This dissertation attempts to answer the question, "How is truth communicated through fiction?" It begins with an analysis of theories of fiction that have been given in analytic philosophy. Then, it frames the question in terms of a response to the "war" between philosophy and poetry, represented by Plato's Socrates, who sees a variety of problems with allowing that poetry can teach ethical behavior, and Sir Philip Sidney, who believes that poetry has a great ability to teach. At the heart of the disagreement between the two is a question about the relationship between truth and the kind of communication that takes place in poetry, which is everywhere assumed rather than stated and argued for. The dissertation then continues to work toward an answer to its main question. First it looks at the theories of several continental philosophers who had things to say that hint at the direction to go in answering the question. The last two chapters are an attempt to give and support an answer to the question; imput is drawn from sources as various as Leonard Nimoy, Dorothy Sayer's "Gaudy Night," Linda Young's "Remember WENN" website, and academic literary theory; and the question is given a direct answer in the last chapter. There are three things that all fiction does that makes it communicate truth in a specific manner: all fiction attempts to engage, purports to describe the normal, and actually makes normative implications. It is because of this that fiction is the dangerous but potentially beneficial thing that Plato and Sidney respectively see it as.

The rapid development of Internet technologies has led to the emergence of new communication means. E-mail has become a new powerful tool used by millions with the main purpose of exchanging information. Considering its large scope, marketers have been using the e-mail as an important direct marketing force and it has become a popular choice for many companies. The e-mail has therefore constituted a new form of on-line marketing coined “E-mail marketing”. However, the increasing use of the e-mail marketing has been adversely affected by the appearance of non-traditional marketing communication media such as unsolicited commercial e-mails (UCEs). The main reasons behind the alarming growth of the UCEs are those explained by the low-cost structure of the e-mail and, thus, a small number of responses are required for generating a profit (Moustakas et al., 2006; p.45; Shenoy, 2008; p.32). This unsolicited medium used for reaching consumers has evolved from mere nuisance to actual threat (Mendleson, 2010; p.38), which has brought a new complexity into consumers’ daily lives. This in its turn calls for examination of consumer’s perception about the unsolicited commercial e-mails.   Hence, the aim of this thesis is to examine consumer’s perceptions about the mentioned unsolicited marketing communication medium. This will provide increased awareness of the profound implications that the UCEs have on e-commerce and the e-mail marketing on the whole and, particularly, on Internet user groups such as companies, e-mail service providers and policy makers. The study was conducted with a positivistic position and followed a deductive approach, taking known theories as point of departure. The theories presented are mainly concerned with: privacy, ethical and legislation issues; consumer’s reactions and motives behind the opening of the e-mail; the impact of the UCEs on the brand image and overall implications of the UCEs.   A self-completion questionnaire was used as method of data collection. The results indicate that the UCEs are perceived as slightly unethical and neither intrusive nor nonintrusive by the respondents. There is also no clear perceived protection by the anti-spam law, which claims the need for improvement of the policy makers’ work. The results also reveal that the most common consumer’s reaction is to disregard and delete the UCEs, although a small but considerable percentage of the consumers respond. The findings show that the different contents of the UCEs are perceived with low levels of interest by the respondents. Also, the motives behind the opening of the UCEs by the respondents are distributed nearly equal: the credibility of the sender, simply the curiosity and the attractiveness of the subject line. This study reveals a fairly negative perceived image of the companies advertised by the UCEs, which proves the associated cost of sending the UCEs. Furthermore, it has been found that the respondents are concerned about sharing their e-mail addresses with e-companies because of the UCEs and that the latter hinder the accessibility to solicited commercial e-mails in the e-mail inboxes. The e-mail service providers have been also affected since a quarter of the respondents have changed them as a consequence of receiving the UCEs. Thus, the results of this thesis show the adverse implications of the UCEs on electronic commerce, e-mail marketing and on Internet user groups.

