit discussion is whether the current interest on diversity may lead to its institutionalization in the Swedish society organizations (Scott 1995, Hamde, 2002), or it simply is a ‘traveling’ idea to appear occasionally and then occur in fashion-like manner as many management ideas (Czarniawska & Joerges, 1996). As pointed out in the sub-title this paper brings provides only a mere glimpse at the huge subject and the debate.: Actors, cultural diversity, institutionalization, multicultural consultants, multicultural year, Swedish debate

Mind in Africa, Body in Europe: The Struggle for Maintaining and Transforming Cultural Identity - A Note from the Experience of Eritrean Immigrants in Stockholm

This paper describes how individuals and groups who had crossed ‘physical, national boundaries’, and who live in a different social context make sense of their lives make sense of their lives by re-constructing their identities - of the sense of who they are, and who they want to be, which is an ongoing process. This is done by narrating the experiences of African men and women who live in Sweden and who struggle to both maintain their cultural identity and at the same time change aspects in their culture due to the context in which they find themselves. Maintaining cultural identity and transforming aspects of that identity therefore constitute the main thrust of the paper. Some of the ways through which immigrants claim to maintain their identity are practices and routines that they repeatedly and consistently perform as if these were uniform both in the host country and in the country of origin. But it is exactly within this premise that ‘maintaining’ an identity is defined in this paper. However, the routines, or practices may have different meanings or significance to different actors, different audience, and especially for the main beneficiaries, in a particular context. In this paper, I will narrate how ‘maintaining’ cultural identity is understood and practiced by Blin (Eritrean) immigrants in Stockholm, Sweden, when they solemnly perform a cultural rite called blessing (gewra) in weddings. The paper is based on a participant observation of weddings from 1992 to 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden, when the Blin speaking people perform the blessing rite, enjoy doing it, show to the audience how they maintain ‘who they are’, and perhaps symbolically confirm their unity with the Blin community. The main actors are the elderly and the bridegroom, both sine qua non if the rite is to get its legitimacy. Thus, the blessing rite is an example of being Eritrean in Sweden for its performers. The concept of identity and identity construction has become an important concept to deal with such demands for ‘maintaining’ and 'transforming' identities. Even though maintaining identity is encouraged in the Swedish social policy, transformation of that identity comes through demands that are widely accepted as modern values, such as egalitarianism, gender equality and individualism – leading to issues of diversity at different levels. If one strictly defines the meaning of the blessing rite, one can find that the meaning sometimes may not be consonant with the so-called modern values but that the people then provide symbolic significance to the rite.Blessing rite, Blin community, Culture maintenance, Identity construction, Immigrant

Heat-Driven Self-Cooling System Based On Thermoelectric Generation Effect

This research entails the first comprehensive and systematic study on a heat-driven, self-cooling application based on the thermoelectric generation effect. The system was studied using the first and second laws of thermodynamics to provide a solid and basic understanding of the physical principles governing the system. Multiphysics equations that relate heat transfer, fluid dynamics and thermoelectric generation are derived. The equations are developed with increasing complexity, from the basic Carnot heat engine to externally and internally irreversible engines. A computational algorithm to systematically use the fundamental equations has been presented and computer code is implemented based on the algorithm. Experiments were conducted to analyze the geometric and system parameters affecting the application of thermoelectric based self-cooling in devices. Experimental results show that for the highest heat input studied, the temperature of the device has been reduced by 20-40% as compared to the natural convection case. In addition, it has been found that in the self-cooling cases studied, convection thermal resistance could account for up to 60% of the total thermal resistance. A general numerical methodology was developed to predict steady as well as transient thermal and electrical behavior of a thermoelectric generation-based self-cooling system. The methodology is implemented by using equation modeling capabilities to capture the thermo-electric coupled interaction in TEG elements, enabling the simulation of major heating effects as well as temperature and spatial dependent properties. An alternative methodology was also presented, which integrates specialized ANSI-C code to integrate thermoelectric effects, temperature-dependent properties and transient boundary conditions. It has been shown that the computational model is able to predict the experimental data with good accuracy (within 5% error). A parametric study has been done using the model to study the effect of heat sink geometry on device temperature and power produced by TEG arrays. In addition, a dynamic model suited for integration in control systems is developed. Therefore, the study has shown the potential for a heat driven self-cooling system and provides a comprehensive set of tools for analysis and design of thermoelectric generation

Screening of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) accessions to acidity and aluminium stresses

