Cities present many opportunities to improve socio-ecological sustainability through efficiencies of scale and access to resources and services. These benefits are often compromised by rapidly increasing urban populations demanding energy, water, resources and food that are sourced, produced and transported from rural areas in unsustainable ways. A systems level approach to understanding the complex challenges cities face is required to strategically plan for the future. Rooftop agriculture is one measure that can help address many sustainability problems cities are currently faced with. Our research aims to identify the role rooftop agriculture can play in moving society towards sustainability, the challenges it currently faces that may prevent it from being widely implemented, and how to overcome these challenges. To structure our research, we used the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), a scientifically rigorous and peer reviewed model designed to manage the complexity of planning and decision-making towards sustainability. The culmination of this paper was the creation of a Sustainable Rooftop Agriculture Guide, a practical resource that can help city stakeholders determine how to best use rooftop agriculture in their movement towards sustainability.

In recent years, old-hand development scholars, in the category of Dan Brockington, have expressed their concern over academia’s neglect of the significance of celebrities in the field. As has been the case of an outturn hereof, namely beauty pageants. In the last six decades, Venezuela has positioned itself not only as one of the world's largest exporters of oil but also as one of the leading engenderers of titleholders in international pageantry. The latter, which has resulted in Venezuelans regarding the pageant as a fundamental cultural undercurrent in their collective identity, seems to be a ceaseless manifestation in spite of the country’s worrisome current socio-economic status. Rather than adopting a condescending paradigm towards the Miss Venezuela pageant, it is precisely this vertex of ambiguity that opens the avenue for an interesting development question. After all, if celebrity beauty queens from Venezuela are deemed as part of the nation’s identity, could the pageant, in the same breath, be deemed as a contributor to communication for development? While espousing historical context as an analysing method and in pursuit of David Hulme’s Celebrity-Development nexus and Elizabeth McCall’s four strands of communication for development, this paper presents a qualitative study in which hands-on experts are given a platform. The findings show the evolution of a beauty pageant from a, nearly, nationalist device into a system that is grounded in the Millennium Development Goals and that aims to forge socially responsible beauty representatives that are competent enough to herald purposeful messages.

Orientador: José Antônio Perrella Balestieri / Resumo: A abordagem do nexo água-alimento-energia (AAE) leva em consideração a interdependência do uso desses recursos, essenciais para o bem-estar humano, e possibilita analisar os indicadores dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS). Nesta inter-relação é necessária uma abordagem sistêmica para compreender como a interação de cada componente funciona e se estrutura. Na presente tese foi analisado o nexo AAE e a rede de influências entre as cidades, no atendimento aos Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável, tendo o município de Cunha, no Estado de São Paulo, em posição central entre os demais municípios estudados. A vertente analisada encontra-se na transição entre o extenso Vale do Paraíba, situado entre duas metrópoles (São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro) e a baixada litorânea (Paraty e Ubatuba), tendo o município de Cunha em posição intermediária. A região estudada é drenada pelos rios Paraibuna, Paraitinga e seus afluentes que constituem fonte significativa de abastecimento de grandes cidades do sudeste brasileiro e oferece suas águas para irrigação, abastecimento, indústria e produção de energia hidroelétrica. Para análise do nexo AAE, os parâmetros da produção de alimento e o consumo de água e energia foram avaliados estatisticamente, com uso do coeficiente de correlação de Pearson (cP). A análise considerou a produção agrícola e a relação com o consumo de água e energia, assim como a produção pesqueira frente aos referidos parâmetros, em escala de municípios. Dentre as an... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The water-food-energy (WFE) approach takes into account the interdependence of the use of these resources, which are essential for human well-being, and makes it possible to analyze the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In this interrelation, a systemic approach is required to understand how the interaction of each component works and is structured. In this thesis, the AAE nexus and the network of influences between cities were analyzed, in compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals, with the municipality of Cunha, in the State of São Paulo, in a central position among the other municipalities studied. The analyzed slope is found in the transition between the extensive Vale do Paraíba, located between two metropolises (São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) and the coastal lowland (Paraty and Ubatuba), with the municipality of Cunha in an intermediate position. The studied region is drained by the Paraibuna, Paraitinga Rivers and their tributaries, which constitute a significant source of supply for large cities in southeastern Brazil and offers their waters for irrigation, supply, industry, and hydroelectric power. For analysis of the WFE nexus, the parameters of food production and the consumption of water and energy were evaluated, statistically with use of Pearson's correlation coefficient (cP). The analysis considered agricultural production and the relationship with water and energy consumption, as well as fishery production against these parameters, ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Lethal automated weapon systems (LAWS) are developed and deployed by a growing number of state and non-state actors, although no international legally binding framework exists as of yet. As a first attempt to regulate LAWS the UN appointed a group of governmental experts (GGE) to create the guiding principles on the issue of LAWS AI. A few years later the EU appointed an expert group to create the Ethics guideline for trustworthy and the European Parliament passed a resolution on the issue of LAWS.  This thesis attempts to make the underlying norms and discourses that have shaped these guiding principles and guidelines visible. By scrutinizing the documents through the ‘What’s the problem presented to be’-approach, the discursive practices that enables the framing is illuminated. The obscured problems not spoken of in the EU and UN documents are emphasised, suggesting that both documents oversimplifies  and downplays the danger of LAWS, leaving issues such as gender repercussions, human dignity and the dangers of the sophisticated weapons system itself largely unproblematised and hidden behind their suggested dichotomised and anthropocentric solutions, which largely results in a simple “add human and stir”-kind of solution. The underlying cause of this tendency seems to stem from a general unwillingness of states to regulate as LAWS are quickly becoming a matter of have- and have nots and may potentially change warfare as we know it. A case can also be made as to AI’s ‘Hollywood-problem’ as influencing the framing of LAWS, where the dystopian terminator-like depiction in popular culture can be seen reflected in international policy papers and statements.

