This research work is driven by a desire to improve status quo in the area of New Zealand’s political, business and person-to-person relations with the post-Soviet Baltic Republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (the Baltics or the Baltic States), which by now represent an integral part of the European Union (EU). The example of Estonia will be tested as a possible ‘gateway’ for New Zealand trying to undertake its most recent endeavours towards discovering the Baltic region. The dissertation’s response variable can be outlined as ‘New Zealand multi-dimensional interactions with the post-Soviet Baltic Republics, particularly with the Republic of Estonia’. At the same time, the descriptive nature of the dependent variable is planned to be expanded with the help of the manipulated variable that will lead this research work. The latter variable will be formulated as ‘Estonia, a democratic, transparent, free-market state, can be chosen as a ‘gateway’ for New Zealand politics, business circles and the public in their endeavours to succeed in the post-Soviet Baltic region of the EU’. Such an approach will give a chance to scrutinise the studied issues comprehensively, from several angles (such as ‘theoretical’, ‘operational’ and ‘structural’), and by answering the following three research questions: is it necessary for New Zealand to promote its interests and values in the region of the Baltic States; does an idea to choose one of the three Baltic States as a ‘hub’ for promoting New Zealand interests and values in the Baltic region of the EU have a perspective; and can Estonia be considered/recommended to become such a ‘hub’? This dissertation is among the first attempts to address a deficit of scholarship studying New Zealand relations with the post-Soviet Baltic region. Its findings could be used by both New Zealand and the Baltics’ decision-makers in the field of international relations.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made chemicals. Their unique properties make them beneficial for a wide range of industrial and consumer product applications, such as in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), durable water repellent clothing, hydraulic oils and food packaging materials. Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), a class of PFASs, are highly persistent in the environment, and long chain PFAAs are bioaccumulative and toxic. International regulation and voluntary actions by the industry have been implemented and led to a recent reduction of primary emissions of PFAAs to the environment. However, point sources such as AFFF training sites as well as diffuse sources continue to contaminate water bodies, soil and biota. Reducing environmental pollution with PFAAs has therefore become a regulatory priority. Designing successful measures to reduce the PFAA contamination requires an understanding of the sources, transport and fate of PFAAs in the environment. Four scientific publications are included in this PhD thesis, which aimed at increasing the holistic understanding of the fate of PFAAs in aquatic systems. This was achieved by chemical trace analysis combined with mass balance modeling. The following topics were covered: Dispersion and fate of PFAAs from an AFFF-impacted site (Paper I), recirculation of PFAAs in the aquatic environment with focus on waste water treatment plants (WWTPs, Paper II), mass balance of PFAAs in the Baltic Sea (Paper III) and transport and fate of PFAAs in two pristine boreal stream catchments (Paper IV). Results from Paper I showed that AFFF-impacted sites at a former military airfield, which was abandoned for more than 30 years, continue to be point sources of PFAAs to recipients. The sum of PFAAs in the ground water and surface waters ranged from 740 to 51000 ng L-1 and &lt;0.5 to 79 ng L-1, respectively. PFOS in muscle tissue of European perch from a nearby lake ranged from 77 to 370 ng g-1 wet weight, representing among the highest values reported worldwide for fish muscle. In Paper II the relative importance of environmental recirculation of PFAAs versus new releases from the technosphere was investigated for PFAAs in WWTP influents. It was shown that tap water can be an important source of PFAAs to WWTPs in areas with elevated environmental levels. This needs to be taken into account when calculating emissions via WWTP effluents. PFAA mass balances over the WWTPs suggested that PFHxA and PFOA were formed from precursor compounds within the plants. Assembled PFAA mass balances for the Baltic Sea (Paper