Strengths and resilience of migrant women in transit: An analysis of the narratives of Central American women in irregular transit through Mexico towards the USA

This study departed from the idea that all people, including those hardest hit by adversity, have strengths and resiliencies. It posed the question on how a particularly vulnerable group, Central American migrant women in irregular transit through Mexico, used their strengths and resilience to reach the border with the USA. Past research has failed to address the issue of strengths and resilience in Central American migrant women, instead, much attention has been placed on the risks and vulnerabilities of this group. This research started from the strengths perspective and resilience theories to address the issue of skills and abilities of migrant women in transit through Mexico. Specifically, it was about discovering the women’s strengths, knowing how they used them to face and overcome the adversities of the journey and how they made sense of them. For this purpose, 10 narrative interviews were conducted in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, and microethnographic work was done with these women. The results of this research indicated that these migrant women are possessors of internal and external strengths; the first is related to their religious beliefs, courage, endurance and goal setting and the second with the support received from people, institutions, and their families. It was concluded that thanks to the combination of all these strengths, these women were able to successfully reach the border with the USA

Påverkar avvänjning prestationen och hållbarheten hos SWB hopphästar?

During the lifetime of a horse, weaning is described as one of the most stressful events. Both foals and mares are strongly affected by time and method of weaning since it separates the physical, mental and nutritional bond between them either in a natural, gradual or in an abrupt way. Depending on the degree of stress the foals are exposed to, it can result in diseases, injuries, reduced growth and a compromised welfare. It is of great importance that a horse is healthy from young age, to be able to perform as a competition horse. The breeder’s practices around the time of weaning can lead to long lasting consequences for the future development of the foal, and the management is therefore essential. There is a need to study the long-term effect of weaning on showjumping horses and if there is a correlation between time and method of weaning and damaging effects on the horse which prevents them from being able to perform later in life. Breeders of high performance showjumping horses in Sweden were able to participate in a survey, published on social media, with questions on weaning, housing and feeding practices and occurrence of health problems or stereotypic behaviors. The results did not indicate that age or method of weaning affected the horse’s performance, sustainability or welfare. However, a significant correlation was found between housing and feeding practices, and performance or damaging effects of the horse. Where the foal was housed at the time of weaning, including the time spent on box stall, affected the horse’s performance and sustainability. Similarly, what type of feed and the time of age the foals were offered concentrates for the first time, affected the horse later in life. Feeding foals with concentrates was correlated with the presence of stereotypic behaviors, which is of welfare concern. Due to the limited number of horses in this study, the results should not be generalized. There is a great need for further research to truly investigate the impact different weaning practices have on competition horses

Effects of group housing on behaviour and health in horses

Hästar är flockdjur och flocken har stor betydelse för deras möjlighet att uttrycka beteenden såsom att klia varandra, leka, söka föda och uppfostra unga individer. Att hålla hästar i större grupper är dock långt ifrån självklart i hästvärlden idag och hästägare ifrågasätter ibland om det går att hålla alla typer av hästar i grupp. Mitt arbete syftar till att belysa frågan om grupphållning fungerar för alla hästar. Det är inte ovanligt att hålla unghästar grupp men när det är dags för inridning stallar man ofta in dem en och en för lättare hantering och för att vänja dem vid den typen av hållning. Det har dock visats att inridning går fortare och lättare om man fortsätter att hålla dem i grupp och hanteringen av hästarna blir trevligare på grund av färre antal negativa beteenden gentemot tränaren. Även hos något äldre hästar i träning ger grupphållning positiva effekter då hästarna upplevs som mer tillmötesgående under ridning. Den aggression och skaderisk många hästägare är oroliga för i samband med grupphållning kan ha att göra med hur hästarna hålls. Storleken på hagen där hästarna vistas och tillgången på föda är faktorer som påverkar aggressionsnivån inom flocken. Man har inte kunnat påvisa att skaderisken är större vid grupphållning. Däremot har man sett att stora hagar med sällskap av artfränder innebär ett skydd mot kotledsinflammation. Att hålla äldre hingstar i grupp har av många setts som problematiskt men studier tyder på att detta är möjligt. Forskningen visar samstämmigt att alla hästar skulle kunna gå i grupp och att det medför många positiva och få negativa effekter.Horses live in herds which gives them the possibility to express behaviours such as grooming, playing, foraging and rearing. Keeping horses in larger groups, however, is far from obvious in the horse world today and horse owners sometimes question the possibility to keep all types of horses in groups. My work aims to investigate if group housing can be an alternative for all horses. It is not uncommon to keep young horses in groups, but when it is time to break them in they are often stabled one by one for easier handling. However, it has been shown that the breaking in process goes faster and easier if the horses are kept in groups. Even slightly older horses benefit from group housing because they acquire a more positive attitude during riding. Many horse owners are concerned that group housing may lead to aggression and injuries. Such risks may depend on how the horses are kept. The size of the paddock where the horses are kept and the feed supply are factors that affect the level of aggression within the herd. It has not been possible to show a higher risk of injury in groups of horses. On the other hand large paddocks along with company of the same species reduce the risk for fetlock inflammation. Keeping older stallions in groups has been seen as problematic, but studies suggest that it is possible. Research shows that all horses can be managed in groups and that it has many positive and few negative effects

