Right to be and act Queer? : A descriptive analysis of how Indian LGBTQI activists framed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in order to challenge it, preceding the 2018 Indian Supreme Court verdict to overrule the law

This study aims to contribute to the under-researched area of LGBTQI activism in the ‘Global South’ by performing a case study of LGBTQI activism in India, a country that provides an intriguing setting in which a wide range of sexual expressions has developed over time with attitudes towards them varying alongside. Same-sex activities have since the 1860s been considered a penal offence under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code but in September 2018, the Indian Supreme Court overruled the law and decriminalized same-sex conduct. Within this context, frame analysis has been applied to six petitions by LGBTQI activists, filed to the Indian Supreme Court between 2016 and 2018, to unveil how Section 377 was framed by these activists. Results from the study show that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was framed as intrinsically discriminatory, being violative of constitutional as well as human rights, together with an emphasis on how the law relegates the LGBTQI community to second-class citizenship. Within the dominant framing of the law as discriminatory, the activists engaged in highlighting the imposition of Victorian morals by the British as the origin of the issue, along with factors that have enabled the perseverance of the issue, including the phrasing of the law and court failure to adapt to societal and international change. The subsequent consequences of the law were portrayed as stigmatization and personal losses for members of the LGBTQI community, as well as a negative impact on the state economy. By emphasising such aspects of the law, the activists advocated for the Indian Supreme Court to the overrule Section 377

Geometriska problem vid anslutning mellan linfärja och betongramp

The Swedish Transport Administration ferry operator has in recent years begun renovation of ferries and ferry terminals to modernize, streamline and greening activities. One thing they do to accomplices this is to change the propeller drift ferries to cable ferries. In 2010, the Vectura Consulting AB, designed a ferry berth at Hemsö for a cable ferry, commissioned by the Swedish Transport Administration. A CAD software used to design the ramp and ferry flap to pass the set-up requirements for buses clearance. Working methodology proved to be both time-consuming and difficult. This thesis is about to check whether the place molded convex concrete ramp, which was designed are a good solution for ferry berths with extreme water level differences. In addition a program is developed for solving the geometric problem. The program analyzes the problem in two dimensions, x and y direction. The program is developed in MatLab and a non-linear solution method has been used. Using the program, a locally optimal solution is found in about one day when the variables are given, compared with about a week of work with a CAD program. A comparison has been made between the projected solution to Hemsö and the solution offered by the program. The program's solution was better based on the conditions set out in this thesis. The prerequisites were however changed at the last moment for the design of Hemsö which may make the comparison a little misleading. For buses (type vehicles) tested in the program, it was difficult to find a design solution with a convex situ concrete ramp when the difference in water levels is very large. It’s a very unstable solution that should be planned with caution. As each small change in clearance requirements or design prototype vehicle has great influence on the ramp geometry. The final solution can be used when the water level difference is about 0.7 m from minimum to maximum water levels for the design vehicl

Right to be and act Queer? : A descriptive analysis of how Indian LGBTQI activists framed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in order to challenge it, preceding the 2018 Indian Supreme Court verdict to overrule the law

This study aims to contribute to the under-researched area of LGBTQI activism in the ‘Global South’ by performing a case study of LGBTQI activism in India, a country that provides an intriguing setting in which a wide range of sexual expressions has developed over time with attitudes towards them varying alongside. Same-sex activities have since the 1860s been considered a penal offence under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code but in September 2018, the Indian Supreme Court overruled the law and decriminalized same-sex conduct. Within this context, frame analysis has been applied to six petitions by LGBTQI activists, filed to the Indian Supreme Court between 2016 and 2018, to unveil how Section 377 was framed by these activists. Results from the study show that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was framed as intrinsically discriminatory, being violative of constitutional as well as human rights, together with an emphasis on how the law relegates the LGBTQI community to second-class citizenship. Within the dominant framing of the law as discriminatory, the activists engaged in highlighting the imposition of Victorian morals by the British as the origin of the issue, along with factors that have enabled the perseverance of the issue, including the phrasing of the law and court failure to adapt to societal and international change. The subsequent consequences of the law were portrayed as stigmatization and personal losses for members of the LGBTQI community, as well as a negative impact on the state economy. By emphasising such aspects of the law, the activists advocated for the Indian Supreme Court to the overrule Section 377

