Sealing Economy : Exploring seals as resources in the Åland Islands ca. 1100-1700 CE through zooarchaeology and account books

Peer reviewe

Naturliga monopol och tillhörande reglering

Uppsatsens syfte är att redogöra och förklara för vilka åtgärder som lagstiftaren kan vidta för att skapa konkurrens på marknader som innehåller ett naturligt monopol. Denna åtgärden är viktig för att kunderna ska känna sig trygga då monopolisten inte har möjlighet att ta ut vilket pris som helst. De olika regleringsmöjligheterna är upphandling, tillsyn, prisreglering och tredjepartsinträde, dessa redogörs för. Genom prisreglering bestämmer staten ett pris eller sätter ett pristak för att skydda kunden mot omotiverade prishöjningar. Samtidigt leder det till incitament för företagen att sänka sina kostnaderna för att öka vinsten. Tredjepartsinträdde innebär att lagstiftaren förenklar för andra företag att ta sig in på marknaden med det naturliga monopolet och därmed skapa konkurrens. För ska skapa mer förståelse kring hur en marknad med naturligt monopol regleras så ges fjärrvärmemarknaden som exempel. Den marknaden avreglerades år 1996 som ett steg i att skapa mer konkurrens, men också som en del i Sveriges medlemskap i EU. 2014 trädde en lagbestämmelse i kraft som stadgar att fjärrvärmeföretagen är tvungna att samarbeta med värmeproducenter såvida det inte föreligger sakliga skäl att neka samarbetet. En lyckad reglering anser jag då samarbete gynnar de båda företagen ekonomiskt genom en färdiggjord kostnadsfördelning, och en miljövänlig reglering genom återanvändning. De andra föreslagen, prisreglering och likabehandling, ansåg jag inte passade i praktiken då svåra avvägningar behövdes göras vilket leder till stora administrativa kostnader.The purpose of this paper is to list and explain which precautions the legislator can take to create competition on a market that is part of a natural monopoly. The regulation is important to make the customers feel protected and by prohibiting businesses to price the commodity however they want. The different legislation possibilities are public procurement, supervising by a regulatory authority, rate-of-return regulation and third-party access, these are examined and explained. Rate-of-return regulation means that the state either sets a specific rate or a maximum price to create security for the costumer, altogether with a strong interest from the business to lower their expenses to maximize their profit. Third-party access is when the legislator means to create competition by making it easier for outer businesses to enter the market with the natural monopoly. To make the paper more understandable the district heating market is given as an example. The market privatized in 1996 in an attempt to create more competition, but also as a measure in Sweden’s membership in the EU. In 2014 a new part of legislation came in force, which make it compulsory for the district heating businesses to corporate with heating producers if notable reason does not exist. A successful regulation in my opinion since it favours both businesses economically by a pre-made cost allocation, and it is a environmental friendly regulation by reusing heat. The other proposals, rate-of-return regulation and equal treatment principal, was not practically appropriate since those demand difficult tradeoffs which would hade led to grave administrative expenses

Contents of α-tocopherol and β-carotene in grasses and legumes harvested at different maturities

Concentrations of α-tocopherol and β-carotene in forage species at various maturities were studied in Scandinavia. Red clover (RC)/timothy (TI), RC/meadow fescue (MF), and birdsfoot trefoil (BT)/TI mixtures were grown in Skara and Umeå, Sweden. RC/TI,RC/perennial ryegrass (PR), white clover/PR and BT/TI were grown in Foulum, Denmark. Forages in Sweden were cut one week before heading (BH), at heading and one week after heading of TI. The regrowth was cut six and eight weeks after each harvest in the spring growth cycle. In Denmark, one first harvest and three regrowths were taken. Results from Skara and Foulum are presented. Highest concentrations of α-tocopherol and β-carotene (mg kg-1 DM) in legumes were found in BT grown in Skara (49.8 and 69.6 in spring growth cycle,48.1 and 79.8 in regrowth) and in Foulum (81.3 and 89.2). MF had more α-tocopherol and β-carotene than TI in the spring growth cycle (73.5 and 54.2 vs. 46.9 and 43.0 mg kg-1 DM). Highest concentrations of vitamins in the regrowth were found six weeks after BH with 71.8 and 104.8 mg α-tocopherol and 99.6 and 73.1 mg β-carotene kg-1 DM in legumes and grasses,respectively

