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The proliferation of small arms has been a major concern over the years in areas of both conflictand peace alike. Around the world, availability and access to small arms instigates violentconflicts while extending existing ones. It is also the leading cause of violent deaths in zones ofrelative peace. The Horn of Africa, which is one of the most conflict ridden areas of the world isflooded with small arms. Ethiopia, being the largest and the most populated country in the regionis at the core of proceedings and also suffers from massive proliferation of small arms. Many ofthe weapons in the country are a product of massive influx of military equipment that took placeduring the cold war and beyond - much of the trade of weapons has been driven by global powerrivalry. These arms come into play when socio-political tensions boil over between states andnon-state actors leading to loss of many lives in and around the country.This thesis attempts to answer the burgeoning question of why is there such a proliferation ofsmall arms in Ethiopia. It looks at the issue of proliferation of small arms in the country as asmall part of global arms trade driven by great power rivalry. In particular, it uses Alex DeWaal’s conceptual framework of the political marketplace to analyze both the supply and demandfor small arms in the country. The paper applies the four socio-economic-political conditions fora functional political marketplace as outlined by De Waal for two distinct periods in recentEthiopian history - the Derg Regime (1974-1991) and the subsequent EPRDF regime (1991onwards) - to see how these conditions manifest themselves during the two regions andcontribute to the proliferation of small arms in the country.

Across the world rights-based climate change litigation have been hailed as the new instrument in which societal groups through law may bring about climate action from powerful actors, cure damages of climate change and provide justice against human rights violations. Despite the normative success of rights-based climate litigation, the space for legal mobilisation is not only confronted by political ideologies and bureaucratic barriers, but an inherent tension of structural oppression that affects the space for litigation in the Global South. This project seeks to explore the implications of climate justice litigation in the Global South and what dynamic interactions are involved in legal mobilisation. Through a two-level research design of international organisations and policies, as well as a comparative study of organisations, litigation cases and national law from Colombia, Kenya, and South Africa, this project finds that the space for litigation is conducive yet up against a neo-colonial extractive- development model that favours powerful actors over the livelihoods of communities although protected by law. This study draws on the theories of Third World Approaches to International Law and Socio-legal theory to move beyond a rights-based approach in seeking to deconstruct the type of justice which may be achieved, and what that means for the communities impacted.

This study investigates the role of data sharing and digitalization in enabling the transition towards the circular economy. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution and environmental degradation threaten the well-being of people and the planet. Unsustainable consumption and production based on linear “take-make-waste” economic models are critical drivers of these crises. The European Union (EU) is at the forefront of efforts to improve the resource efficiency of the European economy and enable the transition towards the circular economy (CE). It has recently developed a new policy framework to regulate the production and consumption of goods placed on the EU market. A vital component of this framework is developing and implementing a Digital Product Passport (DPP). This regulatory tool aims to provide standardized information about a product throughout its lifecycle.We use a multilevel governance (MLG) approach to analyze how different levels of EU governance have been involved in developing the DPP to provide insights into factors that have shaped the policy output. We find that while the DPP has the potential to improve the transparency, traceability and circularity of the EU’s supply chain, there are definitional challenges, risks of regulatory capture, and uncertainty on how data is shared and governed which may impact its acceptance and adoption, and ultimately the EU’s accountability and democratic legitimacy.We conclude that while DPP offers significant opportunities to drive forward the EU’s CE ambitions, it can only be considered one tool in the pursuit of a more sustainable future. By addressing the challenges outlined above, and accelerating global in addition to regional efforts, can the EU facilitate the transformation required for transitioning to a more sustainable and circular economy.