III) showed that river inflow and atmospheric deposition were the dominant input pathways, while wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents discharging directly into the Baltic Sea made a minor contribution. The inputs of PFAAs were estimated to be higher than the outputs, suggesting a current increase of the PFAA inventory in the Baltic Sea. Also the mass balance study of PFAAs in two remote stream catchments presented in Paper IV revealed that inputs dominated over outputs for both catchments, indicating that a considerable portion of the PFAAs deposited from the atmosphere is retained in soil or in deep ground water and may be released to surface and marine water environments in the future / Perfluoralkilne tvari (PFASs) su umjetne kemikalije. Zbog svojih jedinstvenih svojstava široko su primjenjive u industriji i izradi proizvoda krajnje potrošnje kao što su pjena za gašenje požara (AFFF), vodootporna odjeća, hidraulična ulja i pakiranja za hranu. Perfluoralkilna kiselina (PFAAs) iz skupine perfluoralkilnih tvari iznimno je dugotrajna u okolišu, a dugolančane PFAAs su bioakumulativne i otrovne. Poduzeta međunarodna regulativa i dobrovoljne akcije vodile su nedavno smanjenoj primarnoj emisiji PFAAs u okoliš. Unatoč tome, primarni izvori, kao što su mjesta na kojima se provode treninzi za gašenje požara i difuzni izvori i dalje zagađuju vode, tlo i biotu. Zbog toga, smanjenje onečišćenja okoliša izazvanog PFAAs predstavlja regulatorni prioritet. Stvaranje uspješnih mjera kojima bi se smanjilo onečišćenje izazvano PFAAs zahtjeva razumijevanje izvora, prijenosa i sudbine tih tvari u okolišu. U ovaj doktorat uključena su četiri znanstvena članka kojima je cilj povećati sveukupno razumijevanje sudbine PFAAs u vodenim sustavima. To je postignuto kemijskom analizom elemenata u tragovima u kombinaciji s modeliranjem masene ravnoteže. Obrađene su sljedeće teme: Širenje i sudbina PFAAs na područjima zahvaćenim AFFF (Članak I), ponovna cirkulacija PFAAs u vodenom okolišu s naglaskom na postrojenja za pročišćavanje otpadnih voda (Članak II), masena ravnoteža PFAAs u Baltičkom moru (Članak III) te prijenos i sudbina PFAAs u dva udaljena sjeverna vodena toka (Članak IV).   Rezultati iz Članka I pokazali su da su područja zahvaćena AFFF na bivšem vojnom aerodromu napuštenom prije 30 godina i dalje je glavni izvor PFAA zagadenja okolisa. Zbroj PFAAs u podzemnim i površinskim vodama kreće se u rasponu od 740 do 51000 ng L-1 i &lt;0.5 do 79 ng L-1. PFOS u mišićnom tkivu grgeča iz obližnjeg jezera kreće se od 77 do 370 ng g-1 mokre težine, predstavljajući jednu od najviših vrijednosti u svijetu za riblje mišiće. Članak II istražuje relativnu važnost ponovne cirkulacije PFAAs imajući na umu novu emisiju PFAAs iz tehnosfere u postrojenjima za pročišćavanje otpadnih voda. Cirkulacija/kruženje u okolišu može se pojaviti kada PFAAs iz sustava pitke voda (rijeka, bunara i jezera) odlaze u otpadne vode. Prikazano je kako voda iz slavine može biti važan izvor PFAAs sustavima za pročišćavanje otpadnih voda u područjima s povišenim razinama zaštite okoliša. To se treba uzeti u obzir pri računanju emisije putem strojeva koji se koriste za pročišćenje otpadnih voda. Masena ravnoteža PFAA u postrojenjima za pročišćavanje otpadnih voda upućuje na to da su PFHxA i PFOA stvoreni kao prethodni spojevi unutar postrojenja. Prikupljene masene ravnoteže PFAA za Baltičko more (Članak III) pokazale su da su pritoke rijeka i atmosfersko taloženje dominantni ulazni putovi, dok postrojenja za pročišćenje otpadnih voda pridonose tek u manjoj mjeri. Ulaz PFAAs je procijenjen višim od izlaza, što objašnjava trenutno povećanje sadržaja PFAA u Baltičkom moru. Masena ravnoteža PFAAs u dva udaljena riječna toka predstavljena u Članku IV otkriva da ulaz dominira nad izlazom za oba riječna toka, što upućuje na značajan udio PFAAs koji je iz atmosfere zadržan u tlu ili podzemnim vodama te može biti ispušten u područja površinskih voda i mora. / Perfluorerade alkylsyror (PFAA) är kemikalier som är producerade av människan. Deras unika egenskaper gör att de kan användas i många olika industriella applikationer. PFAAs används i brandsläckningsskum, vattenavvisande kläder, hydrauliska oljor och matförpackningar. PFAAs har visat sig vara persistenta i miljön, och långkedjiga PFAA-homologer har visat sig vara bioackumulerbara samt ha en toxisk verkan. Reglering på internationell nivå tillsammans med initiativ från industrin har lett till minskning av direkta utsläpp. Punktkällor som brandövningsplatser samt andra diffusa källor fortsätter att förorena omgivande vattendrag, jordlager och fauna. Den utbredda föroreningen av PFAAs har därför blivit prioriterad för reglering. För att förstå utsläppen av PFAAs i miljön, hur de transporteras samt deras öde i miljön, är det viktigt att utföra studier som belyser dessa områden.   