Civil Society and The State - The Double-Edged Sword

There has been plenty of debate on the relation between civil society and democracy. This case study of Poland thus adds to this debate. The research was done through analysing reports from civil society organisations and conducting two interviews with civil society organisations. The conclusion is that although civil society organisations in Poland can have a positive impact on democracy, there are big divisions in society. There is also a presence of a strong non-democratic civil society. In contemporary Poland, the non-democratic civil society and the state cooperates, strengthening both spheres. It is thus argued that the relationship between state and civil society is mutually reinforcing when their views align. However, the state will always the stronger party, and in case of a democratic decline the laws which the non-democratic civil society supported can be turned against them

Demokratins Geist - En argumentationsanalys om demokratins tillstånd

In the year of 2015, Freedom House released their yearly report where they concluded that the global level of democracy had been declining for nine straight years. This raised questions about whether the golden era of democracy had come to an end. Shortly after, the Journal of Democracy released a special issue with the title Is Democracy in decline?, where a number of well-known academics gave their opinions on this matter. Analysing the articles in this issue in relation to Samuel P. Huntingtons theory of democratic waves, this thesis tries to answer the question about whether what can be seen today is a third reversal wave of democracy. By analysing the arguments presented in the articles, this essay shows that, despite greatly unfavourable conditions for democracy, we have not reached a third reversal wave. Instead, what can be seen is a democratic stagnation which should not be surprising considering the situation in the world

The Use of Dietary Additives in Fish Stress Mitigation: Comparative Endocrine and Physiological Responses

In the last years, studies on stress attenuation in fish have progressively grown. This is mainly due to the interest of institutions, producers, aquarists and consumers in improving the welfare of farmed fish. In addition to the development of new technologies to improve environmental conditions of cultured fish, the inclusion of beneficial additives in the daily meal in order to mitigate the stress response to typical stressors (netting, overcrowding, handling, etc.) has been an important research topic. Fish are a highly diverse paraphyletic group (over 27,000 species) though teleost infraclass include around 96% of fish species. Since those species are distributed world-wide, a high number of different habitats and vital requirements exist, including a wide range of environmental conditions determining specifically the stress response. Although the generalized endocrine response to stress (based on the release of catecholamines and corticosteroids) is detectable and therefore provides essential information, a high diversity of physiological effects have been described depending on species. Moreover, recent omics techniques have provided a powerful tool for detecting specific differences regarding the stress response. For instance, for transcriptomic approaches, the gene expression of neuropeptides and other proteins acting as hormonal precursors during stress has been assessed in some fish species. The use of different additives in fish diets to mitigate stress responses has been deeply studied. Besides the species factor, the additive type also plays a pivotal role in the differentiation of the stress response. In the literature, several types of feed supplements in different species have been assayed, deriving in a series of physiological responses which have not focused exclusively on the stress system. Immunological, nutritional and metabolic changes have been reported in these experiments, always associated to endocrine processes. The biochemical nature and physiological functionality of those feed additives strongly affect the stress response and, in fact, these can act as neurotransmitters or hormone precursors, energy substrates, cofactors and other essential elements, implyingmulti-systematic and multi-organic responses. In this review, the different physiological responses among fish species fed stress-attenuating diets based on biomolecules and minerals have been assessed, focusing on the endocrine regulation and its physiological effects

Att ge en man ett ansikte

Denna studie är en teoriprövning av Margaret G. Hermanns teori om politiska ledarskapsstilar, applicerad på Vladimir Putin. Undersökningen har syftat till att utröna i vilken omfattning Hermanns teori kan beskriva Putin som politisk ledare. Teorin härstammar från politisk psykologi och beskriver ledare utifrån idealtypiska ledarskapsstilar, genom analyser av intervjuer och uttalanden. Teoriprövningen har gått till genom att en ledarskapsprofil har skapats för Putin, med Hermanns teori och metod, ”Leadership Trait Analysis”. Detta har inneburit kvantitativ innehållsanalys med datorprogrammet Profiler Plus, av 432 intervjuer med Putin från tidsperioden 2000-2008. Profilen har därefter prövats kvalitativt genom textanalys av intervjumaterialet samt en empirisk jämförelse med Putins handlande på terrorismområdet. Resultaten indikerar att Hermanns teori lyckas beskriva Putin, men behöver stöd och komplettering av andra analysinstrument för att precisera och problematisera ledarskapsprofilen. Avslutningsvis visar också studien hur kvantitativa och kvalitativa angreppssätt kan fungera som goda komplement till varandra för att stärka forskningsresultaten

Effects of different dietary selenium sources on growth performance, liver and muscle composition, antioxidant status, stress response and expression of related genes in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