Bioavailability of topical atropine in treatment of the eye and objective methods for measuring gut motility in the horse

Atropin är ett vanligt förekommande läkemedel vid behandling av uveit hos häst för att inducera mydriasis och relaxera ciliarmuskulatur och irissfinkter, i syfte att ge smärtlindring samt minska risken för kroniska komplikationer. Tidigare studier har visat att intravenös samt topikal administrering av atropin kan ge upphov till minskad tarmmotilitet och risk för att utveckla kolik (Ström et al., 2014; Williams et al., 2001; Adams et al., 1984; Ducharme & Fubini, 1983). Farmakokinetiken för atropin är dock i dagsläget okänd hos häst och det krävs fler studier inom detta ämne för att kunna skapa underlag för säkra behandlingsrekommendationer och minskad risk för oönskade biverkningar. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka biotillgängligheten för atropin vid topikal administrering samt att studera uppnådd plasmakoncentration och terminal halveringstid. Studien utfördes på sex friska, vuxna varmblod i en randomiserad cross-over studie. Samtliga hästar exponerades för giva av atropin intravenöst, topikalt manuellt samt topikalt via infusionspump. Vid intravenös samt manuell topikal giva gavs 1 mg atropin som bolusdos. Vid användning av infusionspump gavs hästarna 0,14 mg atropin per timme vilket motsvarar 3,36 mg atropin under ett dygn. Under respektive försöksomgång togs blodprover enligt provtagningsprotokoll och hästarna undersöktes regelbundet för tecken på biverkningar av behandlingen med atropin. Analys av proverna gjordes med hjälp av Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) på Statens veterinärmedicinska anstalt (SVA). Detektionsgräns för atropin i plasma var 0,05 ng/ml. Resultaten av studien visade att det är generellt hög biotillgänglighet (median 75 %) vid användning av atropin på häst men med stor individuell variation (34-168 %). Detta kan delvis förklaras av faktorer i samband med administrering som exempelvis blinkningar och reflektorisk tårproduktion. Ett värde på biotillgängligheten över 100 % beror troligen på svårigheter med korrekt skattning vid extrapolering i samband med beräkning av AUC. Maximal plasmakoncentration av atropin efter intravenös injektion var 0,83 ng/ml (range 0,68-1,33 ng/ml), efter topikal, manuell administrering 0,38 ng/ml (range 0,30-2,12 ng/ml) samt efter administrering via infusionspump 0,13 ng/mL (range 0,12-2,10). Hos häst är den terminala halveringstiden för atropin kort i jämförelse med människa (Kaila et al., 1999). En viss skillnad i halveringstid kan ses mellan topikal (median 59 minuter, range 36-95) samt intravenös administrering (median 46 minuter, range 25-61). En trolig orsak till en något längre halveringstid för topikal administrering kan förklaras med en absorptionsbegränsad kinetik vid topikal administrering, det vill säga att absorptionen av atropin är det hastighetsbegränsande steget för elimination. Användning av infusionspump ger jämna och mycket låga plasmakoncentrationer. Resultaten av studien indikerar att ett dosintervall av atropin på 3-8 timmar (median 5 timmar) inte utgör någon risk för ackumulering av atropin i plasma och därmed mindre risk för systemiska biverkningar såsom påverkan på tarmmotilitet. Ytterligare kliniska studier är dock nödvändiga för att studera vilka plasmakoncentrationer som ger en negativ påverkan på tarmen. I sådana studier finns behov av tillförlitliga och objektiva metoder för att mäta tarmmotilitet. I litteraturstudien redogörs för ett urval av de vanligaste och därför mest utvärderade metoderna för att objektivt mäta tarmmotilitet. Slutsatsen är att EIG och ultraljud har visat lovande resultat för användning i framtida studier samt klinisk verksamhet för att objektivt mäta tarmmotilitet.Atropine is a common drug used for treatment of uveitis in the horse. Atropine induces mydriasis and cycloplegia, and thus provides analgesia and reduces the risk for chronical complications such as synechia between tissues in the eye. Previous studies show that administration of atropine intravenously or topically may cause reduced intestinal motility and can sometimes induce colic (Ström et al., 2014; Williams et al., 2001; Adams et al., 1984; Ducharme & Fubini, 1983). The pharmacokinetic properties of atropine in horses are unknown and further studies are needed to be able to create safe treatment recommendations with the aim to reduce the risk for unwanted side effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate bioavailability for atropine when administered topically in the eye, and to study plasma concentrations and the terminal half-life of atropine. The study included six healthy, adult Standardbred Trotters in a randomised cross-over design. All horses were exposed to atropine administered intravenously, topically by manual administration in the conjunctival sac and topically through an infusion pump. When administered intravenously and topically, a bolus dose of 1.0 mg atropine was given. Through the infusion pump, a continuous rate infusion of 0.14 mg atropine per hour was administered, which gave a total of 3.36 mg of atropine during the 24 hours of the clinical trial. A series of blood samples were drawn regularly during the clinical experiments. During the trials, the horses were monitored for signs of side effects. The samples were analysed with Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) at National Veterinary Institute (SVA). Detection limits for atropine in plasma was 0.05 ng/ml. The results show that the bioavailability was high for topical administered atropine in horses (median 75 %), but a considerable interindividual variation (range 34-168 %) was observed. This variation can partly be explained by factors related to the topical administration, such as varying blinking frequency and reflex tear production. A calculated bioavailability over 100 % can be explained by difficulties to correctly extrapolate and calculate the AUC. The maximum plasma concentrations of atropine after intravenous injection was 0.83 ng/mL (range 0.68-1.33 ng/mL), after topical, manual administration 0.38 ng/mL (range 0.30-2.12 ng/mL) and after administration through an infusion pump 0.13 ng/mL (range 0.12-2.10). The terminal half-life of atropine when administered topically (median 59 minutes, range 36-95) differed slightly from when atropine was given intravenously (median 46 minutes, range 25-61). This can be explained by absorption limited kinetics, which means that the absorption is the rate limiting step of elimination when delivered topically. The use of infusion pumps gave low and steady plasma concentrations. Our results indicate that 1 mg atropine in a dosage regime of 3-8 hours (median 5 hours) does not cause accumulation of atropine in plasma, and the risk for unwanted effects on intestinal motility will probably be low when delivered at this interval. However, further studies are necessary to study the effect on intestinal motility at different plasma concentration levels. In such studies there will be a need for reliable and objective methods for measuring intestinal motility. In the literature study a selection of the most common and therefore the most evaluated methods for measuring intestinal motility are described. The conclusion of the literature study is that EIG and ultrasound has shown promising results for future studies and clinical use for objective measuring of intestinal motility

