| 1. |
- Almstedt, Åsa, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Beyond Post-productivism : From Rural Policy Discource to Rural Diversity
- 2014
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Ingår i: European Countryside. - Berlin : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 1803-8417. ; 6:4, s. 297-306
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There has been a strong discourse in public policy aimed at transforming rural places from venues of primary production into truly diverse socioeconomic landscapes. Yet conceptualisations of the rural as envisioned in the policy and politics of the ‘new economy’ often prove to be elusive on the ground. However, post-productive activity in rural areas has become a major focus for rural studies scholars. This paper investigates the ideas of post-productivism in the existing literature, and argues for a holistic understanding of post-productivism as an idea and political ambition rather than an imperative and irreversible change of rural economic activity. The purpose of the study is to make clear the division between post-productivism and the related concepts of post-production and post-productive activities in order to better understand processes of rural change in relation to different geographical contexts. It is argued that post-productivism as a concept stands apart from de facto post-production and alternative concepts such as multifunctionality and should be regarded as part of broader regional development discourses. The paper outlines several important fields in which post-productivism is a necessary component for rural transformation and development. While it is not always easily captured in indicators or empirical studies in rural locations, post- productivism exists at the level of discourse and planning and thus has real effects on the ground. The paper concludes by offering suggestions on how to apply the concepts of post-productivism, post-production and multifunctionality in future studies.
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| 2. |
- Hansson, Caroline, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of ghrelin on the central serotonergic signaling system in mice
- 2014
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Ingår i: Neuropharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0028-3908. ; 79, s. 498-505
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The central ghrelin signaling system engages key pathways of importance for feeding control, recently shown to include those engaged in anxiety-like behavior in rodents. Here we sought to determine whether ghrelin impacts on the central serotonin system, which has an important role in anxiety. We focused on two brain areas, the amygdala (of importance for the mediation of fear and anxiety) and the dorsal raphe (i.e. the site of origin of major afferent serotonin pathways, including those that project to the amygdala). In these brain areas, we measured serotonergic turnover (using HPLC) and the mRNA expression of a number of serotonin-related genes (using real-time PCR). We found that acute central administration of ghrelin to mice increased the serotonergic turnover in the amygdala. It also increased the mRNA expression of a number of serotonin receptors, both in the amygdala and in the dorsal raphe. Studies in ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1A) knock-out mice showed a decreased mRNA expression of serotonergic receptors in both the amygdala and the dorsal raphe, relative to their wild-type littermates. We conclude that the central serotonin system is a target for ghrelin, providing a candidate neurochemical substrate of importance for ghrelin's effects on mood. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
- Karlsson-Lindahl, Linda, 1972, et al.
(författare)
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Heparanase affects food intake and regulates energy balance in mice.
- 2012
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Ingår i: PloS one. - San Francisco : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 7:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mutation of the melanocortin-receptor 4 (MC4R) is the most frequent cause of severe obesity in humans. Binding of agouti-related peptide (AgRP) to MC4R involves the co-receptor syndecan-3, a heparan sulfate proteoglycan. The proteoglycan can be structurally modified by the enzyme heparanase. Here we tested the hypothesis that heparanase plays a role in food intake behaviour and energy balance regulation by analysing body weight, body composition and food intake in genetically modified mice that either lack or overexpress heparanase. We also assessed food intake and body weight following acute central intracerebroventricular administration of heparanase; such treatment reduced food intake in wildtype mice, an effect that was abolished in mice lacking MC4R. By contrast, heparanase knockout mice on a high-fat diet showed increased food intake and maturity-onset obesity, with up to a 40% increase in body fat. Mice overexpressing heparanase displayed essentially the opposite phenotypes, with a reduced fat mass. These results implicate heparanase in energy balance control via the central melanocortin system. Our data indicate that heparanase acts as a negative modulator of AgRP signaling at MC4R, through cleavage of heparan sulfate chains presumably linked to syndecan-3.
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| 4. |
- Lundmark, Linda, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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International migration, self-employment and restructuring through tourism in sparsely populated areas
- 2014
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism. - London : Taylor & Francis. - 1502-2250 .- 1502-2269. ; 14:4, s. 422-440
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous research has shown that different forms of migration in general, and tourism-related international migration in particular, could act as potential drivers for various forms of rural transformations. This paper investigates self-employment in tourism among foreign-born people in rural Sweden. The questions addressed in this paper are: What is the magnitude of self-employment, and what types of business do in-migrants run, in rural areas? A discussion on the extent to which in-migrants to rural areas contribute to rural restructuring through self-employment in tourism follows. The results are analyzed by drawing on theories connected to restructuring and ideas of the “new economy”. The longitudinal, individual and geo-referenced database ASTRID with official Swedish register data is used to identify foreign-born people self-employed in tourism in Sweden. Self- employment is more common for in-migrants coming from culturally proximate Western countries, followed by Asia and the Middle East. The length of time in Sweden plays a significant role in the incidence of self-employment in tourism, with restaurants dominating as the type of establishment. It can be discussed how much restaurants help invigorate the economy of rural areas, and how much they contribute to rural change and transformation in qualitative terms.
