Immigration has become one of the most contentious issues in Europe. Following the war in Syria, an unprecedented number of people have crossed the external borders of the European Union (EU) to claim asylum in one of the member states. Sweden is one of the member states that has received the highest number of refugees per capita, and in 2014 and 2015 Sweden received the highest number of refugees since the Balkan wars. This thesis seeks to argue that there has been a securitization of asylum seekers and refugees, particularly those of Muslim origins, in Sweden the result of which has been that refugees and asylum seekers are increasingly viewed and described in terms of security rather than in humanitarian terms in public discourse. The securitised discourse presents Sweden as being at risk of a system failure and collapse due to the high number of refugees and asylum seekers and the pressure they put on the Swedish society and welfare system. While characterizing forced migration as a security issue and a potential threat have negative implications for asylum seekers and refugees, as this thesis aims to show there is also a hidden risk of this securitization of refugees and asylum in its impact on the resident population. Lack of security, actual or perceived, can for example lead to anxiety and fear, and to the feeling of being under threat. In relation to the arrival of asylum seekers and refugees, this fear could potentially contribute to a rise in xenophobia, nationalistic tendencies and policies, and perhaps even racism. As such, fear is a risk that must be taken into account.

Products from iron and copper mining are among Sweden’s top exports. However, as the metals are excavated, they often end up in the aquatic environment where they can cause toxicity. To implement the Water Framework Directive (WFD) within the European Union, all member states must classify their waters and set local environmental quality standards (EQS). These EQS are used to set the maximum concentration of a metal allowed in water and can be set both by the Swedish EPA and EU. The WFD EQS are to be based on the bioavailable metal fraction, as compared to the total metal concentration as have been used previously. As a tool in setting EQS, bioavailability models, like the biotic ligand model (BLM), have been proposed. BLMs can calculate toxicity endpoints based on water chemistry and organismal response and these predictions can be used for regional EQS values. However, BLMs are often calibrated toward hard waters with neutral or high pH, containing low concentrations of natural organic material (NOM), a water chemistry most commonly found in the central and southern parts of Europe. The overarching aim of this doctoral thesis was, therefore, to assess the regulatory applicability of Cu BLMs for Swedish conditions. Results from Paper I and II show that for at least 50% of Fennoscandinavian (Sweden, Finland and Norway) freshwater bodies, the models are not fully applicable. This due to crucial model input parameters being outside of the current calibration range of the Cu BLM. Papers II and III further showed that BLM calculated results differed from measured Cu toxicity to daphnids and algae, indicating that model-based EQS will not be protective for these organisms. Moreover, Paper III showed that Al had an impact on Cu speciation and, hence, toxicity. In conclusion, the present thesis shows that several available Cu BLMs are not yet fully applicable for Swedish or Scandinavian freshwater bodies due to incomplete parameterisation of the models.  To improve the applicability of the models, there is a need to calibrate the models for soft freshwater bodies and include Al and NOM properties as input parameters. / Produkter från metallindustrin är bland Sveriges viktigaste exportprodukter. Metallutvinning leder dock till utsläpp som kan hamna i den akvatiska miljön och där orsaka toxicitet. Europeiska Unionens Vattendirektiv syftar till att alla medlemsstater ska klassificera sina vatten och ta fram miljökvalitetsnormer. Dessa normer ska baseras på den biotillgängliga fasen av metaller istället för den totala som tidigare. Biotiska ligand modeller (BLM) har förts fram som verktyg i denna process. BLM kan beräkna utsläppsnivåer för sötvatten baserat på rådande vattenkemi samt vattenorganismers känslighet och ger användaren en specifikt anpassad rekommendation (LC/EC50, NOEC, PNEC o.s.v.). Dock är dessa modeller ofta kalibrerade för en vattenkemi gällande i de centrala och södra delarna av Europa. I Sverige är det vanligt med sura mjuka vatten, vilka har en högre koncentration av biotillgängliga metaller vilka kan orsaka toxicitet. Det övergripande syftet med denna doktorsavhandling var att undersöka hur dagens BLM för koppar (Cu) fungerar för svenska sötvatten. Resultaten från Artikel I och II visar att en stor del av de Fennoskandinaviska vatten som testats faller utanför kalibreringsintervallet för BLM. Vidare visar Artikel III och IV att de testade modellerna inte på ett korrekt sätt kunde uppskatta toxicitet för alger och vattenloppor, vilket innebär att de inte räknar ut skyddande rekommendationer för dessa arter. Det var även tydligt i Artikel IV att aluminium (Al) påverkar kopparspecieringen och genom detta även koppars toxicitet. Sammanfattningsvis visar denna avhandling att flera tillgängliga BLM inte är helt applicerbara i mjuka vatten, ofta p.g.a. opassande intervall för de kemiska parametrarna. För att förbättra tillämpbarheten av BLMs i Sverige krävs det att modellerna dels kalibreras för den rådande vattenkemin och dels att Al och NOMs egenskaper inkluderas.

