Foot-pad dermatitis in broilers and turkeys

Foot-pad dermatitis is a condition characterised by lesions on the ventral foot-pads of poultry. It is a type of contact dermatitis, which in an early stage results in hyperkeratosis, erosions and discoloration of the skin. The erosions can develop into ulcers. In severe cases, the foot-pad lesions may cause pain which together with a deteriorated state of health constitutes a welfare issue. It has also been indicated that broilers with severe foot-pad dermatitis show slower weight gain. The aim of the present work was to improve the knowledge concerning the epidemiology of foot-pad dermatitis in meat-type poultry in Sweden. The studies were focused on surveying the occurrence of foot-pad dermatitis on Swedish commercial broiler and turkey farms, identifying endogenous and exogenous risk factors for foot-pad dermatitis in meat-type poultry and to evaluate the function of foot health as an indicator of management, hygiene and housing standards. The prevalence of foot-pad dermatitis in Swedish broilers at time of slaughter was estimated at 5-10 % for severe lesions and 10-35 % for mild lesions. The corresponding prevalence of foot-pad dermatitis in turkeys was estimated at approximately 20 % for severe lesions and 78 % for mild lesions. A significantly higher prevalence of foot-pad dermatitis was found in flocks reared on wet litter than on dry litter. In broilers, a significantly higher prevalence of lesions was found in flocks reared on thick layers of litter material than on thinner layers. There was an association between litter material and turkey foot-pad dermatitis. Type of drinker system, which is related to both water spillage and water consumption, was significantly associated with the prevalence of foot-pad dermatitis in both broilers and turkeys. There was a significant seasonal effect on the prevalence of broiler foot-pad dermatitis, with the highest prevalence found during October to January. The prevalence and severity of foot-pad dermatitis in broilers decreased over time when a surveillance programme was initiated and executed. In summary, foot-pad dermatitis in both broilers and turkeys was shown to be linked to a number of management, hygiene and housing factors, and can thus be used as an indicator of the standard of these factors. Surveillance and advisory programmes can be used successfully to decrease the incidence of foot-pad lesions in broiler and turkey populations and thus improve the health and welfare of the birds

The EMEC model: Version 2.0

The present paper introduces a new version of an applied general equilibrium model of the Swedish economy: Environmental Medium Term Economic Model (EMEC). The model is used at NIER for analysing economic implications for households and firms of the Swedish environmental policy. The economy and the environment interact in the model and thus, we can analyse the economic implica-tions of various environmental policy measures, such as a CO2-tax, a CO2-ceiling and CO2-trading. The model captures also ancillary benefits of climate policy for NOx, SO2, PM10 and PM20. This new version of EMEC, in addition, analyses the effects of road user charges and the economic impact of environmental policy measures on six types of households, as transport demand is represented in a much more detail and as households are distributed, by disposal income and residence. Furthermore, the model distinguishes 26 industries, 33 composite commodities, 26 consumer goods, two kinds of labour and eight pollutants. The model produces results for endogenous variables, which can be interpreted fully in terms of the model’s theory, data and the assumptions underlying the exogenous variables.CGE-model; Sectors; Pollutants; Factors of production; Substitution; Sweden

