The rock outcrop plants are neglected group of plants, even though they include endangered or endemic species. Despite this fact, there is only a few of studies focusing at this topic. The aim of this thesis is to focus on this group of plants in terms of its population dynamics. Aurinia saxatilis ssp. saxatilis was chosen as a model species. It is a species of the Czech thermophyticum. Three populations were chosen and studied over three years. The population dynamics was compared between the populations by integral projection modelling (IPM) and matrix population modelling (MPM). The results of these two analytical approaches were compared to one another, too. The population growth rate (λ) predicts that one of the populations is stable, whereas the other two populations are declining. The highest elasticity is mostly for the seeds survival in the seed bank. The population growth rate does not differ distinctly between the two statistical approaches, IPM and MPM. In all cases the IPM λ is lower than the MPM λ. Within the IPM analysis, the influence of the substrate type was also studied. The analyses, however, did not indicate any major differences between the substrates. For maintaining the populations, it is necessary to protect the new seeds and seedling recruitment and to create the new space...

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work approaches an agro climatic zoning for the sugar cane crop (Sacharum ssp.) in the State of the Rio Grande do Sul Brazil through techniques of geoprocessing. The study was organized in thematic chapters including, in first, all municipalities of the State and, in a second moment, a rectangle centered in the municipality of Jaguari, main producer of region central. The Brazilian production and the production of the world were discussed since an historical point of view by means of the spatial analysis of thematic maps. The risk of frost in Jaguari region was evaluated considering the minimum temperature of five meteorological stations, with more than 25 years of daily records. Several farms of sugar cane in the municipality of Jaguari were located with global position system at field. These farms were used as pilot areas in satellite imagery for classification of the use of land. Thus, the present work results a useful instrument for the planning the harvest of sugar cane crop because of the reduction of risk of frost. Therefore, the study intends to guide the public and private politics about the production of sugar cane in Rio Grande do Sul State. Finally, it might be suggested that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a potential tool for this kind of study. / O objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever e orientar um zoneamento agroclimático no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, para a cultura da cana-de-açúcar (Sacharum ssp.) por meio das técnicas de geoprocessamento. Formatado em capítulos temáticos, o estudo compreende considerável número de municípios gaúchos centrando o estudo de caso no município de Jaguari, principal produtor da região central do estado. Aborda o contexto histórico-geográfico da produção canavieira no Brasil e no mundo, caracterizando a importância dessa cultura para o Rio Grande do Sul. Através da elaboração de mapas temáticos, foram analisados os dados da produção canavieira gaúcha. Posteriormente, foi realizado estudo sobre o risco de geada para a cultura de cana-de-açúcar tendo como base os dados de temperatura mínima de abrigo de cinco estações meteorológicas, com acervo de 25 a 30 anos de dados diários. A ocorrência de geada foi estabelecida com a temperatura mínima do ar inferior a 3ºC. O uso de imagem orbital, análise de campo e classificação do uso do solo, possibilitou verificar o quão dispersas são as áreas produtoras de Jaguari. Assim, o presente trabalho resulta em instrumento de utilidade para o planejamento da atividade canavieira ao determinar as prováveis datas de ocorrência de geadas. Portanto, busca orientar políticas públicas e privadas quanto ao plantio da cultura no Rio Grande do Sul, demonstrando a eficiência dos Sistemas de Informações Geográficas no estudo da produção e na minimização dos riscos de investimentos ao definir as datas de plantio com os menores riscos de geadas.

