Summer flowers on the cemetery

Med hjälp av en enkät fick förvaltningar runt om i landet svara på frågor gällande växtsortimentet som används för sommarplantering på gravrabatterna. En svarsfrekvens på 90 % gav ett intressant resultat. Genom intervjuer med både kyrkogårdsförvaltningar och producenter av blomsterfrön och plantor, gavs en bredare förståelse för sortimentet. En fråga som ställdes i både enkät och intervjuer var om det fanns något intresse att förnya det utbud som erbjuds idag. En annan fråga handlade om viktiga egenskaper som växten bör ha för att passa på kyrkogården. En tillbakablick till 1940-talet visade att de växter som användes under denna tid återfinns i dagens sortiment. Begonior, silverek och pelargon var vanliga då men är så också i dagens utbud och användning. Större delen av förvaltningarna är intresserade av förnyelse men tycker det är svårt att hitta bra växter som kan jämföras med dagens sortiment. Det krävs större efterfrågan och mer intresse för nyheter från kyrkogårdsförvaltningarna för att producenterna ska bli mer aktiva i att erbjuda något utöver det nuvarande sortimentet. Viktiga egenskaper hos växterna är att de måste vara sjukdomsresistenta, tåliga för många olika lägen samt att de har en lång och intensiv blomning. Isbegonia (Begonia semperflorens) är den mest använda plantan i dagens sortiment och har alla de viktiga egenskaperna som förvaltningarna kräver. Sammanställningen av enkäten kan ge ett stöd till producenternas framtida arbete med växtvalet för kyrkogårdsförvaltningarna. I arbetet ges flera förslag till hur producenterna kan utveckla sig för att öka efterfrågan av nya växter hos kyrkogårdsförvaltningarna. Förvaltningarna själva måste ta sig tid och satsa pengar på att utveckla sitt sortiment. En tredje part som det måste tas hänsyn till vid förnyelse är gravrättsinnehavarna, utan deras intresse av nyheter på gravrabatten blir arbetet svårt. Några nya växter som skulle kunna introduceras i sortimentet är Ptilotus nobilis, Salvia argentea och Sanvitala procumbens. Prydnadsgräs av olika arter är även de intressanta som nyheter i sortimentet då de med fördel kan kombineras med andra växter

Relationen mellan varg (Canis lupus) och människa

Rovdjursfrågan i Sverige är en stor, het debatt och vi har valt att koncentrera oss på vargen. Det finns många olika åsikter om vargens vara eller icke vara i den svenska naturen och i detta arbete tar vi bl.a. upp några orsaker till de olika åsikterna. Vargen är ett väldigt skyggt djur som under naturliga förhållanden inte gärna närmar sig människor. Trots detta har den fått ett oförtjänt dåligt rykte. I detta arbete tar vi upp lite om vargens evolution och uppkomsten av historier och myter kring vargen, eftersom dessa ligger till grund för mycket av den rädsla som idag finns för dessa djur. Vi har valt att fokusera på den skandinaviska vargstammen och vad det finns för problem med denna, men även vad det finns för möjliga lösningar. För att få lite vidare perspektiv om vargen i stort har vi även tagit upp fakta om vargen i resten av världen. Vargen kom till Skandinavien efter den senaste istiden som slutade för ca 10 000 år sedan. Antalet individer har under årens lopp gått upp och ner till följd av bl.a. människans förföljelse. Forskning har visat att den nuvarande skandinaviska vargpopulationen härstammar från de finsk-ryska vargarna och inte är besläktad med de svenska djurparksdjuren.The issue of the predators´ right to exist in Sweden is a big and heated discussion and we have chosen to concentrate on the wolf. The opinions about the wolf’s right to exist in the Swedish nature differ, and in this essay we, among other things, bring up some background to these opinions. The wolf is a very shy animal and does not, under natural circumstances, seek human contact. Despite this, it has been given an undeserved bad reputation. In this essay we write about the evolution of the wolf and the origin of the stories and myths about the wolf, since much people’s fear of this animal today is based on these. We have chosen to concentrate on the Scandinavian wolf strain and its problems, but we also mention some possible solutions. To get a wider perspective of the wolf in general, we also bring up some facts about the wolf in the rest of the world. The wolf came to Scandinavia after the last ice age, which ended approximately 10 000 years ago. The population has fluctuated during the years, and one of the consequences is the persecution of the wolf by man. Research show that the present Scandinavian wolf strain is descended from Finnish-Russian wolves and is not related to the animals in the zoological parks