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| 5. |
- Schéle, Erik, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Interleukin-6 Receptor alpha is Co-localised with Melanin-Concentrating Hormone in Human and Mouse Hypothalamus
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Neuroendocrinology. - : Wiley. - 0953-8194. ; 24:6, s. 930-943
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interleukin (IL)-6 deficient mice develop mature-onset obesity. Furthermore, i.c.v. administration of IL-6 increases energy expenditure, suggesting that IL-6 centrally regulates energy homeostasis. To investigate whether it would be possible for IL-6 to directly influence the energy homeostasis via hypothalamic regulation in humans and rodents, we mapped the distribution of the ligand binding IL-6 receptor a (IL-6Ra) in this brain region. In the human hypothalamus, IL-6Ra-immunoreactivity was detected in perikarya and first-order dendrites of neurones. The IL-6Ra-immunoreactive (-IR) neurones were observed posterior to the level of the interventricular foramen. There, IL-6Ra-IR neurones were located in the lateral hypothalamic, perifornical, dorsal and posterior hypothalamic areas, the hypothalamic dorsomedial nucleus and in the zona incerta. In the caudal part of the hypothalamus, the density of the IL-6Ra-IR neurones gradually increased. Double-labelling immunofluorescent studies demonstrated that IL-6Ra immunoreactivity was localised in the same neurones as the orexigenic neuropeptide, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH). By contrast, IL-6Ra-immunoreactivity was not observed in the orexin B-IR neurones. To determine whether the observed expression of IL-6Ra is evolutionary conserved, we studied the co-localisation of IL-6Ra with MCH and orexin in the mouse hypothalamus, where IL-6Ra-immunoreactivity was present in numerous MCH-IR and orexin-IR neurones. Our data demonstrate that the MCH neurones of the human hypothalamus, as well as the MCH and orexin neurones of the mouse hypothalamus, contain IL-6Ra. This opens up the possibility that IL-6 influences the energy balance through the MCH neurones in humans, and both MCH and orexin neurones in mice.
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| 6. |
- Wänström, Johan, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Riskfyllda beslut? : Skolnedläggelsers avtryck i kommunala valresultat
- 2012
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I diskussioner med kommunföreträdare framkommer ofta berättelser och farhågor kopplade till kommunala skolnedläggelser. Det finns en allmän uppfattning om att skolnedläggelser ofta utvecklas till besvärliga situationer som inte sällan påverkar det styrande partiets resultat negativt i det efterkommande valet till kommunfullmäktige.Vi har därför studerat valresultaten från valen till kommunfullmäktige 2006 och 2010 i 46 av det Nationella kommunforskningsprogrammets 47 medlemskommuner (Stockholm är inte med i materialet). Vi har jämfört valresultaten för det styrande partiet (det parti som innehar kommunstyrelseordförandeposten) samt det största oppositionspartiet i de kommuner som lagt ner åtminstone en grundskola under de aktuella mandatperioderna med valresultaten i de kommuner som inte har lagt ner några grundskolor.De genomsnittliga förändringarna i valresultaten i de kommuner som lagt ner skolor skiljer sig inte från de kommuner som inte lagt ner någon skola. Det finns heller inga statistiska belägg i studien för att det spelar någon roll om beslut om skolnedläggelser fattas tidigt eller sent under en mandatperiod; om skolan ligger i tätort eller på landsbygden; om kommunen är stor eller liten samt om det är en eller flera skolor som läggs ner.Trots att det är betydligt vanligare att socialdemokratiska styren tar beslut om skolnedläggelser än borgerliga styren finns det heller inget som tyder på att partifärgen spelar någon roll för relation mellan beslut om nedläggelse och valresultat. De här slutsatserna avspeglas även i att andelen maktskiften t. o. m. är lägre i kommuner som lagt ner skolor än i de som inte lagt ner några skolor.Istället stödjer studien tidigare forskning som pekar på att förändringar i nationella väljaropinioner, såsom uttryckt i resultaten i riksdagsvalet, har stor påverkan på valen till kommunfullmäktigen samt att enskilda sakfrågor från den gångna mandatperioden sällan gör några stora avtryck i de efterkommande valresultaten.
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