Play in retrospection

The aim of this study is to analyze and describe how adults with visual disability, motor disability and Asperger syndrome retrospectively identify and experience play in their childhood. Fifteen adults, aged 25 to 76 years, were interviewed about their play experiences. A qualitative approach was adopted with the aim to describe qualitatively different experiences of play. The findings indicate that play experiences merge like mirror images with participation and exclusion as two divergent sides of play. The data suggest that niches for play experiences include three components related to participation and exclusion: a personal component, a social component and an environmental component. Type of disability is one of many aspects making up the three components without being a central feature within any of the components. Type of disability affects personal characteristics and preferences, form of social interaction and the environmental requirements for participating in play but not the experience of play per se. Unique to this study is the importance assigned to the concept of niche. Perceived niches are based on memories and also influence the construction of memories. Thus, they function as a link between perceptions of experiences of play from childhood to adulthood

Multiple species-specific molecular markers using nanofluidic array as a tool to detect prey DNA from carnivore scats

Large carnivore feeding ecology plays a crucial role for management and conservation for predators and their prey. One of the keys to this kind of research is to identify the species composition in the predator diet, for example, prey determination from scat content. DNA-based methods applied to detect prey in predators' scats are viable alternatives to traditional macroscopic approaches, showing an increased reliability and higher prey detection rate. Here, we developed a molecular method for prey species identification in wolf (Canis lupus) scats using multiple species-specific marker loci on the cytochrome b gene for 18 target species. The final panel consisted of 80 assays, with a minimum of four markers per target species, and that amplified specifically when using a high-throughput Nanofluidic array technology (Fluidigm Inc.). As a practical example, we applied the method to identify target prey species DNA in 80 wolf scats collected in Sweden. Depending on the number of amplifying markers required to obtain a positive species call in a scat, the success in determining at least one prey species from the scats ranged from 44% to 92%. Although we highlight the need to evaluate the optimal number of markers for sensitive target species detection, the developed method is a fast and cost-efficient tool for prey identification in wolf scats and it also has the potential to be further developed and applied to other areas and large carnivores as well

Sammanställning av släktträdet över den skandinaviska vargstammen fram till 2013

Denna rapport redogör för uppdateringen av släktträdet över den skandinaviska vargpopulationen inom ramen för en överenskommelse mellan Naturvårdsverket och Grimsö forskningsstation. I rapporten presenteras stammens genealogi från 1983 till 2013 tillsammans med de reproducerande parens inavelsgrad samt en summering av inavelsutvecklingen i populationen

HLA-A Confers an HLA-DRB1 Independent Influence on the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

A recent high-density linkage screen confirmed that the HLA complex contains the strongest genetic factor for the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). In parallel, a linkage disequilibrium analysis using 650 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers of the HLA complex mapped the entire genetic effect to the HLA-DR-DQ subregion, reflected by the well-established risk haplotype HLA-DRB1*15,DQB1*06. Contrary to this, in a cohort of 1,084 MS patients and 1,347 controls, we show that the HLA-A gene confers an HLA-DRB1 independent influence on the risk of MS (P = 8.4×10−10). This supports the opposing view, that genes in the HLA class I region indeed exert an additional influence on the risk of MS, and confirms that the class I allele HLA-A*02 is negatively associated with the risk of MS (OR = 0.63, P = 7×10−12) not explained by linkage disequilibrium with class II. The combination of HLA-A and HLA-DRB1 alleles, as represented by HLA-A*02 and HLA-DRB1*15, was found to influence the risk of MS 23-fold. These findings imply complex autoimmune mechanisms involving both the regulatory and the effector arms of the immune system in the triggering of MS

The annual excursion of the Nordic Bryological Society (NBS) and the Finnish Bryophyte Expert Group to Finnish Lapland in 2019

