External timber quality of birch in birch-spruce mixtures

The Swedish forest management model, largely based on monocultures of conifer species, has increasingly come under scrutiny. Its disadvantages to biodiversity, recreation and climate change susceptibility incentivize alternative ways of forest production. Mixtures with a secondary species is one such alternative. Birch and spruce, two species native to Sweden, are well-known to function together. Mixtures of the two exist today already, although the species are usually treated with different goals in mind. Further encouragement of forest owners is necessary for the practice to become more widespread. This thesis attempts to reflect upon whether naturally regenerated birch in birch-spruce mixtures have a high enough timber quality to make the birch valuable from an economic perspective. The aim of the study was therefore to assess external timber quality of naturally regenerated birch in birch-spruce mixtures in southern Sweden. The hypotheses to be addressed was a) that naturally regenerated birch trees in Norway spruce plantations fulfill the requirements for high quality saw timber and b) that the quality of the future crop trees of birch is lower when the surrounding competition is of Norway spruce instead of other birches. Birch quality was assessed externally in 27 birch-spruce mixture stands in Götaland. Straightness, leaning, stem damage, spike knots and forks were among the studied variables. The result showed that naturally regenerated birch trees in Norway spruce plantations generally did not fulfill the requirements for high quality saw timber, but had a potential for intermediate quality saw timber. Furthermore, the quality of the future crop trees of birch was lower when the surrounding competition was Norway spruce instead of other birches. The actual cause for the differences is not possible to state with this type of forest survey, where the earlier management is uncertain and the objectives of the different forest owners are unknown. Further research is needed to clarify this, and to determine how to achieve an optimization of birch-spruce mixtures, with yields of both high quality birch timber and spruce timber.Svensk skogsskötsel och dess traditionella fokus på monokulturer av barrträd, har mer och mer ifrågasatts. Dess nackdelar för biodiversitet, rekreation samt känslighet för klimatförändringar ger skäl att undersöka alternativa system för skogsskötsel. Blandskogar, där ett sekundärt trädslag introduceras, är ett sådant alternativ. Björk och gran är inhemska arter i Sverige, och är väl kända att fungera tillsammans. Blandningar av de två existerar redan idag, om än oftast med olika mål för trädslagen. Skogsägare tycks dock behöver ytterligare uppmuntring för att dessa blandskogar ska bli vanligare. Denna uppsats försöker begrunda huruvida björk i björk-gran-blandskogar är av tillräckligt god kvalitet för att den ska vara lönsam ur ett ekonomiskt perspektiv. Målet med undersökningen var därför att skatta extern virkeskvalitet hos naturligt föryngrad björk i björk-gran-blandskogar i Götaland. Hypoteserna var a) att naturligt föryngrad björk i granbestånd når kvalitetskraven för hög virkeskvalitet och b) att kvaliteten hos framtida huvudstammar är lägre när den omgivande konkurrensen är av gran snarare än björk. Björkkvalitet skattades externt i 27 björk-gran-bestånd i Götaland. Stammars rakhet och lutning, samt stamskador, torrkvistar och stamklykor var variabler som registrerades. Resultatet visade att naturligt föryngrad björk i björk-gran-bestånd generellt inte uppfyllde kvalitetskraven för hög virkeskvalitet. Dock tycks det finnas viss potential för sågtimmer av intermediär kvalitet. Dessutom var kvaliteten av de framtida huvudstammarna lägre när den omgivande konkurrensen var av gran snarare än björk. De faktiska skälen bakom dessa skillnader är ej möjliga att utröna med denna typ av undersökning, där beståndens tidigare skötsel samt skogsägarnas mål är okända. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att klargöra detta, samt för att optimera björk-gran-skogsskötsel generellt