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This thesis is about mapping background radiation in Namibia; specifically in the townships of: Windhoek, Otjiwarongo, Otavi and Tsumeb. No measurements of background radiation in these towns had been carried out before this thesis was done. Even though high levels of background radiation can cause cancer Namibia does not have any laws or recommendations regulating the maximum limits of exposure to background radiation. Our goal was to measure the radiation levels in the four townships mentioned above by using Thermo Luminescent Dosimeters (TLD’s) and carry out instant measurements of background radiation. Then use the results from these measurements to make a map that would be easy for the general public to understand. We have also investigated both the Namibian and the Swedish law to find out if there were any shortcomings in the Namibian law and if it might be possible to use Sweden’s regulations about suitable and appropriate properties in Namibia. The results of the measurements of the background radiation showed that the radiation levels ranged from 0.50 to 2.11 mSv year -1. Compared to the recommended value from the International Conference on Pattern Recognition at 1 mSv year-1the measured values are not exceptionally high. The measurements that were done in this thesis were plotted onto orthophotos of the different townships, thereby creating five maps showing levels of radiation exposure. The levels were colour-coded; green for the lowest, red for highest and yellow and orange for the radiation levels in between. The review of Swedish and Namibian legislation resulted in finding that parts of Sweden’s laws could be applied in Namibia, but some of Namibia’s existing legislation could also be modified to cover radiation exposure. This thesis has concluded that one possible way to mitigate the harmful effects of background radiation and thereby protecting Namibians from acquiring cancer is to expand existing legislation to encompass radiation.

Today is one of the reasons that Sweden works for improved public health to reduce the incidence of the most common diseases. The eleven objectives are the key determinants of public health work and are thus assigned as the common positions for players to work towards the same goal. The purpose of this study was to examine which aspects of health promotion in Sweden examined in the scientific articles. The method is a literature review based on scientific articles. Searches have been conducted in the databases SAGE Journals Online, ASSIA and Cinahl. The exclusion and inclusion of the articles have a query template obtained form the basis for assessing the quality of scientific articles. This study aimed to investigate which aspects of health promotion in Sweden as described in the scientific articles. None of the aspect that was presented in the literature can be regarded as sensational addition to the aspect of humor that was considered could be regarded as a possible factor in health promotion. The reviewed articles shows that school, workplace and health care seen as arenas where it is possible to carry out work on health while reach out to many people. The results also showed that the factors self-esteem, confidence and empowerment are important to the work of health promotion.

KARLSSON, ISAAC (2012). REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS: POLICY AND APPLICATION IN A SWEDISH CONTEXT. Uneven economic development has been an issue of interest for a long time. Recently focus has shifted from inequalities between countries to growing inequalities within countries. With the EU as one of the most prominent supporters, regional innovation systems have become a centerpiece in the battle against uneven development. This paper examines how these strategies and policies are transferred through the governance hierarchy from the supranational level to the periphery of small Swedish municipalities. The paper also examines how these strategies, influenced by theories and empirical evidence from successful innovative regions, are conceptualized and implemented in a Swedish context. Analysis of policy documents and interviews with regional and municipal actors have been the basis of the empirical material. The criteria for selecting cases to study are proximity to a university, and key economic variables for the municipalities. The analysis indicated that there seems to be a somewhat significant policy transfer effect into the strategies of the Swedish regions, but this does not necessarily reach the municipal level. There also seems to be a gap between the transfer of the strategies to their implementation, mainly caused by ambiguities in the structure of the system, in part stemming from an absence of a national plan on innovative regional systems.

Syftet med studien var att beskriva och jämföra kvinnornas upplevelse och erfarenhet av amningsrådgivning och amningsstöd genom vårdkedjan relaterat till paritet, det vill säga omföderskor och förstföderskor. Studien genomfördes som en retrospektiv tvärsnittsstudie med en kvantitativ ansats. I studien ingick 250 kvinnor varav 103 var förstföderskor och 147 var omföderskor. Studien utfördes med hjälp av enkäter som skickades kvinnorna när barnen var 9 månader gamla. Efter utskick en vecka senare intervjuades kvinnorna per telefon. Materialet till studien var en del ur en större datainsamling. På flertalet frågor kunde ett tydligt samband utläsas mellan dem som var omföderskor eller förstföderskor. Kvinnorna erhöll amningsrådgivning i olika hög grad på de olika instanserna. Främst var det förstföderskorna som fick råd. Amningsråd gavs i störst utsträckning på BB. På MVC och BVC var det lite mer än en tredjedel som erhöll amningsrådgivning och många tillfrågades bara om de skulle amma. Överlag var kvinnorna nöjda med amningsstödet de erhöll. Dock varierade det lite på instanserna och det fanns större grupper av missnöjda kvinnor. Det samma gällde nöjdheten med amningsrådgivningen som påverkades av att det fanns en stor grupp som inte fått rådgivning eller inte ansåg att de kunde uttala sig, främst omföderskor. Inget signifikant samband kunde påvisas mellan paritet och stödet kvinnorna fått, förutom på BB där förstföderskorna var en aning nöjdare. Dock var kvinnans partner det viktigaste stödet. Majoriteten ansåg att amningsrådgivningen hade varit enhetlig genom vårdkedjan förutom på BB. Främst förstföderskor var missnöjda, dock har fler omföderskor angett att de inte kan uttala sig angående enhetligheten varken igenom hela vårdkedjan eller på BB.