On 20 March 2012, the Polish Council of Ministers adopted Poland’s first Multiannual Development Cooperation Programme. Its title ‘Solidarity, Democracy, Development’ reflects the ongoing debates which surround Polish aid, and the problem with finding an agreement in defining how the Polish Official Development Assistance (ODA) should look. As I will describe in this chapter, since the process of

IntroductionIn speech, there are no blank spaces to signal boundaries between words as there is in written language, but listeners can nevertheless recognise individual words rapidly. Without these blank spaces or commas, listeners have to divide up – segment – the continuous speech stream into discrete words using other means. This study aimed to investigate the tonal cues important for speech se

We use census microdata for Spain and the United States to examine gender differences in cross-national heterosexual couples (marriages and cohabitating unions involving natives and immigrant spouses). We examine whether native men and native women in cross-national couples exhibit similar patterns regarding the country of birth, age, and educational attainment of their international partners. Cou

High-spin nuclear isomers in N≈Z nuclei between doubly magic 40Ca and 56Ni provide an excellent testing ground for the nuclear shell model and questions related to isospin symmetry breaking in the vicinity of the proton drip line. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the possibility of weak electromagnetic decay branches along the decay paths of the 6526-keV 10+ isomer in 54Fe. The i

This article examines the functions of feminism in the critical reception of Kristina Sandberg’s Maj-Trilogy, published 2010-2014. Detailing the evaluative patterns of reviews, it is shown that critics’ increased attention to feminist politics and women’s history in the novels was tied to a de-aestheticizing rhetoric, exemplifying gender hierarchies on the literary field. However, the trilogy’s cr

Soil derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important component of the carbon cycle and influences numerous biogeochemical processes, including the formation of mineral-organic associations. DOM ranges in size from small organic molecules to macromolecules and colloidal aggregates. In this study we have used small angle neutron (SANS) and X-ray (SAXS) scattering to characterize the colloidal

Background: Endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have similar symptoms, pathogenesis, and risk factors. These diagnoses often coexist and are frequently misdiagnosed leading to diagnostic delays. This study of a population-based cohort aimed to investigate associations relating to endometriosis and IBS and to compare gastrointestinal symptoms between endometriosis and IBS. Method: The

Background: Biologgers have contributed greatly to studies of animal movement, behaviours and physiology. Accelerometers, among the various on-board sensors of biologgers, have mainly been used for animal behaviour classification and energy expenditure estimation. However, a general principle for the combined sampling duration and frequency for different taxa is lacking. In this study, we evaluate

Background and Objective: Immobilization of enzymes as cross-linked aggregates is one of the cheapest, simplest and effective techniques for improving their stability and reusability and even avoiding contamination of the product with the catalyst. Clopidogrel is a widely used antiplatelet drug, only Sisomer is the biologically active enantiomer produced by resolution of the racemic compound. In t

Denna avhandling studerar lokala aktörers roll vid förändringsarbete i gamla industriregioner. En gammal industriregion definieras som ett område med en ensidig och överspecialiserad industristruktur, som är dominerad av mogen industri och som upplever minskad sysselsättning och/eller avindustrialisering. Denna typ av region är ofta starkt påverkad av gamla strukturer och förväntas därför ha svåraThe aim of the dissertation is to develop a better understanding of the role of local agency in the transformation of old industrial regions. Theoretically the dissertation builds on concepts which are important in the debate on regional development in old industrial regions such as path dependency, negative lock-ins, the role of institutions, and new path development, while exploring and unpackin

Immunotherapy targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) or PD-1 in solid tumors has been shown to be clinically beneficial. However, in colorectal cancer (CRC), only a subset of patients benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Previously, we showed that high cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLT1R) levels are associated with poor prognosis in CRC patients. Recently, we have revealed the role of the

Background: An increased risk of pregnancy complications is seen in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but the specific immunopathological drivers are still unclear. Hallmarks of SLE are granulocyte activation, type I interferon (IFN) overproduction, and autoantibodies. Here we examined whether low-density granulocytes (LDG) and granulocyte activation increase during pregnancy, and rel

Progressive habitat fragmentation threatens plant species with narrow habitat requirements. While local environmental conditions define population growth rates and recruitment success at the patch level, dispersal is critical for population viability at the landscape scale. Identifying the dynamics of plant meta-populations is often confounded by the uncertainty about soil-stored population compar

Background: To gain a better understanding of bark layer structure and function, especially of the phloem fibres and their contribution to the posture control of trees, it is important to map the structural properties of these cells. The role of bark can also be linked to the reaction wood formation and properties which are essential when it comes to studying the questions related to tree growth.