Background. Faba bean is an important starch-based protein crop produced worldwide. Soil acidity and aluminium toxicity are major abiotic stresses affecting its production, so in regions where soil acidity is a problem, there is a gap between the potential and actual productivity of the crop. Hence, we set out to evaluate acidity and aluminium tolerance in a range of faba bean germplasm using solution culture and pot experiments. Methods. A set of 30 accessions was collected from regions where acidity and aluminium are or are not problems. The accessions were grown in solution culture and a subset of 10 was grown first in peat and later in perlite potting media. In solution culture, morphological parameters including taproot length, root regrowth and root tolerance index were measured, and in the pot experiments the key measurements were taproot length, plant biomass, chlorophyll concentration and stomatal conductance. Result. Responses to acidity and aluminium were apparently independent. Accessions Dosha and NC 58 were tolerant to both stress. Kassa and GLA 1103 were tolerant to acidity showing less than 3% reduction in taproot length. Aurora and Messay were tolerant to aluminium. Babylon was sensitive to both, with up to 40% reduction in taproot length from acidity and no detectable recovery from Al3+ challenge. Discussion. The apparent independence of the responses to acidity and aluminium is in agreement with the previous research findings, suggesting that crop accessions separately adapt to H+ and Al3+ toxicity as a result of the difference in the nature of soil parent materials where the accession originated. Differences in rankings between experiments were minor and attributable to heterogeneity of seed materials and the specific responses of accessions to the rooting media. Use of perlite as a potting medium offers an ideal combination of throughput, inertness of support medium, access to leaves for detection of their stress responses, and harvest of clean roots for evaluation of their growth.Peer reviewe

Mediating Effect of Dynamic Capabilities on Human Capital as a Driver of Research Productivity of Academic Staff in Kenyan Universities

Research productivity is increasingly being recognised as a key measure of achievement and is therefore a basis for promotion and tenure for academic staff as well as an important component in the global ranking of universities. However, research productivity of academic staff in Kenyan universities is characterised by limited publications, resulting in the low positioning of Kenyan universities in global rankings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of human capital and dynamic capabilities on research productivity of academic staff in Kenyan universities. This study adopted a correlational research design and sampled 392 academic staff members. Both regression and bootstrap analyses were used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that human capital has a significant influence on research productivity of academic staff in Kenyan universities; however, the influence of human capital is not direct, but is partially mediated by dynamic capabilities. The outcomes of the study provide insight to academic staff to invest heavily in both human capital and dynamic capabilities to foster research productivity. Additionally, the results of the study provide an understanding to the university management on possible strategic choices that can boost the research productivity of academic staff

Root and shoot traits associated with acidity and drought tolerance in Vicia faba L. plants

