In this chapter, we explore not only the challenges with public procurement, but also how public organization can turn procurement into a useful tool that can help develop quality in public services provision and delivery. There is a belief that public procurement can be an instrument for change. The public sector is a large procurer, and the idea is that if public procurers demand better products

Context. We present a systematic X-ray spectral-timing study of the recently discovered, exceptionally bright black hole X-ray binary system MAXI J1820+070. Our analysis focuses on the first part of the 2018 outburst, covering the rise throughout the hard state, the bright hard and hard-intermediate states, and the transition to the soft-intermediate state. Aims. We address the issue of constraini

This chapter aims to discuss challenges related to governing in a digitalized era. In the public sector, digitalization and ICT solutions are regarded as a way to alleviate the burden of a sector under pressure. The suggested solutions are many, from computers making decisions to robots substituting teachers. Through digitalization resources can be freed up and public service provision be delivere

The focus of this article is to examine a specific case of a failing regional innovation system (RIS). Our study focuses on a specific project that was conducted in a triple helix constellation where public actors occupy the centre of the triple helix constellation. By examining and interpreting this single case, we aim to illustrate the consequences that result from uncertainty over who the tripl

Exporting is a central growth strategy for most firms and managers with international experience are instrumental for export decisions. We suggest that such managers can be hired from Multinational Corporations (MNCs). We integrate theory from strategic human capital research into models explaining export decisions. We theorize that hiring managers from MNCs increases the odds of domestic firms to

The steeply falling jet spectrum induces a bias on the medium modifications of jet observables in heavy-ion collisions. To explore this effect, we develop a novel analytic framework to study the quenched jet spectrum and its cumulative. We include many energy-loss-related effects, such as soft and hard medium induced emissions, broadening, elastic scattering, jet fragmentation, cone size dependenc

Ice multiplication by fragmentation during collision-freezing of supercooled rain or drizzle is investigated. A zero-dimensional dynamical system describes the time evolution of number densities of supercooled drops and ice crystals in a mixed-phase cloud. The characteristic time scale for this collision-freezing ice fragmentation is controlled by the collision efficiency, the number of ice fragme

The genus Eulophinusia Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), previously known from Australia and India, is newly recorded from the Americas (Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic). The morphological diagnosis of the genus is enhanced through the discovery of an unnoticed and unique feature - an intricate jigsaw-like microsculptural pattern on the mesoscutellum. The new species described here, Euloph

The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to investigate how collective emergency and disaster response management performance can be further improved. Based on four studies, this research contributes with knowledge in two areas.First, collective processes that might improve response management are investigated. In this regard, collective improvisation as a concept is found limited in its usefulness

The Paleogene history of biogenic opal accumulation in the North Atlantic provides insight into both the evolution of deepwater circulation in the Atlantic basin and weathering responses to major climate shifts. However, existing records are compromised by low temporal resolution and/or stratigraphic discontinuities. In order to address this problem, we present a multi-site, high-resolution record

Wild bees are declining in many parts of the world, which poses a risk for crop pollination and ecosystem health. Land use and climate change are two of the main drivers of the decline, and understanding the interactive effects of these two drivers and wild bees is very important to be able to develop proper responses and mitigate future negative effects. In this thesis I have investigated the eff

The Valley of Lakes basin (Mongolia) contains a unique continental sedimentary archive, suitable for constraining the influence of tectonics and climate change on the aridification of Central Asia in the Cenozoic. We identify the sedimentary provenance, the (post)depositional environment and the palaeo-climate based on sedimentological, petrographical, mineralogical, and (isotope) geochemical sign

After cross-equatorial wintering, migratory birds reliably return to their natal grounds, but a population of cliff swallows recently switched breeding hemisphere. They inverted their annual cycle and migration directions almost instantaneously.

Contemporary smart cities have largely mirrored the sustainable development agenda by embracing an ecological modernisation approach to urban development. There is a strong focus on stimulating economic activity and environmental protection with little emphasis on social equity and the human experience. The health and well-being agenda has potential to shift the focus of smart cities to centre on

Urban policy increasingly positions smart urban development as a transformative approach to deliver sustain- ability. In this paper, we question the transformative credentials of smartness and argue that it is better un- derstood as a partial fix for the economic, environmental and social challenges faced by cities. Drawing on the urban sustainability and smart city literatures, we develop the con

In recent years, social housing providers in the UK have become influential actors in realizing the national government’s decarborization agenda. However, when decarbonization is considered in light of austerity measures and the privatization of public housing, a number of contradictions arise. From interviews and a workshop with policymakers and registered provi- ders in the city-region of Greate

Social housing providers have recently emerged as unlikely innovators of low carbon transitions in the UK residential sector. They tend to have a significant amount of influence over large housing stocks, op- portunities to access funding to retrofit on a large scale, can make explicit connections between reduced carbon emissions and improved quality of life for low-income residents, and foster a