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To stay within our planet’s limits and reach the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, there is an urgent need to rethink our current and dominant systems. This thesis focuses on the food system, in particular, and explores how an overarching turnaround in the way we produce and consume food has the potential to trigger and steer a greater transition towards sustainability. However, this
Background: Globalization is a phenomenon which has been around since the mid- 19th century, influencing companies to either expand existing markets or entering new markets, to seek new profits. For companies with a global supply chain, the total supply chain cost is a vital factor. It is of high importance to reduce the costs in the supply chain, as lower costs will increase the profit. The case
This thesis examines the social unfolding of the recent deplatformization of the far-right extremes on Telegram. Leaving prior approaches to moderation behind, this study asks questions around how moderation imprints itself on the complex terrain of meaning and practice, interacts with intensified reflexiveness of the social agents, and leaves affected collectivities changed in unanticipated ways.
Rapid urban growth has brought along various social, economic, and environmental issues, including the expansion of informal settlements – deprived areas lacking proper housing, basic services, and safety. Informal areas, inequalities and exclusion are common features in Nairobi, where more than half of the population is residing in slums. Women are the most vulnerable in this context, struggling
In a changing world order, emerging middle powers from the global South may seek new positions in international societies. Using the United Nations as an international society, this thesis aims to investigate what roles the emerging middle powers, Brazil and South Africa, enact in pursuing permanent seats at the Security Council. This research conducts a qualitative text analysis using official da
In its proposed 2023 Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Commission considers access to critical raw materials within its territory as key to both the green transition and to reduce import dependencies. This onshoring of extractivist practices warrants a critical analysis that reflects on the justice implications this may have for local communities. Therefore, I apply an integrated post-struc
Border carbon adjustment is an economic instrument being discussed more frequently as a possible solution to address carbon leakage, which is an issue for many developed countries. Developed countries are showing interest in this instrument to protect domestic industries from carbon leakage to countries that do not tax carbon. There is however concerns from developing countries that border carbon
Objective: To evaluate the effects of a single-session, interactive computer-based educational program on knowledge, compliance and quality of life in heart failure patients with special emphasis on gender differences. Methods: One hundred and fifty-four patients, mean age 70 years, from five heart failure clinics were randomised to either receiving only standard education (n = 72) or standard edu
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the risk for vascular morbidity or death and retinopathy in relation to urinary albumin concentration. To that end, we performed a 5-year follow-up study of all type 2 diabetic patients attending the outpatient-clinic. A total of 444 (98.4%) out of 451 adult patients initially studied were evaluated for the degree of retinopathy and levels of HbA1c bloo
BACKGROUND: A previous study has shown that pentoxifylline in combination with vitamin E can reverse radiation-induced fibrosis. The aim of the present study is to investigate if the same drugs could prevent radiation-induced side-effects in women with breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group trial was performed. Women with breast cancer w
A search is presented for direct top squark pair production using events with at least two leptons including a same-flavour opposite-sign pair with invariant mass consistent with the boson mass, jets tagged as originating from -quarks and missing transverse momentum. The analysis is performed with proton-proton collision data at collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2012 corresponding to
Objective. New proposed definitions of chronic kidney disease necessitate the development and use of simple and accurate methods for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Plasma cystatin C has been shown to be a more reliable GFR marker than creatinine and formulae for estimating GFR have been reported. The purpose of this study was to validate a cystatin C-based GFR prediction equation in
Background: Digital work can be cognitively challenging especially for people with cognitive difficulties. New occupational therapy interventions are needed to empower these persons to self-manage challenges in digital work and everyday life. To address this need, the internet-based intervention 'Strategies for Empowering Activities in Everyday Life' (SEE 2.0) was tested.Aim: To explore and descri
Human biomonitoring (HBM) frameworks assess human exposure to hazardous chemicals. In this review, we discuss and summarize sample preparation procedures and analytical methodology for six groups of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs), namely diisocyanates, benzotriazoles, benzothiazoles, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, isothiazolinones, fragrances, and non-phthalate plasticizers, which are increasi
Background: Retention of study participants in observational studies is essential to maintaining the representativeness of the population, minimizing selection bias, and assuring sufficient statistical power. The aim of this report is to describe the structures and strategies used to retain participants in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) Study, an observational stud
AIMS: To investigate whether out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors had lower levels of self-reported physical activity compared to a non-cardiac arrest control group with myocardial infarction (MI), and to explore if symptoms of anxiety, depression, kinesiophobia (fear of movement) and fatigue were associated with a low level of physical activity.METHODS: Predefined case-control sub-studAIMS: To investigate whether out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors had lower levels of self-reported physical activity compared to a non-cardiac arrest control group with myocardial infarction (MI), and to explore if symptoms of anxiety, depression, kinesiophobia (fear of movement) and fatigue were associated with a low level of physical activity.METHODS: Predefined case-control sub-stud
Background: The aim was to determine prevalence and age at seroconversion of thyroid autoimmunity in relation to islet autoantibodies, gender and HLA-DQ genotypes in children with increased risk for type 1 diabetes followed from birth. Methods: In 10-year-old children (n = 1874), blood samples were analysed for autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb), thyroglobulin (TGAb), glutamic acid
This paper aims to examine the arguments proposed by the Obama administration regarding a U.S. military intervention in Syria due to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime in 2013. During his presidency, Obama stated that the He draws a ‘red line’ at the use of chemical weapons against civilians, but the threat proved to be empty a year later when thousands of people were killed in a che
The study field of the thesis is regional integration in Africa. The focus is set on the African Union (AU) and its main programme for promoting democracy on the continent, the New Partnership for Africa´s Development (NEPAD). By applying two theories, one on democratization through regional organizations and the other on hidden agendas within them, the thesis makes an assessment on the work for d