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / Biomass is one of the main sources of renewable and sustainable energy able to meet the growing global energy demand and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, the use of this biofuel requires a conscious and careful handling of natural resources, to avoid environmental imbalances and destruction of ecosystems. Among the alternatives of biomass for energy purposes forestry, agricultural and urban wastes are highlights. However, raw biomass has low energy efficiency, low density, high humidity, irregular grain, low heating value that restricts their direct use as biofuel. In order to improve the thermal properties and standardize the product is necessary to treat the biomass from industrial processes such as torrefaction and briquetting. In this context, this work aims to analyze and define the potential energy of briquettes of brachiaria grass (Brachiaria ssp.) produced by Briqfeno Industria e Comercio de Feno Ltda located in Tupaciguara - Minas Gerais. The experiments were conducted according to Brazilian rules and the standard product was submitted to density tests, moisture and immediate analysis. A relationship between heating value and moisture content was also defined. Finally, the product was submitted to the torrefaction process that improved its energy and decreased its hygroscopic character when compared to raw briquettes. / A biomassa é uma das principais fontes de energia renováveis e sustentáveis capazes de suprir a crescente demanda de energia mundial e diminuir a dependência dos combustíveis fósseis. Entretanto, o uso deste combustível requer um manuseio cuidadoso e consciente dos recursos naturais, para evitar desequilíbrios ambientais e destruição de ecossistemas. Dentre as alternativas existentes para o uso da biomassa com fins energéticos, destaca-se o reaproveitamento energético de resíduos florestais, agrícolas e urbanos. Todavia, os resíduos in natura apresentam-se com baixa eficiência energética, devido algumas características gerais que restringe o seu uso direto como combustível, tais como baixa densidade, alta umidade, granulometria irregular, baixo poder calorífico, entre outras. No intuito de corrigir algumas propriedades, melhorar e padronizar o produto faz-se necessária a utilização de processos industriais, como a briquetagem e a torrefação. Neste contexto, este trabalho consiste em analisar e definir o potencial energético de briquetes de capim braquiária (Brachiaria ssp.) produzidos pela empresa Briqfeno Indústria e Comércio de Feno Ltda sediada no município de Tupaciguara - Minas Gerais. Os experimentos foram conduzidos segundo normas nacionais e consistiram em realizar a análise imediata, determinar a densidade do briquete e definir a relação entre poder calorífico e umidade do produto padrão. Finalmente, aplicou-se o tratamento térmico denominado torrefação, o que proporcionou a valorização energética do produto e diminuiu sua característica higroscópica quando comparado ao briquete padrão. / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

O conhecimento da diversidade genética e da estrutura populacional das variedades mantidas em bancos de germoplasma é de fundamental importância para sua efetiva utilização em programas de melhoramento. O mapeamento por associação, também conhecido como mapeamento por desequilíbrio de ligação, é um dos principais métodos para relacionar genes e alelos às características de interesse, através da co-segregação de marcadores genéticos polimórficos com os genes envolvidos na variação das características em estudo. O Banco de Germoplasma de Arroz do Departamento de Genética da ESALQ contém 192 acessos japoneses que foram estudados com o objetivo de entender sua diversidade, estruturação genética e determinar a associação genômica de caracteres agronômicos relacionados a produção de grãos. A caracterização molecular foi conduzida através da tecnologia DArT-seq, que gerou dados de marcadores SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphism) e silico DArTs. Em seguida, após a filtragem, 5.578 SNPs de alta qualidade foram utilizados para calcular as estimativas de diversidade no pacote hierfstat e a estrutura do painel de acessos através da análise discriminante de componentes principais (DAPC), que consiste em determinar existência de cluster em um grupo de genótipos em que não há informação a priori sobre existência de grupos. A diversidade genética nos acessos foi evidenciada pelo valor de heterozigosidade esperada (HS) (0,0279) e a estruturação foi evidenciada pela formação de três subgrupos. O mapeamento associativo foi realizado com o uso do pacote GAPIT, sendo considerados seis caracteres: número de dias para florescimento (NDF), estatura de planta (EP), comprimento da panícula (CP), peso de parcela (PP), massa de mil grãos (MMG) e CICLO, bem como 24.266 marcadores silico DArTs e 1.965 marcadores SNPs. Foram detectadas um total de 113 associações significativas genótipo-fenótipo (P<0,001) quando utilizado marcadores silico DArTs em todas as seis características