There is a well-documented bidirectional relationship between pain and cognitive dysfunction, especially working memory. Despite this extensive body of research, the pain–working memory relationship is poorly understood. Pain catastrophizing – exaggerated negative cognitive and emotional responses towards pain – may contribute to working memory deficits by occupying finite, shared cognitive resources, but this has yet to be investigated. The present study sought to clarify the role of pain catastrophizing (assessed as both a trait-level disposition and state-level process) in working memory dysfunction. Healthy undergraduate participants were randomized to an ischemic pain or control task, during which they completed verbal and non-verbal working memory tests. They also completed measures of state- and trait-level pain catastrophizing. Mediation analyses indicated that state-level pain catastrophizing mediated the relationships of pain group to both verbal and non-verbal working memory, such that participants in the pain group (vs. the control group) catastrophized more about their pain, which then resulted in worse verbal and non-verbal working memory performance. In moderated mediation analyses, trait-level pain catastrophizing moderated this mediation effect for both verbal and non-verbal working memory. Those participants in the pain group who reported greater tendency to catastrophize about pain in general exhibited greater catastrophizing in-the-moment during the pain task, thereby leading to worse verbal and non-verbal working memory performance. These results provide evidence for pain catastrophizing as a putative mechanism and moderating factor of working memory dysfunction in pain. Future research should replicate these results in chronic pain samples, investigate other potential mechanisms (e.g., sleep), and develop interventions to ameliorate cognitive dysfunction by targeting pain catastrophizing.

<p>Promoting sustainable consumption is critical to meet the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Food systems can cause considerable environmental impacts, which are exacerbated by the rapidly increasing global population and urbanization. Policy makers are seeking strategies to promote sustainable food consumption to reduce food-related environmental footprints. However, literature assessing environmental implications of food consumption has several gaps: first, studies using national average diets or one-day dietary recall data are likely to neglect the heterogeneous food purchasing patterns in different households and over longer time spans; second, few studies have considered reducing the overall food-emissions-water-land (FEWL) impacts and the FEWL impact reduction potentials have not been fully examined due to lack of considering changing consumption patterns of food items within food groups. Additionally, knowing the environmental impacts of food consumption is only the first step towards sustainable consumption. Providing the information to consumers to guide their decision making is also critical. Ecolabels are increasingly used to inform consumers about the environmental performance of products. However, the effectiveness of ecolabels is unclear because methods used in existing studies may not show consumers’ naturalistic behavior.</p> <p> </p> <p>This dissertation aims to address these research gaps to provide better understanding of the reduction potentials and trade-offs of food environmental impacts, and the effectiveness of ecolabels to facilitate consumer decision making for sustainable consumption. To achieve the objective, a variety of models and methods are used: (1) detailed food purchasing records from 57,578 U.S. households were analyzed and a process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) model is developed to evaluate the food carbon emissions and identify reduction pathways; (2) the LCA model was then expanded to also quantify food-related blue water footprint and land footprint. The FEWL impact reduction potentials were evaluated in two dietary change scenarios: (a) only adjusting intake in each food group to the recommended amount and (b) in addition to adjusting food group intake amount, changing consumption patterns to shift towards the food item that minimizes the overall FEWL impacts within each group). A food-item level analysis was also conducted to examine the FEWL impact trade-offs associated with food item substitutions; and (3) survey and attention data were collected from 156 participants in a naturalistic shopping environment using eye tracking glasses to evaluate the effectiveness of ecolabels on informing consumers’ product selection for sustainable consumption. </p> <p> </p> <p>By assessing the environmental impacts of food consumption and the effectiveness of ecolabels, this dissertation proposed pathways to reduce food-related environmental impacts (i.e., through identifying target households and food groups for impact reduction) and strategies to improve ecolabels’ effectiveness in consumers’ decision making. The results can provide insights to policy makers to promote sustainable consumption. </p>