A screening study of relationships among concentrations of algal toxins, PFAS, thiamine deficiency and biomarkers in the European flounder from the southern Baltic Sea

In the disturbed Baltic Sea ecosystem, several animal species display failing health related to exposure to toxic compounds, reduced energy metabolism and immune system disorders. In order to investigate possible associations between fish health and exposure to chemicals affecting the energy metabolism and immune defence, the levels of algal toxins (bromophenols, hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers and nodularin), perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and thiamine (vitamin B1) were determined in European flounder (Platichthys flesus). Several biomarkers indicating health status were examined in the fish, including ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), and activities of glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase and catalase, in addition to a large set of blood variables. The fish were collected from Hanobukten in the south-western parts of the Baltic Sea in late August 2018. Regression analyses of algal toxins, PFAS and thiamine concentration displayed several significant associations with biomarkers associated with detoxification and liver function, immune system function and blood status of the fish. (c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Intensive longitudinal study of newly graduated nurses’ quick returns and self-rated stress

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the relationship between quick returns (QR) – shift combinations that result in inter-shift rest periods <11 hours) and stress. The current study examined whether variations in the frequency of QR, both between and within individuals, were associated with changes in self-rated stress. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent weekly to newly graduated nurses during the first 12 weeks of work. Stress was measured with four items from the Stress-Energy Questionnaire on a scale from 1 “not at all” to 5 “very much” [mean 2.65, standard deviation (SD) 1.08]. Shifts worked in the past week were reported and QR were identified by evening-morning shift combinations (mean 0.98, SD 0.90 per week). In total, 350 persons were included in the analysis (3556 observations). Data were analyzed with a multilevel residual dynamic structural equation model (RDSEM) using Bayesian estimation procedures. RESULTS: There was no between-person effect of QR on stress averaged across measurement occasions (0.181, 95% CI -0.060–0.415). However, there was a small within-person effect of QR (0.031, 95% CI 0.001–0.062), meaning that more QR during a given week, compared to that person’s average, was associated with an increase in their level of stress during that week. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses were likely to report increased stress during weeks in which they worked more QR. Intervention studies are needed to determine whether the relationship is causal

Determinants of serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in school children and the contribution of low-level PFAA-contaminated drinking water

Little is known about the demographic/life-style/physiological determinants explaining the variation of serum perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) concentrations in children. We identified significant determinants in children and investigated the influence of low-level PFAA-contaminated drinking water (DW) (&lt;10 ng L−1 of single PFAAs) on serum concentrations. Four perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) and 11 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) were analyzed in serum from 5th grade children from 11 Swedish schools (N = 200; average age: 12 years) using liquid chromatography-tandem-mass-spectrometry. Data on demography and life-style/physiological factors were obtained by questionnaires. PFAA concentrations in raw and drinking water (DW) were obtained from the water works supplying DW to the schools. In multiple regression analyses school was the determinant contributing most to the variation in PFAA concentrations, with the lowest contribution for PFHpA (10%) and the highest for PFHxS (81%). Girls had lower adjusted mean concentrations of PFHxS, PFOS, PFNA and PFDA than boys, but a higher concentration of PFHxA. Girls reporting onset of menstruation had lower PFHxS and PFOA concentrations than other girls, suggesting menstrual bleeding elimination. Children born by mothers from less industrialized countries had lower mean concentrations of both PFSAs and PFCAs than children with mothers from highly industrialized countries, suggesting differences in early-life exposure. Life-style factors associated with paternal education levels appeared to influence PFAA concentrations differently than maternal education level. Already at an average DW PFHxS concentration of 2 ng L−1, children had a significantly higher adjusted mean serum PFHxS concentration than at an average DW concentration of &lt;1.6 ng PFHxS L−1. Similar results were observed for PFOS and PFOA. The DW variable explained 16% (PFOA) to 78% (PFHxS) of the variation in serum PFAA concentrations, suggesting that low-level-contaminated DW is a significant source of exposure for children in Sweden. Although some of the associations, especially those with menstruation and maternal birth country, should be interpreted with extra caution due to the small size of the study, the results contribute to future work on identifying populations of children at risk of elevated PFAA exposures