analisadas e, um total de 21 associações significativas genótipo-fenótipo (P<0,001) quando utilizado marcadores SNPs para apenas quatro das seis características analisadas: EP, CICLO, MMG e PP. Considerando-se os 113 silico DArTs associados significativamente na análise, 90 foram localizados em regiões intergênicas e 23 foram localizados dentro de genes. Enquanto que, dos 21 SNPs significativos, 11 foram localizados em regiões intergênicas e 10 foram localizados dentro de genes. A informação gerada neste estudo foi útil para testar associações ao longo do genoma do arroz. O modelo linear misto (MLM) empregado no mapeamento associativo acredita-se ter conseguido controlar eficientemente os falsos positivos no mapeamento utilizando os marcadores SNPs. As informações geradas neste estudo servem de base para avaliações mais aprofundadas, utilizando o conjunto de marcadores significativos como ponto de partida para determinação dos genes mais importantes para a produtividade em arroz. / The knowledge of the genetic diversity and population structure of varieties maintained in germplasm banks is crucial for their effective use in breeding programs. Association mapping, also known as linkage disequilibrium mapping, is one of the main methods for relating genes and alleles to the characteristics of interest, through the co-segregation of polymorphic genetic markers with the genes involved in the variation of the characteristics under study. The Rice Germplasm Bank of the Department of Genetics of ESALQ contains 192 Japanese accessions that were studied with the purpose of understanding its diversity, genetic structuring and determining the genomic association of agronomic traits related to grain production. The molecular characterization was conducted by DArTseq technology, which generated data of SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphism) markers and silico DArTs. Then, after filtering, 5,578 high-quality SNPs were used to calculate the diversity estimates in hierfstat package and the accession panel structure through discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), which consists of determining the cluster existence in a group of genotypes where there is no a priori information about the existence of groups. The genetic diversity in the accessions was evidenced by the expected heterozygosity value (HS) (0.0279) and the population structure was evidenced by the formation of three clusters. The association mapping was performed using the GAPIT package, considering six characters: number of days for flowering (NDF), plant height (EP), panicle length (CP), plot weight (PP), mass of thousand grains (MMG) and CYCLE, as well as 24.266 silico DArTs markers and 1.965 SNPs markers. We detected a total of 113 significant associations genotype-phenotype (P <0.001) when used silico DArTs markers in all six analyzed characteristics and a total of 21 significant associations genotype-phenotype (P<0.001) when used SNPs markers for only four of the six analyzed characteristics: EP, CYCLE, MMG and PP. Considering the 113 silico DArTs significantly associated in the analysis, 90 were located in intergenic regions and 23 were localized within genes. While of the 21 significant SNPs, 11 were located in intergenic regions and 10 were located within genes. The information generated in this study was useful for testing associations throughout the rice genome. The mixed linear model (MLM) used in association mapping is believed to have been able to efficiently control false positives in the mapping using the SNPs markers. The information generated in this study serves as a basis for further evaluation using the set of significant markers as a starting point for determining the most important genes for rice yield.

Abstract Disturbance may shift microbial communities from one state to another. However, species differ in their ecological characteristics and their abilities to withstand disturbance. No single species or individuals of a species exist alone, but they are parts of complex interaction networks including species above- and belowground. In boreal and subarctic forests, almost all plants and a high number of fungi form mycorrhizas at the plant roots. In mycorrhiza, the fungal partner harvests nutrients for the host plant and, in return, gains carbon from the plant. In general, these common associations benefit both partners, but as heterotrophs, fungi are dependent on carbon photosynthesized by plants, whereas plants can survive alone as autotrophs. In addition to mycorrhizal fungi, also other fungi, such as endophytes, saprotrophs and pathogens, live in and on plant roots. This thesis concerns the impacts of disturbance on fungi living in plant roots and in soil near the roots. I hypothesized that i) root-associated fungal (RAF) and soil fungal communities and colonization types change after disturbance, that ii) the observed shifts relate to disturbance intensity and that iii) they co-occur with changes in soil conditions and vegetation. Changes in RAF were studied as changes in root fungal colonization, or in