The Netherlands has long struggled to come to terms with its colonial past. This thesis examines how Dutchhistory textbooks used in secondary education discuss Dutch colonial history and racism and what aspectsof this history are silenced. A narrative analysis was conducted to explore what narratives are used, whetherthe textbooks attribute agency, and whether connections are made between colonialism and present-dayphenomena, such as racism and xenophobia. The textbooks were interpreted through a theoreticalframework based on collective memory, the cultural archive, cultural hegemony, and Stuart Hall’s approachto national identity and race. The analysis found that the textbooks include representations of Dutch colonialviolence but that two of three textbooks separate colonial history from Dutch national history. Moreover,the research identified that Indonesia was given considerably more attention in the textbooks’ narrativesthan Suriname and the Dutch Antilles. While the analysis showed some efforts to include indigenousperspectives and highlight the agency of colonial subjects, a Eurocentric narrative that presents Europe asthe architect of knowledge and change in the world persists. The history textbooks framed criticalengagement with contemporary colonial legacy through a multi-perspective debate. Additionally, theanalysis concluded that the existence of racism in contemporary Dutch society and its historical roots incolonialism was omitted from all three textbooks. Thus, this research finds that silences in the historytextbooks about race echo the misunderstandings among the Dutch population regarding the denial ofracism in Dutch society.

SeaVis is a company that uses underwater drones to photograph the seafloor, collecting valuabledata on the location and density of mussels. Unfortunately, they lack an effective way of visualisingand communicating this data to their users, limiting the ability of mussel gatherers to optimise theirharvest. This project aims to provide SeaVis with a user-friendly mapping client that displays theirdata on the location and density of mussels on the seafloor, as well as a means to convert their rawdata into a form which can be readily displayed in the TimeZero software package. The mappingclient includes features such as data security and better data management and representation, helpingusers optimise their harvest and reduce the time and energy required to gather mussels.

Plastic contaminants and their presence in the environment is a growing concern in recent years, primarily attributed to their ubiquity and vast cumulative amounts. Approximately, 80-90% of land-based plastic pollutants are distributed through freshwater systems until they reach their final destination, the ocean. Once in the freshwater environment, the larger plastic particles, macroplastics, break down into smaller particles ending up into fragments less than 1 μm in size, referred to as nanoplastics (NPs). These NPs start accumulating in the freshwater ecosystems, posing a potential danger to the environment. This is due to its almost impossible gathering and disposal as well as the lack of understanding of its hazardous potential. This Master’s Thesis focus on Polystyrene NPs effects and accumulation by conducting two studies: (1) in vivo zebrafish (Danio rerio), focusing on embryo viability and larvae regeneration, and (2) in vitro embryonic fibroblast-like cell line, ZF4 (ATCC), focusing on cell viability. Both studies included experiments of short-term exposure (96 hours) to environmentally relevant NPs concentrations. The obtained results suggest that NPs acute exposure does not have a lethal effect on embryos nor affect the natural regeneration process of the larvae. However, NPs exposure affects the larvae inflammatory process due to NPs triggering neutrophil mobilization after complete regeneration of the amputated tissue. As for ZF4 cells, NPs have been observed to be internalized into the cytoplasm, as well as a leading to a decrease in cell viability after 96 hours of exposure.

Behavioural studies on Aonyx cinereus, commonly known as the Asian small-clawed otter, are useful tools to assess the welfare of this animal in captivity. For example, studies have shown that Asian small-clawed otters can be negatively impacted by cold weather and by the presence of visitors. The way they show poor welfare is by reduced diversity of behaviours and by exhibiting signs of stress, such as pacing and head flips. The aim of this project is to assess whether there is an association between the amount of visitors and a reduced behavioural diversity and an increased frequency of stress behaviours in the three Asian small-clawed otters at Copenhagen Zoo. The study was conducted for a total of six weeks using scan sampling. The behaviour of A. cinereus, together with the amount of visitors, was recorded in 2-minute intervals, for 40 minutes, three times a day, twice a week, on a low-visitor day (Wednesday) and a high-visitor day (Saturday). Activity budgets, Simpson and Shannon-Wiener diversity indices, as well as Markov chain modelling, were used to interpret the gathered data. Due to the lack of significant difference in activity budget results, the association between the amount of visitors and a change in the behaviour frequencies of the otters cannot be supported. Similarly, the Simpson and the ShannonWiener Diversity indices do not confirm a reduced behavioural diversity during high-visitor days. More distinct results are found between the two three-weeks period differentiated by a change in the male subject. Both the activity budgets and the diversity indices support a more varied behaviour of the otters during Part 2, likely due to the New Male better health and younger age. Higher temperatures are also believed to have had a possible positive effect. During Part 2, increased behaviours such as ”Resting” and ”Out of sight” were assumed to be indicative of the Female presumably being pregnant. Finally, adapted Markov chain models were used to evaluate the probability of change in state between the outside and inside of the Female otter at high and low visitor counts (>10, ≤10), and in the presence, or absence, of precipitation. Both established a tendency in remaining in the same environment between two observations, which could be due to various factors. However, the random test run on the two Markov chain models partially demonstrated how the Female choices of change in state were affected by the visitors and the precipitation variables. Since most of the data analysis from this study was inconclusive to whether visitors affect the otters behaviour at Copenhagen Zoo, further research is opportune.