The overall aim of this thesis was to examine what experiencing childbirth-related fear may imply for women and for men. The thesis compromises four studies with the following specific aims: I) to investigate the extent and level of childbirth-related fear in women and men, and to identify and compare experiential factors associated with childbirth-related fear in relation to level of fear. II) To describe the contents of childbirth-related fear in women and men, and to investigate whether the contents differed in relation to level of fear. III) To illuminate experiences of intense childbirth-related fear from the perspective of the women, and IV) of the men themselves. The studies were carried out using a combination of postal questionnaires and open interviews. The questionnaire was answered by 410 (74%) women and 329 (60%) men who prior to the study had had a baby at Norrlands university hospital, Sweden. Twenty women and 20 men who in the questionnaire had assessed their fear related to childbirth as intense were interviewed about what this experience had meant to them. The questionnaires were analyzed by factor analyses and quantitative content analysis. When analyzing the open interviews an approach based on the similarity-difference method in Grounded Theory were used. The results showed that the large majority of women (80%) and men (72%) had some experiences of fear related to childbirth. For 94 (23%) women and 43 (13%) men the fear was defined as intense. Among the factors identified as being involved in the experience of childbirth-related fear, 'exposedness and inferiority' had the greatest explanatory power in women, while 'communicative difficulties' had the greatest power in men. The contents of fear were fairly similar in both women and men, but the relative importance fo the fear categories differed. Among women fears related to 'the labour and delivery process' were ranked highest, while the uppermost category among the men were fears related to 'the health and life of the baby'. The comparison of the contents in relation to level of fear revealed that fears related to 'own capabilities and reactions' were significantly more common in women with experiences of intense fear than in women with mild to moderate fear. Among the men fears related to 'the health and life of the baby' and 'the health and life of the woman' were significantly more common in men with intense fear than in men with mild to moderate fear. In addition the open interviews indicated that socially constructed norms and beliefs about being happy and expectant influenced the women's perceptions of themselves and of what is considered as appropriate to feel and talk about during pregnancy. Many women judged themselves as different and inferior to others because of their fear, and described difficulties in expressing their fears due to expectations or experiences of not being taken seriously, being neglected or given misguided consolation. For the interviewed men, wishes to contribute and not causing trouble for the woman, as well as strives to adhere to prevailing norms about "masculinity" impled difficulties to disclose and talk about the fear, and look for support.

Salmon aquaculture can be a potential solution to bridge the gap between declining capture fisheries and increasing seafood demand. However, the environmental impacts it creates have generated criticism. The overall objectives of this dissertation are to examine the economic consequences of environmental issues associated with salmon aquaculture, and to explore policy implications and recommendations for reducing environmental impacts. These objectives are addressed in five main analyses. The growth of salmon aquaculture is analyzed based on farmed salmon production in the four leading producing countries and the sector as a whole. Analyses indicate that salmon aquaculture is unlikely to continue to grow at its current pace. A joint production function approach is used to estimate pollution abatement costs for the salmon aquaculture industry. Results reveal that pollution abatement costs vary among observations and models. On average, pollution abatement cost is estimated at 3.5% in terms of total farmed salmon production, and 6.5% in terms of total revenue of farmed salmon. The ecological and economic impacts of sea lice from salmon farms on wild salmon population and fisheries are also studied. Analyses suggest that these effects are minor when the sea lice induced mortality rate is below 20%, while they can be severe if the mortality is greater than 30%. Sea lice have greater ecological and economic impacts on pink salmon than on chum salmon. These effects are greater under a fixed exploitation rate than under a target escapement policy. The economic performance of open netcage and sea-bag production systems for salmon aquaculture is compared. Netcage systems appear to be more economically profitable than sea-bag systems when environmental costs are either not or only partially included. Sea-bag systems can be financially profitable only when the salmon they produce can achieve a price premium. Finally, policy implications are explored and recommendations are made for sustaining salmon aquaculture in a holistic manner based on the results from previous chapters. Technologies, economic-based instruments and more stringent environmental policies can be employed to reduce environmental impacts. However, there is no single solution to solve these environmental impacts, and a combination of policy options is needed.