Denna doktorsavhandling inkluderar fyra vetenskapliga publikationer. Syftet med de underliggande studierna var att öka den holistiska förståelsen av PFAAs rörelse i akvatiska system. Studierna gjordes genom att kombinera kemiska analysmetoder med modellering. Följande  studier genomfördes; Transport och spridning av PFAAs från en brandövningsplats (Paper I), recyklering av PFAAs i den akvatiska miljön med fokus på vattenreningsverk (Paper II), massbalans av PFAAs i Östersjön (Paper III), transport och öde av PFAAs i två pristina vattendrag (Paper IV).   Resultat från (Paper I) visade att brandövningsplatser vid en flygplats som inte har varit i bruk i mer än 30 år, fortfarande är punktkällor av PFAAs till omgivande vattendrag. Summan av PFAAs koncentrationer i grundvattnet och ytvattnet sträckte sig från 740 till 51000 ng L-1 och &lt;0.5 till 79 ng L-1 i respektive vattendrag. Koncentrationen av PFOS i muskelvävnad från  aborre i en av sjöarna var 77 till 370 ng g-1 våtvikt. Dessa värden representerar några av de högsta uppmätta koncentrationerna i världen. I Paper II testades betydelsen av PFAAs från recirkulering i miljön i jämförelse med nya utsläpp från teknosfären. Recirkulering av PFAAs i miljön kan förekomma då PFAAs i inkommande vatten till reningsverk kommer från dricksvatten. Denna studie visar att dricksvatten kan vara en påtaglig källa av PFAAs till vattenreningsverk i områden med förhöjda halter av PFAAs i miljön. Detta måste tas hänsyn till när man beräknar emissioner med utgående vatten från vattenreningsverk. Massbalanser av PFAAs i reningsverken visar att PFHxA och PFOA bildades av prekursorämnen i vattenreningsverken. I Paper III beräknades massbalanserna av PFAAs i Östersjön, beräkningarna visar att floder och atmosfärisk nedebörd var de viktigaste källorna medan utsläppen från vattenreningsverk var markant lägre. Importen av PFAAs estimerades vara högre än exporten, varför vi tror att PFAAs mängden I Östersjön kommer att öka över tid. Vidare gjordes en mass balans av PFAAs i två avlägsna avrinningsområden (Paper IV). Resultaten visar att importen av PFAAs dominerar över exporten från båda avrinningsområdena. Detta indikerar att en stor del av PFAAs som kommer ner via nederbörd kommer att ansamlas i jorden eller i grundvattnet. Dessa PFAAs kan vid senare tillfälle komma att släppas ut till floder som rinner ut i marina vatten. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>

The ocean is the most extended biome present on our planet. Recent decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number and gravity of threats impacting the ocean, including discharge of pollutants, cultural eutrophication and spread of alien species. It is essential therefore to understand how different impacts may affect the marine realm, its life forms and biogeochemical cycles. The marine nitrogen cycle is of particular importance because nitrogen is the limiting factor in the ocean and a better understanding of its reaction mechanisms and regulation is indispensable. Furthermore, new nitrogen pathways have continuously been described. The scope of this project was to better constrain cause-effect mechanisms of microbially mediated nitrogen pathways, and how these can be affected by biotic and abiotic factors. This thesis demonstrates that meiofauna, the most abundant animal group inhabiting the world’s seafloors, considerably alters nitrogen cycling by enhancing nitrogen loss from the system. In contrast, larger fauna such as the polychaete Marenzelleria spp. enhance nitrogen retention, when they invade eutrophic Baltic Sea sediments. Sediment anoxia, caused by nutrient excess, has negative consequences for ecosystem processes such as nitrogen removal because it stops nitrification, which in turn limits both denitrification and anammox. This was the case of Himmerfjärden and Byfjord, two estuarine systems affected by anthropogenic activities, such as treated sewage discharges. When Byfjord was artificially oxygenated, nitrate reduction mechanisms started just one month after pumping. However, the balance between denitrification and nitrate ammonification did not favor either nitrogen removal or its retention. Anoxia is also present in aggregates of the filamentous cyanobacteria Nodularia spumigena. This thesis shows that even in fully oxic waters, millimetric aggregates can host anaerobic nitrogen processes, with clear implications for the pelagic compartment. While the thesis contributed to our knowledge on marine nitrogen cycling, more data need to be collected and experiments performed in order to understand key processes and regulation mechanisms of element cycles in the ocean. In this way, stakeholders may follow and take decisions in order to limit the continuous flow of human metabolites and impacts on the marine environment. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript.</p>

