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This thesis presents a quantitative study of trust in the police amongst first and second-generation immigrants in Sweden. Previous research suggests that the most socio-economically vulnerable groups in society trust the police the least. People with immigrant backgrounds tend to a larger extent belong to these groups. Yet, few studies have examined trust in the police amongst immigrants within a Swedish context. The aim of this study is divided into two parts. Firstly, the study aims to examine if there are differences in trust in the police between first and second-generation immigrants, and the majority population of Sweden. Secondly, there is an attempt to explain any differences found using the procedural justice model and performance theory. Using data from the European Social Survey (n = 1497), a series of regression analyses are performed to first examine differences between the groups, and then examine whether perceptions of procedural justice and police performance have a mediating effect on first and second-generation immigrants' trust in the police. The findings suggest that first generation immigrants report slightly higher trust in the police, while second generation immigrants report lower levels of trust. Further, perceptions of procedural justice do not mediate trust in the police amongst those with immigrant backgrounds. However, perceptions of police performance mediate both first and second-generation immigrants’ trust in the police, but in opposite directions. The thesis is concluded with a discussion about key findings, limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

The main purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how first and second generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia experience and precive their national identity. Furthermore to understand differences and similarities between first-generation and second-generation immigrants based on inbetweenship. Previous research has shown that people with one or more cultural backgrunds tend to develop more fluid identity in comparson to people who only have one cultural backgrund. Furthermore, previous research has also shown that people with immigrant background or a multi-ethnic background tend to end up in betweenship, to greater extent. To achieve the study`s purpose and answer the research questions I have chosen to conduct a qualitative interview study based on semi-structured interviews with first and second generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia living in Sweden. The theories used in the study to analyze the result were inbetweenship and national identity as a grounded conceptual definition.  The results showed that first-generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia did not perceive themselves as Swedes, but in all cases referred to their ethnic origin when speaking about their national identity and identity perception. The results also showed that second-generation immigrants partly experienced their identity in similar way. However, second-generation immigrants tended to experience their identity as Swedish and not in relation to their ethnic origin in half of the cases.

This thesis is a comparative sociolinguistic study which describes and compares language choice among people with Hungarian background in Sweden and Finland and studies their views on the importance of the Hungarian language and Hungarian cultural heritage for identity. The future prospects of language maintenance and language shift and differences between the Swedish-Hungarians and the Finnish-Hungarians are discussed. A survey was completed among 50 Swedish-Hungarian informants and 38 Finnish-Hungarian informants during 2006. The survey was supplemented by in-depth interviews with 15 informants during 2007. The majority language, either Swedish or Finnish, is much more active in the second-generation Hungarians’ lives than Hungarian is. Hungarian is mostly used in the domain of family relations. The language choices made today are dependent on the informant’s situation during childhood, particularly the parents’ usage of the language and the ability to learn and use Hungarian, chiefly gained through contact with the parents’ mother country and other Hungarian speakers. For some informants, having Hungarian roots forms the sole foundation for belonging, while for others it is this heritage combined with the culture, the ability to use the language or specific character traits. The Hungarian background is most often seen as a treasure offering diversity in life. Finnish-Hungarians are generally more positive about their Hungarian background, have better competence in the language and a greater awareness of the culture than Swedish-Hungarians. The Hungarian language plays a central though often symbolic role. The most important conditions for minority language preservation are language competence together with the desire and opportunity to use it; whereof the largest deficit among second-generation Hungarians is knowledge of the Hungarian language. Only one-fourth of the informants have all of the conditions necessary to be able to maintain the language, which means that Hungarian is an endangered minority language in Sweden and Finland.

