Argumentationen kring samtyckesreglering i den svenska kontexten : en granskning av förarbetet till lagändringen 2013 (SOU 2010:71, Prop. 2012/13:111 och 2012/13:JuU20) utifrån olika feministiska perspektiv

The essay investigates the validity of the argumentation regarding the introduction of a rape law based on consent in Sweden, made in the preparatory work of the rape law reform from 1 July 2013 (SOU 2010:71, Prop. 2012/13:111 and 2012/13:juU20), from different feminist viewpoints. The essay does not cover sexual deeds committed against children. The validity of the argumentation is determined by answering what assumptions are made regarding sexuality, gender and consent and how these compare and contrast to feminist theories and thereafter by determining what definition of sexual integrity is constructed and how this definition compares to a feminist one. The results are that female sexuality is assumed to be passive and open. Additionally, sexuality in general is assumed to be multifaceted and the assumption that consent is not “naturally” discussed before sexual intercourse is made. Consent is assumed to be something beyond the plaintiff’s violation and the defendant’s lack of action to confirm the presence of con-sent. Additionally, the existence of an “objective version” of a deed is assumed, and because of the requirement of intent this version is assumed to be the defendant’s. Sexual integrity is defined as the right to reject sexual advances/acts. The argumentation in SOU 2010:71 is found valid in relation to this definition, while the argumentation in Prop. 2012/13:111 and 2012/12:juU20 is not. In relation to the definition of sexual integrity as the right to be spared unwanted sexual advances/acts, the argumentation is found invalid for both

Jordbearbetningssystemets och halmhanteringens effekter på jordaggregering och markens vattenkapacitet

Arable land supplies food and it is therefore important to develop the production and land-use in a sustainable way. To grow crops for food should be both economical and environmentally sustainable and the soil structure and quality should be taken in consideration when cultivating our land. We need to find new approaches to maintain good soil structure, and minimized tillage systems have many advantages, including costs for the growing of crops, while leaving straw in the fields can reduce erosion and increase the biological activity and humus content of the soil. The texture has two important physical properties when it comes to indicate the soil quality those are aggregate stability and size distribution. The particle size distribution is the most essential physical property which defines the soil texture, and influences the soil properties the most. These two physical properties mentioned above reflects the resistance of soil erosion, especially in no-tillage system, which is why they are the most important factors when it comes to soil quality. The soil structure defines which different types of particles that are stored in the soil and it exert control over the physical, biological and chemical processes. It also explains how and where the particles are located, which is important for how suitable the soil is for growing crops. If the soil has a poor structure, it can affect the nutrient availability and the nutrient uptake negatively and increase the power requirement for tillage, increase the nutrient loss and the denitrification, which is negative from an environmental point of view. Organic matter, tillage system, biological activity etc. matters for the aggregate structure in a soil. There are natural structure building processes, such as root development and drying, but there is also structure depleting processes, which basically all the human activities are. A non-cultivated soil generally has a better structure due to the generally higher content of organic matter and less compaction than a cultivated soil has. Soil structure is being influenced by soil and crop management inputs and has an impact on soil quality. One of the factors that influence the quality is tillage. This input is an important factor and relevant in the point of sustainability, that is why the quality of the soil is depending on the choices of human activities. A soil with higher proportion of clay and humus usually increases the stability of structure and aggregates. Aggregate stability is characterized by the sensitivity to external influence. The essence of aggregate stability is the organic matter, because large parts of plants and roots acts like a barrier and prevent aggregates to break into smaller units with help from decomposing of microorganisms that provides with an adhesive effect. The factors that influences the soil aggregate stability is soil texture, soil structure, the different types of clay minerals, the content and different types of organic matter, cementing agents and which kind of crops that were grown through the history. Permeability is the property of a material that lets fluids to diffuse through the medium without being affected chemically or physically, that is the soil´s capacity to drain off water. The structure of a soil is influenced in both long and short term of tillage and cultivation measures, which in turn affects the soil physical properties. Vegetation and recycling of organic matter contributes to a better structure and physical environment. Soil cultivation measures do the opposite, even though tillage contributes to structural stabilization and structural-building processes. If the structure should be improved, the structure-building measures needs to be greater than the structure depleting measures. Adding organic matter can preserve soil structure and increase the crop safety. Measures to improve the structure and provide better conditions for the crops, is to return straw and crop residues to the soil, grow cover crops in the autumn and only apply shallow tillage, which could increase the humus content in the top layer. Increased humus content will give a lower bulk density, increased aggregate stability and increased porosity, which in turn give the soil increased water holding capacity and infiltration capacity. The macro pores is responsible for the soils capillary ability, it provides the plants with available moisture. If the moisture is in the narrow pores, micro pores, the plant roots needs to develop an increased suction force to be able to absorb the moisture. The greatest amount of plant available moisture is found in silty loam soils, while the soil with the least amount is sandy soils because of their inability to bind water due to its larger particles. Heavy rains can also damage the aggregates in the topsoil if the soil is uncovered or unfrozen, which is why organic matter and straw incorporation could prevent damage of this type. Ploughless tillage and direct drilling gives favourable structure development in the topsoil, and green manure and cover crops are often suggested as effective methods to increase the organic matter, along with reduced tillage system. Though, the experiment at Aleksandras Stulginskis University in Lithuania shows that no-tillage system has the highest level of compaction of the soil compared to deep ploughing system. On the other hand, another experiment in Sweden, with ploughless tillage and straw incorporation, has showed that ploughless tillage system gives a reduced compaction, though; straw treatment are facing problems, such as “straw stops” while cultivating the soil with different tillage methods. If the straw should be incorporated, it needs to be finely chopped and evenly spread evenly over the field. At Aleksandras Stulginskis University in Lithuania, a long-term field experiment has been running since 1999 in the Experimental Station, Kaunas district. The experiment is made by six different tillage systems: deep ploughing; shallow ploughing; shallow loosening with sweep cultivator and disc harrows; shallow loosening with rotor cultivator; catch crops & green manure incorporation with rotor cultivator; and no tillage. Another factor of this experiment is about straw incorporation and straw removal in the different tillage systems. The soil type of this field is sandy loam. The soil samples have been analysed in the laboratory of Aleksandras Stulginskis University to investigate which impact the different tillage systems and straw incorporation or straw removal have on the soil aggregate stability, soil structure and water capacity. The experiment showed that with straw incorporation in 0-10 cm depth there were less micro aggregates than in the treatment were straw was removed. The aggregate stability was higher in 10-25 cm depth with straw incorporation compared to straw removal. Shallow loosening was the treatment which gave the highest bulk density in both depths, which means that the soil with this treatment was more compacted than with deep ploughing. No-tillage treatment had lower bulk density in the deeper layer, which means that this soil had more porosity. Deep ploughing had a tendency not to be able to hold a high amount of water at 0-10 cm depth, up to -300 hPa, while no-tillage treatment in the deeper layer could hold water the best at lower pressures. In the treatment with shallow loosening, the porosity decreased, while in the no-tillage treatment the porosity increased