Female representation on the board of directors in a network perspective

Bakgrunn: Med virkning fra 1. januar 2006 ble det inntatt nye krav i Lov om Allmennaksjeselskaper av 13 juni 1997 som skulle sikre representasjon av begge kjønn i styrene i norske allmennaksjeselskaper. Selskapene fikk frist til 1. januar 2008 til å besørge minst 40% representasjon fra hvert kjønn når styret hadde 5 eller flere medlemmer. Tidsfristen var relativt kort, og det var i overgangsperioden mye debatt rundt de nye reglene og konsekvensene av disse. Den korte tidsfristen kan ha medvirket til at styrevervene ble tildelt et relativt lite antall kvinner som allerede hadde vist seg som kompetente styremedlemmer i andre selskaper (styregrossister eller ”gullskjørt”), og at styrerommene i seg selv ble en viktig rekrutteringskanal for styreverv. I så fall utgjør nettverket av kvinnelige styremedlemmer et selvforsterkende nettverk. Hensikt: Studien har til hensikt å belyse viktige problemstillinger knyttet til kjønnskvotering fra et nettverksteoretisk perspektiv, samt å kartlegge de innbyrdes relasjonene mellom de 20 mest brukte kvinnelige styremedlemmene i norske allmennaksjeselskaper.Metode: Kvantitativ analyse av styresammensetning i samtlige norske allmennaksjeselskap. Kartlegging av relasjoner for de 20 mest aktive kvinnelige og mannlige styremedlemmene, samt nettverkskart over direkte og indirekte relasjoner for de 20 kvinnene i utvalget. Funn og fortolkninger: Kvinnene i studien hadde i gjennomsnitt flere styreverv enn mennene, og de innbyrdes relasjonene var tettere enn hos mennene. Antall direkte relasjoner indikerer en relativt lav tetthet i nettverket, mens antall linker øker betydelig når man også inkluderer indirekte relasjoner. Lav nettverkstetthet var delvis ventet siden relasjonene kartlegges på bakgrunn av styreverv i de samme selskapene, og hver kvinne kun kan inneha et begrenset antall styrevervMaster i læring i komplekse systeme

The 3Rs in Animal Welfare Bodies at Swedish Universities - Knowledge, Attitudes, Implementation

The implementation of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) is emphasized in EU Directive 2010/63.16 task of the animal welfare bodies (AWB) is to strengthen animal welfare and develop the 3Rs at research animal facilities. In 2016, we surveyed the knowledge on, attitudes towards and implementation of the 3Rs within AWBs at eight major Swedish universities. Based on responses of 34 closed-ended questions from 44 of 90 AWB members, the overall attitude towards the 3Rs was positive. AWB members did not believe that the 3Rs slow down innovation or result in increased costs, and refinement was considered beneficial for research quality. AWB members were particularly positive towards refinement questions in the survey. A majority of the AWB members predicted that alternative methods will never replace animal use. Researchers as a group represented in the AWBs were significantly less positive towards the 3Rs compared to the group of veterinarians. The tasks of the AWBs, e.g., giving advice on the 3Rs and following up on animal use in projects, were often not carried out in the AWB or not known by the respondents. Our results indicate a need for more practical and regulatory guidance and support to the AWBs. To reach the goal of the EU Directive to phase out animal use in research and education, we suggest that technical expertise in replacement techniques is included in the AWBs. We emphasize the need to strengthen the awareness of the 3Rs among researchers at Swedish universities

Relevance of Structural Brain Connectivity to Learning and Recovery from Stroke

The physical structure of white matter fiber bundles constrains their function. Any behavior that relies on transmission of signals along a particular pathway will therefore be influenced by the structural condition of that pathway. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging provides localized measures that are sensitive to white matter microstructure. In this review, we discuss imaging evidence on the relevance of white matter microstructure to behavior. We focus in particular on motor behavior and learning in healthy individuals and in individuals who have suffered a stroke. We provide examples of ways in which imaging measures of structural brain connectivity can inform our study of motor behavior and effects of motor training in three different domains: (1) to assess network degeneration or damage with healthy aging and following stroke, (2) to identify a structural basis for individual differences in behavioral responses, and (3) to test for dynamic changes in structural connectivity with learning or recovery

New frontiers for evaluation in an era of market - oriented development Monday 20 – Wednesday 22 July 2015

Over the past few decades there have been dramatic shifts in the way in which middle income and low income countries have achieved economic growth and political and social change. These changes have been driven by new contexts, new actors and new ideas, in which market-oriented development have become increasingly prominent. Traditional divisions between international aid and private sector investment have begun to breakdown, with the emergence of new forms of social and environmentally responsible investments and modalities. Evaluation practice, shaped by a dominant public sector paradigm, has not kept pace. This raises important questions about the role of evaluation, both in understanding the impact of new activities on society, as well as in supporting democratic accountability to citizens. As part of the International Year of Evaluation 2015, this Wilton Park convened meeting gave evaluation professionals, development partners, and investors an open forum to review recent evaluation experience, debate evaluation governance issues, and probe the methodological questions brought about by the market-based revolution