This thesis is a comparative sociolinguistic study which describes and compares language choice among people with Hungarian background in Sweden and Finland and studies their views on the importance of the Hungarian language and Hungarian cultural heritage for identity. The future prospects of language maintenance and language shift and differences between the Swedish-Hungarians and the Finnish-Hungarians are discussed. A survey was completed among 50 Swedish-Hungarian informants and 38 Finnish-Hungarian informants during 2006. The survey was supplemented by in-depth interviews with 15 informants during 2007. The majority language, either Swedish or Finnish, is much more active in the second-generation Hungarians’ lives than Hungarian is. Hungarian is mostly used in the domain of family relations. The language choices made today are dependent on the informant’s situation during childhood, particularly the parents’ usage of the language and the ability to learn and use Hungarian, chiefly gained through contact with the parents’ mother country and other Hungarian speakers. For some informants, having Hungarian roots forms the sole foundation for belonging, while for others it is this heritage combined with the culture, the ability to use the language or specific character traits. The Hungarian background is most often seen as a treasure offering diversity in life. Finnish-Hungarians are generally more positive about their Hungarian background, have better competence in the language and a greater awareness of the culture than Swedish-Hungarians. The Hungarian language plays a central though often symbolic role. The most important conditions for minority language preservation are language competence together with the desire and opportunity to use it; whereof the largest deficit among second-generation Hungarians is knowledge of the Hungarian language. Only one-fourth of the informants have all of the conditions necessary to be able to maintain the language, which means that Hungarian is an endangered minority language in Sweden and Finland.

Thunderstorms, due to their high frequency of occurrence over southern Africa, and their major contribution to summer rainfall are the primary focus of very short range forecasting and nowcasting efforts in South Africa. With a limited number of surface and upper-air observations and the limited availability of numerical model output most southern African countries are heavily reliant on satellite technology. In developing tools for the first twelve forecast hours the South African Weather Service has to address both the national and regional needs. Thus, the blending of techniques in an optimal manner is essential. This study initially describes how the Global Instability Index product derived from the European Meteosat Second Generation Satellite was adapted for South African circumstances using a different numerical model to provide background information – creating the Regional Instability Indices (RII). The focus of the study is the development of a new convection indicator, called the Combined Instability Index (CII), which calculates the probability of convection from satellite derived instability indices and moisture, as well as height above sea level early in the morning when the sky is relatively cloud free. Early morning CII values were evaluated statistically against the occurrence of lightning over South Africa, where a lightning network is available, as well as against satellite derived precipitation over southern Africa, later in the same day. It is shown that the CII not only performs well, but also outperforms the individual RII when compared to the occurrence of lightning. The CII will be beneficial to operational forecasters to focus their attention on the area which is most favourable for the development of convection later in the day. / Environmental Sciences / Ph. D. (Environmental Sciences)

