Although microfinance is often thought of as a tool to address poverty in developing countries, it is also being introduced in a number of countries in the developed world. The paper presents a qualitative study of the first year of the introduction of microfinance to address vulnerable groups in Sweden. Savings banks and nonprofit organisations collaborated in the introduction of microfinance as

For polarized light to inform behaviour, the typical range of degrees of polarization observable in the animal's natural environment must be above the threshold for detection and interpretation. Here, we present the first investigation of the degree of linear polarization threshold for orientation behaviour in a nocturnal species, with specific reference to the range of degrees of polarization mea

Introduction to the Special issue on “Community-Engaged Scholarship”

Scholars in the field of social entrepreneurship are challenging the researchers to produce empirical research on the social dimension of this phenomenon. Drawing on Foucault, this paper proposes the notion of ‘social entrepreneurial rationality’ to capture the social dimension of social entrepreneurship. The article builds on a comparative case study of three social ventures, each adopting a diff

The last 20 years have seen a flood of studies of resistance, ranging from collective to individual acts of resistance, from the study of material aspects to its more ideational ones. Yet students of resistance have neglected the psychological dimension of everyday individual acts of resistance to power. This article is a first step to remedy that oversight. Inspired by Butler’s reading of Foucaul

It has been long known that hyperglycaemia-induced β-cell dysfunction precipitates type 2 diabetes (T2D) in insulin-resistant obesity, although the underlying mechanisms are still poorly defined. The few frequently used antidiabetic drugs on the market have still not satisfactorily demonstrated any long-lasting improvements of β-cell function and prevention of the disease. Islets synthesise and se

The enhanced vegetation growth by climate warming plays a pivotal role in amplifying the seasonal cycle of atmospheric CO2 at northern lands (>50° N) since 1960s. However, the correlation between vegetation growth, temperature and seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 concentration have become elusive with the slowed increasing trend of vegetation growth and weakened temperature control on CO2 upt

OBJECTIVE: Exposure to hyperoxemia and hypoxemia is common in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients following return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), but its effects on neurological outcome are uncertain, and study results are inconsistent. METHODS: Exploratory post hoc substudy of the Target Temperature Management (TTM) trial, including 939 patients after OHCA with return of spontaneou

Alternative fuels for combustion engines are becoming increasingly popular as society is pushing to phase out fossil energy to reduce CO2 emissions. The compression ignition (CI) engine has a high overall efficiency which makes it a valuable option for the transport fleet, despite the well known NOx and soot pollutants it emits. These two pollutants are emitted due to a combination of high local cAlternative fuels for combustion engines are becoming increasingly popular as society is pushing to phase out fossil energy to reduce CO2 emissions. The compression ignition (CI) engine has a high overall efficiency which makes it a valuable option for the transport fleet, despite the well known NOx and soot pollutants it emits. These two pollutants are emitted due to a combination of high local c

Forests dominate carbon (C) exchanges between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere on land. In the long term, the net carbon flux between forests and the atmosphere has been significantly impacted by changes in forest cover area and structure due to ecological disturbances and management activities. Current empirical approaches for estimating net ecosystem productivity (NEP) rarely conside

Research to date concurs in maintaining that performance of nationally homogeneous workgroups differs if compared to heterogeneous ones. Yet, results are mixed on the relationship between cultural diversity and workgroup outcomes. The article argues that cultural differences are given explanatory authority, cultural diversity acquiring a positivist status, and group members being treated as ‘dopes

The term “network society” is often discussed as the society of the future, with technological saturation, knowledge-based work, and network structure being its defining characteristics. The network society implies a world populated by engineers, global telecom companies, highly mobile workers, cultural diversity, spin-offs, high-tech clusters, and venture capital. Theoretical approaches and empir

Building on Boltanski’s and Thévenot’s notion of the plurality of forms of worth, the chapter focuses on the tension between the world of art (with an inspirational order of worth) and the community organiser’s world (guided by a civic principle of worth). Empirical material comes from VoS, a non-profit community-arts organization in Sweden. The chapter follows the sequence of events, criticisms,

We investigate why companies collaborate within the circular oriented innovation process. The purpose is to understand what motives trigger collaborative circular oriented innovation, as well as conditions, drivers and barriers. First, we define circular oriented innovation building on sustainable oriented innovation literature. Subsequently, we investigate 11 leading circular economy companies op

Social entrepreneurship is a hot topic on many campuses around the world. The past decade has seen the birth of many a course on starting up social ventures, the development of whole educational programmes on social innovation, the establishment of university centres for the promotion of social impact and the launch of incubation labs for students who want to make the world a better place. Althoug

This work used a low-cost wireless electroencephalography (EEG) headset to quantify the human response to different cognitive stress states on a single-trial basis. We used a Stroop-type color⁻word interference test to elicit mild stress responses in 18 subjects while recording scalp EEG. Signals recorded from thirteen scalp locations were analyzed using an algorithm that computes the root mean sq

The essay argues that between the world we aim to study and the realities we describe there is no straight, neutral relation. Instead, through our scientific practices we simplify that world as well as contribute to shape it. Methods are not mere procedures to mirror the world; rather, methods mediate between the world and our descriptions of it, and in the process they contribute to both simplify