Although many volumes concerning the life and works of Johannes Brahms have been written, it has been found that the majority of these writings treat the material of the subject in a rather poetic and romanticized fashion. This is especially unfortunate in those volumes where the works of Brahms are analyzed with pragmatic implications, since Brahms himself eschewed the use of extramusical elements in his composition. This investigation, therefore, is an attempt to present a careful analysis of one of these compositions, the Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115, for clarinet and string quartet.

Both of the Chopin concertos are the earliest of his works to be found in the ordinary piano repertoire, and they possess the direct influences and inherited traits of the composer. Since he did no more orchestral work after completing these two works, it is evident that he thought only in terms of pianistic expression. Probably one of the reasons for Chopin's ineffectiveness as an orchestral writer is due to his inability to conform to the classical form: sonata allegro. The e minor concerto is representative of his treatment of the larger forms. Analyzing the elements of an early work of the composer reveals the degree of maturity in individual traits. Elements of basic chord structure and use of harmony, melodic characteristics, and pianistic expression mark the style of a composer. This concerto demonstrates the beginning of chromatic harmony in his time and in his own writing; it contains melodic beauty and pianistic features which make it acceptable in standard concerto repertoire in spite of its many defects.

Sustainable development as our joint global goal is consensus in the mainstream international arena, in the name of long-term well-being for all living creatures. However economic constraints often limit the choices available to local communities, forcing them to make trade-offs between immediate socioeconomic gains and the long-term sustainability of natural resources. Thus, economic interests parallel with biodiversity conservation create difficult positionings for individuals, which becomes even clearer in developing areas and biodiversity hotspots. Despite this conflict of interest, there is currently insufficient empirical evidence on how communities on microlevels – in areas of both environmental and developmental interests – understand and reason about this potential dilemma. A discrepancy between assumptions and empirics motivates an investigation of discourses from local perspectives. This thesis will therefore highlight local development and environmental discourses of forest and land use. The region of North Sumatra, Indonesia, functions as a paradigmatic case study on how community members reason who are appointed to two forceful narratives – resource extraction and biodiversity conservation. Through conducting semi-structured interviews and using discourse analysis, two environmental discourses and four development discourses were identified in the local understandings of forest and land use. This gives us indications of how the jungle is understood and valued from a bottom-up perspective. Exploring local perspectives of land use is essential for informed decision-making, promoting sustainable development, ensuring social equity, and fostering community engagement. Further research on the relationship and interactions between local communities and the natural world is called upon.

The aim of this project is to investigate the current situation of plastics waste management on the island Zanzibar in Tanzania. To investigate this, a field study was carried out during two months on site on Zanzibar. The field studies consisted of practical experiences, interviews and gathered impressions to get an overview. These methods were complemented by researched parameters, estimations, and calculations, which summarised yielded the results. The results were presented regarding the overall waste management system, flows of plastics, and challenges. The results led to a discussion where possible improvements were presented. The study concluded that the current situation for waste management is unsustainable, but the possibilities for improvements and a sustainable future are many. / Med målsättning att behandla några av målen för Agenda 2030 och hållbar utveckling, utfördes fältstudier finansierade genom Sidas stipendium för Minor Field Studies. Kritisk plasthantering är ett faktum i många delar av världen. Tanzania uppskattas ha en misskötsel av plastavfallshantering på 84 procent av total hanterad volym. Fältstudien undersökte därför situationen kopplad till avfallshantering på ön Zanzibar i Tanzania under två sammanhängande månader. Syftet med studien var att undersöka systemen för den allmänna avfallshanteringen, kartlägga flöden av plast på ön och identifiera utmaningar. Fältstudierna genomfördes genom praktiserande av avfallsuppsamling och sortering av plast, informella intervjuer samt egeninsamlade intryck och upplevelser. Dessa data kompletterades med en mindre litteraturstudie för att hitta relevanta parametrar nödvändiga för beräkningar och uppskattningar. Metoderna genererade resultat som kunde presenteras i termer av systemen för avfallshantering, flöden av plast på Zanzibar med uppskattade och beräknade mängder samt de utmaningar man upplever och står inför. Utifrån dessa resultat kunde möjliga förbättringsförslag presenteras med avseende på retursystem, återvinning och energiaspekter. Från studien drogs slutsatsen att Zanzibars situation för avfallshantering är ohållbar, men att möjligheterna till förbättring och en hållbar framtid är många.

