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Humans can influence the habitats that animals use by, for example, building railways that form barriers in the landscape, which disturb the animals and reduce their habitats. During the last ten years, wildlife accidents on railways have increased dramatically, and the measures to reduce accidents, such as building fences and wildlife passages, are very expensive. Acoustic stimuli can be used to scare roe deer away from different locations. Both experience and natural selection have affected animals and their behavior when they are exposed to threats from predators. The magnitude of the perceived threat and the degree of fear motivates which behavioral response is used. Some responses to threatening situations are flight, increased vigilance, and reduced foraging behavior. The purpose of this report is to investigate which acoustic stimuli cause the roe deer to leave the location and how much time they spend eating and being vigilant. By filming the roe deer when they were exposed to six different acoustic stimuli, human voice, dog barking, warning call from roe deer, pink noise, bird sounds and silent control, at feeding stations at Grimsö Research Station, I tested the influence of different stimuli on the behavior of roe deer. The results showed the roe deer spent the most time eating during a silent control period, when undisturbed. The pink noise and the human voice can possibly be used to ward off roe deer from the railroad tracks before the train arrives. The sound of dog barking and warning calls from another roe deer make the roe deer alert but the deer most often remain on the spot. Further investigations of acoustic stimuli are required to know the effectiveness of different stimuli to best avoid wildlife accidents in train traffic. / Människan kan förändra djurens habitat genom att bygga järnvägar som utgör barriärer i landskapet vilket stör djuren och minskar deras livsmiljöer. Under de senaste tio åren har viltolyckor på järnvägen ökat markant. Genom att bygga viltstängsel samt faunapassager kan man minska viltolyckorna och djuren kan röra sig naturligt i landskapen, ett problem är dock att djur kan bli påkörda vid farliga passager och att dessa åtgärder är väldigt dyra. Olika typer av akustiska signaler kan användas för att skrämma bort rådjur från olika platser. Både erfarenheter och naturligt urval har gjort att bytesdjur anpassat sitt beteende när de blir utsatta för hot av predatorer. Hur stort hotet upplevs och graden av rädsla motiverar vilken beteenderespons som används. Några responser på hotfulla situationer är flykt, ökad vaksamhet och minskat födosöksbeteende.  Syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka vilka akustiska stimuli som får rådjuren att lämna platsen samt hur mycket tid de spenderar med att äta och vara vaksamma. Rådjuren filmades när de utsattes för sex olika akustiska stimuli, människoröst, hundskall, brusljud, varningsrop från rådjur, fågelljud och tyst kontroll, vid foderstationer vid Grimsö Forskningsstation. Resultatet visade att olika akustiska stimuli inducerar olika beteenderesponser hos rådjur. De spenderade mest tid med att äta under tyst kontroll när de var ostörda. Brusljudet och människorösten kan eventuellt används för att få rådjuren att lämna tågspåret innan tåget kommer. Hundskall och varningsrop från rådjur gör att rådjuren blir vaksamma men stannar kvar på platsen. Vidare undersökningar av akustiska stimuli krävs för att veta hur man på bästa sätt kan undvika viltolyckor i tågtrafiken.

This study aims to analyze the policy discourse held by interest groups in the United States following the repeal of Roe, the constitutional right to abortion, from a security perspective. Additionally, it seeks to examine what these organizations believe needs protection and against what, and the potential consequences for womenś health security in the USA. The study employs a security feminist and post-structuralist theoretical and methodological approach based on Bacchi’s (2023) problematization framework “What’s the problem represented to be?” (WPR) and Baldwin’s (1997) Security Concept to analyze how these interest groups perceive the abortion issue post-Roe and what this produces and reproduces. The analyst reveals a distinct and polarized view on the abortion issue regarding what should be protected and against what. These divergent perspectives influence how threats are perceived and what measures are advocated for. The study’s analysis also demonstrates that the politicized debate and the various problematizations may have adverse consequences for women’s health security, such as increased risks of unsafe abortions and lack of access to safe abortion care. Furthermore, the state-centric understanding of health policy may contribute to reproducing the stigma surrounding abortion and excluding women’s individual needs. This underscores the importance of questioning the prevailing health policy and its impact on women and other vulnerable groups, and raising the question: security for whom and for what?

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For the last few years, the question of legal abortion has been a big topic in USpolitics. With the two major US parties, Democrats and Republicans, havingdifferent opinions about the subject, and with a new abortion law introduced inJune of 2022.This study goes over the latest party platforms and different statements fromboth parties to get an understanding about how the both parties view abortionas a problem. With the use of critical discourse analysis as a methodology and“what’s the problem represented to be?” as an analytical framework, the studydoes not aim to present a solution to a problem, but instead show how the twoparties present the problem. Thereafter the ideologies feminism, conservatismand liberalism will be applied to see if it can be connected to how the partiespresent abortion as a problem. The results of the study reveal that theDemocratic party views abortion as a necessity for women's health and rights.The Democratic party does show signs of the ideologies feminism andliberalism in how they represent abortion. The Republicans view abortion assomething morally wrong and shows signs of conservatism.

