Gastrointestinal parasites in pigs : prevalence, risk factors and control

Gastrointestinal parasites are common in pigs worldwide, and in all production types. Clinical disease is rare and mainly associated with heavy nematode infections, or piglets infected with the coccidia Cystoisospora suis. Subclinical infections are more common and may result in reduced growth and poor feed utilisation. This can in turn affect pig health as well as the sustainability and productivity of the farm. The aim of this thesis was to update the knowledge of gastrointestinal parasites in Swedish pig herds, as this was last done in the 1980s. Since then, major changes in the national pig production have occurred with e.g., higher demands on animal welfare and improved biosecurity. Management routines related to parasite control were investigated using a questionnaire. Strategic hygiene and biosecurity practices were commonly practiced for growing pigs but less so for adult animals. Moreover, antiparasitic drugs were frequently used by routine. The occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites was assessed in three different studies. Oesophagostomum spp. were the most common parasites and found mainly in sows. The prevalence of Ascaris suum in growing pigs was reduced compared to previous studies. C. suis was common in piglets on a herd basis and Cryptosporidium spp. were found on all sampled farms. Finally, the efficacy of the available anthelmintic drugs was investigated, and for the first time in Sweden a reduced efficacy of ivermectin on Oesophagostomum spp. was identified. In conclusion, several changes in both the prevalence and control of gastrointestinal parasites were identified in this thesis. This new knowledge can in turn contribute to healthier pigs and a more sustainable and profitable pig production

Lungworms (Metastrongylus spp.) demonstrated in domestic pigs with respiratory disease: was there a clinical relevance?

Background An outdoor pig herd was affected by severe respiratory disease in one out of three pastures. At necropsy, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida were detected in the lungs, as well as the lung worm Metastrongylus apri. The life cycle of Metastrongylus spp. includes earthworms as intermediate hosts, and since domestic pigs mainly are reared indoors, lungworm infections have not been diagnosed in domestic pigs in Sweden for decades, not even in pigs reared outdoors. Therefore, this disease outbreak was scrutinised from the view of validating the impact of Metastrongylus spp. Results At the time of the disease outbreak, neither eggs of Metastrongylus spp., Trichuris suis nor Ascaris suum were detected in faeces of pigs aged ten weeks. In contrast, five-months-old pigs at the pasture with respiratory disease shed up to 3800 eggs per gram (Epg) of Ascaris suum and up to 1100 Epg of Trichuris suis, whereas eggs of these parasites were not demonstrated in healthy pigs aged six months at another pasture. Low numbers of eggs from Metastrongylus spp. (< 150 Epg) were seen in faecal samples from both these age categories. At slaughter, seven weeks later, ten normal weighted pigs in the preceding healthy batch were compared with ten normal weighted and five small pigs from the affected batch. Healing Mycoplasma-like pneumonic lesions were seen in all groups. All small pigs shed eggs of Ascaris suum in the faeces, compared to around 50% of the larger pigs. Metastrongylus spp. were demonstrated in 13 of the 25 pigs (52%), representing all groups included. Conclusion As Metastrongylus spp. were demonstrated regardless of health status, and also in another healthy outdoor herd, the impact of Metastrongylus spp. on the outbreak of respiratory disease was depreciated. Instead, a possible association with a high burden of Ascaris suum was suggested to have preceded the severe outbreak with respiratory disease in the affected herd. Further, it was concluded that Metastrongylus spp. will escape detection at routine meat inspections made at slaughterhouses, and as they appeared to generally not induce clinical signs of respiratory disease Metastrongylus spp. may be more common in outdoor production than previously believed

Wildfire yields a distinct turnover of the beetle community in a semi-natural pine forest in northern Sweden

Background Fires have been an important natural disturbance and pervasive evolutionary force in the boreal biome. Yet, fire suppression has made forest fires rare in the managed landscapes in Fennoscandia, causing significant habitat loss for saproxylic species such as polypores and insects. To better understand how the beetle community changes (species turnover) after a wildfire in a landscape with intense fire suppression, we monitored beetles with flight intercept traps the first 3 years as well as 12 years after a large wildfire in a national park in northern Sweden (a control/unburnt area was set up for the last year of sampling). Results Species composition changed significantly among all studied years with a continuous turnover of species following the wildfire. The indicator species analysis showed that year 1 post-fire was mostly associated with cambium consumers and also the pyrophilous speciesBatrisodes hubenthali. Year 2 was the most abundant and species-rich year, withTomicus piniperdaas the most important indicator species. The indicator species year 3 were mostly secondary successional species, fungivores, and predators and were characterized by lower species diversity. Year 12 had higher diversity compared with year 3 but lower species richness and abundance. A control area was established during year 12 post-fire, and our analyses showed that the control area and burned area differed in species composition suggesting that the beetle community needs longer than 12 years to recover even after a low-intensive ground fire. Conclusion The wildfire area hosted several red-listed and fire-dependent species suggesting that after a century of landscape-level fire suppression in a semi-natural area, the reintroduction of fire benefits rare and pyrophilous species and still impacts species composition after 12 years. This study implies that fire has long-lasting effects on high latitudes and that prescribed burning has the potential to benefit biodiversity over decades in these landscapes while also highlighting the value of considering the whole species community and not only monitoring abundance and richness to assess biodiversity after management actions