Climate change is one of the most important issues in today's world. Its effect reaches beyond geographical borders and deeply connects to human welfare, rights, and possibilities. Climate change affects the climate and all other sectors of development in the world. The complexity of climate justice lies in its ability to recognize and confront the injustice and unfairness of climate change (Schapper, 2018). As a result of the consequences of climate change, water scarcity is becoming an increasingly serious issue in many places of the world today. In our global community, about 2 billion people do not have reliable access to safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion lack proper sanitation services. Additionally, 2.3 billion individuals do not have basic handwashing facilities. These challenges arise from uneven access to water and sanitation, increasing populations, development practices that use a lot of water, unpredictable changes in rainfall, and pollution. Moreover, a staggering 2.3 billion individuals face the absence of fundamental handwashing facilities (World Bank, 2023). To obtain two viewpoints on the concerns, we focused the study on India and Somalia, two countries facing water scarcity. Although they differ in many other aspects, they face comparable water scarcity and climate change challenges. Furthermore, the urgent issue of climate change is important to study as it could worsen tensions, create more conflicts, and hurt the most vulnerable groups. Examining this matter is crucial for creating frameworks and policies to increase resilience, safeguard vulnerable communities, and protect human rights. The definition of human rights is basic entitlements for everyone, no matter race, gender, sexuality, or who they are. We follow the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) definition. The theory is that regardless of where they are from or who they are, they are treated daily and have the same opportunities (United Nations, 2023). This research aims to understand and address the complex correlations between climate change, water resources, human rights, and the legal framework for climate justice.

Denna rapport sammanfattar resultat av ett examensarbete på en högskoleingenjörsutbildningsom utfördes av två studenter på Malmö högskola.Arbetets syfte var att genomföra en mängd olika experiment med accelerometer, barometeroch GPS i en modern smarttelefon. Ett antal scenarier för en tänkbar sensoranvändning i applikationerformulerades för att vägleda olika experiment. Experimentdata dokumenterades noggrantoch analyserades med avsikten att skapa en databank med information för framtida studier.Analys av data inkluderar höjdbestämning i naturen och i byggnader med hjälp av barometersensor,geografisk position med hjälp av GPS, hastighet och acceleration under en hissfärdmed hjälp av accelerometer.Rapporten innehåller en omfattande litteraturstudie om användning av sensorer vid inomhuspositionering.Från analys av mätdata, kom vi fram till slutsatsen att är möjligt att beräkna höjdenfrån barometerdata med bra noggrannhet under optimala omständigheter. GPS höjdenfrån mätningarna har stor felmarginal jämfört med den verkliga höjden samt när den jämförsmed den beräknade höjden från barometern.Genom att utföra en numerisk integration på accelerometer-data kom vi fram till att det är möjligtatt beräkna ungefär hur långt man har färdats med en hiss, dock att vissa detaljer måste tasi beaktning. / This report summarizes the results of a degree Bachelor of engineering in Computer Scienceconducted by two students at Malmo University.Work aim was to conduct a variety of experiments with accelerometer, barometer and GPS in amodern smartphone. A number of scenarios for a possible sensor use in applications formulatedto guided experiments. Data is carefully documented and analyzed, with the intention tocreate a database of information for future studies. Analysis of the data includes the altitudedetermination in nature and in buildings using barometric sensor, geographic location usingGPS, speed and acceleration during an elevator journey with the help of accelerometer.The report contains a comprehensive literature review on the use of sensors for indoorpositioning.From our analysis of the measurement data, we conclude that it is possible to calculate thealtitude from barometric- information but good accuracy if there are optimum circumstances.GPS altitude from our measurements show faulty height by a large margin compared with theactual height and when it is compared with the calculated height of the barometer the barometricheight is closer to the actual height.By performing a numerical integration of the accelerometer data, the results show that it ispossible to calculate approximately how far you have traveled in meters in an elevator, howeverthere are some things that must be taken into consideration.

