Traffic congestion is a persistent problem in modern urban environments, causing delays, increasing pollution, and negatively affecting the quality of life of millions of city dwellers. As urban populations grow, the need for intelligent traffic man- agement systems becomes more pressing. This thesis presents a novel approach to real-time traffic management using edge computing in conjunction w

This handbook brings together a collection of seminal research on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and investigates the effectiveness of the 17 goals for achieving transformative change toward sustainable development.As a collection of inter- and transdisciplinary research from around the world, this volume explores the applications, implications, and best practices of the goals at thematiWhen the world committed to end poverty and hunger as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the promise to “leave no one behind” was recognized as both an ethical responsibility and a key criteria for success. How can we make sure that such a promise becomes a reality, and what challenges lie ahead? This chapter aims to address these issues by focusing on parts of the world that, despi

In this bachelor’s thesis, “Is Sustainability H&M’s Utopia? A Qualitative Analysis of H&M’s Sustainability Report”, we investigate H&M’s journey towards sustainability through an analysis of their sustainability reports from 2002, 2012, 2022 and 2023. This analysis is completed with the help of Ernst Bloch’s theory of utopia, performativity theory, Marxist theory and decolonial theory.

With the definite dialectic relationship between the fashion industry and models, this bachelor’s thesis seeks to research the usage of models’ body types in relation to two different fashion companies. These two companies consist of Très Bien and Zalando, which occupy different spaces of the larger fashion landscape, with Très Bien being a smaller and more alternative fashion company and Zalando

Emotional communication, especially through social media platforms, has become a contemporary populist threat. While this phenomenon has been studied in for example news media and social movements, we know less about its influence on civil society organizations, despite their pluralism being a centerpiece in a vibrant democracy. More specifically, we do not know if social media make civil society

Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate sensorimotor functions that require cerebellar processing, and visuospatial perception and visuospatial abilities in adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Method:We included patients with unmedicated ADHD (n = 52), medicated ADHD (n = 39), ASD (n = 33), the combination of unmedicated

Introduction: Severe asthma is a heterogeneous condition characterized bydistinct phenotypes and endotypes based on clinical or biologicalcharacteristics. Interleukin (IL) 4 and IL-13 are central cytokines in the type 2(T2) immune response, crucial for T2 inflammation. Biologic therapiestargeting the IL-4/IL-13 pathway, such as anti-IL-4Rα monoclonal antibodies(mAbs), have shown improvements in luIntroduction: Severe asthma is a heterogeneous condition characterized by distinct phenotypes and endotypes based on clinical or biological characteristics. Interleukin (IL) 4 and IL-13 are central cytokines in the type 2 (T2) immune response, crucial for T2 inflammation. Biologic therapies targeting the IL-4/IL-13 pathway, such as anti-IL-4Rα monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), have shown improvements

Background Anti-interleukin (IL)-4Rα monoclonal antibodies (mAb) improve lung function and decreasethe number of exacerbations in patients with COPD type (T) 2 inflammation. However, the involvement ofearly innate immune responses underlying these treatment effects is not well known. We sought tounderstand the effect and mechanisms of IL-4Rα mAb treatment on bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) fromCBackgroundAnti-IL-4Rα monoclonal antibodies (mAb) improve lung function and decrease the number of exacerbations in patients with COPD type (T) 2 inflammation. However, the involvement of early innate immune responses underlying these treatment effects is not well known. We sought to understand the effect and mechanisms of IL-4Rα mAb treatment on bronchial epithelial cells from COPD patients under

Ptychography is a burgeoning imaging technique that enables high-resolution, lensless reconstruction of complex samples by analysing overlapping diffraction patterns, making it invaluable in fields like materials science, biology, and nanotechnology. Real-time ptychographic reconstructions are gaining interest in the scientific community as they provide immediate feedback. Yet their potential to r

Sleep disturbances are prevalent among elderly populations and are linked to various health complications. Understanding the underlying biological mechanisms contributing to sleep disorders is crucial for developing targeted interventions. In this study, we measured 355 plasma proteins in an elderly Japanese cohort (n=77) using a high-throughput proteomic platform. Additionally, we collected over

We developed an algorithm for the early screening of autism spectrum disorder using baby cry sound. We collected the sound using a smartphone application to record it in their daily life. We employed the Japanese version of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) for the evaluation of the autism spectrum. We built a prediction model for binary classification using least absolute shr

Wastewater contains various resources and utilized simultaneously in different treatment compartments before being released into water bodies. Many municipal wastewater treatment plants are undergoing expansion and reconstruction to meet the stricter effluent requirements of the urban wastewater treatment directive (2024/3019). This situation is driving a demand for sustainable solutions character

This chapter analyses trajectories of contextual reconstruction of machine learning models with calibrated weights, sometimes known as pre-trained or foundation models, as they are made operational in specific settings. Through ethnographic vignettes on car detection, bird tracking, and medical technology, it underscores the importance of cooperation and negotiation among actors facing contingenci

This chapter argues that for public administration research to genuinely advance in non-Western contexts, scholars must at a minimum be familiar with, and ideally engage with, local cultural norms, traditions, and epistemes vis-à-vis their research. To that end, we offer a methodological shift towards ethnographic approaches to better understand and analyse contemporary PA practices, focusing on t

Animal vocalizations are extremely diverse, and evolutionary approaches to understanding this diversity assume some mapping between their acoustic form and communicative function, with specific features serving universal roles. Here, we investigate whether irregular vocal production with nonlinear phenomena contrib-utes to the alarming quality of vertebrate calls. We resynthesized 98 calls of bird

The Viking Age (c. 800–c. 1050 ad) was characterised by a widespread rise in maritime mobility and interaction, as is made clear by an increasing range of evidence. However, this evidence provides limited information about the sailors and the sailing voyages that connected and transformed the Viking world. This paper presents an approach to reconstruct Viking Age maritime itineraries through the c

Tropical forests provide essential ecosystem services, playing a critical role in climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, and regional hydrological cycles while also supporting livelihoods. However, they are increasingly threatened by deforestation and land-use change. Accurate land cover (LC) mapping is vital to monitor these changes, but mapping tropical forests is challenging due to comp