Drawing on the IR theories of norm translation and strategic narratives, this article focuses on how states translate international norms to their own advantage by producing strategic narratives to advance their soft power ambitions abroad. Using the example of Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP), the article compares Sweden, Canada, France, and Mexico in their attempts to translate international femini

Several generations of French leaders had high expectations for French Indochina’s usefulness as a symbolic resource for unifying the nation after times of disaster, but in fact the colony time and again proved to be little more than a burden. This chapter explores how a variety of factors, not the least of which was poor planning on the part of the French métropole, dashed the high hopes French l

Understanding the character of natural organic matter (NOM) and assessing its impact on water quality is paramount for managers of catchments and water utilities. For drinking-water producers, NOM affects disinfectant demand and the formation of by-products which can have adverse health effects. NOM content in raw waters also has an impact on water treatment processes by increasing required coagul

It is well-recognized in historical scholarship that in both Japan and the West, expositions were an important site for the dissemination of colonial propaganda in the decades surrounding the turn of the twentieth century. Nevertheless, the question of how colonial themes were perceived and understood by visitors to these events remains largely unanswered in this literature. This essay reflects on

The preparation of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts with high activity, stability and low platinum loading has always been the focus of research. The single-atom platinum supported catalyst greatly improves the utilization of platinum, but the catalytic activity and selectivity are greatly affected by the platinum coordination environment, and the pre

The TESS mission has reported a wealth of new planetary systems around bright and nearby stars amenable for detailed characterizations of planet properties and atmospheres. However, not all interesting TESS planets orbit around bright host stars. TOI-263 b is a validated ultra-short-period substellar object in a 0.56-day orbit around a faint (V = 18.97) M 3.5 dwarf star. The substellar nature of T

The rhizosphere priming effect (RPE) is increasingly considered an important regulator of below-ground C and N cycling, with implications for terrestrial ecosystem feedback to global change. Even so, there is a lack of knowledge about the mechanisms underlying RPEs. We used novel stable isotope probing methods to investigate RPEs in an experiment with Scots pine and Norway spruce seedlings, two of

Background: Although avian Plasmodium species are widespread and common across the globe, limited data exist on how genetically variable their populations are. Here, the hypothesis that the avian blood parasite Plasmodium relictum exhibits very low genetic diversity in its Western Palearctic transmission area (from Morocco to Sweden in the north and Transcaucasia in the east) was tested. Methods:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a deterioration of neuronal connectivity. The pathological accumulation of tau in neurons is one of the hallmarks of AD and has been connected to the loss of dendritic spines of pyramidal cells, which are the major targets of cortical excitatory synapses and key elements in memory storage. However, the detailed m

Target protection proteins confer resistance to the host organism by directly binding to the antibiotic target. One class of such proteins are the antibiotic resistance (ARE) ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins of the F-subtype (ARE-ABCFs), which are widely distributed throughout Gram-positive bacteria and bind the ribosome to alleviate translational inhibition from antibiotics that target the lar

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has an origin in the fetal period which may distinguish it from ALL diagnosed later in life. We wanted to test whether familial risks differ in ALL diagnosed in the very early childhood from ALL diagnosed later. The Swedish nation-wide family-cancer data were used until year 2016 to calculate standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for familial risks in AL

In 2016, we reported the presence of Plasmodium vivax in Botswana through active case detection. A realtime PCR was used during a similar study in 10 districts to assess changes in the P. vivax prevalence. We assessed 1,614 children (2-13 years of age) for hemoglobin (Hb; g/dL) and Plasmodium parasites. The median age of all participants was 5.0 years (25th percentile, 3 years; 75th percentile, 8

The bacterial species Cutibacterium acnes (formerly known as Propionibacterium acnes) is tightly associated with humans. It is the dominant bacterium in sebaceous regions of the human skin, where it preferentially colonizes the pilosebaceous unit. Multiple strains of C. acnes that belong to phylogenetically distinct types can co-exist. In this review we summarize and discuss the current knowledge

The end-Permian mass extinction was the most severe biotic crisis in Earth’s history. In its direct aftermath, microbial communities were abundant on shallow-marine shelves around the Tethys. They colonized the space left vacant after the dramatic decline of skeletal metazoans. The presence of sponges and sponge microbial bioherms has largely gone unnoticed due to the sponges’ size and the cryptic

Spatially-distributed values of glacier aerodynamic roughness (z0) are vital for robust estimates of turbulent energy fluxes and ice and snow melt. Microtopographic data allow rapid estimates of z0 over discrete plot-scale areas, but are sensitive to data scale and resolution. Here, we use an extensive multi-scale dataset from Hintereisferner, Austria, to develop a correction factor to derive z0 v

Background: Research has indicated that interactive, computerized case simulations using immersive virtual reality (VR) technology may be beneficial in the augmentation of conventional methods of assessment and treatment in forensic psychiatry, primarily through providing an engaging and safe environment in which the user can practice and learn skills and behaviors. However, there does not appear

Fiji is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) in the Pacific Ocean, with relatively population mobility. In this context, we study the individual-level characteristics of Fijian internal migration. Hence, our contribution lies in investigating migrant selectivity and differences in migratory behavior of different subgroups of the Fijian population. Specifically, we focus on factors such as gender

Purpose–This study aims to assess the associations of early marriage and spousal age difference(independent of early marriage) with reproductive and sexual health and autonomy in decision-making amongmarried women before conception.Design/methodology/approach–The present study was a part of a three-year community intervention toimprove the preconception health of young married women (20–35 years)