(O)laglig handel med hotade djur och växter – en analys av den straffrättsliga regleringen avseende handel med produkter av hotade djur- och växtarter i Sverige

Hotet mot den biologiska mångfalden är omfattande. En bidragande orsak är handeln med hotade djur och växter. Mot bakgrund av en ökad internationell illegal handel har CITES-konventionen utarbetats. Inom EU gäller CITES-förordningen. Sverige har skyldighet att sanktionera handel i strid CITES-förordningen. Det finns dock ytterligare lagstiftning som reglerar handel med djur och växter. Uppsatsens syfte är att med en rättsanalytisk metod utreda den svenska straffrättsliga regleringen avseende handel med produkter av hotade djur och växter, särskilt 29 kap. 2 b § första stycket 4 a) miljöbalken. Avsikten är att analysera om lagstiftningen och rättstillämpningen är ändamålsenlig i förhållandet till syftet att skydda hotade djur och växter. Som huvudregel är handel med hotade djur och växter förbjuden. Det finns dock flera undantag. CITES-förordningen bygger på ett strikt kontrollsystem där särskilda intyg och tillstånd krävs för att handeln ska vara tillåten. Handel inom EU i strid med CITES-förordningen kriminaliseras i 29 kap. 2 b § första stycket 4 a) miljöbalken. Handel med tredje land i strid med CITES-förordningen kriminaliseras i smugglingslagen. Ändå kriminaliseras import och export i strid med CITES-förordningen i miljöbalken. Straffbudet i miljöbalken är i denna del missvisande. Kriminaliseringen av import/export och intern handel skiljer sig också t.ex. avseende skuldkrav och straffskalor. En försäljning av en produkt som innehåller en djur- eller växtart som omfattas av CITES-förordningen kan även omfattas av andra straffrättsliga bestämmelser i t.ex. miljöbalken, jaktlagen, fiskelagen, timmerlagen eller brottsbalken. Regelverket är tekniskt och svåröverskådligt. Lagstiftningarna är kompletterande men också överlappande. Till viss del kan denna överlappning vara nödvändig men lagstiftningen kan förtydligas och systematiseras så att den blir mer överskådlig och lättare att tillämpa. Innan en eventuell koncentration av miljöbrottmål sker till mark- och miljödomstolarna måste lagstiftningen ses över, annars riskerar straffbara gärningar att inte behandlas enhetligt eller falla utanför tillämpningen. 29 kap. 2 b § miljöbalken är inte tillräckligt tydligt utformad för att kunna tillämpas på ett ändamålsenligt sätt. Det har visat sig i praxis, såväl i Högsta domstolen som i hovrätterna. Frågan är också om kriminaliseringen riskerar att få motsatt effekt p.g.a. det strikta kontrollsystemet samt om gällande rätt får genomslag i praktiken. Den straffrättsliga regleringen avseende handel med hotade djur och växter är i behov av såväl redaktionella som materiella ändringar. Om lagstiftningen inte förtydligas finns det en risk att skyddet för hotade djur och växter på sikt urholkas. Det är inte ändamålsenligt i förhållande till syftet att skydda hotade djur och växter.The threat to biodiversity is extensive. One contributing factor is the illicit trade with endangered species. Due to an increased illegal international trade with endangered species CITES has been drafted to control the international market. The EU applies the CITES through Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97. Sweden must ensure that trading of protected specimens constitute a criminal offence within Sweden, the EU as well as internationally. However, there are also other laws regulating the trade with endangered species. The purpose of this essay is to examine the criminal regulations in Sweden in this regard, especially article 2 b § first paragraph 4 a), chapter 29 in the Environmental Code. The intention is to analyze whether the legislation and the application of the law are appropriate to the purpose of protecting endangered species. Trading with endangered species is prohibited but there are several exceptions. EU-regulation 338/97 is based on a strict system of control where special permits or certificates are required for commercial activities. Trade within the EU in contravention of regulation 338/97 is criminalized in the Environmental Code. Trade with a third country in contravention of regulation 338/97 is criminalized in the Penalties for Smuggling Act, but it is also criminalized in the Environmental Code. The article in the Environmental Code is therefore misleading. The criminalization of international trade and internal trade also differ regarding guilt and range of punishment. A sale with a product that contains a protected species may also be subject to other criminal law provisions, e.g. in the Game Act, Timber Act and the Penal Code. The regulations are technical and complicated. The legislations complement each other but also overlap. Certain overlapping is necessary, but the legislation could be clarified and systematized in a better way. Otherwise, criminal acts risk not being treated uniformly or they might be excluded from the application of law. The phrasing of article 2 b in the Environmental Code is not sufficiently clear to be applied appropriately. It has been shown in the adjudication in the Supreme court as well as in lower courts. The question is whether the criminalization can have the opposite effect due to the strict system of control and if the established law has full effect in practice. The regulation regarding illicit trade is in need of editorial and substantive changes. The protection of endangered species risk being eroded if the regulations is not clarified and changed. That would not be appropriate to the purpose of protecting endangered species

Transvaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse : clinical and histological aspects

The objectives of this thesis were to assess the objective, clinical, and sexual outcomes after transvaginal surgery for pelvic organ prolapse using a trocar guided mesh kit, to ascertain the vaginal in vivo histological inflammatory response to large mesh, and to identify possible risk factors associated with exposures after transvaginal mesh surgery. A prospective multicenter cohort study was performed between June 2006 and March 2007 throughout 26 clinics in the Nordic countries. The 261 women included underwent pelvic organ prolapse surgery with the Prolift® mesh kit and were examined at baseline, two months and one year regarding objective anatomic prolapse stage, signs of vaginal inflammation and subjective symptom assessment. We found satisfactory anatomic cure rates (between 79 and 86%), few serious complications (3.4%) and exposures in 11%. Subjective improvements were seen in both questionnaire scores though not specifically for stress urinary incontinence. Among women undergoing the above prospective multicenter cohort study, sexually active women were separately analyzed with regard to sexual function before and one year after surgery using a specific questionnaire. Overall symptom scores deteriorated at one year after surgery irrespective of the surgically corrected compartment and of anatomical corrective success. The deterioration was attributed primarily to behavioralemotive and partner related items and not specifically to dyspareunia. To determine the histological inflammatory response to large vaginal mesh, a histological study was performed. Ten women undergoing prolapse surgery using mesh from the prospective cohort study above underwent vaginal punch biopsy sampling prior to surgery and one year after. The specimens were analyzed microscopically regarding inflammatory response and compared to 8 healthy controls. At one year, a persisting low grade host-implant reaction was seen in patients. Data from the above prospective cohort study was combined with data from a randomized controlled study comparing transvaginal mesh surgery for anterior prolapse with traditional plication techniques. Only women undergoing anterior repair with mesh were analyzed and potential risk factors for developing exposures were assessed. We found that women who smoked, had given birth to more than two children and who had systemic inflammatory disease had greater odds of developing exposures. In conclusion, the four studies in this thesis have shown that transvaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse provides satisfactory anatomical and subjective cure rates at one year with relatively few serious adverse events. However there are significant risks of deteriorated sexual function (especially in behavioral/emotive and partner related aspects), vaginal non infectious inflammation and mesh exposures. We have shown that women who smoke, have more than two children and suffer from somatic inflammatory disease are at greater risk of mesh exposures. In spite of partly encouraging results, the findings pose significant challenges to the overall success and acceptance of the procedure. Prior to recommending the use of mesh for pelvic floor correction, all available information on symptoms, the nature of the prolapse, surgical short and longterm outcomes as well as potential risks and benefits must be adequately analyzed and considered

Oro relaterat till kommunikation. En kvantitativ studie om patienter på akutmottagningen.