Management practices related to the control of gastrointestinal parasites on Swedish pig farms

Background Internal parasites are common in pigs worldwide and may induce clinical disease or subclinical infections with negative effects such as poor weight gain and reduced welfare, which in turn affect productivity. Effective parasite control to reduce the negative impact of parasitic infections demands a combination of antiparasitic drugs as well as various hygiene and biosecurity practices. The aim of this study was to obtain information on current management practices and parasite control routines used on Swedish pig farms using an online questionnaire. Results Antiparasitic drugs were used on 69% of the farms routinely and were mainly administered to sows just prior to farrowing. Less than 5% of the herds conducted faecal analysis for parasites. Batchwise, age segregated rearing was common and overall, it was practiced for piglets, growers, and fatteners on 88, 80 and 75% of the farms, respectively. Large and medium sized farms appeared to apply stricter hygiene and biosecurity measures to the growing pigs compared to small farms. Dry sows were mainly housed in groups on deep litter straw beds and cleaning, as well as disinfection, between each group was less common compared to what was practiced for growing pigs. Outdoor access was rare and only occurred on organic and small farms. Most of the farms, 54, 74 and 82% of small, medium, and large sized herds respectively, reported to have less than 5% white spot lesions, caused by migrating A. suum larvae, registered at slaughter. Conclusion Several risk factors for parasite infections, such as bedding material, group housing and solid floors, are mandatory requirements by national law. However, it was evident from this study that although strategic hygiene and biosecurity practices appeared common, they were not practiced in all herds and less so for dry sows. Antiparasitic drugs were used frequently and mainly through routine prophylactic treatments without prior testing for parasites. A holistic approach is necessary when designing efficient parasite control programs, and it is essential that management factors and routine monitoring of parasites are given attention. This to achieve efficient parasite control and reduce the risk of unnecessary use of antiparasitic drugs

Voices of children with intellectual disabilities on participation in daily activities

BACKGROUND : Participation in daily activities is expressed as a human right. Full participation of children with disabilities in daily activities creates optimal opportunities for learning and development. Previous studies have focused primarily on proxy ratings of participation of children with intellectual disabilities in daily activities. However, little is known about how the children rate barriers and facilitators to their participation in everyday activities. OBJECTIVES : To identify barriers to and facilitators for everyday activities as experienced by children with intellectual disabilities from low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries. The research questions were as follows: ‘what barriers to participation do children with disabilities experience in everyday activities?’ and ‘what facilitators to participation do children with disabilities experience in everyday activities?’ METHOD : A qualitative content analyses was used in this study, and individual interviews were conducted with 49 children with intellectual disabilities. The interviews were performed using pictures. The children also selected the most important activities and described in their own words the facilitators and barriers relevant to being able to perform the activities. RESULTS : The most important activities were organised leisure activities, formal learning at school, taking care of other family members and family mealtimes. Self-reported barriers identified were personal functioning, social exclusion and lack of resources. The identified facilitators included satisfaction, personal capability, being included and having access to resources. CONCLUSION : These findings provide important knowledge about the factors to consider in the development of interventions, aimed at improving the participation of children with intellectual disabilities.The National Research Foundation (NRF) and Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT).http://www.ajod.orgpm2021Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC

När det finns två att välja på : Sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att ha två chefer med delat ledarskap - En kvalitativ intervjustudie

Det blir allt mer vanligt med delat ledarskap inom vården. Det finns en del forskning om chefers upplevelser av delat ledarskap, men inte så mycket från medarbetarnas perspektiv. Syftet med studien var att belysa sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att ha två chefer med delat ledarskap. Metoden som användes var kvalitativ metod med induktiv ansats i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Totalt intervjuades sex informanter från två olika sjukhus i Sverige. Det insamlade materialet transkriberades, analyserades och kategoriserades genom innehållsanalys enligt Elo och Kyngäs (2007). Resultatet visade att medarbetare hade en positiv syn på att ha två chefer med delat ledarskap. De upplevde att dem fick stöttning i det dagliga arbetet, att cheferna arbetade som ett team, att chefernas erfarenheter och bakgrunder gynnade medarbetarna samt att det fanns en hög tillgänglighet på avdelningen. Några svårigheter som identifierades var ansvarsfördelningen mellan cheferna samt att kommunikationen mellan cheferna gjorde att saker ibland föll mellan stolarna. Utifrån resultatet anser författarna att det behövs vidare forskning för att belysa chefernas upplevelse av kommunikation och ansvarsfördelning inom delat ledarskap samt mer forskning kring hur medarbetarna gynnas av ett delat ledarskap

The school’s view of language and the impact of translanguaging in second language learners in primary school students