During the recent prolonged drought in La Guajira, Colombia, the child mortality rate surged to 23.4 per 1000. With the focal point in rural Alta Guajira, a lack of rainfall and wind resulted in an acute potable water scarcity. This paper presents data gathered from interviews conducted with members of the Wayúu indigenous group residing in Alta Guajira and the results surveying in field the solutions already present to the water scarcity. Four potential technological solutions were then devised and evaluated in this context: wind-driven wells, solar-driven wells, solar stills, and reverse osmosis desalination systems. This study shows that reverse osmosis desalination systems are economically unfeasible due to their high initial investment. Solar stills are concluded to be potentially viable for drought emergencies but prohibitively expensive due to their low productivity and area requirements. Solar-driven wells frequently break in the region, likely due to inadequate insulation in underground electrical components, but they represent a crucial yet non-existent complement for water production. Wind-driven wells are the most prominent water source, although relying solely on these creates significant risks. Hence a suggestion for mainly wind-driven production, complemented with solar-driven production, and backed by emergency systems of manual wells and solar stills is suggested.

Background: Early differentiation between transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor ischemic stroke (MIS) impacts on the patient’s individual diagnostic work-up and treatment. Furthermore, estimations regarding persisting impairments after MIS are essential to guide rehabilitation programs. This study evaluated a combined clinical- and serum biomarker-based approach for the differentiation between TIA and MIS as well as the mid-term prognostication of the functional outcome, which is applicable within the first 24 h after symptom onset. Methods: Prospectively collected data were used for a retrospective analysis including the neurological deficit at admission (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, NIHSS) and the following serum biomarkers covering different pathophysiological aspects of stroke: Coagulation (fibrinogen, antithrombin), inflammation (C reactive protein), neuronal damage in the cellular [neuron specific enolase], and the extracellular compartment [matrix metalloproteinase-9, hyaluronic acid]. Further, cerebral magnetic resonance imaging was performed at baseline and day 7, while functional outcome was evaluated with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) after 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: Based on data from 96 patients (age 64 ± 14 years), 23 TIA patients (NIHSS 0.6 ± 1.1) were compared with 73 MIS patients (NIHSS 2.4 ± 2.0). In a binary logistic regression analysis, the combination of NIHSS and serum biomarkers differentiated MIS from TIA with a sensitivity of 91.8% and a specificity of 60.9% [area under the curve (AUC) 0.84]. In patients with NIHSS 0 at admission, this panel resulted in a still acceptable sensitivity of 81.3% (specificity 71.4%, AUC 0.69) for the differentiation between MIS (n = 16) and TIA (n = 14). By adding age, remarkable sensitivities of 98.4, 100, and 98.2% for the prediction of an excellent outcome (mRS 0 or 1) were achieved with respect to time points investigated within the 1-year follow-up. However, the specificity was moderate and decreased over time (83.3, 70, 58.3%; AUC 0.96, 0.92, 0.91). Conclusion: This pilot study provides evidence that the NIHSS combined with selected serum biomarkers covering pathophysiological aspects of stroke may represent a useful tool to differentiate between MIS and TIA within 24 h after symptom onset. Further, this approach may accurately predict the mid-term outcome in minor stroke patients, which might help to allocate rehabilitative resources.

As environmental changes, including climate change, become more and more severe and affect every corner of the world, many people are forced to move from their homestead as the nearby environment that once was a safe place slowly becomes inhabitable. The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is one of the places in the world where environmental changes jeopardize rural livelihoods creating a trend of out-migration and urbanization. Through a Minor Field Study facilitated by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDA, this research was conducted in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, specifically the An Biên District in Kiên Giang province. The empirical base did, from an ethnographically inspired qualitative method, collect primary data by using observation, semi-structured interviews, a group discussion, as well as expert interviews with key informants. The research aimed at generating insights and knowledge about local perceptions by investigating environmental changes’ connection to migration and integrating the frameworks Drivers of Migration and the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods approach. It found both that the perceptions of environmental changes impact on livelihoods and its relation to migration as adaptation was different depending on the type of agricultural activities. It also found that environmental changes partly had or did not at all have a relationship with migration as adaptation, but rather the financial and social conditions together with natural capital as the size of land.

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