Background. Abiotic stresses affect the productivity and the evolutionary pathway of adaptation in crops in different agricultural regions. Soil acidity and drought are two major abiotic stresses, when severe, reduce the suitability of fertile lands for crop production, and when moderate, reduce yield and often quality. Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is sensitive to acidity, aluminium toxicity and limitation of soil moisture, and these stresses greatly reduce the yield potential and stability of the crop. The overall objectives of this study were to investigate complementarity in shoot and root morphological and physiological phenotypic markers to acid soil and drought adaptation in pre-flowering faba bean plants, and to identify sources of tolerance for further breeding work. These objectives were tested in light of four hypotheses: acid zone germplasm would have higher acid and Al3+ tolerance index than other germplasm (publication I); dry-zone germplasm would have more prolific root systems than wet-zone germplasm (publication II); dry-zone germplasm would maintain its root system growth better in drought than wet-zone germplasm would (publication II); and drought avoidance is based on a combination of leaf gas exchange and exploitation of soil water (publication III). Materials and Methods. Multiple sets of faba bean accessions were chosen based on their expected exposure to acidity, aluminium, or drought stresses in their regions of provenance, and based on previous research data and reports. Experiments were established in aquaponic, peat and perlite media in controlled/environment growth chambers, greenhouses and a robotic phenotyping facility to evaluate the performance of a range of faba bean accessions in acid, aluminium, and watering treatments. Key root and shoot data were collected and analysed. Results and Discussion. Acidity and Al3+-toxicity treatments were sufficiently strong to initiate detectable variation in root length, stain score and Al3+ tolerance index, SPAD value, stomatal conductance, biomass and leaf area in solution culture, peat, and perlite experiments. Roots behaved differently in response to pH and Al3+ treatment differences. Al-tolerant accessions showed contrasting shoot Al content, indicating multiple Al tolerance mechanisms in faba bean. The results of acid tolerance index in aquaponic and perlite media experiments were positively correlated. Trait expression complementarity and variability were observed across the experiments owing to differences in growth media. Accessions differed in root regrowth length in solution culture and in SPAD values and taproot length in perlite medium to changing pH and Al3+ concentrations as shown by accession by treatment interactions. Root tolerance index, root regrowth length, and SPAD values were found to be largely informative traits in solution culture, and peat and perlite pot experiments. In aquaponics experiment, 41 µmol/l Al3+ was not informative, 82 µmol/l Al3+ was informative, 123 µmol/l Al3+ was severe. As a result, 82 µmol/l Al3+ was used in the next peat and perlite experiments. However, 82 µmol/l Al3+ was found to be less informative in peat experiment, hence 123 µmol/l Al3+ could be recommended for selection of outstanding accessions in solid media. Overall, accessions responded to acid and Al3+ treatments independently. Cultivars Aurora and Messay were found to be Al3+ tolerant but acid sensitive; Kassa and GLA 1103 acid tolerant, but Al3+-sensitive; NC 58 and Dosha were tolerant to both Al3+ and acidity, while Babylon was sensitive to both. Aquaponic media for mass screening and perlite media for verification experiments were found to be convenient (publication I). Screening of germplasm for drought was successfully conducted in a perlite-based pot experiment, which allowed quicker screening of a large set of materials and enabled detection of variation in constitutive traits among accessions. Use of the GROWSCREEN Rhizo phenotyping facility allowed detection of useful differences between treatments and among accessions. In both the screening and phenotyping drought experiments, accessions originating from the drier regions of the world showed drought avoidance behaviour thereby confirming FIGS as a valuable strategy (publication II and III). In germplasm screening, root and shoot dry mass and their fractions, along with SPAD value provided useful information in discriminating accessions with potential drought-avoidance characteristics. In the phenotyping experiment, root traits were strongly and positively correlated with each other and with shoot traits, but these correlations indicated specific plasticity of traits with watering treatments (publication III). In the well watered treatment, total dry mass was correlated with root length traits, whereas in the water-limited treatment, it was correlated with root width and convex hull area. Apparent root length density was positively correlated with second order lateral root length in the well watered treatment and with apparent specific root length in water limited treatment, indicating high surface area to volume ratio to maximize water absorption is a key strategy in droughted condition. In the water-limited treatment, root traits contributing to drought avoidance such as lateral root length and root system depth, convex hull area and root system width, and apparent root length density (publication II and III) were positively associated with shoot traits such as total dry mass, leaf number, and leaf mass fraction reported in publication III. Accession DS70622 exhibited deeper and wider growing roots that filled the root system volume with long and thin laterals. The larger root system combined with moderately high total dry mass and stomatal conductance endorsed this accession as a potential drought-avoiding candidate by effective use of water suitable in transient droughts. Accessions such as DS11320 and ILB938/2 that combined a large and thick root system with low root length density, low specific root length and low stomatal conductance can be recommended as potential sources of drought-avoiding traits by improved water use efficiency suitable in terminal droughts. Future research directions on the development of multiple abiotic stress tolerant cultivars enables climate change resilience in crops. Most acid soils are subject to Al3+-toxicity, and drought can occur on this soils as it occurs in others. Hence, multiple stress tolerance traits, mechanisms and QTLs need to be investigated in faba bean to identify host accessions with multiple tolerance to Al3+ and drought stresses for breeding of high yielding materials.Kaksi suurinta abioottista rasitetta ovat maaperän happamuus ja kuivuus, jotka alentavat tuotantoa ja rajaavat maankäyttöä viljelyssä. Härkäpapu (Vicia faba L.) on herkkä maan happamuudelle, korkeille alumiini (Al) pitoisuuksille ja kuivuudelle. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli löytää versojen ja juurten morfologisia ja fysiologisia piirteitä, jotka liittyvät härkäpavun kuivuuden ja happamuuden sietokykyyn ja tunnistaa parhaat lajikkeet jalostusta varten. Tätä varten valittiin useita lajikkeita Etiopiasta ja Euroopasta. Kokeissa kasvualustana käytettiin vesiviljelyä, turvetta ja perliittiä. Kokeet tehtiin kasvatuskammioissa ja kasvihuoneissa Helsingin yliopistolla ja Jülich Research Centre Saksassa. Juuret reagoivat eri tavalla pH- ja Al käsittelyihin. Al kestävillä lajikkeilla löytyi eri Al pitoisuuksia versoista, mikä viittaa useisiin Al sietokyvyn mekanismeihin. Juuren sietokyvyn indeksin, juurikasvun pituuden ja SPAD-arvojen havaittiin olevan suurelta osin informatiivisia piirteitä vesiviljelmässä sekä turve ja perliitti kokeissa. Vesiviljelykokeissa käytettiin 41, 82 ja 123 µmol/l Al. 42 µmol/l pitoisuus ei tuottanut tuloksia, 82 µmol/l taas tuotti eroja lajikkeissa ja 123 µmol/l vaikutus oli voimakas. Tämän takia 82 µmol/l käytettiin turve ja perliitti kokeissa. 82 µmol/l ei kuitenkaan tuottanut tuloksia turvekokeessa, joten 123 µmol/l tulee käyttää kiinteissä kasvualustoissa. Yleisesti lajikkeet reagoivat happamuuteen ja Al pitoisuuksiin erikseen. Aurora ja Messay lajikkeet kestivät Al, mutta olivat herkkiä maan happamuudelle. Kassa ja GLA 1103 kestivät happamuutta, mutta eivät Al. NC 58 ja Dosha kestivät molempia, kun taas Babylon ei kumpaakaan. Vesiviljely toimi lajikkeiden massaseulonnassa ja perliitti kasvualusta tulosten vahvistamiseksi. Lajikkeiden seulonta kuivuuden suhteen tehtiin perliitti kokeessa. GROWSCREEN Rhizo –fenotyyppi laitteistolla määritettiin hyödyllisiä eroja lajikkeissa. Lajike DS70622 kasvatti suuren juuriston. Lajike tuottaa myös kohtalaisen suuren biomassan, mikä tekee siitä hyvän kandidaatin jalostettaessa kuivuuden sietokykyä. Lajikkeet DS11320 ja ILB938/2, joissa yhdistyy suuri juuristo, vähäinen hienojen juurien määrä ja alhainen ilmarakojen johtavuus, soveltuvat myös hyvin kuivuuden sietokyvyn jalostamiseen. Happamassa maassa on usein myös korkeat Al pitoisuudet, ja kuivuus voi tapahtua kaikkialla. Täten härkäpavun jalostamisessa pitäisi luoda lajikkeita joilla on sietokykyä useille abioottisille rasitteille