fungal community composition. The latter were detected with next-generation sequencing methods. The responses of RAF to disturbance seemed to be context dependent and related to sources of fungal communities (e.g. soil, RAF networks), environmental conditions (e.g. soil pH and nutrients) and host performance. It seems that abundances of those RAF species, which are present in the roots first (priority effect), may be increased by disturbance. Research produced new information related to ecological roles of the genera Phialocephala and Meliniomyces. Altogether, the results indicate connections between both abiotic and biotic environments and RAF, and host species viability and RAF. / Tiivistelmä Häiriöt voivat siirtää eliöyhteisön tilasta toiseen. Lajien ominaisuudet ja häiriönsietokyvyt eroavat toisistaan. Mikään laji tai yksilö ei elä yksin, vaan lajit ovat osa maan ylä- ja alapuolelle ulottuvia monimutkaisia vuorovaikutusverkostoja. Boreaalisissa ja subarktisissa metsissä lähes kaikki kasvit ja useat sienet muodostavat sienijuuren eli mykorritsan. Mykorritsassa sieniosakas hankkii isäntäkasville ravinteita ja saa vastavuoroisesti kasvilta hiiltä. Tavallisesti nämä vuorovaikutussuhteet hyödyttävät molempia sienijuuren osakkaita, mutta toisenvaraisina (heterotrofeina) sienet ovat riippuvaisia kasvien yhteyttämästä hiilestä, kun taas tuottajina (autotrofeina) kasvit voivat elää itsenäisesti. Mykorritsasienten lisäksi kasvien juurissa elää yleisesti myös muita sieniä kuten endofyyttejä, saprotrofeja ja patogeeneja. Tämä väitöskirja käsittelee häiriön vaikutuksia sieniin, jotka elävät kasvien juurissa ja juuria ympäröivässä maassa. Hypoteesieni mukaan i) juurissa ja maassa elävien sienten yhteisöt ja kolonisaatiotyypit muuttuvat häiriön jälkeen, ii) muutokset liittyvät häiriön voimakkuuteen ja iii) muutokset tapahtuvat samanaikaisesti maan olosuhteiden ja kasvillisuuden muutoksien kanssa. Juurissa elävien sienten esiintymisen muutokset tutkittiin sienten kolonisaation tai yhteisörakenteen muutoksina. Sieniyhteisöt selvitettiin NGS-menetelmien avulla. Juurissa elävien sienten vasteet häiriöön vaikuttavat olevan tilannesidonnaisia ja liittyvän sienilajien lähteisiin (esim. maa, juurisieniverkostot), ympäristömuuttujiin (esim. maan pH, ravinteet) ja isäntäkasvin menestymiseen. Häiriö voi vahvistaa juurissa ensimmäisenä läsnä olevien sienilajien menestymistä (prioriteettivaikutus). Uutta tietoa tuotettiin Phialocephala ja Meliniomyces –sienisukujen ekologiasta, jota tunnetaan huonosti. Kaiken kaikkiaan, tulokset osoittavat yhteydet sekä elottoman ja elollisen ympäristön ja juurten sieniyhteisön että isäntäkasvin elinkyvyn ja juurten sieniyhteisön välillä.

The contamination of seafood with methylmercury (MeHg) is a global health issue, as MeHg is a well known neurotoxin. Since dietary nutrients may interact with MeHg toxicity, and oxidative stress is one of the primary mechanisms underlying MeHg neurotoxicity, we characterized dietary antioxidant-MeHg interactions. Firstly, we used an ethnobotanical study to confirm the antioxidant activity of Northern Labrador Tea, Rhododendron tomentosum ssp. subarcticum (Tea), for the Canadian Inuit, a population with elevated MeHg exposure. Secondly, we determined the ability of Tea to ameliorate MeHg-induced toxicity in a rat perinatal exposure study. MeHg exposure (2 mg/KgBW/d) was associated with perturbed development and behaviour, elevated brain N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, and serum lipid peroxidation. Surprisingly, Tea co-exposure (100 mg/KgBW/d) modulated MeHg’s effects on brain NMDA-R levels and lipid peroxidation, but also increased mercury serum concentrations. Thirdly, using a toxicogenomics approach we determined that MeHg exposure caused the down-regulation of Nr4a2 and its protein product Nurr1. These novel MeHg targets are implicated in developmental learning functions and were corrected with MeHg + Tea co-exposure. Lastly, we conducted a risk assessment survey and cross-sectional dietary epidemiology study in Costa Rica to further investigate dietary nutrient-MeHg interactions. Costa Rica is a Central American country with multiple sources of Hg and a high per capital fish consumption. Here, 5 of the 14 populations we studied exceeded the recommended MeHg provisional tolerable daily intake (pTDI) of 0.2 µg/KgBW/d. In Heredia the pTDI was exceeded by 34% of woman participants, primarily associated with canned tuna consumption. Interestingly, we detected that Hg body burden was significantly reduced by the consumption of antioxidant-rich dietary items. Considering our collective results, we hypothesized that MeHg toxicokinetics may be altered by dietary nutrients at the site of intestinal absorption from the disruption of gut flora, or at the site of cellular demethylation in tissues from the improvement of cellular redox state. The interaction of dietary nutrients on MeHg outcomes has a large impact on risk assessment and may provide a public health approach for managing the risk associated with MeHg exposure without reducing local fish consumption.

