A Royally Good Idea? A Study of the Relationship Between Swedish State Visits and Aggregate Swedish Merchandise Exports.

Most countries engage in a wide variety of export promotion activities that provide domestic firms with significant support in the hopes of increasing trade volumes. The aim of this thesis is to examine one type of official Swedish export promotion, namely state visits. I investigate the potential effect of state visits, performed by Sweden’s head of state King Carl XVI Gustaf, on Swedish aggregate merchandise exports. This is done by estimating a gravity model fixed effects panel data specification of Swedish exports for the period 1973 to 2006. I find no evidence, in my analysis, of state visits having any effect on Swedish aggregate exports, suggesting that state visits may not be a particularly useful export promotion activity

The association between caesarean section and asthma or allergic disease continues to challenge

NonePublishe

Lättläst samhällsinformation? En analys av samhällsinformation på lättläst svenska från en svensk myndighet

I uppsatsen undersöks lättläst samhällsinformation i förhållande till motsvarande originalversion och de råd för att skriva lättläst som finns idag. Syftet med uppsatsen är att ta reda på vad som skiljer lättlästversionen och originalversionen av samma text åt, samt hur väl lättlästråden följs i texten på lätt svenska. Undersökningen utgår från en metodkombination där både kvantitativ och kvalitativ metod tillämpas. Metoderna tillämpas genom en textanalys med fokus på lexikogrammatiska aspekter och textbindning. Utvalda sidor ur originalversionen och lättlästversionen av broschyren Om krisen eller kriget kommer, utgiven av Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap, ligger till grund för analysen. Resultatet visar att lättlästversionen och originalversionen av texten liknar varandra vad gäller de kvantitativa aspekterna, medan de kvalitativa är vad som skiljer dem åt. LIX-värde, genomsnittlig meningslängd och andelen långa ord förenar de två versionerna, medan texternas form, ordval och läsarperspektiv utmärker sig som skillnader dem emellan. Lättlästversionen följer övergripande lättlästråden, där textens form utmärker sig genom tydlig struktur och referensbindning, samt luftig layout. Däremot noterades enstaka brister i tilltal, varierad meningslängd och orsakssamband. Undersökningen visar att Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap övervägande lyckas med att följa de lättlästråd som finns att tillgå idag. Däremot finns fortfarande ett stort behov av mer forskning om lättläst och lässvårigheter, för att råden för att skriva lättläst ska kunna bli ännu bättre

Coffee, a Fair Trade?

Today there are different types of certifications of different products. Fairtrade is the most common certification in the world. Fairtrade is a worldwide non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization. Fairtrade certified producer organizations represent over one million farmers and workers in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The vision of Fairtrade is a world in which all producers can enjoy sustainable livelihoods, secure, fulfill their potential and decide on their future. Fairtrade mean they offer their producers stable prices, premiums, partnership and em-powerment. There are many discussions if Fairtrade really are fair for the producers and if the producers will get what Fairtrade promises.During later years the interest for Fairtrade certified products has increased. One of their most common certified products is coffee. As such coffee is the most important export from third world countries. Indonesia is one of the countries who had produced coffee for the longest time. Today Indonesia is the world’s third largest coffee producer and will answer for approx-imately 7% of the coffee production in the world.The aim with this thesis was to investigate what the farming situation looked like for coffee farmers in Aceh, Indonesia and to see if there were any benefits for Fairtrade certified farmers as compared to farmers without certification. Further the aim was also to investigate if the certified farmers experienced any benefits. Factors of income and harvest were compared be-tween the farmers.The investigation consists of a literature study and a field study made in the central of Aceh, Indonesia, were interviews with the farmers was included. The investigation area is famous for its Gayo Mountain Coffee which is cultivated on hills in a production area with an altitude of 1100-1300 meters. The farmers are small-scale producers with an average of one hectare land and many of the farmers are using intercropping.The result from the investigation showed that the farmers without Fairtrade certification had a higher income per produced kilogram of coffee than the farmers who had Fairtrade certifica-tion, even if these experienced their income increased after certification. The certified farmers also experienced that the help and farming advice from the Fairtrade cooperative had helped them to increase their yield. The result also showed that the yield from the certified farmers was considerably larger, than for uncertified farmers, both calculated per hectare and per tree

