‘Managing pieces of a personal puzzle’ — older people’s experiences of self-management falls prevention exercise guided by a digital program or a booklet

Background: Exercise is effective in order to prevent falls in community-dwelling older people. Self-management programs have the potential to increase access and reduce costs related to exercise-based fall prevention. However, information regarding older people's views of participating in such programs is needed to support implementation. The aim of this study was to explore older people's experiences of a self-management fall prevention exercise routine guided either by a digital program (web-based or mobile) or a paper booklet. Methods: This qualitative study was part of a feasibility study exploring two completely self-managed exercise interventions in which the participants tailored their own program, guided either by a digital program or a paper booklet. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 28 participants (18 women), mean age 76yrs. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Self-managing and self-tailoring these exercise programs was experienced as Managing pieces of a personal puzzle'. To independently being able to create a program and manage exercise was described in the categories Finding my own level' and Programming it into my life'. The participants experienced the flexibility and independence provided by completely self-managed exercise as positive and constructive although it required discipline. Furthermore, different needs and preferences when managing their exercise were described, as well as varying sources of motivation for doing the exercise, as highlighted in the category Defining my source of motivation'. The category Evolving my acquired knowledge' captures the participants' views of building their competence and strategies for maintenance of the exercise. It describes a combined process of learning the program and developing reflection, which was more clearly articulated by participants using the digital program. Conclusions: This study provides new knowledge regarding experiences, preferences and motivations of older people to engage in home-based self-managed fall prevention exercise. They expressed both a capability and willingness to independently manage their exercise. A digital program seems to have strengthened the feeling of support while creating their own exercise program and tailoring it to their preferences and circumstances, which might therefore create better opportunities for adoption and adherence in the long term

Making sustainability reporting trustworthy

Corporations have a major role in society for example when it comes to economic development. Over the past decades, stakeholders have begun to demand corporations to take increased responsibility for their business and practice regarding sustainability issues. This development can be described as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). By the end of 2016, the Swedish government introduced a new ordinance, obliging larger corporations regardless of branch, to create a sustainability report. The sustainability report is expected to increase transparency and give stakeholders an opportunity to evaluate the sustainability efforts of each corporation. Previously, service corporations have not been taking sustainability reporting into account extensively. However, due to the new ordinance, service corporations can no longer overlook sustainability reporting. The ordinance is designed to suit all types of businesses. Because of this, there is scope for interpretation and uncertainty regarding the report’s design and content. Additionally, sustainability reporting is criticised by stakeholders. They are sceptical since they do not trust corporations to actually perform the CSR-activities they claim to conduct. Few studies have addressed the development of sustainability reporting in service corporations. This study aims to investigate the development of trustworthy sustainability reporting in a Swedish service corporation. To be able to fulfil the aim of this study, a case study of the service corporation LRF Konsult has been conducted. Sustainability reporting is a new challenge for LRF Konsult, and this study is focusing on the initial phase in developing trustworthy sustainability reporting. The empirical results have been collected through five semi-structured interviews, conducted with individuals of distinct positions within LRF Konsult. The questions of the interviews were based on a theoretical framework addressing sustainability reporting, stakeholder theory and CSR-communication strategies. This study identifies four primary objectives for sustainability reporting made by a service corporation; meet and satisfy stakeholders' demands, be perceived as an attractive employer, educate and motivate employees and maintain legitimacy. Thus, stakeholders are an indispensable part to consider regarding the development of sustainability reporting. This case study also shows that the most relevant stakeholders to involve, when it comes to sustainability reporting, are the employees, the customers and the owner. They are relevant since they both influence and are directly affected by corporations’ sustainability reporting. When involving relevant stakeholders through communication, trustworthiness can be achieved. This study implies that both one-way and two-way communication strategies are useful when involving stakeholders in sustainability reporting.Företag har en betydande roll i samhället då de bidrar till den ekonomiska utvecklingen. Under de senaste decennierna har intressenter börjat ställa krav på företagen att ta mer ansvar för deras affärsverksamhet och arbeta mer med hållbarhetsfrågor. Detta kan beskrivas som Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). I slutet av år 2016, införde Sveriges regering ett nytt lagkrav som innebär att större företag, oavsett bransch, måste presentera en hållbarhetsrapport. Hållbarhetsrapporten ska öka insynen och ge intressenter en möjlighet att utvärdera företagens hållbarhetsarbete. Tjänsteföretag har tidigare inte beaktat hållbarhetsrapportering i någon större utsträckning, men på grund av det nya lagkravet tvingas även tjänsteföretag att upprätta hållbarhetsrapporter. Lagen är utformad för att passa alla företagsformer, vilket innebär att det uppstår tolkningsutrymme och osäkerhet gällande en hållbarhetsrapports innehåll och utformning. Hållbarhetsrapportering har dessutom ifrågasatts av intressenter som är skeptiska mot att företag faktiskt gör de CSR-aktiviteter de påstår sig göra. Få studier har studerat utvecklingen av tjänsteföretags hållbarhetsrapportering. Därför syftar denna studie till att undersöka utvecklingen av trovärdig hållbarhetsrapportering i ett svenskt tjänsteföretag. För att besvara studiens syfte, genomfördes en kvalitativ fallstudie av tjänsteföretaget LRF Konsult. Hållbarhetsrapportering är en ny utmaning för LRF Konsult och denna studie fokuserar på den initiala utvecklingsfasen av trovärdig hållbarhetsrapportering. Resultatet baseras på fem semi-strukturerade intervjuer, genomförda med personer på olika befattningar inom LRF Konsult. Intervjufrågorna utformades efter uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk som består av delarna hållbarhetsrapportering, intressentteori och CSR-kommunikationsstrategier. Studien identifierar fyra primära mål för ett tjänsteföretag som arbetar med hållbarhetsrapportering. De fyra målen är: att möta och tillfredsställa intressenters krav, att bli uppfattad som en attraktiv arbetsgivare, utbilda och motivera anställda samt att uppnå legitimitet. Relevanta intressenter till ett tjänsteföretags hållbarhetsrapportering är enligt denna studie; ägaren, anställda och kunder. Dessa intressenter är relevanta för att de både påverkar och är direkt påverkade av företagets hållbarhetrapportering. Om relevanta intressenter involveras genom kommunikation kan trovärdighet uppnås. Denna studie visar att både en- och tvåvägskommunikationsstrategier är användbara för att involvera intressenter i hållbarhetsrapportering