De sjukhusbundna akutmottagningarna är en central verksamhet i Sveriges sjukvårdssystem som ger samhällsmedborgare möjlighet till snabb vård. Antalet akutbesök vid dessa inrättningar beräknas vara cirka 2,5 miljoner per år. Många patienter som söker till akutmottagningen är mycket oroliga över sin hälsa. Studien hade till syfte att jämföra självskattad oro hos patienter på akutmottagningen med deras uppfattning av kommunikationen mellan sjuksköterska och patient. Studien hade en kvantitativ, icke-experimentell tvärsnittsdesign och genomfördes på en akutmottagning mellan juni och september 2013. 182 respondenter deltog i studien. Studiens resultat visade att patienter generellt skattade lägre oro vid utskrivningen från än ankomsten till akutmottagningen. Möjligheten att ställa frågor till sjuksköterskan samt huruvida sjuksköterskan försäkrat sig om att patienternas frågor var besvarade, visade sig korrelera med den oro patienterna skattade vid utskrivningen från akutmottagningen

Superconductivity in electron-doped arsenene

Based on the first-principles density functional theory electronic structure calculation, we investigate the possible phonon-mediated superconductivity in arsenene, a two-dimensional buckled arsenic atomic sheet, under electron doping. We find that the strong superconducting pairing interaction results mainly from the $p_z$-like electrons of arsenic atoms and the $A_1$ phonon mode around the $K$ point, and the superconducting transition temperature can be as high as 30.8 K in the arsenene with 0.2 doped electrons per unit cell and 12\% applied biaxial tensile strain. This transition temperature is about ten times higher than that in the bulk arsenic under high pressure. It is also the highest transition temperature that is predicted for electron-doped two-dimensional elemental superconductors, including graphene, silicene, phosphorene, and borophene.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure

Evaluation of NV556, a Novel Cyclophilin Inhibitor, as a Potential Antifibrotic Compound for Liver Fibrosis

Hepatic fibrosis can result as a pathological response to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Cirrhosis, the late stage of fibrosis, has been linked to poor survival and an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, with limited treatment options available. Therefore, there is an unmet need for novel effective antifibrotic compounds. Cyclophilins are peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases that facilitate protein folding and conformational changes affecting the function of the targeted proteins. Due to their activity, cyclophilins have been presented as key factors in several stages of the fibrotic process. In this study, we investigated the antifibrotic effects of NV556, a novel potent sanglifehrin-based cyclophilin inhibitor, in vitro and in vivo. NV556 potential antifibrotic effect was evaluated in two well-established animal models of NASH, STAM, and methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) mice, as well as in an in vitro 3D human liver ECM culture of LX2 cells, a human hepatic stellate cell line. We demonstrate that NV556 decreased liver fibrosis in both STAM and MCD in vivo models and decreased collagen production in TGFβ1-activated hepatic stellate cells in vitro. Taken together, these results present NV556 as a potential candidate for the treatment of liver fibrosis

Hard photon and neutral pion production in cold nuclear matter

The production of hard photons and neutral pions in 190 MeV proton induced reactions on C, Ca, Ni, and W targets has been for the first time concurrently studied. Angular distributions and energy spectra up to the kinematical limit are discussed and the production cross-sections are presented. From the target mass dependence of the cross-sections the propagation of pions through nuclear matter is analyzed and the production mechanisms of hard photons and primordial pions are derived. It is found that the production of subthreshold particles proceeds mainly through first chance nucleon-nucleon collisions. For the most energetic particles the mass scaling evidences the effect of multiple collisions.Comment: submitted to Phys. Lett.

Increased Seizure Susceptibility and Up-regulation of nNOS Expression in Hippocampus Following Recurrent Early-life Seizures in Rats

This study aimed to determine the long-term change of seizure susceptibility and the role of nNOS on brain development following recurrent early-life seizures in rats. Video-EEG recordings were conducted between postnatal days 50 and 60. Alterations in seizure susceptibility were assayed on day 22 or 50 using the flurothyl method. Changes in nNOS expression were determined by quantitative immunoblotting on day 50. On average, rats had 8.4±2.7 seizures during 10 daily 1 hr behavioral monitoring sessions. As adults (days 50-60), all rats displayed interictal spikes in the hippocampus and/or overlying cortex. Brief electrographic seizures were recorded in only one of five animals. Rats appeared to progress from a period of marked seizure susceptibility (day 22) to one of lessened seizure susceptibility (day 50). Up-regulation of nNOS expression following early-life recurrent seizures was observed on day 50. In conclusion, these data suggested that recurrent early-life seizures had the long-term effects on seizure susceptibility late in life and up-regulatory nNOS expression on the hippocampus during brain development, and nNOS appeared to contribute to the persistent changes in seizure susceptibility, and epileptogenesis