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Titel: Koldioxidutsläpp och Finansiell Prestanda inom Energisektorn   Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi    Författare: Jesper Nilsson & David Wahlqvist   Handledare:  Jan Svanberg   Datum: 2024 - Maj    Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur förändringen i koldioxidutsläpp från företag inom energisektorn påverkar deras finansiella prestationer. Genom att fokusera på koldioxidutsläpp som en indikator på miljöprestationer belyses dess effekter på marknadsvärde och företagens ekonomiska prestation.   Metod: Kvantitativ data hämtades för 50 publika energiföretag i Europa för åren 2020–2022 från databasen Refinitiv Eikon. Datamaterialet analyserades sedan med hjälp av Pearsons korrelationstest, VIF-test samt multipla regressionsanalyser genom statistikprogrammet IBM SPSS.    Resultat och slutsats: Resultaten från multipel regressionsanalys visar att ökningar i koldioxidutsläpp (ΔCO2) korrelerar svagt positivt med ROA och ROE, vilket indikerar en förbättring i dessa finansiella nyckeltal. Detta resultat är motsatt till den ursprungliga hypotesen, som förväntade en negativ korrelation. Koefficienten för ΔCO2 var 0,091 för ROA och 0,254 för ROE, båda statistiskt signifikanta. För Tobins Q var sambandet mellan ΔCO2 och finansiell prestation inte signifikant. Dessa oväntade fynd kan delvis förklaras av de ekonomiska effekterna av miljöinvesteringar, som på kort sikt kan öka kostnaderna utan att omedelbart öka finansiella vinster.   Studiens bidrag: Studien ifrågasätter rådande antaganden genom att identifiera en svag positiv korrelation mellan ökade CO2-utsläpp och ekonomisk prestanda. Den understryker vikten av sektorspecifik forskning och ger nya insikter som kan hjälpa beslutsfattare, företagsledare och investerare att bättre bedöma risker och möjligheter inom energisektorn.    Förslag till framtida forskning: Framtida forskning bör utföra mer omfattande longitudinella studier för att förstå de långsiktiga effekterna av förändringar i CO2-utsläpp på finansiell prestanda inom energisektorn. Det vore också intressant att jämföra detta samband med andra sektorer för att se om liknande mönster uppträder. Genom att inkludera fler ekonomiska och miljömässiga faktorer kan forskare få en mer detaljerad bild av hur dessa faktorer samspelar och påverkar företagens prestanda.    Nyckelord: Koldioxidutsläpp, finansiell prestation, energisektorn, ESG-score, ROA, ROE, Tobins Q / Title: Carbon dioxide Emissions and Financial Performance in the Energy sector   Level: Student thesis, final assignment for bachelor’s degree in business administration    Author:  Jesper Nilsson & David Wahlqvist   Supervisor:  Jan Svanberg   Date: 2024 - May    Aim: The purpose of the study is to investigate how changes in carbon emissions from companies in the energy sector affect their financial performance. By focusing on carbon emissions as an indicator of environmental performance, the effects on market value and the companies' economic performance can be highlighted.   Method: Quantitative data was obtained for 50 public energy companies in Europe for the years 2020-2022 from the Refinitiv Eikon database. The data was then analyzed using Pearson’s correlation test, VIF-test, and multiple regression analyses through the statistical program IBM SPSS.    Result and conclusion: The results from the multiple regression analysis show that increases in carbon emissions (ΔCO2) correlates weakly positively with ROA and ROE, indicating an improvement in these financial key figures. This result is contrary to the initial hypothesis, which expected a negative correlation. The coefficient for ΔCO2 was 0.091 for ROA and 0.254 for ROE, both statistically significant. For Tobin’s Q, the relationship between ΔCO2 and financial performance was not significant. These unexpected findings can partly be explained by the economic effects of environmental investments, which in the short term can increase costs without immediately translating into financial gains.   Contribution of the thesis: The study questions prevailing assumptions by identifying a weak positive correlation between increased CO2 emissions and economic performance. It underscores the importance of sector-specific research and provides new insights that can help policymakers, business leaders, and investors better assess risks and opportunities within the energy sector.    Suggestions for future research: Future research should conduct more comprehensive longitudinal studies to understand the long-term effects of changes in CO2 emissions on financial performance within the energy sector. It would also be interesting to compare this relationship with other sectors to see if similar patterns emerge. By including a broader set of economic and environmental factors, researchers can gain a more nuanced and detailed understanding of how these factors interact and impact companies' performance.    Keywords: Carbon emissions, financial performance, energy sector, ESG-score, ROA, ROE, Tobin’s Q