Diversity in root growth responses to moisture deficit in young faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants

Background Soil moisture deficiency causes yield reduction and instability in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) production. The extent of sensitivity to drought stress varies across accessions originating from diverse moisture regimes of the world. Hence, we conducted successive greenhouse experiments in pots and rhizotrons to explore diversity in root responses to soil water deficit. Methods A set of 89 accessions from wet and dry growing regions of the world was defined according to the Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy and screened in a perlite-sand medium under well watered conditions in a greenhouse experiment. Stomatal conductance, canopy temperature, chlorophyll concentration, and root and shoot dry weights were recorded during the fifth week of growth. Eight accessions representing the range of responses were selected for further investigation. Starting five days after germination, they were subjected to a root phenotyping experiment using the automated phenotyping platform GROWSCREEN-Rhizo. The rhizotrons were filled with peat-soil under well watered and water limited conditions. Root architectural traits were recorded five, 12, and 19 days after the treatment (DAT) began. Results In the germplasm survey, accessions from dry regions showed significantly higher values of chlorophyll concentration, shoot and root dry weights than those from wet regions. Root and shoot dry weight as well as seed weight, and chlorophyll concentration were positively correlated with each other. Accession DS70622 combined higher values of root and shoot dry weight than the rest. The experiment in GROWSCREEN-Rhizo showed large differences in root response to water deficit. The accession by treatment interactions in taproot and second order lateral root lengths were significant at 12 and 19 DAT, and the taproot length was reduced up to 57% by drought. The longest and deepest root systems under both treatment conditions were recorded by DS70622 and DS11320, and total root length of DS70622 was three times longer than that of WS99501, the shortest rooted accession. The maximum horizontal distribution of a root system and root surface coverage were positively correlated with taproot and total root lengths and root system depth. DS70622 and WS99501 combined maximum and minimum values of these traits, respectively. Thus, roots of DS70622 and DS11320, from dry regions, showed drought-avoidance characteristics whereas those of WS99501 and Melodie/2, from wet regions, showed the opposite. Discussion The combination of the germplasm survey and use of GROWSCREEN-Rhizo allowed exploring of adaptive traits and detection of root phenotypic markers for potential drought avoidance. The greater root system depth and root surface coverage, exemplified by DS70622 and DS11320, can now be tested as new sources of drought tolerance.Peer reviewe