Increasing landholdings : a big challenge for farmers?

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur lantbruksföretag använder strategier vid utökning av åkerareal samt vilka faktorer som påverkar strategierna. Åkermark är en nyckelresurs i lantbruksföretag och krävs för att producera livsmedel. I Sveriges slättområden ses en ökad konkurrens om åkermarken på grund av markens goda avkastning och det faktum att lantbruksföretagen omfattar allt mer åkerareal. Strategier används för att företaget ska nå sina uppsatta mål och visioner, vilket blir mer väsentligt då konkurrensen från andra aktörer på marknaden är stor. Användandet av en strategi kan även skapa konkurrensfördelar åt företaget. Uppsatsen bygger på en kvalitativ ansats och fallstudier gjorda på tre lantbruksföretag i slättområden i Östergötland. Vidare avgränsning har gjorts då uppsatsen endast innefattar lantbruksföretag som har genomfört en utökning av åkermark. Det teoretiska avsnittet innehåller teorier gällande strategi, utveckling, konkurrens och faktorer som påverkar vid utökning av åkerareal. Insamlingen av empirin har skett genom semistrukturerade direktintervjuer. Analysen grundar sig i teori och empiri och syftar till att visa hur väl empirin överensstämmer med teorin och i denna uppsats identifierades flera likheter mellan empirin och teorin. Slutsatserna i uppsatsen visar att det kan vara svårt att ha en strategi gällande utökning av åkerareal då det förekommer påverkande faktorer från omvärlden som lantbrukaren inte kan styra över. Utökningen sker ofta successivt istället för att utöka i ett stort antal hektar vid ett tillfälle. Tillgången och priset på åkermark är betydande faktorer som påverkar valet av strategi för utveckling. Det sociala nätverket, företagarens egenskaper, geografiska område, kapacitetsutnyttjande är även de faktorer som påverkar en utökning av åkerareal. Ytterligare två betydande faktorer är lantbrukarens ålder samt politiska beslut. Förslag till vidare forskning inom ämnet skulle kunna innefatta intervjuer av unga lantbrukare för att se om strategier och resonemang skiljer sig åt jämfört med äldre lantbrukare. Detta skulle ge ett vidare perspektiv och skapa en djupare förståelse för möjliga strategier gällande utökning av åkerareal inom lantbruksföretag.The aim of this study is to investigate farmer’s strategies and underlying factors regarding the increase of landholdings to create growth in the company. Farmland is an important resource in farming and is necessary for the production process. In prime agriculture land the competition is hard because of the high yields and farms growing in size. Strategies in companies are used to reach the companies goals and vision. With a competitive surrounding, strategy becomes more important otherwise the company might risk disappearing from the market. Case studies are the method used in this study. These case studies are based on three different farms located in Östergötland and where all three farms have increased farmland. The analysis is based on a theoretical frame of reference that includes theories related to strategies in companies, growth, competition and factors regarding increasing farmland. Conclusions in this study are that it can be difficult for farm companies to have a strategy affecting increasing farmland and these strategies are normally not planned for. A logical explanation for this is the surrounding environment that affects farmers and their possibilities for increasing farmland. The study also shows that increasing farmland normally happens in several steps instead of enlarging the farmland at one occasion. Important factors that influence the increasing farmland are supply and price on the farmland. Farmer’s social network, their properties, geographic location of the farm and the farmer’s age are also factors that influence an increase of farmland. This paper examines a relatively small unexplored research field and future studies might include younger farmers. Doing this might get another perceptive on the strategies and factors that affect increasing farmland

