Reviewability of Matters Committed to Agency Discretion

Precis som det finns dialekter i det talade språket kan symboler och färger ha olika betydelser i olika delar av ett land. Dessa visuella dialekter är en del av den ideologi som finns på en plats och påverkar hur text och bild uppfattas och tolkas av befolkningen. Den som designar visuell kommunikation bör därför vara bekant med den ideologi som råder där slutprodukten ska finnas; detta gäller inte minst för förpackningsdesign. Mejeribranschen har traditionellt varit starkt geografiskt indelad i Sverige, men nya förpacknings-, produktions- och logistikmöjligheter har bidragit till att 1960-talets 420 mejerier minskat till 50. De flesta av Sveriges mejerier har dock fortfarande en tydlig geografiskt bunden marknad, något som syns hos tre av de största mejerierna: Norrmejerier, Gefleortens och Skånemejerier. Arla finns i stort sett i hela landet, och är Sveriges största mejeri. Tidigare undersökningar redogör för hur olika grafiska element påverkar kunders val av varumärke i butiker. Det finns dock ingen tidigare studie som behandlar just mjölkförpackningar och den visuella kommunikationens skillnader inom ett land. Denna studie undersöker den visuella kommunikationen på mjölkförpackningar för mellanmjölk (fetthalt 1,5 %) från ovan nämnda mejeriaktörer. Studien behandlar även konsumenters påverkan på den visuella kommunikationen. Teorier som använts för att tolka den empiri som samlats in analyserar bland annat förpackningar och kulturer, men även visuell kommunikation. Exempel på den visuella kommunikationens byggstenar är typografi, färg och designprinciper som hierarki. Semiotiken används för att tyda teckens betydelse. En stor del av datan för denna kvalitativa studie har samlats in under intervjuer av företagsrepresentanter från Norrmejerier, Gefleortens, Skånemejerier och Arla. Datan från intervjuerna visar således varumärkesägarnas tankar kring förpacknings- och  varumärkeskommunikationen. Studiens författare har kompletterat data med hjälp av en analys av förpackningens visuella element. Slutsatser som dras är att Norrmejerier, Gefleortens och Skånemejeriers förpackningar har visuella element som konnoterar lokalt och personligt. Förpackningarna visar också upp situationer där mjölk används eller använts. Arla har inte samma lokala marknad som de övriga, vilket även syns i förpackningens mer abstrakta grafik. Framtagningen av den visuella kommunikationen fungerar som så att mejerierna först tar fram en grunddesign. Sedan samlar de in konsumenters åsikter om denna för att sedan bitvis justera den efter konsumenternas tycke. De grafiska elementen anpassas på så sätt för de lokala konsumenterna och används för att kommunicera varumärkenas identitet. Förändringarna sker evolutionellt, för att konsumenterna ska känna igen förpackningen. Ett exempel på detta är de ränder Arla använt på sina förpackningar sedan 90-talet som i flera omgångar justerats med varumärket. Vid den senaste designförändringen gjordes de mjukare i kanterna för att ge ett mer naturligt intryck. Vad studien visar är att de lokala konsumenterna har en påverkan för hur den visuella kommunikationen ser ut på mjölkförpackningarna i Sverige, men att det i grunden handlar om mejeriets varumärkeskommunikation. Det eftersom de inte baserat sina val om vilket budskap eller vilka beståndsdelar den visuella kommunikationen ska ha på konsumenternas åsikter. Istället har företaget tagit fram en visuell kommunikation utifrån varumärkets personlighet. Företagen har sedan anpassat denna efter feedback de fått från konsumenterna då det är de lokala konsumenterna som avgör om produkten kommer att lyckas på marknaden.Just like there are different accents in a language, symbols and colors may be interpreted differently in different parts of a country. These visual accents are part of the ideology present at a certain place and affects how the population perceives words and images. It is therefore important for the person designing the visual communication to consider the ideology of the consumers. This is also true for packaging design, because the packaging works as an attention grabber in the store. Traditionally, the dairy market in Sweden has been geographically segmented. New technologies in packaging, production, and logistics have led to a decrease in the number of dairy companies in Sweden; the 1960’s 420 dairy companies are today only 50. The dairy companies of Sweden still have a geographically segmented market. This is also true for three of the largest dairy companies: Norrmejerier, Gefleortens, and Skånemejerier. The largest dairy company, Arla, is present in the whole country. This study aims to research the visual communication on milk packaging from the dairy companies listed above. The study examines the consumers’ effect on the design of the visual communication. Previous studies show how different visual elements on the packaging attract the customers’ attention in the store. However, no previous studies examine milk packaging and the variations of the visual communication within a country. Different theories that have been used to analyse the collected data are about packaging design, culture, and visual communication. Typography, color and design principles such as hierarchy are part of the visual communication’s toolbox. Theories about semiotics have been used to interpret the meaning of visual signs. Parts of the data of this qualitative case study have been collected through interviews with representatives from the dairy companies Norrmejerier, Gefleortens, Skånemejerier, and Arla. This data shows the brand owners thoughts about the packaging and brand communication. The authors of this study have analyzed the visual communication of milk packages for milk containing 1,5% fat from each dairy company listed above. The study concludes that the milk packages of Norrmejerier, Gefleortens, and Skånemejerier contain visual elements that stand for local and personal values. The illustrations and photographs also picture situations where milk is or has been used. Arla does not have the same local market as the others, which can be seen in the more abstract design of their packaging. The dairy companies create a design and then asks for feedback from the consumers. The companies later use this information to adjust the packaging after the consumers’ opinions. The visual elements are adapted to the local market and used to communicate the brand identity. The changes in the visual communication are done evolutionary, to keep the packaging recognizable for the consumers. Arla has, for example, changed the appearance of the stripes they have used on the packages since 90’s several times. The latest version of the design softened the corners of the stripes to convey a more natural look - in line with their brand identity. What the study shows is that the local consumers have an impact on the visual communication of the milk packages in Sweden, but fundamentally it is all about the brand communication of the dairy company. This can be seen in the fact that the dairy companies do not choose their design elements after the consumers’ opinions. Instead, they create a design based on the brand identity and adjust it based on the feedback they get from the local consumers to make it more attractive for the consumers

