Power as a concept has a long history of being debated in regards to foreign policy, whereforeign aid as a tool can create asymmetrical power dynamics between donor and recipient.Traditional donors' own national interests have frequently been reduced to security oreconomic motives. China, an independent and emerging donor, is thought to be among themajor donors of foreign aid today. With the growing Belt and Road Initiative, China's globaleconomic ambition is increasing. The general theme of this study is power in relation toforeign aid. The aim is to examine donor motives and how foreign aid can transitioneconomic power to political influence in accordance with Joseph Nye’s theory of power. Inaddition, could China's aid-project be regarded as a “smart power”-strategy? This was doneby examining China’s whitebook on development cooperation through a motive analysis. Inaddition, a method of process-tracing on the case of Chinese aid to Cambodia wasimplemented to examine how China’s foreign aid can manifest as a means of power.Cambodia is a top receiver of Chinese aid, and therefore interesting to explore. The resultsshowed that China’s donor motives can be summarised as security, global development andambition, cooperation, commercial and diplomatic interests. Furthermore, evidence was foundthat Chinese foreign aid can be considered a means of power in Cambodia. Largely becauseof an asymmetrical bilateral relationship as well as Cambodia’s weak state capacity.

As part of the transition towards a fully sustainable energy system, green hydrogen shows great potential to decarbonise several hard-to-abate sectors. To provide the fossil-free electricity required for electrolysis, offshore wind power has emerged as a suggested option. In this report, four scenarios using different electrolyser placements and technologies are compared and applied in a 30-year case study considering a 1 GW offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The scenarios are evaluated through the optimisation of electrolyser capacities, full system modelling and simulation, a techno-economic assessment, as well as a literature review of technological readiness, safety aspects and operational considerations. It is shown that a range of installed capacities offers only slight differences in levelised costs and that the optimal sizes to a large part depend on future electrolyser cost developments. A 1:1 sizing ratio between electrolyser capacity and maximum available power is not suggested for any of the studied configurations. Further, the simulations indicate that electrolyser inefficiencies constitute 63.2–68.5% of the total energy losses. Power transmission losses are relatively small due to the short transmission distance, while the power demands of several subsystems are nearly insignificant. Onshore H2 production using an alkaline electrolyser system is highlighted, offering the highest system efficiency and largest hydrogen production, at 55.93% and 2.23 Mton, respectively. This setup is further shown to be the most cost-efficient, offering a levelised cost of hydrogen at 3.15 €/kgH2. However, obstacles in the form of social and environmental concerns and regulations are seemingly larger compared to the scenarios using offshore electrolysis. Further, rapid future cost developments for electrolysers are likely to strengthen the case for offshore and PEM electrolyser configurations. A range of research opportunities are highlighted to fill the identified knowledge gaps and enable further insights. / Como parte de la transicion hacia un sistema energético totalmente sostenible, el hidrógeno verde muestra un gran potencial para descarbonizar varios sectores en los que es difíciles de conseguir. La energía eólica marina ha surgido como una opción para suministrar la electricidad libre de fósiles necesaria para la electrólisis. En este informe se comparan y aplican cuatro escenarios que utilizan diferentes ubicaciones y tecnologías de electrolizadores en un estudio de caso a 30 aoñs que considera un parque eólico marino de 1 GW en el Mar Báltico. Los escenarios se evalúan mediante una optimización de la capacidad de los electrolizadores, la modelización y simulación de todo el sistema, una revisión bibliográfica de la disponibilidad tecnológica, teniendo en cuenta los aspectos de seguridad y las consideraciones operativas. Se demuestra que una gama de capacidades instaladas ofrece sólo ligeras diferencias en los costes nivelados y que los tamaños óptimos dependen en gran medida de la evolución futura de los costes de los electrolizadores. No se recomienda una relación de tamaño de 1:1 entre entre la capacidad del electrolizador y la potencia máxima disponible. Además, las simulaciones indican que las ineficiencias del electrolizador constituyen entre el 63,2% y el 68,5% de las pérdidas totales de energía. Las pérdidas de transmisión de energía son relativamente pequeñas debido a la corta distancia de transmisión, mientras que las demandas de energía de varios subsistemas son casi insignificantes. Destaca la producción de H2 en tierra utilizando un sistema de electrolizador alcalino, que ofrece la mayor eficiencia del sistema y la mayor producción de hidrógeno, con un 55,93% y 2,23 Mton respectivamente. Además, este sistema es el más rentable, con un coste nivelado del hidrógeno de 3,15 €/kgH2. Sin embargo, los obstáculos sociales, medioambientales y normativos parecen ser mayores que en el caso de la electrólisis en alta mar. Además, es probable que la rápida evolución de los costes de los electrolizadores refuerce las configuraciones de electrolizadores marinos y PEM. Se destacan en el documento una serie de oportunidades de investigación con el fin de completar el estado del arte identificado.