Selenio (Se) es un oligoelemento indispensable para los peces con diferentes funciones metabólicas, incluyendo la protección contra el estrés oxidativo. El objetivo de este estudio fue el de determinar el efecto de la inclusión del selenio en su forma inorgánica (selenito de sodio, NaSe) o en su forma orgánica (Hidroxi-selenometionina, OH-SeMet) en dietas de dorada Sparus aurata. Juveniles de dorada (IBW 6.16±0.04, IBL 7.65±0.01cm), fueron distribuidos en 15 tanques y alimentados con una de las 5 dietas prácticas durante 63 días: dieta basal sin Se añadido (control negativo, 0.8 mg/kg Se dieta), suplementado con 0.2 o 0.5 mg de Se/kg total como selenito de sodio (NaSe) o con 0.2 y 0.5 mg de Se / kg total como hidroxi-selenometionina (OH-SeMet) proporcionando 1.0, 1.3, 1.1 y 1.4 mg en total Se / kg dieta respectivamente. Después del ensayo de alimentación, los peces fueron sometidos a un estrés agudo mediante su captura y a estrés crónico por confinamiento. Se tomaron muestras de sangre a las 0h y 2h después del estrés agudo y a los 7 días del estrés crónico para análisis de cortisol. Se calcularon varios parámetros productivos, composición hepática y muscular y contenido de Se, concentración de malondialdehído (MDA) en músculo e hígado, expresión génica de superóxido dismutasa (sod), catalasa (cat), proteína de choque térmico 70 (hsp70) o glutatión peroxidasa (gpx). Se llevaron a cabo análisis de radiografías, histología y actividad de lisozima en el suero. Los peces alimentados con OH-SeMet al 0.2mg/kg mostraron la mayor tasa de crecimiento, y el menor crecimiento fue obtenido en peces alimentados con NaSe al 0.5mg/kg. El incremento del contenido de Se en la dieta, especialmente en la forma de OH-SeMet, mostró una correlación positiva con la concentración de Se en el hepatopáncreas y músculo. Se encontró una relación similar con el índice hepatosomático (HSI), que fue significativamente mayor en los peces alimentados con la dieta OH-SeMet 0.5 comparado con peces alimentados con la dieta del control negativo, de acuerdo con un mayor contenido de lípidos registrado en estos peces. La inclusión dietética de OH-SeMet, condujo a una reducción significativa (P <0.05) de MDA tanto en el hígado como en el músculo. Sin embargo, la inclusión de Se en forma de NaSe hasta 0.2 mg / kg no fue tan efectiva como el Se orgánico para prevenir el riesgo oxidativo. Por otra parte, la inclusión dietética de Se hasta 0.2 mg/kg redujo significativamente el cortisol plasmático después del estrés agudo, independientemente de la forma de Se alimentada. Además, se produjo una ligera mortalidad durante el desafío de estrés crónico que fue estimulado por la aparición del Vibrio sp. y afectó principalmente a los peces alimentados con NaSe 0.5 mg/kg, seguido por el grupo de control negativo. Aparentemente, las anomalías esqueléticas no se vieron afectadas por la inclusión de Se en la dieta, mientras que la actividad de la lisozima medida en el suero mostró una tendencia de mayor actividad con el aumento de la suplementación de Se en las dietas. En resumen, la suplementación de Se hasta 0.2 mg/kg (1-1.1 mg / kg de Se analizado), particularmente en forma de OH-SeMet, tiende a mejorar el crecimiento y protege a los juveniles de dorada el estrés agudo o crónico. Además, OH-SeMet fue más eficaz que NaSe en la protección contra el estrés oxidativo en el músculo.Selenium is an indispensable trace element for fish with different metabolic functions including protection against oxidative stress. The present study aimed to determine the effect of dietary inclusion of Se in the form of either inorganic Se (sodium selenite, NaSe) or organic Se (hydroxy-selenomethionine, OH-SeMet) on gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata. Triplicate groups of juvenile gilthead sea bream (IBW 6.16 ± 0.04g and IBL 7.65 ± 0.01cm) were distributed in 15 tanks and fed one of five practical diets for 11 weeks: basal diet with no added Se (negative control, 0.8 mg Se/kg diet), supplemented with 0.2 or 0.5 mg total Se/kg as sodium selenite (NaSe) or with 0.2 and 0.5 mg total Se/kg as hydroxy-selenomethionine (OH-SeMet) providing (1.0, 1.3, 1.1, and 1.4 mg total Se/kg diet respectively). After the feeding trial, fish were exposed to an acute stress by fish capture and a chronic confinement stress. Blood samples were taken at 0 and 2 h after the acute stress and after 7 days of chronic stress for cortisol analysis. The fish performance, liver and muscle composition and Se content, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in hepatopancreas and muscle, expression of related hepatic genes, such as superoxide dismutase (sod), catalase (cat), heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) and glutathione peroxidase (gpx), were also tested. Percentage of skeletal anomalies, histopathological alterations in liver, and lysozyme activity in serum were analysed. The highest growth rate was observed in fish fed OH-SeMet up to 0.2 mg/kg but with no significant difference with fish fed the control diet with no-added Se. The lowest growth was observed in fish fed NaSe up to 0.5 mg/kg. Increase in dietary Se, particularly in the form of OH-SeMet showed a positive correlation with Se concentration in liver and muscle. A similar relation was found in the hepatosomatic index (HSI). Thus, HSI in OH-SeMet 0.5 fed fish was significantly higher than in the control without Se supplementation, in agreement with a higher lipid content registered in these fish. Regardless of lipid peroxidation, dietary inclusion of OH-SeMet, led to a significant (P< 0.05) reduction in MDA in both liver and muscle. However, Se inclusion in form of NaSe up to 0.2 mg/kg was not as effective as organic Se to prevent oxidative risk. Moreover, dietary inclusion of Se up to 0.2 mg/kg significantly reduced plasma cortisol after acute stress, regardless of the Se form fed. Furthermore, a slight mortality occurred during the chronic stress challenge that was stimulated by vibrio appearance and affected mostly fish fed NaSe 0.5, followed by the control group. Skeletal anomalies were not affected by dietary Se inclusion, whereas, lysozyme activity measured in serum, showed a trend of increased activity with increasing Se supplementation in diets. In summary, supplementation of Se up to 0.2 mg/kg (1-1.1 mg/kg analysed dietary Se), particularly in the form of OH-SeMet, tend to improve growth and protects juvenile gilthead sea bream from acute or chronic stress. Besides, OH-SeMet was more effective than NaSe in protection against oxidative risk in muscle.Máster en Cultivos Marinos ; 2016-2018. V Máster Internacional en Acuicultura. Diploma de Master of Science en Aquaculture otorgado por el Centro Internacional de Altos Estudios Agronómicos Mediterráneos (CIHEAM)