Circus days: The 1990s as an iconic period of time for Swedish Internet entrepreneurs

The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out on behalf of a research project about the Swedish startup/internet community and suggests that the 1990s can be seen as an iconic period of time for the Swedish Internet scene. It is argued that mental associations and imaginations associated with the 1990s are still relevant for the intellectual construction of the present-day internet-scene through providing a framework for the making of a space in Michel de Certeau’s sense of the word. The article presents reoccurring themes from the interviews with the informants, highlighted as examples of important stories about the 1990s that are active in constructing the framework for the organization of later experiences

Kväve och Mikroplast i anlagda våtmarker

De anlagda våtmarkerna genomgår en internationell kris, detta bör tas på allvar annars blir konsekvenserna förödande. De anlagda våtmarkernas syfte är bl. a öka biodiversitet och få en varierande landskap samt kunna kontrollera vattennivåer, föroreningar och näring. Våtmarker fungerar som naturliga reningsverk i naturen. Det kan filtrera en mängd olika föroreningar som kommer dit via närliggande vattendrag (Townsend et.al 2019). Det behövs mer forskning och en utökad genomgång i databaser för att kunna jämföra och få säkra mätningar av olika föroreningar. Detta för att få svar på våtmarkers och andra vattendrags kapacitet samt styrka argumentet för varför våtmarker ska bevaras och ökas i antal. Anlagda våtmarker kan fungera för uppsamling och lagring av vatten, vilket gynnar omständigheterna kring klimatanpassningen exempelvis hantering av höga skyfall framförallt i urbana miljöer som består mycket av hårdgjorda material och därmed försvårar dagvattenhanteringen. Detta eftersom klimatet redan är instabilt och detta har påbörjats överallt på vår jord. Vilket innebär en internationell kris, detta bör tas på allvar annars blir konsekvenserna förödande.The purpose of constructed wetlands are to increase biodiversity and get a more diverse culture, be able to control water levels, pollution and nutrition. Constructed wetlands can make the water cleaner from many pollutants in the water. There is still more research that needs to be done for a more secure result from water samples or sediment samples, and to be able to get more thorough results from wetland samples. To be able to get answers on how wetlands pollution capacity works and to preserve wetlands for the future. There is still knowledge missing about nutrition and microplastic effects on constructed wetlands in colder climate exemple in Scandinavia. Constructed wetlands can work as a collecting source and can store water, which can lower the risk of water shortage in urban landscapes caused by the changing climate. Which means that climate change is an international crisis, this needs to be taken seriously or else the consequences will be devastating

Influence of consecutive-day blood sampling on polymerase chain reaction-adjusted parasitological cure rates in an antimalarial-drug trial conducted in Tanzania