As part of the transition towards a fully sustainable energy system, green hydrogen shows great potential to decarbonise several hard-to-abate sectors. To provide the fossil-free electricity required for electrolysis, offshore wind power has emerged as a suggested option. In this report, four scenarios using different electrolyser placements and technologies are compared and applied in a 30-year case study considering a 1 GW offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The scenarios are evaluated through the optimisation of electrolyser capacities, full system modelling and simulation, a techno-economic assessment, as well as a literature review of technological readiness, safety aspects and operational considerations. It is shown that a range of installed capacities offers only slight differences in levelised costs and that the optimal sizes to a large part depend on future electrolyser cost developments. A 1:1 sizing ratio between electrolyser capacity and maximum available power is not suggested for any of the studied configurations. Further, the simulations indicate that electrolyser inefficiencies constitute 63.2–68.5% of the total energylosses. Power transmission losses are relatively small due to the short transmission distance, while the power demands of several subsystems are nearly insignificant. Onshore H2 production using an alkaline electrolyser system is highlighted, offering the highest system efficiency and largest hydrogen production, at 55.93% and 2.23 Mton, respectively. This setup is further shown to be the most cost-efficient, offering a levelised cost of hydrogen at 3.15 €/kgH2. However, obstacles in the form of social and environmental concerns and regulations are seemingly larger compared to the scenarios using offshore electrolysis. Further, rapid future cost developments for electrolysers are likely to strengthen the case for offshore and PEM electrolyser configurations. A range of research opportunities are highlighted to fill the identified knowledge gaps and enable further insights. / Como parte de la transición hacia un sistema energético totalmente sostenible, el hidrógeno verde muestra un gran potencial para descarbonizar varios sectores en los que es difíciles de conseguir. La energía eólica marina ha surgido como una opción para suministrar la electricidad libre de fósiles necesaria para la electrólisis. En este informe se comparan y aplican cuatro escenarios que utilizan diferentes ubicaciones y tecnologías de electrolizadores en un estudio de caso a 30 años que considera un parque eólico marino de 1 GW en el Mar Báltico. Los escenarios se evalúan mediante una optimización de la capacidad de los electrolizadores, la modelización y simulación de todo el sistema, una revisión bibliográfica de la disponibilidad tecnológica, teniendo en cuenta los aspectos de seguridad y las consideraciones operativas. Se demuestra que una gama de capacidades instaladas ofrece sólo ligeras diferencias en los costes nivelados y que los tamaños óptimos dependen en gran medida de la evolución futura de los costes de los electrolizadores. No se recomienda una relación de tamaño de 1:1 entre entre la capacidad del electrolizador y la potencia máxima disponible. Además, las simulaciones indican que las ineficiencias del electrolizador constituyen entre el 63,2% y el 68,5% de las pérdidas totales de energía. Las pérdidas de transmisión de energía son relativamente pequeñas debido a la corta distancia de transmisión, mientras que las demandas de energía de varios subsistemas son casi insignificantes. Destaca la producción de H2 en tierra utilizando un sistema de electrolizador alcalino, que ofrece la mayor eficiencia del sistema y la mayor producción de hidrógeno, con un 55,93% y 2,23 Mton respectivamente. Además, este sistema es el más rentable, con un coste nivelado del hidrógeno de 3,15 €/kgH2. Sin embargo, los obstáculos sociales, medioambientales y normativos parecen ser mayores que en el caso de la electrólisis en alta mar. Además, es probable que la rápida evolución de los costes de los electrolizadores refuerce las configuraciones de electrolizadores marinos y PEM. Se destacan en el documento una serie de oportunidades de investigacin ócon el fin de completar el estado del arte identificado.