A mesocosm experiment with four triplicated treatments (control, clear carbon, pigment and dissolved organic matter) was carried out to investigate the effects of light (by pigment addition) and carbon (C) on phytoplankton communities and on the grazing pressure of microzooplankton on phytoplankton in the Baltic Sea. Phytoplankton concentration and species composition were determined by using an inverted microscope following the Utermöhl method. In order to measure differences in phyto-zooplankton trophic interactions between treatments, a dilution experiment was performed at the end of the mesocosm experiment. Surprisingly, the results show that light attenuation was beneficial to phytoplankton production while carbon enrichment had negative effects on phytoplankton production, the highest phytoplankton production was in the low light treatment and lowest phytoplankton production was in the clear C treatment. Cyanobacteria were the most dominant group, representing over 95% of the phytoplankton community. Diatoms were the least dominant group, representing less than 5% of the phytoplankton community. Microzooplankton grazing pressure was affected by light attenuation and C enrichment. Grazing pressure was highest on cyanobacteria in the clear C treatment, but chrysophytes experienced low grazing pressure and had high growth rates in the Control treatment where microzooplankton fed selectively on chrysophytes. The least abundant group, diatoms, decreased although they experienced no grazing pressure in the Control and clear C treatments. This experiment resulted in two surprising findings. First, increased light intensity reduced phytoplankton biomass, especially in the clear C treatment, and second, cyanobacteria constituted an important food source for microzooplankton grazers. This study adds to the increasing evidence that light effects can be counterintuitive and that cyanobacteria are not necessarily grazing resistant and can meditate nutrient transport to higher trophic levels.

In Rabelais and His World, Mikhail Bakhtin presents us both with a theory of carnival, and with an account of the historical decline of the carnivalesque since the Renaissance. This thesis uses Bakhtin's work as a point of departure for an analysis of particular moments in the history of post-Renaissance comic theory. It is argued both Bakhtin's account of carnivalesque decline provides us with a potent framework within which to perform such an analysis, and that this in turn facilitates a thorough interrogation of, and engagement with, Bakhtin's theory of carnival. Chapter One outlines Bakhtin's theory, identifying its historical and utopian dimensions, and exploring some of the problems which it generates. Chapter Two addresses some of the methodological issues relating to a historical analysis of comic theory, and situates Bakhtin's theory of carnival in relation to recent work in the area of comic theory. The remaining chapters focus on particular comic theory texts in the light of Bakhtin's thesis. Chapter Three contrasts Kant's analysis of humour with Schopenhauer's theory, relating the former to its Enlightenment context and the latter to its Romantic context. Chapter Four explores Bergson's discussion of laughter, situating it in relation to modernism, while Chapter Five reviews Freud's theory of jokes, examining the proximity between the structures of carnival and the structures of the Freudian joke. Chapter Six focuses on a Brechtian theory of comedy, assessing its relationship with the carnivalesque tradition, while Chapter Seven attempts to update Bakhtin's thesis in relation to contemporary configurations by exploring recent arguments concerning the comic credentials of postmodern culture. It is argued in conclusion that, if post-Renaissance culture has witnessed a decline in the significance of the carnivalesque, then the trajectory of that decline has undergone' a complex series of historical shifts and reversals.