Biological control of powdery mildew in greenhouse produced cucumber

Powdery mildew is a serious problem in both field and greenhouse cucumber production and can cause serious infection and radically reduced yields. Today, powdery mildew is the main disease in greenhouse produced cucumber. Disease control should preferably be both efficient and environmentally friendly, which is not easy to achieve at all times. Alternatives to chemical control of powdery mildews are biological control, physical control, non-fungicide control and cultivation of resistant or tolerant varieties. Biological control can be described as the suppression of damaging activities inflicted of a harmful organism by one or more other organisms, which are called antagonists or natural enemies. In Sweden, there are currently no registered biological control products available to control cucumber powdery mildew. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two biological control products in order to evaluate their ability to prevent or reduce powdery mildew infection to an acceptable level in greenhouse produced cucumber. In the experiments, different application regimes were also studied. The active organisms in both tested products are fungi. In one of the products the active organism was Ampelomyces quisqualis and in the other Pythium oligandrum. The fungal species causing the powdery mildew in the experiments was characterized. The present report consists of a literature study, an experimental part and a microscope study. Trials were performed in a greenhouse at a conventional cucumber grower’s site at Sånnagården, Kvidinge, and in a chamber in one of the greenhouses at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp. In this study, some of the biocontrol treatments could prevent and reduce powdery mildew attacks to an acceptable level in greenhouse produced cucumber. The effect of using the biocontrol agents prophylactically was significantly better with P. oligandrum compared to the untreated control but not with A. quisqualis. The effect of using A. quisqualis with an application interval of fourteen days was significantly better compared to a seven days application interval. For P. oligandrum, there was no difference between the two application intervals. The fungus causing the powdery mildew symptoms in this experimental study was most probably Golovinomyces cichoracearum.Både på friland och i växthus är mjöldagg ett stort problem i gurkodling. Mjöldagg kan skapa allvarliga sjukdomsangrepp och kraftigt reducera skörden. Idag är mjöldagg det huvudsakliga växtskyddsproblemet i växthusodlad gurka. Det är viktigt att sjukdomsbekämpningen både är effektiv och miljövänlig även om de inte alltid går att kombinera. I gurkodling finns det flera alternativ till kemisk bekämpning för att bekämpa mjöldagg. Exempel på dessa är biologisk bekämpning, fysikalisk bekämpning, fungicid- fri bekämpning samt att odla resistenta eller toleranta sorter. Biologisk bekämpning kan beskrivas som den begränsning av en skadlig organisms aktivitet som orsakas av en eller flera andra organismer, där de senare benämns antagonister eller naturliga fiender. I Sverige finns det i dagsläget inga tillåtna biologiska bekämpningsmedel för att bekämpa mjöldagg i gurka. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka effekten av två biologiska preparat för att se om de kan förhindra eller motverka mjöldaggsangrepp och hålla angreppet på en acceptabel nivå i växthusodlad gurka. I försöken utvärderades även applicering av preparaten i olika intensiteter samt olika appliceringsmetoder. Syftet var också att identifiera mjöldaggssvamparna i de aktuella experimenten. De aktuella preparaten innehöll antingen svampen Ampelomyces quisqualis eller svampen Pythium oligandrum, vilka är godkända i andra delar av världen. Rapporten består av en litteraturstudie, en experimentell del som utfördes i växthus och en mikroskopistudie. Försöken genomfördes i en konventionell gurkodling (Sånnagården, Kvidinge) och i en odlingskammare i växthusen vid Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, Alnarp. Resultatet av försöken visade att vissa av behandlingarna med de studerade biologiska preparaten kunde förhindra och motverka mjöldaggsangrepp och hålla dem på en acceptabel nivå i växthusodlad gurka. Effekten av att använda de biologiska preparaten förebyggande jämfört med kurativt utvärderades. Förebyggande behandling med P. oligandrum gav en statistiskt signifikant förbättrad sjukdomshämmande effekt jämfört med obehandlad kontroll, men inte med A. quisqualis. Effekten av att applicera i olika appliceringsintervall med sju respektive fjorton dagar utvärderades. Fjorton dagars appliceringsintervall gav för A. quisqualis en signifikant bättre sjukdomsbekämpning jämfört med sju dagars intervall. Ingen signifikant skillnad vad gäller appliceringsintervall påvisades för P. oligandrum. Studien visade också att mjöldaggssvampen i växthusförsöken med största sannolikhet var Golovinomyces cichoracearum