Les antipsychotiques de deuxième génération (ADG) sont de plus en plus employés dans le traitement de troubles psychiatriques. Selon de nombreuses observations cliniques, les effets secondaires reliés à la prise d’ADG diffèrent chez les patients atteints de schizophrénie (SCZ) et de maladies affectives (MA) éprouvent divers. Ainsi, il s’avère nécessaire d’étudier la fréquence et l'intensité des effets secondaires induits par les ADG qui pourraient différer selon le diagnostic. Pour ce faire, nous avons effectué une revue systématique de la littérature afin d’identifier l’ensemble des études rapportant les effets secondaires de cinq ADG (aripiprazole, olanzapine, quétiapine, rispéridone et ziprasidone) dans le traitement de la schizophrénie ou des maladies affectives. Les effets secondaires métaboliques et extrapyramidaux ont été recueillis séparément pour les deux groupes de patients, puis ont été combinés dans une méta-analyse. Des méta-régressions ainsi que des sous-analyses ont également été effectuées dans le but de regarder l’effet de différents modérateurs (i.e. âge, genre, et dose). Dans la présente méta-analyse, 107 études ont été inclues. Les résultats montrent que le traitement avec l’olanzapine a occasionné une plus importante prise de poids chez les patients SCZ comparativement aux patients MA. De plus, le traitement à la quétiapine a amené une hausse significative du taux de LDL et de cholestérol total dans le groupe SCZ par rapport au groupe MA. Selon nos résultats, les symptômes extrapyramidaux étaient plus fréquents dans le groupe MA, excepté pour le traitement à l'olanzapine qui a induit davantage de ces symptômes chez les patients SCZ. Également, nos résultats suggèrent que les patients SCZ seraient plus vulnérables à certains effets métaboliques induits par les ADG dû à une possible susceptibilité génétique ou à la présence de facteurs de risque associés au style de vie. D'autre part, les patients MA en comparaison aux SCZ étaient plus enclins à souffrir de troubles du mouvement induits par les ADG. Bref, les ADG semblent exacerber certains types d’effets secondaires tout dépendant de la maladie dans laquelle on les utilise. / Second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are extensively prescribed for psychiatric disorders. Based on clinical observations, schizophrenia (SCZ) and affective disorders (AD) patients experience different SGAs side effects. The expanded use of SGAs in psychiatry suggests a need to investigate whether there is a difference in the incidence and severity of side-effects related to diagnosis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify studies reporting side effects of five SGAs (aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone and ziprasidone) in the treatment of SCZ or AD. The metabolic and extrapyramidal side effects were collected separately for each group, and then were combined in a meta-analysis. Meta-regression and sub-analyses were also performed to investigate the role of different moderators (e.g., age, dose and gender). One hundred and seven studies were included in the analysis. Olanzapine induced a body weight gain significantly higher in SCZ patients than in AD patients. In addition, quetiapine treatment led to significantly higher LDL and total cholesterol mean change in the SCZ group relative to the AD group. Based on our results, the incidence of extrapyramidal side effects was more frequent in the AD group, except for olanzapine that caused more parkinsonism in SCZ patients. Our results suggest that SCZ patients may be more vulnerable to some SGA-induced metabolic disturbances, in which lifestyle risk factors and a possible inherent genetic vulnerability may play a role. Most of the studied SGAs caused more movement disorders in AD patients than in schizophrenics. It might be that an antipsychotic induces severity of side effect according to the phenotype.

Cervical cancer rates among Vietnamese American women are the highest when compared to other women of color and white women. In an article by Taylor, Nguyen, and McPhee, a majority of Vietnamese Americans immigrated to the United States over the last three decades; and the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans identified cervical cancer among Vietnamese women as one of the most important health disparities experienced by the Asian American population. HPV vaccination, according to the CDC, helps prevent cervical cancer and it is recommended that female and male preteens, ages 11 or 12, receive the vaccination. My research aims to better understand what second generation Vietnamese American women know about the HPV vaccination, their relationship to healthcare, and their overall health. By interviewing second generation Vietnamese American women, I hope they become more empowered to ask their doctors about health disparities that affect their communities. In looking at preventative measures to cervical cancer and trying to better understand a vulnerable population's relationship to healthcare, I hope that the rates of cervical cancer will go down in Vietnamese American women. Furthermore, I hope to push for greater disaggregation of data collection among Asian American populations to better understand the health disparities that affect the various ethnicities that fall under the umbrella term, Asian American.