Chemical monitoring and waste minimisation audit in the electroplating industry.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.Theoretical waste minimisation opportunities and options for electroplating were sought from the literature. Their suitability under the specific site conditions of a chromium electroplating plant were evaluated using the results of a waste minimisation audit (audit). The audit showed that many waste minimisation practices were already in place. These included counter current flowing rinse systems, multiple use of rinses and recycling of the drag-out solution back into the plating solution. Two types of information were collected during the audit, namely new chemical monitoring (concentration levels of sodium, iron, zinc, copper, lead, chromium and nickel and conductivity, total dissolved solids and pH) and flow rate data and existing data (composition of the process solutions, products and waste outputs, and raw materials, workpieces and utility inputs). The data were analysed using four established waste minimisation techniques. The Scoping Audit and the Water Economy Assessment results were determined using empirically derived models while the Mass Balancing and the True Cost of Waste results were obtained through more detailed calculations. The results of the audit showed that the three most important areas for waste minimisation were water usage, effluent from rinse water waste streams and nickel consumption. Water usage has the highest waste minimisation potential followed by nickel. Dragged-out process chemicals and rinse water consumption contribute to ranking the effluent stream the most important waste minimisation opportunity identified by the True Cost of Waste Analysis. Potential financial savings were roughly estimated to be in the order of R 19949 and R 126603 for water and nickel respectively. Intervention using only "low cost-no-cost" waste minimisation measures was recommended as a first step before contemplating further focus areas or technical or economical feasibility

Yield Gaps of Major Cereal and Grain Legume Crops in Ethiopia: A Review

In Ethiopia, smallholder farmers are responsible for most food production. Though yield levels in grain crops have improved greatly over the years, they are still much lower than their potential. The source of yield improvements and the causes of those yield gaps are not well understood. To explain the drivers of yield gaps and current sources of yield improvements in four major cereals (teff, maize, wheat, and sorghum) and three grain legumes (faba bean, common bean, and soybean), we accessed the databases of the Global Yield Gap Atlas, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia. Refereed journal articles and grey literature were sought in online databases using keywords. The results showed large increases in production of grain crops with little or no increase in areas of production. The yield increases were primarily attributed to genetic gain rather than agronomic improvements. Farmers’ yields remain far lower than those from on-farm trials and on-station trials and the calculated water-limited yield potential. Currently, yields of wheat, maize, sorghum, and common bean in Ethiopia are about 26.8, 19.7, 29.3, and 35.5% of their water-limited yield potentials. Significant portions of the yield gaps stem from low adoption and use of improved varieties, low application of inputs, continual usage of un-optimized crop management practices, and uncontrolled biotic and abiotic stresses. Proper application of fertilizers and use of improved varieties increase yield by 2 to 3 fold and 24–160%, respectively. Cereal-legume intercropping and crop rotation practices increase yield while reducing severity of pests and the need for application of synthetic fertilizers. In contrast, abiotic stresses cause yield reductions of 20–100%. Hence, dissection of the water-limited yield gap in terms of technology, resource, and efficiency yield gaps will allow the prioritization of the most effective intervention areas

Physiological and Biochemical Basis of Faba Bean Breeding for Drought Adaptation —A Review

Grain legumes are commonly used for food and feed all over the world and are the main source of protein for over a billion people worldwide, but their production is at risk from climate change. Water deficit and heat stress both significantly reduce the yield of grain legumes, and the faba bean is considered particularly susceptible. The genetic improvement of faba bean for drought adaptation (water deficit tolerance) by conventional methods and molecular breeding is time-consuming and laborious, since it depends mainly on selection and adaptation in multiple sites. The lack of high-throughput screening methodology and low heritability of advantageous traits under environmental stress challenge breeding progress. Alternatively, selection based on secondary characters in a controlled environment followed by field trials is successful in some crops, including faba beans. In general, measured features related to drought adaptation are shoot and root morphology, stomatal characteristics, osmotic adjustment and the efficiency of water use. Here, we focus on the current knowledge of biochemical and physiological markers for legume improvement that can be incorporated into faba bean breeding programs for drought adaptation.Peer reviewe