Entwicklung und Integration einer Lucene-basierten Suchfunktion zur interaktiven Selektion von Echtzeitdaten im maritimen Lagebildsystem iLEXX

Das Fraunhofer-Institut für Intelligente Analyse- und Informationssysteme (IAIS) betreibt seit mehreren Jahren auf dem Campus Schloss Birlinghoven in Sankt Augustin angewandte Forschung in den Bereichen Multisensordatenanalyse und Datenvisualisierung. Im Rahmen einer mehrjährigen Kooperation zwischen dem Fraunhofer-IAIS und der Wehrtechnischen Dienststelle 71 (WTD71) wurde das Seeraumüberwachungssystem iLEXX entwickelt. Es soll den Benutzer auf auffällige Situationen hinweisen und ihm kontextabhängig alle notwendigen Handlungsoptionen zur weiteren Aufklärung der Situation oder der Abwehr einer Bedrohung aufzeigen. Das iLEXX-System verarbeitet eine Vielzahl von Sensordaten und Ereignissen. Abhängig vom Szenario kommen hier mehrere tausend Updates pro Sekunde zusammen, die in Echtzeit vorverarbeitet und visualisiert werden müssen

Effects of different dietary selenium sources on growth performance, liver and muscle composition, antioxidant status, stress response and expression of related genes in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

The present study aimed to determine the effects of dietary inclusion of selenium (Se) in the form of either inorganic Se (sodium selenite, NaSe) or organic Se (hydroxy-selenomethionine, OH-SeMet) on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Triplicate groups of 150 fish each (6.2 +/- 0.04 g initial body weight) were distributed in 15 tanks and fed one of five experimental diets for 63 days. A control diet (C) without Se supplementation (0.8 mg Se/kg diet), was formulated and served as a basal diet for the other 4 experimental feeds, supplemented with either 0.2 or 0.5 mg Se/kg supplied in the form of NaSe or OH-SeMet. Fish growth performance, biochemical composition of liver and muscle and Se content, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in muscle and hepatopancreas, hepatocyte morphology and lysozyme activity in the serum were studied. Furthermore, expression of related hepatic genes, such as manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-sod), catalase (cat), heat shock protein 70 (hsp70), and glutathione peroxidase (gpx) was also analyzed. After the trial, fish were exposed to an acute and chronic confinement stress. Blood samples for cortisol analysis were taken at 0 and 2 h after the acute stress and after 7 days of chronic stress.2592511,0373,224Q1Q1SCI