Taking Action Against Sexual Harassment : A qualitative case study of the Swedish Parliament’s responses to sexual harassment

Although the descriptive representation of women in parliaments is continuously improving, sexist practices such as sexual harassment and domination techniques continue to permeate the inner workings of parliaments. No workplace is immune to sexual harassment but its prevalence in parliaments has serious implications, not only for those exposed but for democracy itself – conveying a message of who belongs in politics. While previous research has established the scope of the issue and its gendered and intersectional manifestations, little is known about parliamentary responses to sexual harassment. This study thus seeks to address this gap through a qualitative case study of the Swedish Parliament’s anti-harassment work, encompassing both Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff. By conducting qualitative text analysis on parliamentary documents and material gained through interviews with Swedish Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff, three dimensions of the Parliament’s anti-harassment work are explored. Initially, perceptions of sexual harassment are addressed, partly through the use of intersectional theory. Building on pioneer work in the field, de facto measures against sexual harassment are thereafter attended to. Lastly, by approaching parliaments as a specific form of gendered workplace with certain structural features, the difficulties inherent to the Swedish Parliament’s anti-harassment work are explored. Findings from the study indicate an awareness of sexual harassment as a gendered issue in the Parliament, albeit as a problem of limited scope and without recognition of how interactions between different social identity characteristics can further exposure. The mapping of different responses to sexual harassment through the three categories of regulations, complaint mechanisms and preventative/accompanying measures, reveals that measures are substantially more well developed for parliamentary staff and highlights that although there is active anti-harassment work in the Swedish Parliament, progressive efforts for Members of Parliament are continuously halted. While several difficulties are identified, the establishment of an independent complaint mechanism for Members of Parliament appears particularly pressing. Altogether, the findings indicate that the structural features of employment status, power and recurrent processes of socialising newcomers, integral to the parliamentary workplace, are important to consider when attempting to understand the disparities in measures between Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff and the difficulties in coming to terms with the issue.

Taking Action Against Sexual Harassment : A qualitative case study of the Swedish Parliament’s responses to sexual harassment

Although the descriptive representation of women in parliaments is continuously improving, sexist practices such as sexual harassment and domination techniques continue to permeate the inner workings of parliaments. No workplace is immune to sexual harassment but its prevalence in parliaments has serious implications, not only for those exposed but for democracy itself – conveying a message of who belongs in politics. While previous research has established the scope of the issue and its gendered and intersectional manifestations, little is known about parliamentary responses to sexual harassment. This study thus seeks to address this gap through a qualitative case study of the Swedish Parliament’s anti-harassment work, encompassing both Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff. By conducting qualitative text analysis on parliamentary documents and material gained through interviews with Swedish Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff, three dimensions of the Parliament’s anti-harassment work are explored. Initially, perceptions of sexual harassment are addressed, partly through the use of intersectional theory. Building on pioneer work in the field, de facto measures against sexual harassment are thereafter attended to. Lastly, by approaching parliaments as a specific form of gendered workplace with certain structural features, the difficulties inherent to the Swedish Parliament’s anti-harassment work are explored. Findings from the study indicate an awareness of sexual harassment as a gendered issue in the Parliament, albeit as a problem of limited scope and without recognition of how interactions between different social identity characteristics can further exposure. The mapping of different responses to sexual harassment through the three categories of regulations, complaint mechanisms and preventative/accompanying measures, reveals that measures are substantially more well developed for parliamentary staff and highlights that although there is active anti-harassment work in the Swedish Parliament, progressive efforts for Members of Parliament are continuously halted. While several difficulties are identified, the establishment of an independent complaint mechanism for Members of Parliament appears particularly pressing. Altogether, the findings indicate that the structural features of employment status, power and recurrent processes of socialising newcomers, integral to the parliamentary workplace, are important to consider when attempting to understand the disparities in measures between Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff and the difficulties in coming to terms with the issue.