Bakgrund: Varje år könsstympas fler än 2 miljoner kvinnor. Traditionen att könsstympa kvinnor går så långt tillbaka i historien att ingen historiker i dagsläget kan säga exakt hur, var och varför denna sedvänja uppstod. Det förekommer i ett trettiotal länder. Ingreppet sker ofta utan smärtlindring, sterila instrument och kompetent personal. I Sverige är kvinnlig könsstympning brottsligt, lagen gäller alla svenska medborgare oavsett om det sker inom Sveriges gränser eller utanför. Antalet könsstympade kvinnor i Sverige har ökat i takt med ökad invandring. Kvinnlig könsstympning kan ses som ett övergrepp och kan ge konsekvenser för kvinnor livet ut. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa de fysiska, psykiska och sociala konsekvenserna för kvinnor som genomgått könsstympning. Metod: En litteraturstudie genomfördes enligt Forsberg (2006) och startade med sökningar i databaserna Cinahl och PubMed. Sju kvantitativa och fyra kvalitativa artiklar valdes ut för analys. Resultat: De fysiska konsekvenserna rörde främst miktion, menstruation och sexuellt samliv. Känslomässiga trauman och en känsla av förlust dominerade de psykiska konsekvenserna. Gällande de sociala konsekvenserna berördes kvinnornas identitet till stor del samt deras upplevelser av hur västerlänningar ser på dem. Resultatet visar på övervägande negativa fysiska, psykiska och sociala konsekvenser. Även positiva aspekter har framkommit. Diskussion: I resultatet framgick tre större teman som var gemensamt för de fysiska, psykiska och sociala konsekvenserna. Dessa var kulturkrock, sociala påtryckningar och individ. De kan bidra till att förbättra omvårdnaden av kvinnor som genomgått könsstympning. Diskussionen inspireras av teorin Theory of cultural marginality där fokus ligger på att förklara människors reaktioner då två kulturer kolliderar. / Background: Each year, about 2 million women undergoes genital mutilation. The tradition of genital mutilation of women goes so far back in history that no historians in our time can say exactly how, where and why this practice occurred. The only thing we know is that the practice of female genital mutilation is performed in about thirty countries. The surgery is often done without analgesia, sterile instruments and medically skilled personnel. In Sweden, genital mutilation is a crime and the law applies to all Swedish citizens, regardless of whether it occurs within Sweden's borders or outside. The number of genitally mutilated women in Sweden has increased in line with increased immigration. Genital mutilation can be seen as an assault and may have consequences for women throughout their lives. Purpose: The purpose was to illuminate the physical, psychological and social consequences for women who have undergone genital mutilation. Methods: A literature review was conducted in accordance to Forsberg (2006). The search started out by using two databases, Cinahl and PubMed. Seven quantitative and four qualitative articles were selected for analysis. Results: The physical consequences were related to urination, menstruation and sexual intimacy. Emotional trauma and a sense of loss dominated the psychological consequences. The two largest social consequences that were found were the women's identity and their experiences of how westerners experience them. The result shows predominantly negative physical, psychological and social consequences, although positive aspects also emerged. Discussion: The results showed three major themes that were common to the physical, psychological and social consequences. These were culture clash, social pressures and individuals. They can help to improve the care of women who have undergone genital mutilation. The discussion was inspired by the theory "Theory of cultural marginality" where the focus is on explaining people's reactions when two cultures collide.

Urban centers and smaller communities across Canada are witnessing an increase in youth gang activity. But, determining both the level and nature of youth gang involvement/activity is problematic, in part because of varied interpretations of what it means to be a gang. Many Canadians believe that a gang is a structured organization with crime as their main objective. However, youth gangs can range from associations involving a loosely organized collective of friends that come together to protect their neighborhood to that of the hardcore gangs who have political agendas and are structurally organized. It is much more difficult to determine the level and nature of youth gang activity because they are ever changing entities depending on factors such as race, socio-economic status, and community. Youth gangs become a burden to society financially, emotionally, and mentally. Costs are incurred due to vandalism and an increase in crime: while anguish and a heightened sense of fear/anxiety speak to the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects resulting from gang activities.<p> This study is a qualitative analysis that focuses on how agencies in Saskatoon define youth gang activities and behaviors. The agencies involved constitute community based organizations, permanent and part-time holding residences, justice and city officials. Grounded theory analysis was utilized to maintain the original interviewees own voices from interviews to the final product. The final analysis is divided into three sections that focus on: characteristics of Saskatoon youth gangs, implications of defining, and programming. By analyzing these themes we begin to see that defining youth gangs becomes a very political issue and that agencies who work with youth have difficulty in coming to terms in creating a common definition of youth gangs for Saskatoon.

The Northwest Rebellion, in comparison to other North American civil wars, was short-lived and geographically contained, but for the people who lived through it, the residents of the Saskatchewan district, 1885 was a real and a frightening ordeal. By exploring micro-relations at the individual, family and community levels, and focusing on the connections between residents and ways that they related to each other, a portrait of the region emerges that reveals that Euro-Canadians and Aboriginals were linked to each other in many, and often subtle ways before the uprising. Drawing on personal papers, government and Hudson's Bay Company records, and oral histories, this study shows that race and gender were determining factors in how white, First Nations, Metis and mixed-blood men and women experienced both the conflict itself and its aftennath. Furthermore, its impact on residents' lives and society in the Saskatchewan territory was considerable and the effects long-lasting. Barriers, both physical and social, were created and solidified, and, although groups were still linked by the same family ties that bound them before the spring of 1885, the ways that they viewed each other changed after the rebellion. Mistrust and hostility that had not existed before, or that had been repressed, broke the bonds that connected racial groups, and sometimes families. The new order in Saskatchewan was one in which Euro-Canadians held power, and Aboriginals were second-class citizens barred from mainstream society. The rebellion accelerated white domination of the region, and acted as a catalyst for the racial divisions evident in Saskatchewan in the twentieth century.