We assessed the influence that consecutive-day blood sampling, compared with single-day blood sampling, had on polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-adjusted parasitological cure after stepwise genotyping of merozoite surface proteins 2 (msp2) and 1 (msp1) in 106 children in Tanzania who had uncomplicated falciparum malaria treated with either sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine or artemether- lumefantrine; 78 of these children developed recurrent parasitemia during the 42-day follow-up period. Initial msp2 genotyping identified 27 and 33 recrudescences by use of single- and consecutive-day sampling, respectively; in subsequent msp1 genotyping, 17 and 21 of these episodes, respectively, were still classified as recrudescences; these results indicate a similar sensitivity of the standard single-day PCR protocol - that is, 82% (27/33) and 81% (17/21), in both genotyping steps. Interpretation of PCR-adjusted results will significantly depend on methodology. © 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved

Microlitter in Arctic marine benthic food chains and potential effects on sediment dwelling fauna

This report provides both field and impact data on microlitter pollution in the arctic marine environment of Svalbard and Greenland. Microlitter concentrations and characteristics were determined in marine sediments and biota in relation to local sources. Higher concentrations and diversities were found closer to human settlements and sites where lost/dumped fishing gear accumulated. Thus, local microlitter sources were found to be present in the Arctic. The experimental studies on effects of microlitter on feeding rate, microplastic ingestion, respiration and locomotion activity in an arctic amphipod, confirmed previous studies showing effects only at very high concentrations, not yet relevant in the arctic environment. The relatively low field concentrations of microlitter found in this study should be regarded as a ‘window of opportunity’ to act to at least reduce local pollution

Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance protein 1 and artemisinin-based combination therapy in Africa

Plasmodium falciparum response mechanisms to the major artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are largely unknown. Multidrug-resistance protein (MRP)-like adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporters are known to be related to multidrug resistance in many organisms. Therefore, we hypothesized that sequence variation in pfmrp1 can contribute to decreased parasite sensitivity to ACT. Through sequencing of the pfmrp1 open reading frame for 103 geographically diverse P. falciparum infections, we identified 27 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), of which 21 were nonsynonymous and 6 synonymous. Analyses of clinical efficacy trials with artesunate-amodiaquine and artemether-lumefantrine detected a specific selection of the globally prevalent I876V SNP in recurrent infections after artemether-lumefantrine treatment. Additional in silico studies suggested an influence of variation in amino acid 876 on the ATP hydrolysis cycle of pfMRP1 with potential impact on protein functionality. Our data suggest for the first time, to our knowledge, the involvement of pfMRP1 in P. falciparum in vivo response to ACT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The impact of illness in patients with moderate to severe gastro-esophageal reflux disease

BACKGROUND: Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disease. It impairs health related quality of life (HRQL). However, the impact on utility scores and work productivity in patients with moderate to severe GERD is not well known. METHODS: We analyzed data from 217 patients with moderate to severe GERD (mean age 50, SD 13.7) across 17 Canadian centers. Patients completed three utility instruments – the standard gamble (SG), the feeling thermometer (FT), and the Health Utilities Index 3 (HUI 3) – and several HRQL instruments, including Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia (QOLRAD) and the Medical Outcomes Short Form-36 (SF-36). All patients received a proton pump inhibitor, esomeprazole 40 mg daily, for four to six weeks. RESULTS: The mean scores on a scale from 0 (dead) to 1 (full health) obtained for the FT, SG, and HUI 3 were 0.67 (95% CI, 0.64 to 0.70), 0.76 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.80), and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.77 to 0.82) respectively. The mean scores on the SF-36 were lower than the previously reported Canadian and US general population mean scores and work productivity was impaired. CONCLUSION: GERD has significant impact on utility scores, HRQL, and work productivity in patients with moderate to severe disease. Furthermore, the FT and HUI 3 provide more valid measurements of HRQL in GERD than the SG. After treatment with esomeprazole, patients showed improved HRQL

Fine-mapping identifies multiple prostate cancer risk loci at 5p15, one of which associates with TERT expression

Associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 5p15 and multiple cancer types have been reported. We have previously shown evidence for a strong association between prostate cancer (PrCa) risk and rs2242652 at 5p15, intronic in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene that encodes TERT. To comprehensively evaluate the association between genetic variation across this region and PrCa, we performed a fine-mapping analysis by genotyping 134 SNPs using a custom Illumina iSelect array or Sequenom MassArray iPlex, followed by imputation of 1094 SNPs in 22 301 PrCa cases and 22 320 controls in The PRACTICAL consortium. Multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis identified four signals in the promoter or intronic regions of TERT that independently associated with PrCa risk. Gene expression analysis of normal prostate tissue showed evidence that SNPs within one of these regions also associated with TERT expression, providing a potential mechanism for predisposition to disease