Puberty and asthma in a cohort of Swedish children

VRAstma och allergiförbundetHjärt och lungfondenManuscrip

The influence of childhood asthma on puberty and height in Swedish adolescents

BACKGROUND: Evidence relating to the effect of asthma on puberty or height is inconclusive. We aimed to examine whether the exposure of childhood asthma, including timing and phenotypes, and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use is either cross-sectionally or longitudinally associated with the outcomes of pubertal staging or height. METHODS: This study employed data from a longitudinal, population-based cohort of Swedish children (born 1994-1996). At ages 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 years, parent-reported data on asthma and ICS use in the previous 12 months were collected. At 8 and 12 years, height was ascertained at a clinical visit, and child-reported, respectively. At 12 years, children answered puberty-related questions. RESULTS: Retention through 12 years was 82% (3366/4089). Participants without puberty data (n = 620) were excluded, yielding a study population of 2746 (67%). Asthma at 8 years, including timing of onset and phenotypes, was not statistically significantly associated with pubertal staging in adjusted models. Children with asthma averaged 0.93 cm (95% CI 0.35-1.50) shorter than children without asthma. Children with asthma using ICS were 1.28 (95% CI 0.62-1.95) shorter than those with asthma without using ICS. CONCLUSIONS: We found no consistent association between asthma and pubertal staging. Children with asthma were shorter than those without asthma. Moreover, children with asthma using ICS were shorter than those not using ICS.NoneAccepte

Increased cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity in patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency : a Swedish population-based national cohort study

CONTEXT: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is lethal in its most severe forms if not treated with glucocorticoids. However, glucocorticoids may increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to study cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity in CAH. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients with CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (n = 588; >80% with known CYP21A2 mutations) were compared with controls matched for sex, year, and place of birth (n = 58 800). Data were obtained by linking national population-based registers. Subgroup analyses were performed regarding sex, clinical severity (salt wasting, simple virilizing, nonclassic), CYP21A2 genotype (null, I2 splice, I172N, P30L), and stratified by the introduction of neonatal screening, age groups, and nonobesity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To study cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity in CAH. RESULTS: In CAH, both any cardiovascular and metabolic disorders (OR [odds ratio], 3.9; 95% CI [confidence interval], 3.1-5.0), and cardiovascular disease (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.9-3.9) were increased. Separate analyses of the individual diseases showed higher frequencies in CAH of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolism, obesity, diabetes (mainly type 2), obstructive sleep disorder, thyrotoxicosis, and hypothyroidism. Similar results were seen in the stratified groups. On the subgroup level, females were generally more affected (especially I172N and the nonclassic group), as were males with the null genotype. CONCLUSIONS: CAH was associated with excess cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity but the mechanism is not certain as the glucocorticoids were not assessed. Hypothyroidism and obesity may be an effect of close observation. However, more severe conditions were presumably detected equally in patients and controls. Screening for diabetes and other metabolic disorders that increase cardiovascular risk is important.Magn. Bergvalls FoundationKarolinska InstitutetStockholm County CouncilSwedish Research Council through the Swedish Initiative for Research on Microdata in the Social And Medical Sciences, SIMSAM 340-2013-5867Manuscrip

Allergen-specific IgE over time in women before, during and after pregnancy

The trajectory of IgE levels before, during and after pregnancy in sensitized individuals is characterized by significant increase in specific IgE to birch allergens but not to other allergens after multiple testing. This increase may warrant some surveillance in the antenatal care for those with clinical symptoms.The Swedish Research CouncilThe Swedish initiative for Research on Microdata in the Social And Medical Sciences (SIMSAM) framework grant no 340-2013-5867Stockholm County Council (ALF-projects)The Strategic Research Program in Epidemiology at Karolinska InstitutetDepartment of Clinical Sciences at Danderyd HospitalSwedish Medical Research CouncilSwedish Heart-Lung FoundationSwedish Asthma and Allergy Association’s Research FoundationAccepte