Seasonal changes, sleep length and circadian preference among twins with bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND: We aimed at studying the seasonal changes in mood and behaviour, the distribution of hospital admissions by season, and the persistence of the circadian type in twins with bipolar disorder and their healthy co-twins. METHODS: All Finnish like-sex twins born from 1940 to 1969 were screened for a diagnosis of bipolar type I disorder. The diagnosis was assessed with a structured research interview, and the study subjects (n = 67) filled in the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) and the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). For studying the persistence of the habitual sleep length and circadian type, we used data derived from the Finnish Twin Cohort Questionnaire (FTCQ). Bipolar twins were compared with their healthy co-twins. RESULTS: Bipolar twins had greater seasonal changes in sleep length (p = 0.01) and mood (p = 0.01), and higher global seasonality scores (p = 0.03) as compared with their co-twins with no mental disorder. Sunny days (p = 0.03) had a greater positive effect on wellbeing in the bipolar than healthy co-twins. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the view that bipolar disorder is sensitive to the environmental influence in general and to the seasonal effect in specific. Exposure to natural light appears to have a substantial effect on wellbeing in twins with bipolar disorder

Translational and structural requirements of the early nodulin gene enod40, a short-open reading frame-containing RNA, for elicitation of a cell-specific growth response in the alfalfa root cortex

A diversity of mRNAs containing only short open reading frames (sORF-RNAs; encoding less than 30 amino acids) have been shown to be induced in growth and differentiation processes. The early nodulin gene enod40, coding for a 0.7-kb sORF-RNA, is expressed in the nodule primordium developing in the root cortex of leguminous plants after infection by symbiotic bacteria. Ballistic microtargeting of this gene into Medicago roots induced division of cortical cells. Translation of two sORFs (I and II, 13 and 27 amino acids, respectively) present in the conserved 5* and 3* regions of enod40 was required for this biological activity. These sORFs may be translated in roots via a reinitiation mechanism. In vitro translation products starting from the ATG of sORF I were detectable by mutating enod40 to yield peptides larger than 38 amino acids. Deletion of a Medicago truncatula enod40 region between the sORFs, spanning a predicted RNA structure, did not affect their translation but resulted in significantly decreased biological activity. Our data reveal a complex regulation of enod40 action, pointing to a role of sORF-encoded peptides and structured RNA signals in developmental processes involving sORF-RNA