Encoding and consolidation of memories are two processes within the hippocampus, and connected cortical networks, that recruit different circuit level dynamics to effectively process and pass information from brain region to brain region. In the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal layer local field potential (LFP), these processes take the form of theta and sharp wave ripples (SPW-Rs) for encoding and consolidation, respectively. As an animal runs through an environment, neurons become active at specific locations in the environment (place cells) increasing their firing rate, functionally representing these specific locations. These firing rate increases are organized within the local theta oscillations and sequential activation of many place cells creates a map of the environment. Once the animal stops moving and begins consummatory behaviors, such as eating, drinking, or grooming, theta activity diminishes, and large irregular activity (LIA) begins to dominate the LFP. Spontaneously, with the LIA, the place cells active during the experience are replayed during SPW-Rs in the same spatial order they were encountered in the environment. Both theta and SPW-R oscillations and their associated neuronal firing are necessary for effective place recognition as well as learning and memory. As such, interruption or termination of SPW-R events results in decreased learning performance over days. During exploration, the associated theta and sequential place cell activity is thought to encode the experience. During quiet restfulness or slow wave sleep (SWS), SPW-R events, that replay experience specific place sequences, are thought to be the signal by which systems consolidation progresses and the hippocampus guides cortical synaptic reorganization. The granular retrosplenial cortex (gRSC) is an associational area that exhibits high frequency oscillations (HFOs) during both hippocampal theta and SPW-Rs, and is potentially a period when the gRSC interprets incoming content from the hippocampus during encoding and systems consolidation. However, the precise laminar organization of synaptic currents supporting HFOs, whether the local gRSC circuitry can support HFOs without patterned input, and the precise coupling of hippocmapla oscillations to gRSC HFOs across brain states remains unknown. We aimed to answer these questions using in vivo, awake electrophysiological recordings in head-fixed mice that were trained to run for water rewards in a 1D virtual environment. We show that gRSC synaptic currents supporting HFOs, across all awake brain states, are exclusively localized to layer 2/3 (L2/3), even when events are detected within layer 5 (L5). Using focal optogenetics, both L2/3 and L5 can generate induced HFOs given a strong enough broad stimulation. Spontaneous gRSC HFOs occurring outside of SPW-Rs are highly comodulated with medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) generated high gamma in hippocampal stratum lacunosum moleculare. gRSC HFOs may serve a necessary role in communication between the hippocampus during SPW-Rs states and between the hippocampus, gRSC, and MEC during theta states to support memory consolidation and memory encoding, respectively. / Doctor of Philosophy / As an animal moves through an environment, individual neurons in the hippocampus, known as place cells, increase and decrease their firing rate as the animal enters and exits specific locations in the environment. Within an environment, multiple neurons become active in different locations, this cooperation of spiking in various locations creates a place map of the environment. Now let's say when the animal moved from one corner of the environment to another, place cells 'A', 'C', 'B', 'E', and 'D' became active in that order. This means, at any given point in the environment, the animal is standing in a venn-diagram-esque overlap of place fields, or locations individual place cells represent. A key question that entranced researchers for many years was how do these neurons know when to be active to not impinge on their neighbor's locations? The answer to this question rested with population electrical activity, known as the local field potential (LFP), that place cell activity is paced to. During active navigation through an environment, place cells activity is coupled to the phase of a slow ~8 hertz (Hz) theta oscillation. Within one theta cycle, or peak to peak, multiple place cells are active, representing the venn diagram of location the animal is in. Importantly, this theta activity and encoding of place cell activity is largely seen during active running or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During slow wave sleep (SWS), after an animal has experienced a specific environment and has created a place map, place cells are reactivated in the same order the animal experienced them in. From our previous example, the content of this reactivation would be the place cells 'A', 'C', 'B', 'E', and 'D' which all would be reactivated in that same order. These reactivations or replays occur during highly synchronous and fast LFP oscillations known as sharp wave-ripples (SPW-Rs). SPW-Rs are thought to be a key LFP event that drives memory consolidation and the eventual conversion of short-term memory into long-term memory. However, for consolidation to occur, connected cortical regions need to be able to receive and interpret the information within SPW-Rs. The granular retrosplenial cortex (gRSC) is one proposed region that serves this role. During SPW-Rs the superficial gRSC has been shown to exhibit high frequency oscillations (HFOs), which potentially serve the purpose for interpreting SPW-R content. However, HFOs have been reported during hippocampal theta, suggesting HFOs serve multiple purposes in interregional communication across different states. In this study, we found that naturally occurring gRSC HFOs occur exclusively in layer 2/3 across all awake brain states. Using focal optogenetic excitation we were able to evoke HFOs in both layer 2/3 and 5. Spontaneous gRSC HFOs occurring without SPW-Rs were highly comodulated with medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) generated high gamma in hippocampal stratum lacunosum moleculare. gRSC HFOs may serve a general role in supporting hippocampo-cortical dialogue during SPW-R and theta brain states to support memory consolidation and encoding, respectively.

This study is on the political and ethical aspects of recent advances in genetics. Its aim is to explicate the scientific and technological premises of genetics along historical, philosophical and political axes by employing the critical perspectives of Jonas, Heidegger and Foucault. Starting the discussion from a brief account of scientific and technological revolutions initiated in the 16th and 17th centuries, I defend the thesis that the idea of control and manipulation of life is not a novelty introduced by genetics, but a historical orientation underlying modern man&rsquo / s metaphysical reasoning. That is to say, &lsquo / the idea of control and manipulation of life&rsquo / is not an unintended technological excess of genetic practices, and hence a transgression of our moral principles. Rather, this endeavour is a scientific and technological &lsquo / project&rsquo / which has been at the very core of modern man&rsquo / s rational political agenda. Therefore, any attempts to understand genetics from a na&iuml / ve Baconian utilitarianism and optimism fails to grasp its complicated political nature. For the ethical concerns to become more comprehensive, three genetic cases (prenatal screening tests, cloning, and genetic engineering) are examined in the light of the philosophical reflections of Jonas and Heidegger. Besides, following Foucault&rsquo / s critical assessments of medicine and bio-power, a &lsquo / fourth spatialization of disease&rsquo / is proposed at the end of the study in order to evaluate the transformations with the introduction of genetics into medicine. Consequently, it is argued that geneticized medicine might sign a new regime of bio-power &ndash / a reconfiguration of knowledge, power and subjectivity.