In this work author pursuing to compare Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian institutions of the constitutional justice, bring out similarities and differences. To take notice of place of these institutions in states government system, method of formation, judge status, jurisdiction of institutions, process basic features, and determined judgments legal force. Of every democratic countries law systems fundament is constitution, so it is very important to guarantee the supremacy of law. Undoubtedly institutions of constitutional justice takes up one of the important place in assurance of constitutional conformity in state. author analyses institutions which implement constitutional control in most related neighbor countries: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In Lithuania and Latvia to fulfill this function there are established special institutions – Constitutional courts, meanwhile in Estonia this function is dedicated to supreme instance of common court system – Supreme Court, and if to make clear, one of constituent part of this court – Constitutional Review Chamber. Also, the fundamental models of constitutional justice and it's variety, and the history of constitutional justice institutions in Baltic states were discussed in brief in this work. Author analyses, why these institutions are considered to be a part of common court system. Basing on descriptive, comparative and analysis method were investigated the order of these institution formation, legal status of judges, the... [to full text]

Our understanding of turbot and flounder ecology in the Baltic Sea is insufficient for sound management decisions. This thesis aims to fill some gaps in current knowledge by providing information of the ecology of turbot and flounder within their juvenile habitat, and to relate these findings to issues assumed relevant for recruitment variation. Main focus is on turbot due to its relatively low abundance and high variability in recruitment. The distribution of both species was studied on different scales, as was environmental effects on food consumption in 0-group turbot. The 0-group turbot display a relatively restricted spatial distribution compared to flounder. This is possibly due to a more specialized diet, which may make them more vulnerable to habitat degradation, especially eutrophication as a strong negative correlation was found with the organic content in the sediment. The species show high temporal and spatial overlap when settling in July-September, with peak abundances in August, and at depths &lt;1 m. Both species display sedentary behavior within the nursery ground. Compared to flounder, turbot was more mobile potentially due to its restricted diet calling for extended searches. For turbot, feeding conditions appear to vary between size groups, which potentially could cause variations in survival between years through size-selective mortality. But, the predation may be low in central Baltic Sea as the abundance of the main predator, brown shrimp are comparatively low during flatfish occupancy. A significant positive relationship was found between the recruitment of turbot and flounder, which suggests that no inter-specific interactions during the juvenile stage affect recruitment. This co-variation also suggests that the recruitment of the species is determined by the same phenomena, potentially by large scale abiotic factors during the egg- and larval stage. For turbot, additional variability is potentially generated during the juvenile stage due to its relatively restricted food and habitat requirements. The specific habitat demands of turbot revealed in this thesis may be used to protect and restore essentially nursery grounds. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Submitted. Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Submitted.

Observations of feeding behaviour of common guillemots, Uria aalge, in June 2002 at the island Stora Karlsö in the Baltic Sea proper, and measurements of morphology and energy density in the prey fish sprat, Sprattus sprattus, showed that fish delivered to chicks at present are shorter and weigh less than in the 1970s. Long lasting attending periods and a feeding rate of 4.6 feeds per day indicate that parents are feeding their chicks at a maximum rate. Because of a decline in the energy density in sprat (22.4 kJg-1 dry weight) the daily energy intake of common guillemot chicks have declined noticeably. This could probably explain the observed decrease in fledging body weight of chicks through the 1990s. Baltic common guillemots do not seem to be able to select more energy-dense prey sizes or to switch to other prey species.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2008. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Diss. Stockholm : Stockholms universitet, 2008.