Distansskogsägares självbild, värden och behov

Urbaniseringen har lett till att fler människor har flyttat från landsorten till städerna, vilket har gjort distansskogsägare till en betydande grupp. Frågan är huruvida dessa skiljer sig från övriga skogsägare. I ett försök att identifiera skillnaderna mellan distansskogsägare och övriga skogsägare upprättades ett samarbete med skogsägarföreningen Norra, vars representanter visade på osäkerhet i förhållningen till distansskogsägare. En annan oro gällde den ökande graden av delägande bland skogsägare. Syftet var att undersöka hur olika typer av distansskogsägare förhåller sig till sitt skogsägande avseende följande aspekter: 1. skogsägaridentiteten, d.v.s. vad de har för självbild som skogsägare 2. vilka de värden de får ut av sin skog, samt 3. vilket stöd de upplever sig få eller önskar få från skogsägarföreningen Ett frågeformulär skapades utifrån frågeställningarna och skickades ut per brev till 849 skogsägare med adresser ur skogsägarföreningen Norras databas. Svarsfrekvensen blev endast drygt 20 %, varför resultaten är mycket osäkra. Resultatet visar att skogsägare boende mer än 400 km ifrån sin skogsfastighet identifierar sig som skogsägare i mindre grad än mer närboende. Med det ökande avståndet mellan bostad och fastighet ökar dock markant betydelsen av skogen som arvegods. Vad gäller skogsägarnas önskade stöd framkommer att med ökat avstånd blir telefon som medium för information och rådgivning mindre aktuellt, medan fysiska träffar alltjämt tycks vara gångbart. Dessutom visades skillnader mellan ensam- och delägare, där ensamägare fastlogs i högre grad identifiera sig i rollen som skogsägare. Ensamägare föredrog även i högre grad personlig kontakt eller kontakt per brev, jämfört med e-post som föredrogs av delägare i högre grad.The rate of urbanisation has meant more people moving from rural to urban environments, thus making distance forest owners a significant group. The question is whether these differ from other forest owners. In an attempt to investigate the differences between distance forest owners and other, more close-living, forest owners, a collaboration was initiated with the forest owners association Norra, themselves expressing insecurity in the matter. Another matter of concern for Norra appeared to be the increasing number of joint-ownership among forest owners. The purpose was to study how different types of forest owners, with particular focus on distance owners, would answer in regard to the following: a) their identity as forest owners, b) the values they see in their forest, and c) the support they receive or would like to receive from the forest owners association A survey was created from the question formulations and was sent by letter to 849 forest owners with adresses from Norra’s database. The answering frequency reached just over 20 %, whereas the results are uncertain. The results shows that forest owners living more than 400 km from their forest holding possess an identity as forest owners in a lower degree than the more close-living. With increasing distance between residence and forest holding though, the importance and value of the forest as a family legacy is increasing explicitly. Regarding their desired support, it was evident that increasing distance makes contact by telephone less desirable, while meeting face to face all the while is a suitable alternative. Differences between sole-owners and part-owners were evident, where sole-owners possess the identity as forest owners in a higher degree than part-owners. They also in a higher degree preferred to meet face to face or contact by letter, whereas e-mail was preferred by part-owners

More positive patient-reported outcomes in patients newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation : a comparative longitudinal study

Aims: To compare patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients newly (<6 months) diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) with those who have had a longer diagnosis (≥6 months) and to investigate whether or not these outcomes change over a 6-month period. Methods and results: In this longitudinal survey study, 129 patients with AF completed the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Arrhythmia-Specific questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmia, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at baseline and after 6 months. At baseline, patients newly diagnosed with AF (n = 53), compared with patients with a previous diagnosis (n = 76), reported AF as more temporary (P = 0.003) and had a higher belief in personal and treatment control (P = 0.004 and P = 0.041, respectively). At a 6-month follow-up, patients newly diagnosed reported a lower symptom burden (P = 0.004), better health-related quality of life (HRQoL); (P = 0.015), and a higher personal control (P < 0.001) than patients previously diagnosed. Over time, in patients newly diagnosed, symptom burden and the anxiety symptom score decreased (P = 0.001 and P = 0.014, respectively) and HRQoL improved (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Patients newly diagnosed with AF reported more positive PROs both at baseline and at a 6-month follow-up than patients with a previous diagnosis of AF. Therefore, it is important to quickly capture patients newly diagnosed to support their belief in their own abilities. Such support may, alongside medical treatments, help patients manage the disease, which may lead to reduced symptom burden and better HRQoL over time