Variations an α-Tocopherol and β-Carotene Concentrations in Forage Legumes and Grasses Harvested at Different Sites and Maturity Stages

Forage is a major source of natural α-tocopherol and β-carotene for dairy cows. This study examined vitamin concentrations of birdsfoot trefoil (Bft), red clover (Rc), timothy (Ti) and meadow fescue (Mf) at different sites, years and cutting dates. Mixtures of Bft+Ti, Rc+Ti and Rc+Mf were established at Skara (58°21’N; 13°08’E) and Umeå (63°45’N; 20°17’E) in Sweden. First-year leys were cut on three occasions in spring (Umeå 2005, Skara 2005 and 2007); one week before heading of timothy, at heading and one week after heading. Birdsfoot trefoil had higher α-tocopherol concentration at Skara than at Umeå in the first two cuts in 2005 (66 vs. 27 and 50 vs. 36 mg/kg DM, respectively) and had generally higher concentration than Rc. α-Tocopherol concentrations of Bft and Rc were 32 vs. 17 and 50 vs. 25 mg/kg DM at Umeå and Skara 2005, respectively, averaged over cuts. At Skara, α-tocopherol concentration decreased with later cutting date of Bft and grasses (P \u3c 0.01). Birdsfoot trefoil had higher β-carotene concentration at Skara than at Umeå in 2005 (70 vs. 55 mg/kg DM) and higher concentration than Rc at Skara, when averaged over cuts (70 vs. 46 mg/kg DM in 2005 and 82 vs. 52 in 2007; P = 0.037). Grasses had higher α-tocopherol and β-carotene concentrations at Skara than at Umeå in 2005, when averaged over cuts (56 vs. 33 and 46 vs. 23 mg/kg DM; P \u3c 0.001). Interactions between site, species and cutting date affected α-tocopherol and β-carotene concentrations in forages

Severe thiamine deficiency in eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua)

The eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) population has been decreasing in the Baltic Sea for at least 30 years. Condition indices of the Baltic cod have decreased, and previous studies have suggested that this might be due to overfishing, predation, lower dissolved oxygen or changes in salinity. However, numerous studies from the Baltic Sea have demonstrated an ongoing thiamine deficiency in several animal classes, both invertebrates and vertebrates. The thiamine status of the eastern Baltic cod was investigated to determine if thiamine deficiency might be a factor in ongoing population declines. Thiamine concentrations were determined by chemical analyses of thiamine, thiamine monophosphate and thiamine diphosphate (combined SumT) in the liver using high performance liquid chromatography. Biochemical analyses measured the activity of the thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzyme transketolase to determine the proportion of apoenzymes in both liver and brain tissue. These biochemical analyses showed that 77% of the cod were thiamine deficient in the liver, of which 13% had a severe thiamine deficiency (i.e. 25% transketolase enzymes lacked thiamine diphosphate). The brain tissue of 77% of the cod showed thiamine deficiency, of which 64% showed severe thiamine deficiency. The thiamine deficiency biomarkers were investigated to find correlations to different biological parameters, such as length, weight, otolith weight, age (annuli counting) and different organ weights. The results suggested that thiamine deficiency increased with age. The SumT concentration ranged between 2.4-24 nmol/g in the liver, where the specimens with heavier otoliths had lower values of SumT (P = 0.0031). Of the cod sampled, only 2% of the specimens had a Fulton's condition factor indicating a healthy specimen, and 49% had a condition factor below 0.8, indicating poor health status. These results, showing a severe thiamine deficiency in eastern Baltic cod from the only known area where spawning presently occurs for this species, are of grave concern