Evaluation of Oxalate Decarboxylase and Oxalate Oxidase for Industrial Applications.

Increased recirculation of process water has given rise to problems with formation of calcium oxalate incrusts (scaling) in the pulp and paper industry and in forest biorefineries. The potential in using oxalate decarboxylase from Aspergillus niger for oxalic acid removal in industrial bleaching plant filtrates containing oxalic acid was examined and compared with barley oxalate oxidase. Ten different filtrates from chemical pulping were selected for the evaluation. Oxalate decarboxylase degraded oxalic acid faster than oxalate oxidase in eight of the filtrates, while oxalate oxidase performed better in one filtrate. One of the filtrates inhibited both enzymes. The potential inhibitory effect of selected compounds on the enzymatic activity was tested. Oxalate decarboxylase was more sensitive than oxalate oxidase to hydrogen peroxide. Oxalate decarboxylase was not as sensitive to chlorate and chlorite as oxalate oxidase. Up to 4 mM chlorate ions, the highest concentration tested, had no inhibitory effect on oxalate decarboxylase. Analysis of the filtrates suggests that high concentrations of chlorate present in some of the filtrates were responsible for the higher sensitivity of oxalate oxidase in these filtrates. Oxalate decarboxylase was thus a better choice than oxalate oxidase for treatment of filtrates from chlorine dioxide bleaching

Cellulase Production from Spent Lignocellulose Hydrolysates by Recombinant Aspergillus niger▿

A recombinant Aspergillus niger strain expressing the Hypocrea jecorina endoglucanase Cel7B was grown on spent hydrolysates (stillage) from sugarcane bagasse and spruce wood. The spent hydrolysates served as excellent growth media for the Cel7B-producing strain, A. niger D15[egI], which displayed higher endoglucanase activities in the spent hydrolysates than in standard medium with a comparable monosaccharide content (e.g., 2,100 nkat/ml in spent bagasse hydrolysate compared to 480 nkat/ml in standard glucose-based medium). In addition, A. niger D15[egI] was also able to consume or convert other lignocellulose-derived compounds, such as acetic acid, furan aldehydes, and phenolic compounds, which are recognized as inhibitors of yeast during ethanolic fermentation. The results indicate that enzymes can be produced from the stillage stream as a high-value coproduct in second-generation bioethanol plants in a way that also facilitates recirculation of process water

Yeast as a protein source during smoltification of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), enhances performance and modulates health

Yeast produced from lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to serve as a high-quality protein source with health benefits, especially during critical stages of the Atlantic salmon life cycle, such as during seawater transfer (SWT). In this study, we evaluated the effect of adding 25% Candida utilis yeast to salmon feed on growth performance and overall health by using morphometry, immunohistochemistry, cytokine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and gene expression analysis during and after SWT. There were four dietary treatments: 1) control diet in freshwater (FW) and seawater (SW) (Control); 2) control diet in FW and a yeast-based diet in SW (Control/Yeast); 3) yeast-based diet in FW and SW (Yeast); 4) yeast-based diet in FW and a control diet in SW (Yeast/Control). Our results showed that fish fed the yeast diet throughout the FW and SW period achieved higher feed intake and higher growth rate than fish fed the control diet. Morphometric and immunochemical analyses of the distal intestine (DI) revealed decreased length and number of CD3 labeled cells in the simple folds of fish fed control diet, while no changes were observed in fish fed the yeast diet. Furthermore, yeast significantly decreased the secretion of IFNγ, TNFα, IL-1β, IL-8, and modulated the gene expression of aquaporin 8 (aqp8ab), superoxide dismutase (sod1) and major histocompatibility complex 1 (mhc1) in DI, suggesting reduced inflammatory processes in yeast fed fish. These findings indicate that Candida utilis yeast is a promising alternative protein source with functional properties in diets for smolting Atlantic salmon before and after SWT