Illness perceptions and health-related quality of life in women and men with atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is worse in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with other populations. Factors affecting HRQoL in patients with AF are not fully clarified. Illness perceptions are important determinants of disease management and may affect HRQoL. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to describe illness perceptions and HRQoL in women and men with AF and to explore the relationship between illness perceptions and HRQoL in patients with AF. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 167 patients with AF. Patients completed the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire and HRQoL questionnaires: Arrhythmia-Specific questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmias, the three-level version of the EuroQol 5-dimensional questionnaire, and EuroQol visual analog scale. Subscales of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire significant in correlation analysis with the Arrhythmia-Specific questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmias HRQoL total scale were included in a multiple linear regression model. RESULTS: Mean age was 68.7 ± 10.4 years, and 31.1% were women. Women reported lower personal control (P = .039) and worse HRQoL measured with the Arrhythmia-Specific questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmias physical subscale (P = .047) and the EuroQol visual analog scale (P = .044) compared with men. Illness identity (P < .001), consequences (P = .031), emotional representation (P = .014), and timeline cyclical (P = .022) were related to and adversely affected HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: This study found a relationship between illness perceptions and HRQoL. Some subscales of illness perceptions negatively affected HRQoL in patients with AF, which indicates that efforts to change illness perceptions may be helpful in improving HRQoL. Patients should be given the opportunity to talk about the disease, their symptoms, their emotions, and the consequences of the disease to enable increased HRQoL. A challenge for healthcare will be to design support for each patient based on his/her illness perceptions

Experiences of living with symptomatic atrial fibrillation

AIM: To explore the experiences of living with symptomatic atrial fibrillation. DESIGN: This study, with a descriptive qualitative adesign, was performed using semi-structured individual interviews. METHOD: Six women and nine men with symptomatic atrial fibrillation were included. The transcribed interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The COREQ checklist was followed. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in a main theme, namely balancing life and included the themes striving for illness control, becoming a receiver or an active partner in care and dealing with changed self-image. The participants strived to understand their illness, prevent attacks and manage anxiety. Some of the participants were not involved in decision-making, were uninformed about self-care measures, reported a lack of continuity in care and felt that the doctors focused on information about the medical part of care

Gene Deletion of 7,8-Linoleate Diol Synthase of the Rice Blast Fungus: STUDIES ON PATHOGENICITY, STEREOCHEMISTRY, AND OXYGENATION MECHANISMS*

Linoleate diol synthases (LDS) are heme enzymes, which oxygenate 18:2n-6 sequentially to (8R)-hydroperoxylinoleic acid ((8R)-HPODE) and to (5S,8R)-dihydroxy-, (7S,8S)-dihydroxy-, or (8R,11S)-dihydroxylinoleic acids (DiHODE). The genome of the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, contains two genes with homology to LDS. M. oryzae oxidized 18:2n-6 to (8R)-HPODE and to (7S,8S)-DiHODE, (6S,8R)-DiHODE, and (8R,11S)-HODE. Small amounts of 10-hydroxy-(8E,12Z)-octadecadienoic acid and traces of 5,8-DiHODE were also detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The contribution of the 7,8-LDS gene to M. oryzae pathogenicity was evaluated by replacement of the catalytic domain with hygromycin and green fluorescent protein variant (SGFP) cassettes. This genetically modified strain Δ7,8-LDS infected rice leaves and roots and formed appressoria and conidia as the native fungus. The Δ7,8-LDS mutant had lost the capacity to biosynthesize all the metabolites except small amounts of 8-hydroxylinoleic acid. Studies with stereospecifically deuterated linoleic acids showed that (8R)-HPODE was formed by abstraction of the pro-S hydrogen at C-8 and antarafacial oxygenation, whereas (7S,8S)-DiHODE and (8R,11S)-DiHODE were formed from (8R)-HPODE by suprafacial hydrogen abstraction and oxygenation at C-7 and C-11, respectively. A mac1 suppressor mutant (Δmac1 sum1–99) of M. oryzae, which shows cAMP-independent protein kinase A activity, oxygenated 18:2n-6 to increased amounts of (10R)-HPODE and (5S,8R)-DiHODE. Expression of the 7,8-LDS gene but not of the second homologue was detected in the suppressor mutant. This suggests that PKA-mediated signaling pathway regulates the dioxygenase and hydroperoxide isomerase activities of M. oryzae