Development of a complex intervention to improve health literacy skills

Background Providing insight into the developmental processes involved in building interventions is an important way to ensure methodological transparency and inform future research efforts. The objective of this study was to describe the development of a web portal designed to improve health literacy skills among the public. Methods The web portal was tailored to address three key barriers to obtaining information, using the conceptual frameworks of shared decision-making and evidence-based practice and based on explicit criteria for selecting the content and form of the intervention. Results The web portal targeted the general public and took the form of structured sets of tools. Content included: an introduction to research methods, help on how to find evidence-based health information efficiently based on the steps of evidence-based practice, an introduction to critical appraisal, information about patient participation rights in decision-making, and a decision aid for consultations. Conclusions The web portal was designed in a systematic and transparent way and address key barriers to obtaining and acting upon reliable health information. The web portal provides open access to the tools and can be used independently by health care users, or during consultations with health professionals

Deciphering a Marine Bone-Degrading Microbiome Reveals a Complex Community Effort

The marine bone biome is a complex assemblage of macro- and microorganisms; however, the enzymatic repertoire to access bone-derived nutrients remains unknown. The bone matrix is a composite material made up mainly of organic collagen and inorganic hydroxyapatite. We conducted field experiments to study microbial assemblages that can use organic bone components as nutrient source. Bovine and turkey bones were deposited at 69 m depth in a Norwegian fjord (Byfjorden, Bergen). Metagenomic sequence analysis was used to assess the functional potential of microbial assemblages from bone surface and the bone-eating worm Osedax mucofloris, which is a frequent colonizer of whale falls and known to degrade bone. The bone microbiome displayed a surprising taxonomic diversity revealed by the examination of 59 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes from at least 23 bacterial families. Over 700 genes encoding enzymes from 12 relevant enzymatic families pertaining to collagenases, peptidases, and glycosidases putatively involved in bone degradation were identified. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of the class Bacteroidia contained the most diverse gene repertoires. We postulate that demineralization of inorganic bone components is achieved by a timely succession of a closed sulfur biogeochemical cycle between sulfur-oxidizing and sulfur-reducing bacteria, causing a drop in pH and subsequent enzymatic processing of organic components in the bone surface communities. An unusually large and novel collagen utilization gene cluster was retrieved from one genome belonging to the gammaproteobacterial genus Colwellia

Thiamin dynamics during the adult life cycle of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Thiamin is an essential water-soluble B vitamin known for its wide range of metabolic functions and antioxidant properties. Over the past decades, reproductive failures induced by thiamin deficiency have been observed in several salmonid species worldwide, but it is unclear why this micronutrient deficiency arises. Few studies have compared thiamin concentrations in systems of salmonid populations with or without documented thiamin deficiency. Moreover, it is not well known whether and how thiamin concentration changes during the marine feeding phase and the spawning migration. Therefore, samples of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were collected when actively feeding in the open Baltic Sea, after the sea migration to natal rivers, after river migration, and during the spawning period. To compare populations of Baltic salmon with systems without documented thiamin deficiency, a population of landlocked salmon located in Lake Vänern (Sweden) was sampled as well as salmon from Norwegian rivers draining into the North Atlantic Ocean. Results showed the highest mean thiamin concentrations in Lake Vänern salmon, followed by North Atlantic, and the lowest in Baltic populations. Therefore, salmon in the Baltic Sea seem to be consistently more constrained by thiamin than those in other systems. Condition factor and body length had little to no effect on thiamin concentrations in all systems, suggesting that there is no relation between the body condition of salmon and thiamin deficiency. In our large spatiotemporal comparison of salmon populations, thiamin concentrations declined toward spawning in all studied systems, suggesting that the reduction in thiamin concentration arises as a natural consequence of starvation rather than to be related to thiamin deficiency in the system. These results suggest that factors affecting accumulation during the marine feeding phase are key for understanding the thiamin deficiency in salmonids. Atlantic salmon, Baltic Sea, M74 syndrome, Salmon life cycle, Thiamin, Thiamin deficiencypublishedVersio