| 1. |
- Axelsson, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of Multi-level Social Learning for Sustainable Landscapes : Perspective of a Development Initiative in Bergslagen, Sweden
- 2013
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Ingår i: Ambio. - : Springer Netherlands. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 42:2, s. 241-253
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To implement policies about sustainable landscapes and rural development necessitates social learning about states and trends of sustainability indicators, norms that define sustainability, and adaptive multi-level governance. We evaluate the extent to which social learning at multiple governance levels for sustainable landscapes occur in 18 local development initiatives in the network of Sustainable Bergslagen in Sweden. We mapped activities over time, and interviewed key actors in the network about social learning. While activities resulted in exchange of experiences and some local solutions, a major challenge was to secure systematic social learning and make new knowledge explicit at multiple levels. None of the development initiatives used a systematic approach to secure social learning, and sustainability assessments were not made systematically. We discuss how social learning can be improved, and how a learning network of development initiatives could be realized.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Almered Olsson, Gunilla, 1951, et al.
(författare)
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Grass: from local pastures to global energy markets in eastern Tanzania
- 2012
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Ingår i: Ecology and power : struggles over land and material resources in the past, present, and future / edited by Alf Hornborg, Brett Clark and Kenneth Hermele. - Abingdon : Routledge. - 9780415601467 ; , s. 206-216
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Elina, et al.
(författare)
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The Political Ecology of Land Degradation
- 2011
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Ingår i: Annual Review of Environment and Resources. - : Annual Reviews. - 1545-2050 .- 1543-5938. ; 36, s. 295-319
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Land degradation, as a threat to smallholders in the tropics, attracts less attention than other global challenges. In addition, gaps between scientific understandings of land degradation and international policy regimes are problematic. We identify the three most significant debates including their different policy implications: desertification in the Sahel, nutrient depletion in Africa, and rural reforms in China. Using a political ecology frame across disciplines, scales of inquiry, and regional experiences, we nuance the often polarized scientific debate while seeking to bridge the gap between science and policy. Three main findings emerge: State-led rural reforms in China represent an important approach to land degradation; a renewed focus on agriculture and sustainability in development discourses opens new ways for tackling nutrient depletion with combined sociotechnological reforms; and a policy void in Africa paves the way for market mechanisms, such as payment for environmental services, that are insufficiently understood and put fairness at risk.
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| 5. |
- Asad Ayoubi, Mehran, et al.
(författare)
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Lamellar Microdomains of Block-Copolymer-Based Ionic Supramolecules Exhibiting a Hierarchical Self-Assembly
- 2014
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 47:10, s. 3428-3435
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on a parent diblock copolymer of poly(styrene)-b-poly(methacrylic acid), PS-b-PMAA, linear-b-amphiphilic comb (L-b-AC) ionic supramolecules [Soft Matter 2013, 9, 1540-1555] are synthesized in which the poly(methacrylate) backbone of the ionic supramolecular AC-block is neutralized by alkyl (Cn; n = 8, 12, and 16) trimethylammonium counterions (i.e., side chains) at various ion (pair) fractions X [i.e., counterion/side-chain grafting density; X = number of alkyl counterions (i.e., side chains) per acidic group of the parent PMAA block] these L-b-AC ionic supramolecules exhibit a spherical-in-lamellar hierarchical self-assembly. For these systems, (1) the effective Flory-Huggins interaction parameter between L- and AC-blocks chi'(Cn/x) was extracted, and (2) analysis of the lamellar microdomains showed that when there is an increase in X, alkyl counterion (i.e., side chain) length l(sc), or both, there is an increase in both the average interfacial area per block junction Sigma and the thickness of the microlayer of the AC-block d(Ac).
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| 6. |
- Asad Ayoubi, Mehran, et al.