Our society is becoming more restless and mobile, a symbol for this mobility are the backpackers. Backpackers are found everywhere in the world and represent a form of low-cost independent travellers. To experience as much as possible, seems to be a very important issue for backpackers and they have that as a motivation during their travels. Backpackers have been described as ”experiences hungry”. The term experiences, is today being used a lot in the tourism industry. To be able to predict what an experience is, can be hard and the term is hard to define. Mobile technologies are also becoming a permanent part of the our society. Communication technology are something that backpackers use more and more during their travels. This thesis identifies knowledge and design implications for a mobile application to support backpacker´s need when travelling and how backpackers define the notion of travel experiences. The result of the thesis have calumniated in a mobile application prototype that coul contribute in letting backpackers get more out of there journey. This in an interactive and social way, by giving backpackers the opportunity to be social towards each-other share information through a social medium. As the thesis have shown that backpackers wants to meet others on there journey and experience the world.

Self-injury (SI) is a growing concern for professionals working in educational settings who desire more information on SI and express a lack of confidence in working with youth who self injure (Carlson, DeGreer, Deur, & Fenton, 2005; Heath, Toste, & Beettam, 2008). A sample of 263 teachers from a small, rural Kentucky county completed a survey (response rate of 45.5%) designed to address educators’ knowledge of SI, training needs, and knowledge of school response plans for working with youth who self-injure. A 20-item measure developed by Jeffery and Warm (2002) assessed SI knowledge. Educators evidenced significantly lower scores on the knowledge measure than school psychologists (Beld, 2007), and professionals working in a medical setting (Jeffrey & Warm, 2002) with the exception of psychiatrists. Analysis of the response patterns of the educators on the knowledge measure indicated 11 out of 20 items evidenced serious inaccurate understandings of basic fact and myths, prevalence, relationship of SI to psychopathology and suicide, and media influences. There were no gender differences when comparing self-rated knowledge of SI; however, female educators evidenced greater mean scores on the knowledge measure. Females evidence significantly greater knowledge of SI than males. There is no relation between knowledge of SI and the amount of experience working with youth who self-injure for this sample. Knowledge of SI and amount of experience working with students who SI was not correlated. Further, educators who report knowledge of school plans did not report higher confidence in helping students. Descriptive information regarding knowledge of SI and school response plans, confidence, and training indicate the majority of educators in this sample do not have any experience working with youth who self-injure. Further, most lacked knowledge of a school response plan and did not know the existence of or steps included in the district’s school response plan. A majority of participants indicated never attending in-service training on SI; however, they did indicate an interest in receiving more information on SI. Results support the need for districts to educate staff on school response plans and/or to develop a specific school response plan for dealing with youth who engage in SI. Also supported are training needs regarding the school plan, basic knowledge of SI, and extended areas of SI such as media and suicide. Lastly, follows the discussion of practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research in relation to results.

The Northwest Rebellion, in comparison to other North American civil wars, was short-lived and geographically contained, but for the people who lived through it, the residents of the Saskatchewan district, 1885 was a real and a frightening ordeal. By exploring micro-relations at the individual, family and community levels, and focusing on the connections between residents and ways that they related to each other, a portrait of the region emerges that reveals that Euro-Canadians and Aboriginals were linked to each other in many, and often subtle ways before the uprising. Drawing on personal papers, government and Hudson's Bay Company records, and oral histories, this study shows that race and gender were determining factors in how white, First Nations, Metis and mixed-blood men and women experienced both the conflict itself and its aftennath. Furthermore, its impact on residents' lives and society in the Saskatchewan territory was considerable and the effects long-lasting. Barriers, both physical and social, were created and solidified, and, although groups were still linked by the same family ties that bound them before the spring of 1885, the ways that they viewed each other changed after the rebellion. Mistrust and hostility that had not existed before, or that had been repressed, broke the bonds that connected racial groups, and sometimes families. The new order in Saskatchewan was one in which Euro-Canadians held power, and Aboriginals were second-class citizens barred from mainstream society. The rebellion accelerated white domination of the region, and acted as a catalyst for the racial divisions evident in Saskatchewan in the twentieth century.