Typning av hla-b*27:En jämförelsestudie mellan två analysmetoder för att påvisa HLA-B*27 molekylen i ankyloserande spondylitCarolina BermudezBermudez, C. Typning av HLA-B*27. En jämförelsestudie mellan två analysmetoder för att påvisa HLA-B*27 molekylen i Ankyloserande spondylit. Examensarbete i Biomedicinsk vetenskap, 15 högskolepoäng. Malmö universitet: Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle, institutionen för Biomedicinsk vetenskap, 2018.Human leukocyt antigen (HLA) är vävnadsantigener, belägna på våra vita blodkroppar. HLA-B*27 allelen är starkt kopplat till Ankyloserande spondylit (AS). Det är en kronisk inflammatorisk ledsjukdom, som främst attackerar ryggraden, bäckenet och bröstkorgen. Det finns idag ingen enskild laborativ metod som med full säkerhet kan fastställa diagnos av denna sjukdom, innan de kliniska symtomen uppträder. Typning av HLA-B*27 ger endast information om närvaro eller frånvaro av antigenet, vid utredning av AS. Vidare är HLA-B*27 en polymorf och de olika alleltyperna varierar kraftigt, bland skilda etniska grupper samt mellan geografiska områden. Genetiska- och miljöfaktorer påverkar också. Sjukdomsutveckling i samband med närvaro av HLA-B*27 allelen, varierar därför från individ till individ. Därmed fungerar metoden endast som ett komplement-verktyg, för att ytterligare bekräfta diagnos. Syftet med denna studie var att med realtids-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), utföra typning av HLA-B*27 med Linkseq kit samt jämföra analysresultaten med uthämtade resultat från intern sjukhusdatabas, där typning av HLA-B*27 hade utförts med PCR-SSP (sekvens-specifika primers). Samtliga resultat stämde överens till 100%, vilket indikerar att metoden fungerar bra. Det finns studier som visat att HLA-B*27 molekylens fria tunga kedjor (HLA-B*272) har en starkare benägenhet än andra HLA-molekyler att binda in till killer immunoglobine-like receptorer (KIRs). Inbindning till KIRs med efterföljande ökad stimulering av interleukiner (IL) främst IL-17 och IL-23 bidrar till sjukdomsutvecklingen av AS. Dock finns ingen HLA-B*272 specifik antikropp som kan bevisa detta och det behövs därför ytterligare undersökning för att hitta en sådan. Därefter skulle en ny laborativ metod kunna utvecklas för att fastställa diagnos av AS i ett tidigt skede, innan de kliniska symtomen uppvisas. Nyckelord: Allelvarianter, Ankyloserande spondylit, HLA-B*27, KIR, PCR-SSP, Realtids-PCR. / typing of hla-b*27:a comparison study between two analysing methods for the detection of the HLA-B*27 molecule in ankylosing spondylitisCarolina BermudezBermudez, C. Typing of HLA-B*27. A comparison study between two analysing methods for the detection of the HLA-B*27 molecule in Ankylosing spondylitis. Degree project in Biomedical Laboratory Science, 15 credit points. Malmö University: Faculty of Health and Society, Department of Biomedical science, 2018.Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) are tissue antigens located on our white blood cells. The HLA-B*27 allele is strongly related to Ankylosing spondylitis (AS). It is a chronical inflammatory rheumatic disease that primarily affects the spine, the pelvis and the chest. At present, there is no single laboratory method that with all certainty may determine diagnosis of this disease, before the clinical symptoms appear. Typing of HLA-B*27 only gives information about the presence or absence of the antigen, upon the investigation of AS. Furthermore, HLA-B*27 is a polymorph and the different types of alleles, strongly vary among different ethnic groups and also between geographic regions. Genetic- and environmental factors also affect. Development of disease in conjunction with the presence of the HLA-B*27 allele, therefore varies from one individual to another. So, the method only functions as a complementary tool, to further confirm diagnosis. The aim of this study was to perform HLA-B*27 typing with realtime-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Linkseq kit and compare the analysed results with those results that were retrieved from the internal database of the hospital, where typing of HLA-B*27 had been performed with PCR-SSP (sequence specific primers). All results agreed with 100%, which indicates that the method functions well. There are studies that show that the heavy chains (HLA-B*272) of the HLA-B*27 molecule have a stronger affinity than other HLA-molecules of binding in to killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs). Increased stimulation of interleukins (IL) primarily IL17 and IL23, following binding to KIRs, contributes to the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis. However, there is no HLA-B*272 specific antibody that may prove this and therefore more investigation is needed, in order to find one. A new laboratory method could then be developed to determine diagnosis of AS at an early stage, before the clinical symptoms emerge. Keyword: Allelvariants, Ankylosing spondylitis, HLA-B*27, KIR, PCR-SSP, Realtime-PCR.

