How reserve selection is affected by preferences in Swedish boreal forests

It is important to consider the preferences of the various stakeholders involved when evaluating effective reserve selection, since it is largely their preferences that determine which of a given set of potential reserve networks that actually is "the best". We interviewed eight conservation planners working at the county administrative boards in each of the eight administrative counties covering boreal Sweden to establish weightings for different structural biodiversity indicators by using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The subjective weightings were applied in a reserve selection model based on a goal programming (GP) approach. The structural indicators were derived from the Swedish National Forest Inventory (NFI) and used as proxy for biodiversity potential. A biodiversity indicator score, based on the values of those indicators, was maximized. The model adjusted this score ensuring that all indicators were represented in the selection, and further also adjusted the influence of the indicators based on the subjective weightings. We evaluated the GP approach by comparing it to a simple linear programming (LP) formulation, only maximizing the indicator richness. In all cases the model was limited either by a budget or an area. The biodiversity potential in young forests are often neglected within present conservation policies, however, the proportion of selected forest under 15 years was relatively high in all our cost-effective cases, varying between 32% and 60% using the individual planners subjective weightings, compared to 80% when using a simple LP model. The proportion of selected forest over 100 years varied between 69% and 85% in the area-effective cases using the subjective weightings, compared to 80% when using a simple LP model. Middle-aged forest was not favored in any of the selections, although they make up a substantial part of the total area. We conclude that there are differences in how conservation planners prioritize the indicators, and depending on how specific biodiversity indicators are weighted the age distribution of the selected reserves differs. This demonstrates the importance of considering how to establish appropriate weightings. It is also important to consider the, at least in our case, substantial difference in how common the different indicators are to ensure that the weightings get their intended impact on the selections. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Considering future potential regarding structural diversity in selection of forest reserves

A rich structural diversity in forests promotes biodiversity. Forests are dynamic and therefore it is crucial to consider future structural potential when selecting reserves, to make robust conservation decisions. We analyzed forests in boreal Sweden based on 17,599 National Forest Inventory (NFI) plots with the main aim to understand how effectiveness of reserves depends on the time dimension in the selection process, specifically by considering future structural diversity. In the study both the economic value and future values of 15 structural variables were simulated during a 100 year period. To get a net present structural value (NPSV), a single value covering both current and future values, we used four discounting alternatives: (1) only considering present values, (2) giving equal importance to values in each of the 100 years within the planning horizon, (3) applying an annual discount rate considering the risk that values could be lost, and (4) only considering the values in year 100. The four alternatives were evaluated in a reserve selection model under budget-constrained and area-constrained selections. When selecting young forests higher structural richness could be reached at a quarter of the cost over almost twice the area in a budget-constrained selection compared to an area-constrained selection. Our results point to the importance of considering future structural diversity in the selection of forest reserves and not as is done currently to base the selection on existing values. Targeting future values increases structural diversity and implies a relatively lower cost. Further, our results show that a re-orientation from old to young forests would imply savings while offering a more extensive reserve network with high structural qualities in the future. However, caution must be raised against a drastic reorientation of the current old-forest strategy since remnants of ancient forests will need to be prioritized due to their role for disturbance-sensitive species

Psychological distress, iron deficiency, active disease and female gender are independent risk factors for fatigue in patients with ulcerative colitis

Patients with ulcerative colitis often report fatigue

Randomised clinical trial and meta-analysis: mesalazine treatment in irritable bowel syndrome—effects on gastrointestinal symptoms and rectal biomarkers of immune activity

Background Low-grade immune activation in the gut is a potential treatment target in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Aims To determine improvement in IBS symptoms after mesalazine treatment, and the utility of measures of immune activity in the rectal mucosa Methods This was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm, multicentre trial in subjects with IBS (Rome III criteria), with an eight-week treatment period of mesalazine 2400 mg or plcebo once-daily. The primary endpoint was the global assessment of satisfactory relief of IBS symptoms in ≥50% of weeks during intervention. IBS symptoms were also measured with the IBS severity scoring system; immune activity was measured by mucosal patch technology. A post hoc meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials of mesalazine in IBS was added. Results Of 181 included patients, 91 received mesalazine and 90 received placebo. The primary endpoint was met by 32 (36%) patients after mesalazine and 27 (30%) after placebo (p = 0.40). There were no differences in response rates related to IBS subtype or post-infection symptom onset. More reduction of abdominal bloating was noted in the mesalazine group (p = 0.02). The meta-analysis showed no effect of mesalazine on IBS symptoms. No mucosal patch technology measure could predict response to mesalazine, and found no differences in the effects of intervention on levels of immune markers. Conclusions Mesalazine is ineffective in reducing IBS symptoms. Rectal measures of immune activity by the mucosal patch technology cannot predict a higher chance of response to mesalazine.publishedVersio

The Serum Metabolite Response to Diet Intervention with Probiotic Acidified Milk in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients Is Indistinguishable from that of Non-Probiotic Acidified Milk by 1H NMR-Based Metabonomic Analysis

The effects of a probiotic acidified milk product on the blood serum metabolite profile of patients suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) compared to a non-probiotic acidified milk product was investigated using 1H NMR metabonomics. For eight weeks, IBS patients consumed 0.4 L per day of a probiotic fermented milk product or non-probiotic acidified milk. Both diets resulted in elevated levels of blood serum L-lactate and 3-hydroxybutyrate. Our results showed identical effects of acidified milk consumption independent of probiotic addition. A similar result was previously obtained in a questionnaire-based evaluation of symptom relief. A specific probiotic effect is thus absent both in the patient subjective symptom evaluations and at the blood serum metabolite level. However, there was no correspondence between symptom relief and metabolite response on the patient level