This study investigates how the listed companies in Sri Lanka gain financial benefits from Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting. As businesses increasingly adopt ESG reporting to disclose their commitment to sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and ethical governance, understanding its impact is crucial. However, in developing nations like Sri Lanka, the empirical relationship between ESG reporting and financial performance remains poorly understood. By examining how ESG reporting affects financial performance metrics such as Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Assets (ROA), this study aims to fill this knowledge gap.Using a quantitative approach, this study analyses the ESG reporting and financial data of a sample of two hundred thirteen listed companies in Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) Sri Lanka. The secondary data used for the study, was collected from published annual reports of the listed companies and Refinitiv Eikon database for the period from 2021 to 2023. The quantitative analysis includes regression and correlation techniques to assess the relationship between ESG reporting and financial performance. The results show a weak positive relationship between financial performance and ESG reporting, indicating that although ESG reporting practices may improve financial outcomes of the listed companies in Sri Lanka, this relationship is not particularly strong in the Sri Lankan context. By presenting real-world information from the perspective of emerging markets, this study adds to the body of literature on ESG reporting in academia. It emphasizes the value of strong ESG reporting systems and provides investors, politicians, and accounting professionals with useful insights. The study emphasizes the necessity of further investigations into ESG practices with a view to properly identify the consequences of ESG reporting practices for sustainability and value creation in Sri Lanka and beyond.

On June 24, 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned, effectively eliminating the federally protected right to an abortion. Following the overturning, several state-specific restrictions or bans on abortion were passed, creating increasingly difficult conditions for people seeking an abortion. Research shows that abortion bans and restrictions disproportionately affect victims of sexual and domestic violence. Hence, this study aims to understand the specific impact of the overturning of Roe v. Wade for victims of domestic and/or sexual violence by analysis of news articles. This issue has not been researched in depth, creating a gap in our understanding. The database NexisUni was used to collect relevant news articles for content analysis, and an iterative process was used to develop themes within the identified relevant articles. The findings show several impacts of reduced abortion access for victims, including reduced reproductive choice, exacerbation of victim trauma through law enforcement requirements, lack of access to legal abortion and sexual/domestic violence resources, increased severity of violence in abusive relationships, and negative consequences disproportionately affecting minoritized or marginalized populations. Understanding the implications of abortion legislation for survivors of violence provides insight into the effects of future policies and changes as states continue to enact abortion bans and restrictions throughout the country.

This research establishes a statistically significant connection between maternal mortality rates and abortion restrictions from a reproductive injustice perspective, integrating the theory of necropolitics. Using a time-series cross-sectional analysis of all 50 U.S. states from 2009 to 2019, this study highlights the impact of restrictive abortion policies during a period of intensified legislative activity, including pre-abortion counseling requirements, TRAP laws, and trigger laws. Data from the Guttmacher Institute's hostility scale and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's maternal mortality statistics reveal that states with higher hostility toward abortion experienced increased maternal mortality. Notably, a 1% increase in state hostility is associated with a 0.45% rise in overall maternal mortality rates (p < 0.001). The analysis further demonstrates that each marginalized racial and ethnic group examined face heightened risks from higher abortion hostility, with maternal mortality rising among Hispanic women by 0.40% (p < 0.001); among non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native women increasing by 0.29% (p < 0.05); among non-Hispanic Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacfic Islander women by 0.53% (p < 0.001); and non-Hispanic Black women by 0.39% (p < 0.001) per 1% increase in state hostility. However, the largest increase was found among non-Hispanic White women (p < 0.001). This study contributes to reproductive justice scholarship by incorporating a feminist and sociological perspective on the relationship between abortion restrictions and maternal mortality, particularly as moderated by race and ethnicity. The findings call for urgent policy interventions to dismantle systemic inequities in healthcare access, ensuring the protection of reproductive rights and the reduction of maternal mortality across all communities. / Master of Science / This study explores how abortion restrictions affect maternal mortality rates in the United States, focusing on the period between 2009 and 2019. It shows that stricter abortion laws, such as requirements for pre-abortion counseling, targeted regulations on abortion providers, and laws designed to ban abortion if federal protections are overturned, are linked to higher maternal death rates. States with more restrictive abortion policies had notable increases in maternal mortality, with even greater risks for certain racial and ethnic groups. For example, for every 1% increase in state-level hostility toward abortion, overall maternal mortality rose by 0.45%. The impact was pronounced for Hispanic women, non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native women, non-Hispanic Black women, and non-Hispanic Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander women. Among non-Hispanic White women, the increase was even greater. By examining the relationship between abortion restrictions and maternal health through a feminist and sociological lens, this research highlights systemic inequalities in healthcare access. The findings emphasize the need for policies that protect reproductive rights and improve maternal health outcomes for all communities, especially those historically underserved.