Syftet med denna kunskapsöversikt är att få en fördjupad kunskap kring den rådande språksynen i skolan och hur den i sin tur påverkar skolans undervisningssammanhang samt hur en transspråkande pedagogik kan påverka andraspråkselevers språk-, kunskap- och identitetsutveckling. Kunskapsöversikten baseras på tio vetenskapliga artiklar som har relevant koppling till frågeställningen. Artiklarna har gått igenom peer-review och har blivit framtagna genom systematiska sökningar i nationella och internationella vetenskapliga databaser. Genom en tematisk analys av artiklarna har tre teman framkommit. Resultatet av analysen visar på att det finns en stark rådande enspråkighetsnorm i skolan. Samtidigt visar artiklarnas resultat hur språknormen kan bli utmanad genom ökad kunskap och förändrade språkpolicys. När flerspråkighet uppmuntrades och en transspråkande praktik tog plats fick eleverna en fördjupad kunskap i sitt första och andra språk i alla ämnen vilket stöttade eleverna i deras kunskaps- och identitetsutveckling. I diskussionen så tas det bland annat upp hur fördjupad kunskap kring transspråkande kan påverka undervisningen samt hur utbredd enspråkighetsnormen är i skolan.

It’s important to convey norms and values to pupils in the introduction classes

Swedish municipals schools have been given an assignment to convey basic values to pupils. The assignment is to bring up the pupils through transmitting and developing a heritage such as values, traditions, language and knowledge. Together along with the lasting knowledge which constitutes the community frame of reference everybody needs. There by is the purpose of this study through a qualitative method to investigate how the schools assignment to create a community national identity of the pupils is interpreted by the teachers in introduction classes. Even how the teachers in this study response to “Swedish” culture by presenting and educate the pupils in this. I have also chosen to investigate if this creates an othering of the newly arrived pupils. The study is executed by a qualitative method by observation in five introduction classes and by interviews with four teachers in these classes. The starting point of this study is social constructivism of culture. There by is culture defined by this perspective and also what culture creates. The theory is built through what culture can be in an anthropological perspective which in this study means patterns of actions, people’s way of thinking, norms people live after and basic values in the culture. Also what can happen when different cultures meet and how humans categorize each other. The conclusion of this investigation is that all four respondents believe that it’s important to convey “Swedish” norms and values to their pupils. Their purpose is for the pupils to learn how to act around others and to learn how to behave in the school, also for the pupils to be able to participate in the community. It has shown that the teachers want to point out the “Swedish” culture and their creation of “Swedish” culture as the superior culture compared to “the others” and the culture that “the others” should reach for. How the schools assignment to create community national identity of the pupils has shown being a complex assignment. When this assignment is interpreted by the teachers something happens and the teachers categorizes the pupils to “the others” and they are shut out from the imagined communities

”He just needs to run it off, let him keep on going” : A qualitative study of a number of teachers understandings of gender awareness in primary school

The national curriculum states that the school actively should promote that women and men have equal rights and opportunities and that there is a responsibility to counteract traditional gender patterns. However do research observations show that teachers often treat girls and boys differently. Studies show that the teachers are influenced by their conceptions and their expectations of gender behavior. The aim of this study is to examine how teachers in preschool and primary school discuss gender awareness and how they state that they work with gender awareness according to the curriculum goals of counteracting the traditional gender patterns. The study is inspired by the phenomenographic research approach and the empirical material has been collected by qualitative interviews with eight teachers in preschool and primary school. The empirical material has together with earlier research and theories been analyzed and discussed in order to reach a conclusion. The results show that the interviewed teachers have different views in what gender and gender awareness means. This resulted in that the teachers stated different ways of working with and counteracting traditional gender patterns and with a different commitment. Despite the teachers commitment to gender awareness they admitted that they some times, even if they did not want to, treated the pupils differently based on their gender. They explained this by saying that they also were a part of a society affected by traditional gender patterns

Success factors when implementing Enterprise Content Management

Enterprise Content Managment (ECM) är ett relativt nytt forskningsområde som fortfarande saknar vetenskaplig forskning (Alalwan &amp; Weistroffer, 2012). Det finns ett uttryckt behov av att veta hur ECM system kan implementeras effektivt i verksamheter och detta har lett till att forskningsfrågan ” Vilka framgångsfaktorer finns vid implementering av Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system?” har formulerats. Genom en kvalitativ metodansats genomsöks tidigare publicerad litteratur som behandlar fältstudier för implementering av ECM system. I analyskapitlet presenteras två tabeller med de identifierade framgångsfaktorerna. Dessa har delats upp i två kategorier, organisatoriska och tekniska framgångsfaktorer, som kan resultera i en lyckad implementering av ECM system. Slutligen förs en diskussion som reflekterar över resultatet, vilka konsekvenser som framkommit från denna studie och var framtida forskning fortfarande behövs.Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is a relatively new research area, which still lacks research (Alalwan &amp; Weistroffer, 2012). There is an expressed need to know how ECM systems can be implemented effectively in organisations, and this has formulated the research question: “Which success factors can be found when implementing Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems?”. By analysing previously published literature, to identify and compile the success factors that can be found in connection with implementation of ECM systems within organisations, a qualitative research method is used. In the analysis section two tables of identified success factors are presented. These have been divided in two categories, organizational and technological success factors, which can result in a successful implementation of an ECM system. Lastly, a discussion reflects upon the findings, on the implications this study brings into light and where future research is still needed