Abyssal fauna of polymetallic nodule exploration areas, eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone, central Pacific Ocean: Annelida: Spionidae and Poecilochaetidae

This paper represents a continuation of taxonomic publications on the benthic fauna of polymetallic nodule fields in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) using material collected during baseline environmental survey work targeting two exploration contract areas (“UK-1” and “OMS”) and one Area of Particular Environmental Interest, “APEI-6.” Families Poecilochaetidae Hannerz, 1956 and Spionidae Grube, 1850 of the annelid suborder Spioniformia were studied here. Taxonomic data are presented for 25 species from 98 records as identified by a combination of morphological and genetic approaches. Although sub-optimal morphological condition can prevent new species being formally described, it is essential that morphological, molecular, and voucher data are made available for future surveys. Descriptions of two new species—Poecilochaetus brenkei sp. nov. and Laonice shulseae sp. nov.—increase the number of formally described new annelid species from the areas targeted in this study to 15 and CCZ-wide to 46. We also discuss the commonly reported “cosmopolitan” deep-sea spionid Aurospio dibranchiata Maciolek, 1981, which we show represents several genetically distinct species (three of these from CCZ area alone) but without reliable morphological characters to separate them. Molecular data provide evidence that 15 out of 25 species reported here have a wide distribution within the eastern CCZ and that Aurospio sp. “NHM_2186” and the known species Prionospio amarsupiata Neal & Altamira in Paterson et al. 2016 may be cosmopolitan. Lastly, the molecular data provide insights into relationships within Spioniformia, suggesting that both Poecilochaetidae and Trochochaetidae belong within Spionidae.publishedVersio

Abyssal fauna of the UK-1 polymetallic nodule exploration area, Clarion-Clipperton Zone, central Pacific Ocean: Mollusca

The file attached is the Published/publisher’s pdf version of the article. This is an OpenAccess article.Copyright Helena Wiklund et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

DNA barcoding uncovers cryptic diversity in 50% of deep-sea Antarctic polychaetes

The Antarctic marine environment is a diverse ecosystem currently experiencing some of the fastest rates of climatic change. The documentation and management of these changes requires accurate estimates of species diversity. Recently, there has been an increased recognition of the abundance and importance of cryptic species, i.e. those that are morphologically identical but genetically distinct. This article presents the largest genetic investigation into the prevalence of cryptic polychaete species within the deep Antarctic benthos to date. We uncover cryptic diversity in 50% of the 15 morphospecies targeted through the comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequences, as well as 10 previously overlooked morphospecies, increasing the total species richness in the sample by 233%. Our ability to describe universal rules for the detection of cryptic species within polychaetes, or normalization to expected number of species based on genetic data is prevented by taxon-specific differences in phylogenetic outputs and genetic variation between and within potential cryptic species. These data provide the foundation for biogeographic and functional analysis that will provide insight into the drivers of species diversity and its role in ecosystem function

