Mating disruption in Scaphoideus titanus Ball (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) by vibrational signals

Conventional pesticides have detrimental effects on the global health and a development of environmentally friendly alternatives to control agricultural pests is essential. Mating disruption is an example of such method, since it exploits the natural airborne pheromone plumes that females emit to attract males. When a synthetic pheromone is applied to a field, males are disorientated and mating is prevented in the treated area. However, not all insect species communicate with olfactory signals. It has been estimated that 150 000 species use vibrations to achieve mating and among them there are several pests and important vectors of plant diseases. To control such species, growers may need to apply large amounts of pesticides, which is both environmentally and economically costly. The main goal of the present thesis was therefore to develop a vibrational mating disruption strategy. For this, the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus was chosen as model species, since it uses vibrations both for mating and rivalry, along with being an economically important vector of the severe phytoplasma grapevine disease Flavescence doreé. Besides experiments concerning the proper mating disruption, laboratorial studies were made on signal transmission through grapevine tissues and on the ability of males and females to emit and receive substrate-borne signals. For the first time, it was shown that substrate-borne vibrational signals can allow communication between individuals despite lack of substrate continuity. This is an important contribution for an improved knowledge of the subject, but also to consider for control of insects that are distributed on closely adjacent plants like grapevine. Moreover, it was shown that males are able to make directional decisions towards females and that there is an increased level of female signal intensity that triggers the male to initiate courtship. Pair formation in S. titanus starts with identification and proceeds with a location (search) stage before the final courtship. In the identification duets, male pulses were delayed after female reply, while they were fully synchronized during location and courtship duets. It is possible that mating disruption with vibrations is more successfully applied during the identification stage when external interferences could result in loss of important information that is needed to correctly identify the mating partner. Finally, during the mating disruption experiments, a pre-recorded natural rivalry signal of S. titanus was used for disruption when transmitted via grapevine wires to plants, where it masked the communication between males and females. In both semi-field and field experiments, the number of mated females was significantly reduced in presence of disruptive signal while females were mated in the silent control plants. These results suggest that vibrational mating disruption may have an important impact on future integrated pest managements of agricultural productions. Moreover, it is possible that the method can be applied to control different vibrational communicating pests. Vibrating plants in greenhouses may be easier than in an open field due to the protected environment and presence of energetic source. Yet, although the results from this thesis have shown that the principle of the method is promising, a future goal will first be to optimize the energetic and economic expenses of the system

A Switch of Dialect as Disguise

Criminals may purposely try to hide their identity by using a voice disguise such as imitating another dialect. This paper empirically investigates the power of dialect as an attribute that listeners use when identifying voices and how a switch of dialect affects voice identification. In order to delimit the magnitude of the perceptual significance of dialect and the possible impact of dialect imitation, a native bidialectal speaker was the target speaker in a set of four voice line-up experiments, two of which involved a dialect switch. Regardless of which dialect the bidialectal speaker spoke he was readily recognized. When the familiarization and target voices were of different dialects, it was found that the bidialectal speaker was significantly less well recognized. Dialect is thus a key feature for speaker identification that overrides many other features of the voice. Whether imitated dialect can be used for voice disguise to the same degree as native dialect switching demands further research

Afrikanska unionens interventionsnormer. En studie av den militära interventionen i Darfur

I denna studie knyter vi den samtida interventionsteorin till den Afrikanska unionens intervention år 2004-2007 i den sudanesiska darfurregionen. Sedan kalla kriget har den allmänna interventionsteorin förändrats till förmån för en positivare inställning till militära interventioner i inomstatliga konflikter. I Afrika har detta visat sig genom transformation av Afrikanska enhetsorganisationen till den Afrikanska unionen, där den senare rört sig ifrån icke-inblandningsprincipen. I darfurkonflikten, där 300 000 människor dött till följd av häftiga strider och etnisk rensning, har AU:s förmåga att avvärja massmord av civila ställts på prov. I denna fallstudie utreder vi vilka normer som AU intervenerade efter i regionen. Vi framställer i vår analys bristerna i den fredsbevarande operationen och fastställer varför den inte utgjorde en adekvat humanitär intervention solidarisk med Darfurs befolkning. Härigenom visar vi att normen för statens suveränitet, det vill säga suveränitetsprincipen, dominerade över en solidarisk norm om hänsynstagande till medlemsstatens befolkning

Lactate-Induced Glucose Output Is Unchanged by Metformin at a Therapeutic Concentration - A Mass Spectrometry Imaging Study of the Perfused Rat Liver