Plantskolebranschen och framtida rådgivning

Plantskolorna inom trädgårdsnäringen är organiserade som en sektion inom GRO Ideell förening. Under sommaren 2010 genomfördes studien i syfte att kartlägga dels strukturen i branschen, dels företagarnas behov av olika slags rådgivning. 24 företag svarade positivt på frågan om inköp av rådgivning framöver. Personliga besök är den mest uppskattade formen och de viktigaste rådgivningsområdena är; gemensam försöksverksamhet, växtskydd/integrerat växtskydd och växtnäring.Resultaten av studien är ett underlag för vidare rådgivningsprojekt inom trädgårdsnäringen

Marknadsmöjligheter för odlade svenska blåbär

Svensk trädgårdsnäring behöver nya produkter med goda marknadsutsikter för tillväxt. Odlade blåbär har många möjligheter och fördelar; bären har god smak, stort innehåll av antioxidanter och många användningsområden. Produktionen ökar i ett europeiskt perspektiv. För att ge ett underlag för beslut om nysatsningar på blåbär har en rad marknadsaktörer och andra nyckelpersoner intervjuats om sin syn på marknaden. Man är överens om att det finns goda marknadsutsikter men bären behöver marknadsföras bättre då de ännu är relativt okända. Närmarknad och grossistmarknad ställer här olika krav. Satsar man på odling av blåbär måste man samtidigt göra upp en strategi för sin försäljning

Perceived chronic stress, health and cognition

The aim of this licentiate thesis was to examine consequences of chronic stress for stressrelated diseases and to investigate the chronic stress – cognition relationship. In the first study data covering ten years was used from the Betula Prospective Cohort Study (Nilsson et al., 1997). Based on the ratings on a stress scale, matched samples between 40 and 65 years of age were divided into a high and low stress group. The reported incidence of cardiovascular, diabetes, psychiatric, tumor, and musculoskeletal diseases wasassessed five and ten years after a baseline assessment. The incidence of diseases five years after baseline assessment showed no differences between the groups. After ten years, there was a higher incidence of psychiatric diseases in the high stress group as well as a significant effect for tumors. These results indicated that moderately elevated stress levels may have an impact on psychiatric diseases, especially depression, and possibly also some tumor diseases, but it was concluded that prolonged moderate stress does not appear to be very harmful to health in general. In the second study cognitive performance was studied in chronic stress outpatients and matched controls. A battery of cognitive tests assessing processing speed, attention, episodic-, semantic- and working memory was used. Performance decrements for thechronic stress patients were found in episodic memory, particularly in learning across repeated trials, and in tasks requiring divided attention under either encoding or retrieval of words. Performance differences were also seen in aspects of working memory, mental tempo, semantic access (letter fluency) and prospective memory. It was concluded that executive functioning may be suboptimal in chronic stress patients and that letter fluency and prospective memory tests can be useful as clinical tools when evaluating chronic stressstates. Taken together, the findings indicate that there is no clear association between moderately elevated chronic stress and increased incidence of stress related diseases, whereas certain cognitive functions such as executive functioning appear vulnerable to chronic stress

Immunopathogenesis of Gai2-deficient mice. A model of inflammatory bowel disease

The intestinal mucosa is the largest lymphoid organ in the body, and it simultaneously has to protect us from any pathogen that might enter the gastrointestinal tract as well as maintaining tolerance to most antigens, mainly in the form of dietary constituents and microbial products. A dysfunctional control of local intestinal immune responses may lead to development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) - the common name for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn´s disease (CD). These diseases are both manifested as chronic intestinal inflammation characterised by nausea, vomiting, recurrent attacks of diarrhoea and severe pain, sometimes even leading to death. Mice homozygously deficient in the G protein ai2 subunit (Gai2-/-) develop IBD with an immunopathology strikingly similar to that observed in patients with ulcerative colitis, including the development of adenocarcinomas of the colon. Previous studies performed on Gai2-/- mice have demonstrated immune changes characterised by activation of proinflammatory T helper 1 cells in late stages of the disease. This thesis focuses on immunological alterations preceding the colitic state of the Gai2-/- mice. Furthermore, a new therapeutic strategy for Th1 mediated inflammatory reactions is described.The inflammation in the large intestine of Gai2 -/- mice is preceded by immunological alterations in both the small and large intestine characterised by increased spontaneous production of proinflammatory cytokines, increased frequencies of T and B lymphocytes with an activated phenotype homing to the intestinal mucosa and antibodies specific for normal intestinal flora as well as self-tissues, present locally in the intestine. Antibodies specific for dietary antigens and the cytoplasmic neutrophil protein pANCA are however not present until after onset of disease. The precolitic changes also include the regression of Peyer´s patches (PP) of the small intestine, likely caused by excessive apoptosis due to decreased levels of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 in PP lymphocytes from Gai2 -/- mice. Gai2-/- mice have a Th1 biased response in the PP characterised by increased production of IFN-g and IL-2 following challenge with orally administered or luminal antigens. The cytokine production from the lamina propria lymphocytes of both the small and large intestine is also dominated by IFN-g, concurrently with undetectable production of IL-10. The frequency of Ig producing antigen specific plasma cells in the lamina propria of Gai2-/- mice is decreased following oral immunisations, probably at least partly due to the impaired local T cell help. Treatment of Gai2-/- mice with a three-component B. pertussis vaccine significantly increased the spontaneous production of IL-10 in the intestinal mucosa, attenuated inflammation of the colon and reduced the mortality. The attenuating effect on colitis is suggested to be due the B. pertussis antigen filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), which selectively induced apoptosis of T helper 1 cells concomitantly with decreased production of proinflammatory cytokines