The Nordic Bryological Society held its Annual meeting and excursion from 5 to 9 August 2019 in Sodankylä, Kittilä and Kolari in northern Finland. The excursion was attended by twenty-one participants. Special emphasis was given to boreal aapa mires and their Sphagnum species. A multitude of Sphagnum species typical to the area was encountered. Also, Red Listed species of meso- and eutrophic flark fens were discovered, e.g. Hamatocaulis vernicosus, H. lapponicus, Meesia longiseta, Schistochilopsis grandiretis and Moerckia flotoviana. Sphagnum annulatum, S. flexuosum, S. divinum, Heterogemma laxa and Scapania umbrosa were collected for the first time from Kittilän Lappi biogeographical province. Sphagnum annulatum, S. divinum, Campylium laxifolium, Pohlia sphagnicola, Gymnocolea borealis and Heterogemma laxa were collected for the first time from Sompion Lappi biogeographical province. In total, 54 records of Red Listed species were made.</p

Enhancing monitoring and transboundary collaboration for conserving migratory species under global change: The priority case of the red kite

Calls for urgent action to conserve biodiversity under global change are increasing, and conservation of migratory species in this context poses special challenges. In the last two decades the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has provided a framework for several subsidiary instruments including action plans for migratory bird species, but the effectiveness and transferability of these plans remain unclear. Such laws and policies have been credited with positive outcomes for the conservation of migratory species, but the lack of international coordination and on-ground implementation pose major challenges. While research on migratory populations has received growing attention, considerably less emphasis has been given to integrating ecological information throughout the annual cycle for examining strategies to conserve migratory species at multiple scales in the face of global change. We fill this gap through a case study examining the ecological status and conservation of a migratory raptor and facultative scavenger, the red kite (Milvus milvus), whose current breeding range is limited to Europe and is associated with agricultural landscapes and restricted to the temperate zone. Based on our review, conservation actions have been successful at recovering red kite populations within certain regions. Populations however remain depleted along the southern-most edge of the geographic range where many migratory red kites from northern strongholds overwinter. This led us to a forward-looking and integrated strategy that emphasizes international coordination involving researchers and conservation practitioners to enhance the science-policy-action interface. We identify and explore key issues for conserving the red kite under global change, including enhancing conservation actions within and outside protected areas, recovering depleted populations, accounting for climate change, and transboundary coordination in adaptive conservation and management actions. The integrated conservation strategy is sufficiently general such that it can be adapted to inform conservation of other highly mobile species subject to global change.Financial and logistic support were provided by GREFA, IREC, UCLM (Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha), CSIC and MITECO.Peer reviewe

Att tvingas genomföra ett rökuppehåll i samband med operation - rökares upplevelser

Bakgrund: Det finns flera studier som belyser nyttan med att göra ett uppehåll med rökning i samband med en operation. Ett rökuppehåll ger färre komplikationer och ett bättre operationsresultat. Denna studie belyser rökares upplevelser av att tvingas genomföra ett rökuppehåll för att bli opererade.   Syfte: Att beskriva rökares upplevelser av att tvingas göra ett rökuppehåll i samband med operation.   Metod: Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ ansats. Åtta personer som var rökare och hade opererats rekryterades. Urvalet var personer som hade gjort ett rökuppehåll två månader före operation, opererats och fortsatt  med rökuppehållet två månader efter operation. Dessa personer intervjuades utifrån en intervjuguide med semistrukturerade frågor. Intervjuerna analyserades sedan utifrån en kvalitativ innehållsanalys.   Resultat: Resultatet visade att den första reaktionen på beskedet att vara tvungen till att göra ett ett rökuppehåll var ilska och en känsla av att vägra göra rökuppehåll. Att få en korrekt och tydlig information om varför rökuppehåll krävdes samt att erbjudas hjälp och stöd från hälso- och sjukvården visade sig vara viktigt. I efterhand upplevdes kravet på rökuppehåll som mycket bra av deltagarna i studien. Flera beskrev att utan kravet på rökuppehåll i samband med operation hade de aldrig slutat röka. Flera av informanterna var fortsatt rökfria även efter att kravet på rökuppehåll upphört.   Slutsats: Rökuppehåll i samband med operation är en patientsäkerhetsfråga. Ett krav på rökuppehåll i samband med operation bör framföras tydligt med korrekt information om varför det är viktigt med ett rökuppehåll i samband med operation. Det är också viktigt att upplysa om varför ett rökuppehåll är nödvändigt och på vilket sätt det kan påverka operationsresultatet. Tydlighet hos vårdpersonalen när information ska framföras är ett nyckelord. Operationen beskrevs som mycket viktig för deltagarna. Informanterna var beredda till nästan vad som helst för att få operationen utförd.