Differential effects of radiant and mechanically applied thermal stimuli on human C-tactile afferent firing patterns

International audienceC-tactile (CT) afferents respond to gentle tactile stimulation, but only a handful of studies in humans and animals have investigated whether their firing is modified by temperature. We describe the effects of radiant thermal stimuli, and of stationary and very slowly moving mechanothermal stimuli, on CT afferent responses. We find that CT afferents are primarily mechanoreceptors, as they fired little during radiant thermal stimuli, but they exhibited different patterns of firing during combined mechano-cool stimulation compared with warming. CTs fired optimally to gentle, very slowly moving, or stationary mechanothermal stimuli delivered at neutral temperature (~32°C, normal skin temperature), but they responded with fewer spikes (median 67% decrease) and at significantly lower rates (47% decrease) during warm (~42°C) tactile stimuli. During cool tactile stimuli (~18°C), their mean instantaneous firing frequency significantly decreased by 35%, but they often fired a barrage of afterdischarge spikes at a low frequency (~5 Hz) that outlasted the mechanical stimulus. These effects were observed under a variety of stimulus conditions, including during stationary and slowly moving touch (0.1 cm/s), and we complemented these tactile approaches using a combined electrical-thermal stimulation experiment where we found a suppression of spiking during warming. Overall, CT afferents are exquisitely sensitive to tactile events, and we show that their firing is modulated with touch temperatures above and below neutral skin temperature. Warm touch consistently decreased their propensity to fire, whereas cool touch produced lower firing rates but afterdischarge spiking

The Current State of Eunicida (Annelida) Systematics and Biodiversity

In this study, we analyze the current state of knowledge on extant Eunicida systematics, morphology, feeding, life history, habitat, ecology, distribution patterns, local diversity and exploitation. Eunicida is an order of Errantia annelids characterized by the presence of ventral mandibles and dorsal maxillae in a ventral muscularized pharynx. The origin of Eunicida dates back to the late Cambrian, and the peaks of jaw morphology diversity and number of families are in the Ordovician. Species richness is heterogeneous among the seven recent families, with more than half of the valid species belonging to the Eunicidae + Onuphidae clade, one of the latest clades to diverge. Eunicidans inhabit soft and hard substrates from intertidal to deep waters in all oceans. The few freshwater species are restricted to Histriobdellidae, a family exclusively commensal/parasite of crustaceans. The reproductive biology, development and ecology of most families are poorly known and the information available suggests low dispersal ability. However, all families have records of widely distributed species. Scrutiny of these wide distributions has often revealed the presence of exotic species or more than one species. The exploration of the deep-sea and of new habitats has led to recent descriptions of new species. Furthermore, the revision of type specimens, the examination of new morphological features and the use of molecular data have revealed hidden biodiversity under unjustified synonyms, poor understanding of morphological features and incomplete descriptions. Molecular studies are still very few or nonexistent for the families Histriobdellidae, Hartmaniellidae, Lumbrineridae and Oenonidae. The integration of new methodologies for morphological and molecular study, along with information on biological and ecological traits appears to be the path to improve the knowledge on the diversity of Eunicida.publishedVersio

Taxonomy, phylogeny, and biodiversity of Lumbrineridae (Annelida, Polychaeta) from the Central Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone

The DNA taxonomy of six species of the annelid family Lumbrineridae collected from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Central Pacific, an area of potential mining interest for polymetallic nodules, is presented. Lumbrinerids are an ecologically important and understudied annelid family within the deep sea, with many species still undescribed. This study aims to document the taxonomy and biodiversity of the CCZ using specimens collected from the UK-1, OMS, and NORI-D exploration contract areas and Areas of Particular Environmental Interest. Species were identified through a combination of morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis. We present informal species descriptions associated with voucher specimens, accessible through the Natural History Museum (London) collections, to improve future taxonomic and biodiversity studies of this region. Five taxa in this study had no morphological or genetic matches within the literature and therefore are possibly new to science, but their suboptimal morphological preservation prevented the formalisation of new species. The most abundant taxon Lumbrinerides cf. laubieri (NHM_0020) was compared with the holotype of Lumbrinerides laubieri Miura, 1980 from the deep Northeast Atlantic. Currently no reliable morphological characters separating the Pacific and Atlantic specimens have been found and molecular data from the Atlantic specimens was not available.publishedVersio