Perceived personal safety in relation to urban woodland vegetation – A review

Urban woodland vegetation provides people with many aesthetic, ecological and psychological benefits, but can also generate problems concerning people’s perception of safety. This paper reviews existing knowledge about perceived personal safety in relation to vegetation, particularly woodland vegetation, in urban green spaces such as parks and residential areas. Individual and social factors, but also vegetation character, maintenance and design, proved to be important for perceived personal safety. Vegetation-related aspects identified as being of particular importance include landscape design, possibilities for overview and control, vegetation density, and vegetation character and maintenance. Vegetation of an open character with low density undergrowth might have positive effects on perceived personal safety without reducing other benefits. Issues for future research include context-based studies to consider several aspects of vegetation and their interactions

Algal MIPs, high diversity and conserved motifs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) also named aquaporins form channels facilitating the passive transport of water and other small polar molecules across membranes. MIPs are particularly abundant and diverse in terrestrial plants but little is known about their evolutionary history. In an attempt to investigate the origin of the plant MIP subfamilies, genomes of chlorophyte algae, the sister group of charophyte algae and land plants, were searched for MIP encoding genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 22 MIPs were identified in the nine analysed genomes and phylogenetic analyses classified them into seven subfamilies. Two of these, Plasma membrane Intrinsic Proteins (PIPs) and GlpF-like Intrinsic Proteins (GIPs), are also present in land plants and divergence dating support a common origin of these algal and land plant MIPs, predating the evolution of terrestrial plants. The subfamilies unique to algae were named MIPA to MIPE to facilitate the use of a common nomenclature for plant MIPs reflecting phylogenetically stable groups. All of the investigated genomes contained at least one <it>MIP </it>gene but only a few species encoded MIPs belonging to more than one subfamily.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that at least two of the seven subfamilies found in land plants were present already in an algal ancestor. The total variation of MIPs and the number of different subfamilies in chlorophyte algae is likely to be even higher than that found in land plants. Our analyses indicate that genetic exchanges between several of the algal subfamilies have occurred. The PIP1 and PIP2 groups and the Ca²⁺gating appear to be specific to land plants whereas the pH gating is a more ancient characteristic shared by all PIPs. Further studies are needed to discern the function of the algal specific subfamilies MIPA-E and to fully understand the evolutionary relationship of algal and terrestrial plant MIPs.</p

Meta-analysis of 375,000 individuals identifies 38 susceptibility loci for migraine

Migraine is a debilitating neurological disorder affecting around one in seven people worldwide, but its molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. There is some debate about whether migraine is a disease of vascular dysfunction or a result of neuronal dysfunction with secondary vascular changes. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have thus far identified 13 independent loci associated with migraine. To identify new susceptibility loci, we carried out a genetic study of migraine on 59,674 affected subjects and 316,078 controls from 22 GWA studies. We identified 44 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with migraine risk (P < 5 × 10−8) that mapped to 38 distinct genomic loci, including 28 loci not previously reported and a locus that to our knowledge is the first to be identified on chromosome X. In subsequent computational analyses, the identified loci showed enrichment for genes expressed in vascular and smooth muscle tissues, consistent with a predominant theory of migraine that highlights vascular etiologies

The Virtual Learning Environment : Patterns for Structuring Web based Teaching

Online education creates new demands on organization and structure in order to make use of its advantages with the technology for learning. Research in this area elucidates new possibilities with the computer as a medium, to individualize and make the learning more flexible. Meanwhile, the empirical study shows practical limitations, which affects the design of web-based teaching. As a result, we have started to develop a guideline, which describes these new possibilities and common problems with the new learning environment. We have structured the guideline by first defining the problem area and then giving recommendation or in some cases proposal of improving the technique. The purpose with the guideline is to illustrate and support teachers with knowledge and inspiration to make the design of this new form of education suitable in its practice