Elevated plasma phospholipid n-3 docosapentaenoic acid concentrations during hibernation

Factors for initiating hibernation are unknown, but the condition shares some metabolic similarities with consciousness/sleep, which has been associated with n-3 fatty acids in humans. We investigated plasma phospholipid fatty acid profiles during hibernation and summer in freeranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) and in captive garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus) contrasting in their hibernation patterns. The dormice received three different dietary fatty acid concentrations of linoleic acid (LA) (19%, 36% and 53%), with correspondingly decreased alphalinolenic acid (ALA) (32%, 17% and 1.4%). Saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids showed small differences between summer and hibernation in both species. The dormice diet influenced n-6 fatty acids and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations in plasma phospholipids. Consistent differences between summer and hibernation in bears and dormice were decreased ALA and EPA and marked increase of n-3 docosapentaenoic acid and a minor increase of docosahexaenoic acid in parallel with several hundred percent increase of the activity index of elongase ELOVL2 transforming C20-22 fatty acids. The highest LA supply was unexpectantly associated with the highest transformation of the n-3 fatty acids. Similar fatty acid patterns in two contrasting hibernating species indicates a link to the hibernation phenotype and requires further studies in relation to consciousness and metabolism

Elevated plasma phospholipid n-3 docosapentaenoic acid concentrations during hibernation

Factors for initiating hibernation are unknown, but the condition shares some metabolic similarities with consciousness/sleep, which has been associated with n-3 fatty acids in humans. We investigated plasma phospholipid fatty acid profiles during hibernation and summer in freeranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) and in captive garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus) contrasting in their hibernation patterns. The dormice received three different dietary fatty acid concentrations of linoleic acid (LA) (19%, 36% and 53%), with correspondingly decreased alphalinolenic acid (ALA) (32%, 17% and 1.4%). Saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids showed small differences between summer and hibernation in both species. The dormice diet influenced n-6 fatty acids and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations in plasma phospholipids. Consistent differences between summer and hibernation in bears and dormice were decreased ALA and EPA and marked increase of n-3 docosapentaenoic acid and a minor increase of docosahexaenoic acid in parallel with several hundred percent increase of the activity index of elongase ELOVL2 transforming C20-22 fatty acids. The highest LA supply was unexpectantly associated with the highest transformation of the n-3 fatty acids. Similar fatty acid patterns in two contrasting hibernating species indicates a link to the hibernation phenotype and requires further studies in relation to consciousness and metabolismpublishedVersio

Public views of the Sustainable Development Goals across countries

The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer an extensive framework for coordinating and shaping government policies, and for engaging the public with sustainability. Public understanding of the SDGs and sustainability can influence this engagement, as people are more likely to accept and share information consistent with their own understanding. We identify public understandings of SDGs through mental maps of how people relate the SDGs to environmental, social and economic sustainability. Using responses from 12 developed/developing countries (n = 2,134), we identified four mental maps that varied mainly on two dimensions, which diverged from some expert models. Some people’s mental maps identified tension between achieving environmental versus social sustainability, whereas for others the tension was between economic sustainability and the other two sustainability elements. Some people related different SDGs to each element of sustainability, whereas others saw all SDGs as targeting the same sustainability element(s). These findings highlight opportunities and challenges to engage the public with sustainability more effectively, especially with wide-ranging initiatives such as a Green New Deal. We observed cultural differences but we also identified a dominant mental map across countries that could serve as a default model for communicating sustainability internationally

First in-depth analysis of the novel Th2-type cytokines in salmonid fish reveals distinct patterns of expression and modulation but overlapping bioactivities

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The VHSV-infected samples were generated within the Scottish Government funded research project FC1996 and kindly provided by Marine Scotland staff. Thanks to ELANCO for providing the A. davidanieli (Renogen). FINANCIAL SUPPORT T. W. received funding from the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland). MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions. Y.J., W.H. and Q.X. were supported financially by the National Scholarship Council of China. Z.Q. was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31302221) and the overseas training plan for young and middle-aged teachers and principals of colleges and universities in Jiangsu Province, China. M.M.C. was funded by an Ángeles Alvariño postdoctoral contract from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and the Xunta de Galicia. P.D.-R. was funded by a European Commission (EC) Marie Curie Intra European Fellowship (FP7). J.W.H. was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/K009125/1). This work was also supported financially by the EC, under contract Nos. 222719 (LIFECYCLE) and 311993 (TargetFish), and by the European Research Council Starting Grant 2011 (contract No. 280469).Peer reviewedPublisher PD