Metformin is the first line drug for type 2 diabetes but its molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we have studied the acute effect of a therapeutically relevant intrahepatic concentration of metformin on glucose production from lactate. We selected the perfused rat liver as experimental system since it enables the complete control of drug dosage. We used MALDI (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization) mass spectrometry imaging to estimate the concentration of metformin in the livers and we measured the concentration of glucose in the effluent medium under basal conditions and following lactate addition. MALDI mass spectra of thin-sections of freeze-clamped rat liver perfused with metformin showed a peak at 130.16 m/z which was unambiguously assigned to metformin. The mass spectrometric detection limit was at a tissue concentration of about 250 nM, and uptake of metformin from the perfusion medium to the liver occurred with a K-m of 0.44 mM. Metformin was evenly distributed in the liver irrespective of its concentration in the perfusion medium and the duration of a perfusion. At a parenchymal concentration of 30 mu M, metformin did not induce any significant suppression of the basal or lactate-induced glucose release from the liver. These results show that matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging can be applied to estimate the tissue concentration and distribution of metformin in a therapeutically relevant micromolar concentration range. Our findings challenge the view that metformin causes an inhibition of glucose release from the liver by an acute inhibition of mitochondrial glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.5.3).Peer reviewe

Green care from participants and providers perspective: Sub report from the research project Recovery-Oriented Green Care Services

Norsk: Virksomheter innen Grønn omsorg innebærer å bruke aktiviteter på gården, med dyr og i naturen for å hjelpe mennesker i vanskelige livssituasjoner til bedring, rehabilitering og helse. Slike virksomheter kan være rettet mot mange ulike grupper, men her mot personer med psykiske problemer og/eller rusproblemer. «Inn på tunet» (IPT) er en felles benevning for Grønn omsorg, prosjektet Recovery-orienterte grønn omsorgstjenester (ROGCS) ved Høgskolen i Hedmark har til hensikt å skape økt og fordypet kunnskap om Grønn omsorg fra mest mulig ulike perspektiver. Denne rapport beskriver to delstudier innen prosjektet, del 1 er rettet mot deltakere, eller tidligere deltakere i IPT virksomheter og del 2 er rettet mot tilbydere, begge studiene gjeller Hedmark og Opplands fylke. Del 1 beskriver og analyserer deltagernes subjektive erfaringer ved kvalitative intervjuer med 20 personer i ulike aldrer, likt fordelt mellom kvinner og menn. Analysen var Grounded Theory-rettet analyse. Analysen resulterte i en hovedkategori – Et meningsfullt liv – og 5 kategorier: Kontakt med dyr, Et «naturlig» arbeid, Ledelse og gruppeprosesser, Utfordring og mestring, samt Sosialt felleskap og tilhørighet. Resultatene viser en meget positiv vurdering av deltakelsen. IPT-virksomheter viste mye felles med andre typer behandlings- og støttevirksomheter, men også med kjennetegn som spesifikt er koblet til Grønn omsorg. Ulike uttrykk for recovery kunne gjenkjennes i intervjupersonenes utsagn. Empowerment ble økt, liksom følelsen av sosial integrering. Fokus ble forskjøvet fra sykdom og uhelse, i retning mot styrke, helse og velvære. Del 2 gir fordypet kunnskap om en gruppe tilbyderes perspektiv på arbeidet innen IPT gjennom 3 kvalitative flerstegs fokusgrupper med tilbydere. En kvalitativ og mønstersøkende analyse, med inspirasjon fra hermeneutikk og fenomenologi, resulterte i 6 kategorier. Tilbyderne synes det er et givende arbeid å ha brukere på gården. De bryr seg om brukerne, og gleder seg med dem når de gjør fremskritt. Allikevel ser de at flesteparten av rusmisbrukerne faller tilbake til gamle vaner, og mye av dette skyldes et dårlig fungerende ettervern. Skjemaveldet og byråkratiet i helse-Norge oppleves som en frustrasjon og vanskeliggjør jobben for tilbyderne. Det kan være vanskelig å få til en god flyt i tilbudet, og innimellom lever tilbyderne fra hånd til munn. Selv om kommunen kan være begeistret over resultatene, kan det allikevel være vanskelig for tilbyderne å få langsiktige kontrakter, noe som oppleves stressende. IPT er et lavterskeltilbud, og gården har en rolig og uhøytidelig stemning som kan være med å ufarliggjøre situasjonen for brukeren. Tilbyderne bør ha egenskaper som empati, tålmodighet, humor og humør, og evne til å kunne håndtere uforutsette ting. Effekten av grønn omsorg tror tilbyderne kommer av å jobbe praktisk sammen med brukerne, at brukerne får ansvar som gjør at de føler mestring. I tillegg får brukerne være sammen med dyr, og de er en del av et sosialt fellesskap. IPT kan bidra til forebyggende psykisk helsearbeid, en ressurs som hittil ikke er så mye brukt.English: Green Care services involve using activities in nature, on farms and with animals to help people in difficult life situations to reach recovery, rehabilitation and health. Such activities can be directed towards many different groups. Here it is geared towards people with mental health problems and/or addictions. «Inn på tunet» (IPT) is a common Norwegian designation for Green Care. The research project Recovery-Oriented Green Care Services (Rogcs) at Hedmark University College intends to create widened and deepened knowledge about Green Care from diverse perspectives. This report describes two sub-studies within the project. Part 1 is directed towards participants or former participants in Green Care activities and part 2 is directed towards providers, both studies in Hedmark and Oppland county. Part 1 describes and analyses the participants’ subjective experiences by qualitative interviews with 20 people in various ages, equally divided between men and women. The analysis was Grounded Theory-oriented. The analysis resulted in a main category – A meaningful life – and 5 categories: Contact with animals, A «natural» labor, Leadership and group processes, Challenges and coping, and Social community and belonging. The results show a very positive assessment of the participation. IPT organizations have a lot in common with other types of treatment and support activities, but also with characteristics that are specifically linked to IPT. Different expressions of recovery could be identified in the interview subjects’ statements. Empowerment was increased, as was the feeling of social integration. The focus was changed from disease and ill-health, in the direction of strength, health and wellness. Part 2 gives further knowledge from providers’ perspective on the work of the IPT through 3 multistage qualitative focus groups with providers. A qualitative analysis, inspired by hermeneutics and phenomenology, resulted in six categories. Providers find it a rewarding job to have users on the farm. They care about the users, and rejoice with them when they are making progress. Yet they see that the majority of substance abuse founders fall back into old habits, and much of this is due to a poorly functioning aftercare. Paperwork and bureaucracy in ‘Health-Norway’ is experienced as a frustration and hampers job providers. It can be difficult to get a good flow in the offer and occasionally providers live from hand to mouth. Although the authorities show to be thrilled with the good results, it can still be difficult for the providers to get long-term contracts, which is experienced stressful. IPT is a low-threshold service, and the farms have a quiet and unpretentious atmosphere that can help to make the situation feel safe for the users. Providers should have personal traits such as empathy, patience, humor and good spirits, and an ability to handle unexpected situations. The providers believe that the positive effects of green care are due to performing practical work together, interacting with animals, that the service users are given responsibility and therefore learn coping skills, but also that they are part of a social community on the farm. In addition, IPT contributes to preventive mental health work, a resource which so far is not widely used

