Communication between Swedish public administrations and other organizations within the context of nature and culture conservation

Communication is a fundamental part of human interaction. Organizations are constituted by people and therefore proper communication is a prerequisite for the organization's functionality. This thesis sets its goal in an analysis of this phenomenon between a number of organizations within the scope of cemeteries in Sweden. The main focus is on the relations between nature conservation and culture conservation. Semi-structured interviews with actors representing different levels of the hierarchy of the Swedish public administration as well as other organizations were conducted in order to investigate what the communication in the chosen topic looks like. The interviews were transcribed and categorized for the purpose of communication analysis. Several word categories comprising the respondents' answers were created in order to systematize all gained data. The most relevant parts of these answers were used as direct quotes to support the findings in the chapters Analysis and Discussion. These findings were interpreted by application of various theories regarding nature conservation, culture conservation and communication. We conclude that there is an insufficient communication concerning the Swedish cemeteries. Shortcomings in both vertical and horizontal communication have been identified as well as an unequal relation between nature conservation on one hand and culture conservation plus other values such as safety and aesthetic on the other

Genetic Distances and Admixture between Sire Lines of the Old Kladruber Horse

The objective of the study was to determine the genetic distances and admixture in sire lines of Old Kladruber horse (populations in the context of a currently conducted conservation program) base on microsatellite analysis. Basic molecular parameters were estimated. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.48 to 0.85. The expected heterozygosity estimated for the sire lines was higher than observed heterozygosity. The minor genetic differences between sire lines of Old Kladruber horse were observed. Differences between the sire lines were identified using discriminant analysis. The first discriminant function separates the individuals of black and grey variants. For the discriminant function, however, the differentiation between sire lines was not so significant. These results showed that the breeding strategy revision is suggested in Old Kladruber horse

Genetic Parameters for Linear Type Traits in Three Czech Draught Horse Breeds

Horse conformation is considered an indicator of performance, which plays an important role in breeding decisions. Genetic parameters were estimated for linear type traits in three draught horse breeds – Czech-Moravian Belgian horse, Silesian Noriker and Noriker. Traits were divided in six groups according to the region of the body. Observations on 946 Czech Moravian Belgian horses, 574 Silesian Norikers and 640 Norikers were analysed using a multi breed multitrait animal model. Fixed effects of sex, age at scoring, breed and contemporary group were considered. Genetic parameters were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood. Estimated heritability ranged from 0.05 to 0.59. Lowest values were estimated for stance of back pasterns and shape of back feet, while highest values were found for body measures. Estimations of genetic correlation between traits ranged from -0.53 to 0.98. The highest correlation was found between length of stride in walk and length of stride in trot. The estimated heritabilities and correlations suggest that a genetic improvement of analysed traits is feasible

Association of leptin, toll-like receptor 4, and chemokine receptor of interleukin 8 C-X-C motif single nucleotide polymorphisms with fertility traits in Czech Fleckvieh cattle

Objective The use of genetic markers can help to enhance reproduction in cattle, which is a very important trait for profitability in dairy production systems. This study evaluated the association between genotypes of leptin (LEP), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and chemokine receptor of interleukin 8 C-X-C motif (CXCR1) genes and fertility traits in Czech Fleckvieh cattle. Methods Phenotypic data from 786 Czech Fleckvieh cows raised on 5 farms in the Czech Republic were used, along with information from the 1st three parities. To determine genotype, the polymerase chain reaction– restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used. Results Except for LEP g.-963C>T, all studied genotype frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were distributed according to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Two LEP SNPs (g.-963C>T and c.357C>T) were associated with the age at the 1st calving, days open (DO), pregnancy rate after 1st service (PR), and calving interval (CLI). In LEP g.-963C>T the TT genotype heifers firstly calved 24 days earlier than CC genotype and the CT genotype cow showed a tendency for shorter DO and higher PR. In LEP c.357C>T we observed longer CLI and DO period in TT cows. In general, we can propose the TT genotype of g.-963C>T as favorable and the TT genotype of c.357C>T as unfavorable for a cow’s fertility. Heterozygotes in TLR4 c.-226C>G were significantly associated with shorter CLI, and presented a nonsignificant tendency to be associated with higher PR. In CXCR1 c.777 C>G, we did not observe any relationship of this SNP with reproduction. Conclusion Overall, the results showed that LEP could be an effective marker for improving reproduction in Czech Fleckvieh cattle. This study also provides novel insights into the relationship between TLR4 and CXCR1 SNPs and reproduction in dual-purpose cattle