The project explores the multidimensional nature of the European Union’s bordering process and its evolution in two key moments: the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine. By understanding the bordering processes of debordering and rebordering, it is possible to comprehend and analyse whether the conflict in Ukraine influenced the EU’s bordering process. The analysis was framed within a constructivist approach to border theory and employed Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis. Six speeches delivered by the President of the Commission were analysed. The results indicate that there was a relation of causality between the conflict and the EU’s bordering process. Moreover, discourses played a significant role in defining those bordering processes. The results are important because they contribute to the field of border theory, exploring borders from a different perspective and through a different method.

This study investigates the viability of using sound detection for road safety. Specifically lookinginto the possibilities of detecting emergency vehicle sirens. The advancements in soundproofingand noise canceling require new tools to improve road safety. A study made by Dr. Simon Moorein 2017, stated that drivers who listen to music louder than 96dB, will lose about 20% of theirconcentration. A driver in a soundproofed car only has a very short time to react to the ambulance.Our prototype to offer a solution has the capabilities to recognize ambulance sirens from low soundlevels, in traffic situations as well. It connects to an Android App, sending alerts within 2 secondsafter a siren sound becomes audible. The prototype provides a proof of concept, however, it amplifiesthe faults of the idea as well. Due to not being able to assess the full traffic situation, the prototypecannot decide if the user is in the ambulance’s way or not. This can lead to several false alarms,limiting the real-life usability of the system. The research starts by looking at advancements insound detection in the past decade. Several studies are reviewed about ambulance detection, whichpaths the way for the design choices. For the prototype the YAMNet pre-trained sound classifierneural network is implemented on a Raspberry Pi, communicating to an Android App. To determinethe true viability of the prototype more excessive testing is required. However, this study elucidatesa promising avenue for further exploration and development in sound-detecting driver assistancesystems.

This thesis critically investigates the energy efficiency implications of Object Relational Mapping (ORM) frameworks within the .NET landscape, particularly focusing on Dapper, Entity Framework, and nHibernate. The primary objectives involve evaluating their energy consumption and execution time, exploring the impact of various query types and table sizes. Data was gathered through controlled experimental setups, running numerous database queries across different frameworks, query types, and table sizes. The data were subjected to descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and visual aids for comprehensive analysis.Findings within this research reveal that Dapper outperforms in terms of energy efficiency compared to nHibernate and Entity Framework, suggesting its potential role in energy-conscious software development. Additionally, the type of query plays a significant role in energy consumption and execution time, with "Get" operations showing higher energy usage and increased execution time. Larger tables were also found to consume more energy during data retrieval processes.The insights gained from this study provide a valuable contribution to understanding the energy efficiency nuances among different ORM frameworks, informing software engineers in making strategic decisions related to ORM framework selection, query type usage, and data management. These findings bear significant implications for both the academic field and the industry, enabling the advancement towards sustainable software development practices and contributing to the broader dialogue on energy efficiency.