Autism With and Without Regression : A Two-Year Prospective Longitudinal Study in Two Population-Derived Swedish Cohorts

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Questionnaire study suggests grave consequences of infectious laryngotracheitis, infectious coryza and mycoplasmosis in small chicken flocks

BackgroundA growing number of people in western countries keep small chicken flocks. In Sweden, respiratory disease is a common necropsy finding in chickens from such flocks. A respiratory real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel was applied to detect infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), Avibacterium paragallinarum (A. paragallinarum) and Mycoplasma gallisepticum (M. gallisepticum) in chickens from small flocks which underwent necropsy in 2017-2019 and had respiratory lesions. Owners (N = 100) of PCR-positive flocks were invited to reply to a web-based questionnaire about husbandry, outbreak characteristics and management.ResultsResponse rate was 61.0%. The flocks were from 18 out of Sweden's 21 counties indicating that respiratory infections in small chicken flocks are geographically widespread in Sweden. Among participating flocks, 77.0% were coinfected by 2-3 pathogens; 91.8% tested positive for A. paragallinarum, 57.4% for M. gallisepticum and 50.8% for ILTV. Larger flock size and mixed-species flock structure were associated with PCR detection of M. gallisepticum (P = 0.00 and P = 0.02, respectively). Up to 50% mortality was reported by 63.9% of respondents. Euthanasia of some chickens was carried out in 86.9% of the flocks as a result of the outbreaks. Full clinical recovery was reported by 39.3% of owners suggesting chronic infection is a major challenge in infected flocks. Live birds had been introduced in many flocks prior to outbreaks, which suggested these as an important source of infection. Following the outbreaks, 36.1% replaced their flocks with new birds and 9.8% ceased keeping chickens.ConclusionsThis study highlights the severity of respiratory outbreaks in small non-commercial chicken flocks and points to the need for more research and veterinary assistance to prevent and manage respiratory infections in small chicken flocks

How have Supplemental Instruction-Peer Assisted Study Sessions (SI-PASS) programmes adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic? Case Studies from four Higher Education Institutes in Ireland, Norway, the UK and Sweden.

In this paper we look at the adaption of SI-PASS programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic drawing from four Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as case studies: The National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway in Ireland, Nord University in Norway, Lund University in Sweden and the University of Manchester in the UK. The paper also focuses on the role of SI-PASS in student engagement in an extraordinary time. Attention is given to the numerous challenges that the SI-PASS teams have faced. For instance, how to engage students in an online environment or in a face-to-face setting with social distancing, training student leaders to hold online sessions, support of leaders, and enhancing the student participants’ learning experience. Attention is also given to the potential benefits of online SI-PASS and lessons learned that can be incorporated in post-pandemic SI-PASS programmes.publishedVersio