Kan en forene økt boligutvikling med idealet om kompakt byutvikling? Utarbeiding og oppfølging av boligpolitisk handlingsplan 2015-2018 i Tromsø

Denne masteroppgaven tar for seg tema boligutvikling i Tromsø. Dagens byer blir i stor grad oppfordret til å forholde seg til idealet om en kompakt byutvikling. For å få til en kompakt by, samtidig som boligantallet øker ble det i 2014 utarbeidet en plan som tok for seg den totale boligtilførselen i Tromsø. Både det boligsosiale og den generelle delen av boligmarkedet ble sammensatt i en plan. I Tromsø kommune var dette en tverrsektoriell plan, med flere ulike avdelinger involvert i planarbeidet. Kommunen gjorde også noe som blir beskrevet som uvanlig, ved å involvere private boligaktører med i utarbeidelsen av planen. Denne oppgaven studerer nærmere hvordan det offentlige-private samarbeidet fungerte i praksis. Hvilke utfordringer har blitt møtt med å gjennomføre tiltakene i planen, og har boligpolitisk handlingsplan blitt brukt som et styrende dokument for boligutviklingen i byen? Undersøkelsesmaterialet består av kvalitative intervjuer med sentrale aktører fra planarbeidet, samt dokumentanalyse. Det teoretiske rammeverket for oppgaven omhandler nyliberalismens påvirkning på planlegging og planprosesser, samt instrumentell og kommunikativ planteori. Undersøkelsen viser at det offentlige-private samarbeidet var en stor suksess, hvor prosessen blir beskrevet som effektiv og god. Studien viser at det oppstod utfordringer knyttet gjennomføring av tiltakene i den vedtatte planen, hvor skifte av styresett innad i kommunen ser ut til å være en sentral faktor

Pig castration : will the EU manage to ban pig castration by 2018?

In 2010, the 'European Declaration on alternatives to surgical castration of pigs' was agreed. The Declaration stipulates that from January 1, 2012, surgical castration of pigs shall only be performed with prolonged analgesia and/or anaesthesia and from 2018 surgical castration of pigs should be phased out altogether. The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe together with the European Commission carried out an online survey via SurveyMonkey© to investigate the progress made in different European countries. This study provides descriptive information on the practice of piglet castration across 24 European countries. It gives also an overview on published literature regarding the practicability and effectiveness of the alternatives to surgical castration without anaesthesia/analgesia. Forty usable survey responses from 24 countries were received. Besides Ireland, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom, who have of history in producing entire males, 18 countries surgically castrate 80% or more of their male pig population. Overall, in 5% of the male pigs surgically castrated across the 24 European countries surveyed, castration is performed with anaesthesia and analgesia and 41% with analgesia (alone). Meloxicam, ketoprofen and flunixin were the most frequently used drugs for analgesia. Procaine was the most frequent local anaesthetic. The sedative azaperone was frequently mentioned even though it does not have analgesic properties. Half of the countries surveyed believed that the method of anaesthesia/analgesia applied is not practicable and effective. However, countries that have experience in using both anaesthesia and post-operative analgesics, such as Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands, found this method practical and effective. The estimated average percentage of immunocastrated pigs in the countries surveyed was 2.7% (median = 0.2%), where Belgium presented the highest estimated percentage of immunocastrated pigs (18%). The deadlines of January 1, 2012, and of 2018 are far from being met. The opinions on the animal-welfare-conformity and the practicability of the alternatives to surgical castration without analgesia/anaesthesia and the alternatives to surgical castration are widely dispersed. Although countries using analgesia/anaesthesia routinely found this method practical and effective, only few countries seem to aim at meeting the deadline to phase out surgical castration completely