A produção de biocombustíveis de segunda geração está entre os temas mais pesquisados atualmente. Entre estes, a obtenção de etanol a partir de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar é de grande interesse nacional, considerando-se a abundância desta matéria-prima no país e a possibilidade de incremento na produção deste álcool sem necessidade de expansão da área plantada. Sob o ponto de vista de produção industrial, no entanto, é fundamental o desenvolvimento de trabalhos visando ao estudo de alternativas de processos e biorreatores susceptíveis de ampliação de escala. Estratégias como sacarificação e fermentação/cofermentação simultâneas (SSF/SSCF) têm sido estudadas e têm como vantagens a intensificação do processo pela redução do custo de investimento e minimização de problemas de inibição de enzimas por produtos. No entanto, neste caso, geralmente o uso de condições não otimizadas (temperatura) para cada passo biológico é desvantajoso. Com o objetivo de superar essa desvantagem, avaliou-se o uso de reatores de coluna interconectados para a produção de etanol a partir de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar empregando células de Scheffersomyces shehatae imobilizadas em alginato de cálcio em sistema SSCF. O bagaço foi previamente pré-tratado por processo alcalino e alcalino assistido por cavitação hidrodinâmica. Experimentos em SSCF em batelada foram realizados usando duas colunas interconectadas. Uma delas (para hidrólise) foi mantida a 50ºC e carregada com bagaço pré-tratado e a outra coluna (para fermentação) foi mantida a 30°C e carregada com células imobilizadas. Meio contendo preparação comercial de celulases e nutrientes para o micro-organismo foi recirculado entre as colunas. Os efeitos da vazão de recirculação e carga enzimática foram avaliados usando planejamento estatístico como ferramenta. Dados iniciais de hidrólise enzimática em reator de coluna mostraram elevada taxa de reação no início do processo, com redução desta ao longo da hidrólise devido à recalcitrância crescente do material residual à ação enzimática. Os resultados obtidos no planejamento estatístico mostraram que a carga enzimática foi a variável mais influente no processo, embora a vazão de recirculação e a interação entre as variáveis também tenham apresentado efeitos significativos. As condições selecionadas corresponderam a uma vazão de recirculação de 14 mL/min e carga enzimática de 15 FPU/g e os experimentos nestas condições resultaram em valores de fator de rendimento (Yp/s) de 0,493 g/g, produtividade volumétrica de 0,469 g.L-1.h-1 e eficiência de 96,58%. Além disso, nestas condições, 70,72±1,32 % da celulose presente inicialmente no material e 56,37±0,76 % da hemicelulose foram hidrolisadas. O sistema mostrouse adequado para realização do processo SSCF, com potencial para ser utilizado para intensificação da produção de etanol 2G em biorrefinarias. / Currently, the production of second generation biofuels is one of the most researched topics. Among these, the ethanol obtained from sugarcane bagasse is of great national interest, considering the abundance of this raw material in the country and the possibility of increasing the production of this alcohol without the need of expanding the crop area. From viewpoint of industrial production, however, the development of studies of process alternatives and bioreactors adequate for scale up is fundamental. Strategies as saccharification and simultaneous fermentation/cofermentation (SSF/SSCF) have been studied and have as advantages the intensification of the process by reducing the cost of investment and minimizing problems of inhibition of enzymes by hydrolysis products. However, in this case, generally the use of non-optimized conditions (temperature) for each biological step is disadvantageous. In order to overcome this drawback, the use of interconnected column reactors for the production of ethanol from sugarcane bagasse was evaluated using calcium alginate immobilized cells of Scheffersomyces shehatae in SSCF system. The bagasse was previously pretreated by alkaline and hydrodynamic cavitation-assisted alkaline process. Batch experiments of SSCF were performed using two interconnected columns. One of them (for hydrolysis) was kept at 50 ° C and loaded with pre-treated bagasse and the other column (for fermentation) was kept at 30 ° C and loaded with immobilized cells. Medium containing comercial preparation of cellulases and nutrients for the microorganism was recirculated between the columns. The effects of recirculation flow and enzymatic loading were evaluated using statistical design as a tool. Initial data on enzymatic hydrolysis in a column reactor showed a high reaction rate at the beginning of the process, with a reduction in the hydrolysis rate along the process due to the increasing recalcitrance of the residual material to the enzymatic action. The results obtained in the statistical design showed that enzymatic loading was the most influential variable in the process, although the recirculation flow rate and the interaction between the variables also had significant effects. The selected conditions corresponded to a recirculation flow rate of 14 mL/min and enzyme loading of 15 FPU/g and the experiments carried out under these conditions resulted in yield factor (Yp/s) values of 0.493 g/g, volumetric productivity of 0.469 gL- 1.h-1 and fermentation efficiency of 96.58%. Moreover, under these conditions, 70.72±1.32 % of the cellulose initially present in the material and 56.37±0.76 % of the hemicellulose were hydrolyzed. The system proved to be adequate to perform the SSCF process, with potential to be used to intensify the production of 2G ethanol in biorefineries.