(författare)
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Micro- and nanophase separations in hierarchical self-assembly of strongly amphiphilic block copolymer-based ionic supramolecules
- 2013
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Ingår i: Soft Matter. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1744-6848 .- 1744-683X. ; 9:5, s. 1540-1555
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- By a selective complexation between different alkyltrimethylammonium amphiphiles (C8, C12 and C16) and three different diblock copolymer systems of poly(styrene)-b-poly(methacrylic acid) at various grafting densities X (X = number of alkyl chains per acidic group of the poly(methacrylic acid) PMAA block), a class of ionic supramolecules are successfully synthesized whose molecular architecture consists of a poly(styrene) PS block (Linear block) covalently connected to a strongly amphiphilic comb-like block (AmphComb block), i.e. Linear-b-AmphComb. In the melt state, these ionic supramolecules can show simultaneous microphase (between Linear and AmphComb blocks) and nanophase (within the AmphComb blocks) separations. This leads to the formation of various structure-in-structure two-scale hierarchical self-assemblies, including S-in-S-LL, S-in-S-BCC, S-in-C, S-in-L and C-in-L, where S, S-LL, S-BCC, C and L stand for spherical, spherical in liquid-like state, spherical in body-centered-cubic arrangement, cylindrical and lamellar, respectively. Synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and crossed polarizers, together with SAXS modelling analysis, were used for a detailed structural study of the samples. The morphology of the microphase separated state was mapped out on 'master' microdomain morphology diagrams as a function of the volume fraction of the AmphComb blocks (Phi(AmphComb)) and the compositional window of each microdomain morphology was determined. It was observed that, (i) within samples based on the same parent diblock copolymer system, the occurrence of a specific microdomain morphology is only dependent on the value of Phi(AmphComb), regardless of the grafting density X and the length of the alkyl side-chains, and (ii) microdomain morphological boundaries occur at Phi(AmphComb) values of similar to 0.20 (S-LL/C and S-BCC/C) and similar to 0.28 (C/L). Finally, the specific influences of the strongly amphiphilic nature of the AmphComb blocks on the observed morphological and hierarchical behaviours of our system are discussed. For reference, stoichiometric strongly amphiphilic comb-like (AmphComb) ionic supramolecules, based on complexation between a homopolymer of PMAA and the various alkyltrimethylammonium amphiphiles, were prepared, which nanophase separated into S (C8) or C (C12 and C16) domains.
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| 7. |
- Asad Ayoubi, Mehran, et al.
(författare)
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Morphological Investigation of Polydisperse Asymmetric Block Copolymer Systems of Poly(styrene) and Poly(methacrylic acid) in the Strong Segregation Regime
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Polymer Science. Part B, Polymer Physics. - : Wiley. - 0887-6266. ; 51:23, s. 1657-1671
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Samples of compositionally (highly) asymmetric diblock copolymers and, also, mixtures of diblock and triblock copolymers (the latter obtained as end-coupling products of two diblock molecules of the mixture), composed of (a) monodisperse majority block(s) of poly(styrene) (PS) and a polydisperse minority block of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), microphase separate into spherical PMAA microdomains, either in disordered liquid-like state or body-centered-cubic (BCC) arrangement, at various annealing temperatures T, in the strong segregation regime SSR. We found that (i) the microphase separated state is favored over an anticipated molecularly homogenous state, (ii) the spherical microdomain morphology (with BCC symmetry) is favored over an anticipated hexagonally packed cylindrical morphology, (iii) the extent of the dissolution of short PMAA blocks in the PS material can be quantified, (iv) the spherical microdomains are dilated, and (v) despite molecular-weight (and architectural) polydispersity, well-ordered BCC structures can be obtained. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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| 8. |
- Biermann, F., et al.
(författare)
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Navigating the Anthropocene: Improving Earth System Governance
- 2012
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 1095-9203 .- 0036-8075. ; 335:6074, s. 1306-1307
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The United Nations conference in Rio de Janeiro in June is an important opportunity to improve the institutional framework for sustainable development.
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| 9. |
- Biermann, Frank, et al.
(författare)
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Transforming governance and institutions for global sustainability : key insights from the Earth System Governance Project
- 2012
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Ingår i: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 4:1, s. 51-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The current institutional framework for sustainable development is by far not strong enough to bring about the swift transformative progress that is needed. This article contends that incrementalism-the main approach since the 1972 Stockholm Conference-will not suffice to bring about societal change at the level and speed needed to mitigate and adapt to earth system transformation. Instead, the article argues that transformative structural change in global governance is needed, and that the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro must turn into a major stepping stone for a much stronger institutional framework for sustainable development. The article details core areas where urgent action is required. The article is based on an extensive social science assessment conducted by 32 members of the lead faculty, scientific steering committee, and other affiliates of the Earth System Governance Project. This Project is a ten-year research initiative under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), which is sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), and the United Nations University (UNU).
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| 10. |
- Bjurhager, Ingela, et al.
(författare)
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Ultrastructure and Mechanical Properties of Populus Wood with Reduced Lignin Content Caused by Transgenic Down-Regulation of Cinnamate 4-Hydroxylase
- 2010
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 11:9, s. 2359-2365
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several key enzymes in lignin biosynthesis of Populus have been down-regulated by transgenie approaches to investigate their role in wood lignification and to explore their potential for lignin modification. Cinnamate 4-hydroxylase is an enzyme in the early phenylpropanoid pathway that has not yet been functionally analyzed in Populus. This study shows that down-regulation of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase reduced Klason lignin content by 30% with no significant change in syringyl to guaiacyl ratio. The lignin reduction resulted in ultrastructural differences of the wood and a 10% decrease in wood density. Mechanical properties investigated by tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis showed a decrease in stiffness, which could be explained by the lower density. The study demonstrates that a large modification in lignin content only has minor influences on tensile properties of wood in its axial direction and highlights the usefulness of wood modified beyond its natural variation by transgene technology in exploring the impact of wood biopolymer composition and ultrastructure on its material properties.
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