This thesis analyzes the issue of safety in civil aviation, focusing primarily on its management. In the work is discussed and solved recently prepared document Annex 19 and its Czech version L19. The new document is evaluated in terms of the impact on existing regulations, too. The thesis explores the impact of that the preparing document to interested organizations and proposes possible procedure in its implementation.

The stories humans tell and are told about climate change matters in our understanding of the phenomena, and have an impact on how we act in relation to it. However, climate fiction video games are few in numbers. This project presents the development of “The Testing Bureau”; an interactive fiction game with a story inspired by climate research. The research used is that of the shared socioeconomic pathways: five scenarios that present different socio-economic and political movements and their impact on mitigating and adapting to climate change (O’Neill et. al 2015). The game has been created as a response to the lack of climate fiction within video games, as well as being a way to make climate change research visible outside of scientific circles. Playtests indicated that the game held the potential of spurring personal reflection and engagement on the topics of the policies and possible endings.

This research explores the challenges the Namibian government faces in the planning process when implementing policies for strategic spatial planning (SSP). The study considers the entire Namibian planning process which primarily is governed top-down but has since independence adopted policies to decentralize power. Thus, this process has been slow and resulted in constant changes in governance settings and responsibilities. The aim of the research is, therefore, to assess the evolving nature of the governance structure in Namibia’s SSP system, and to enhance its impact on postcolonial planning strategies against urban sprawl. The rapid development of urban sprawl has been selected because it is one of the major contemporary issues for SSP practices, extending across multiple jurisdictions and demanding stakeholder coordination. The support question focuses on the nature of Namibia's governance structure in SSP and how it has evolved from the colonial to postcolonial eras. The following research questions explore the effectiveness of spatial strategies for urban sprawl and the communication links within the governance system, as well as the impact of statutory plans for SSP. Together they aim to answer if Namibia is facing challenges in the implementation of SSP, and if so, what can be done to improve the situation.  The methods for data collection consist of semi-structured interviews and a document study. The data enables a comprehensive understanding of the Namibian planning system related to the research questions. The results are analyzed through a theoretical framework with three main themes: land use intentions, governance processes, and external conditions. Identifying relevant planning strategies, hierarchies, and power relations. The empirical material consists of 11 interviews. Six of these are made with officials from all planning levels; the national, regional, and local, and the others by key informants. Key informants are experts on Namibia’s planning system and political climate. This is complemented by an analysis of public planning documents used for spatial planning, referred to by the respondents.  The result shows that decentralization from the national to subnational planning levels has taken place to a certain extent, although the autonomy among local and regional planning authorities is limited. This is because of the national government's reluctance to surrender control over the economy as well as due to a local lack of knowledge about strategy-making for land use. Furthermore, the main issues are the lack of strategic plans that coordinates and guides SSP, weak communication links between government levels, and the gap between political initiatives for decentralization and the subnational demand. The lack of communication links affects the governance process between planning levels as well as the coordination inside each government. This prolongs decision-making and connects to the gap between the national intentions for decentralization and the weak local demand for it. Moreover, the partial decentralization has confused stakeholders by delegating responsibility without the actual mandate to act, leading to limited strategies and poor execution of actions against urban sprawl. External pressures from international agencies influencing the governance process also add to the challenges for postcolonial planning. The thesis suggests several improvement opportunities to increase the implementation rate of spatial strategies. These include strengthened support systems from the national to the subnational level, alignment among strategic plans, and stronger communication links to improve governance processes. External pressures could become a more rewarding asset if international involvement began to support local knowledge instead of channeling Western ideals. These understandings matter because they provide theories of the urban with a global south narrative instead of the dominant Western perspective of governance, decentralization, and SSP.