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This thesis aims to address the complex legal challenges related to the responsibility of multinational corporations for human rights violations and environmental harm in global supply chains. Starting from the context of increasing pressure on transnational businesses and the shortcomings of soft law instruments such as the UN Guiding Principles and the OECD Guidelines, the study examines the pot
The Azerbaijani city of Shusha stands out as an exemplary place for reconstruction based on the principles of sustainable development in the post-conflict era. This research examines the city of Shusha’s aim of building a sustainable city model from scratch and focuses on two major directions: the transition to solar-based systems in the city’s energy supply and the establishment of a clean transp
The number and complexity of modern software systems have increased substantially since their inception. This unrelenting growth is making manual code review more difficult year by year, and the gap between the amount of code and security verification creates a critical need for automated tools that can assist developers in detecting vulnerabilities. A possible solution to this is large language m
The aim of this work is to redefine the concept of sensorimotor augmentation, extending it from wearable devices to supernumerary robotic upper limbs that are grounded and can be placed out of the physiological peripersonal space of the user. While the wearability of the supernumerary robotic limb (SRL) is not mandatory, the human-robot connection must be maintained through a wearable interface th
Maternal alloantibody-induced hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) remains a significant concern worldwide. Alloimmune HDFN can be pathogenetically named by the specific alloantibodies involved. Moreover, four mechanistic pathway types are generally recognized in clinical practice: classical or extravascular hemolysis; immune-pressure-escaped, also known as antibody-mediated antigen-m
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a major driver of evolution and a key source of innovation in the microbial world. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs), such as plasmids and phages, often act as agents of HGT or as vehicles for cargo genes, some of which define the adaptive potential of the host organism in specific environments. These genes are involved in immunity, anti-immunity, virulence, and anti
Light chain monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (LC-MGUS) is an asymptomatic precursor of multiple myeloma (MM) and related disorders defined by abnormal free light chain (FLC) testing. Recently, revised FLC reference intervals were proposed by the iStopMM study group. We evaluated their performance in a large population-based cohort. MGUS cases were identified from the Danish Lymph
Natural polymers are promising sustainable materials for diverse applications. Xylans, major components of hemicellulose, exhibit origin-dependent substitution patterns that determine their physicochemical properties. Targeted enzymatic modification of these substituents offers a mild and precise approach for tailoring the polymer's characteristics. Glucuronidases (EC 3.2.1.139) and xylan α-1,2-gl
We explore mental health as a potential mechanism to explain the labor market penalty of an early-onset physical disability using administrative data from Sweden. For methodological reasons, we focus on persons with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and use prescriptions for mental health conditions. We examine how much of the differences in labor market outcomes is explained by prescriptions for mental health
Thermal energy storage is likely to be integral to a sustainable, secure and affordable energy system facing ever greater challenges in matching supply and demand. Techno-economic studies have explored the potential for thermal storage deployment, but transitions in the energy system are also influenced by the activities and decisions of an array of actors. We gathered new empirical evidence from
Wireless power transfer (WPT) is a promising service for the Internet of Things (IoT), providing a cost-effective and sustainable solution to deploy so-called energy-neutral devices on a massive scale. The power received at the device side from a conventional transmit antenna with a physically small aperture decays rapidly with the distance. New opportunities arise from the transition from convent
Despite extensive cataloging of carcinogenic exposures by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and pharmacogenomic variation by resources such as PharmVar and CPIC, few platforms unify exposure, metabolic activation and detoxification, DNA damage, and genetic annotation within a single interactive visualization framework. This gap limits systematic evaluation of gene-environment
The unquenchable thirst for bandwidth to support next-generation wireless systems is increasingly bringing D-band into the spotlight. This work proposes a scalable D-band patch antenna that features both coplanar and stacked parasitic patch structures. By leveraging inter-patch coupling, different coplanar parasitic elements are excited across different frequency bands, enabling multi-mode operati
The initial adhesion of bacterial cells to implant surfaces is a critical step in the development of biofilms, complex microbial communities that are highly resistant to conventional antimicrobial treatments. Once established, these biofilms and their self-produced extracellular matrix are difficult to eradicate. As a result, there is growing interest in engineering implant surfaces that can effec
Surgery is often viewed as a lifesaving intervention, yet recovery depends just as much on what follows. The concept of individualised anaesthesia and analgesia in surgery challenges the traditional one-size-fits-all model by tailoring care to each patient's physiological and psychological profile, with the potential to improve outcomes, reduce complications, and enhance the patient experience. Ma
We study the time complexity of computing the (min,+) matrix product of two n×n integer matrices in terms of n and the number of monotone subsequences the rows of the first matrix and the columns of the second matrix can be decomposed into. In particular, we show that if each row of the first matrix can be decomposed into at most m1 monotone subsequences and each column of the second matrix can b