[pt] Narrativas acerca de intervenções de infraestrutura e de segurança nas favelas do Rio de Janeiro são construídas em torno da chegada do Estado onde ele supostamente estava ausente com o objetivo de resolver o problema favela, tanto em termos da dita informalidade e precariedade, quanto em termos da suposta marginalidade dos seus habitantes, e integrálas ao restante da cidade como forma de superar a cidade partida. A concretude de sucessivas intervenções de infraestrutura e as frequentes intervenções de segurança, no entanto, permitem o questionamento desse mito da ausência do Estado nas favelas, enquanto a proximidade geográfica entre favela e asfalto, a circulação do espaço e a mão de obra que sustenta as relações na cidade empreendidas por seus moradores, e toda a sua vibrante produção social e cultural permitem o questionamento do mito da cidade partida. A principal pergunta que se coloca, portanto, é como o Estado brasileiro atua sobre esses espaços e corpos onde tradicionalmente é visto como ausente e frágil. Para tal, o presente trabalho partirá da literatura de Relações Internacionais para entender a relação entre discursos de falência, fragilidade, desordem e práticas específicas de intervenção e reconstrução no âmbito global (a partir dos conceitos de Estado falido, peacebuilding e nexo segurança-desenvolvimento), passando por uma literatura que mobiliza esses conceitos para pensar o urbano, pensar a cidade como um problema e suas possíveis soluções (em termos de peacebuilding urbano, cidades frágeis, urbanismo militar). Então, a partir da literatura brasileira especializada em favelas, questionará a construção da favela enquanto problema e as soluções articuladas por meio de formas específicas de presença do Estado, de forma a repactuar o problema como sendo um problema da atuação seletiva e imperfeita, muitas vezes racista, do Estado nesses espaços. Finalmente, a partir das contribuições e insuficiências dos conceitos e literaturas anteriores, o trabalho refletirá como as intervenções estatais, com foco em intervenções de infraestrutura e segurança, materializam-se especificamente no Complexo da Maré, reproduzindo exclusões e desigualdades, e como os moradores e organizações locais resistem a elas. / [en] Narratives about infrastructure and security interventions in Rio de Janeiro favelas are often built around the arrival of the State in places where it was supposedly absent, aiming at resolving the favela problem, both in terms of their informality and precariousness, and in terms of the marginality and criminality, and at integrating them with the formal neighborhoods so as to overcome the divided city. The concrete reality of successive infrastructure and security interventions, however, allows us to question the myth of State absence in favelas, whereas the territorial proximity between favelas and the rest of the city, their residents labor and circulation across the city and their vibrant social and cultural production allow us to question the myth of the divided city. Therefore, the main question posed is how the Brazilian State acts upon these spaces and bodies where it is traditionally seen as fragile and absent. With this aim, the presente work mobilizes International Relations literature to understand the relation between failure, fragility, disorder and practices of intervention in the global realm (which involves concepts such as failed State, peacebuilding and security-development nexus), and also literatures which mobilize such concepts in order to understand the urban realm, to understand cities as problems and their solutions (in terms of urban peacebuilding, fragile cities, military urbanism). Then, departing from a favela-focused Brazilian literature, the work questions the myth of the favela problem and also the solutions which are articulated in terms of specific forms of state presence, so as to reframe the problem as a problem of selective and imperfect, often racist, state actions. Finally, building upon those literatures contributions and limitations, the work reflects upon how state interventions, especially insfrastructure and security interventions, materialize in Complexo da Maré, reproducing exclusion and inequality, and how residents and local organizations resist those interventions.

Intergenerational trauma is increasingly prevalent among youth from generations that have endured collective trauma due to prolonged armed conflict. Existing research indicates that this trauma is often linked to an elevated risk of heightened violence within affected communities. However, there remains a lack of substantial research on effective interventions for humanitarian organisations to address this issue. Moreover, typical approaches tend to follow Western standards, which may not be suitable for the conditions faced by these communities. This research paper investigates the potential of incorporating community-based coping strategies into the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programs employed by humanitarian organisations. Moreover, it explores whether the integration could lead to more sustainable and positive outcomes for affected communities that align with the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. This paper achieves this through an extensive literature review and a case study examining intergenerational trauma and its impact on Palestinian youth in the occupied Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and West Bank (including East Jerusalem). It evaluates the community-based coping strategies in place and assesses their effectiveness. The findings of this research emphasise the importance of community engagement and the incorporation of existing coping strategies to effectively address intergenerational trauma among affected youth. This research also indicates a predominantly positive association between existing coping strategies and community resilience. Moreover, the existing coping strategies utilised by the affected communities have the potential to break the cycle of violence, which frequently results from intergenerational trauma. Finally, this research presents that these strategies foster a more sustainable peace process.