Nature and development combined

I am in this essay to find out how to successfully combine new development with preservation of natural values, mainly large scale vegetation and ground formations.This is done by studies of three developments. The first development, Engeltofta backe, lies 7 km northeast of Gävle. The expectations of natural preservation were not fullfilled when this area, after the explotation, did not have any vegetation of value left. The second example, Östra Kvarnskogen in the community of Sollentuna, shows, as far as one can tell at the moment, a sucsessful combination of new development and preserved nature. The third example is a development in the community of Kullön. In this area the ambition of combining preservation and development was fullfilled. After studying vital documentation in each planning process, I made interviews with different actors in each of the three processes. I thereafter compared the different documents and answers from the interviewed persons to find out if there were any significant similarities or differences which could be of importence when natural values is to be preserved in new developments. My conclusion of this study is that it is of great importence to define key expressions often used in the process, such as natural values and preservation. Also the goal and ambition needs to be clearified so that all participants in the process knows what is to strive for. A positiv atmosphere simplifies the process even more and opens for new solutions. The way the work is organized, and in this organisation guarantee continuity in both statements and actors, is important to clearify at an early stage. Clear requirements in writing is an important aid when something as undefined and unquantitible as natural values is to be preserved. Also the choice of building technique, such as the foundation of a house and mass balance, as well as the exploitation number is of crucial importence to the final result.Syftet med detta examensarbete är att ta reda på hur man kan gå till väga för att lyckas med naturanpassning av bostadsområden, organisatoriskt såväl som i fråga om inställning hos aktörerna. Detta görs genom studier av tre exempel där naturanpassning av bebyggelsen efterfrågades. Den bevarade naturmiljön i bostadsområdet Engeltofta backe, sju kilometer nordost om Gävle, lever inte upp till de förväntningar som fanns hos Bygg och Miljö på Gävle kommun, då det inne i området idag nästan helt saknas värdefull naturmark. Bostadsområdet Östra Kvarnskogen i Sollentuna kommun färdigställs just nu och ser ut att motsvara den höga ambitionen som fanns angående anpassning av bebyggelsen till naturmarken. Kullön i Vaxholms kommun är ett ekologiskt präglat boende byggt i två etapper, en med inflyttning år 2000 och en med inflyttning 2006-2007. Området präglas av dess ekologiska profil och höga naturanpassning. Efter studier av i processen viktiga dokument samt djupintervjuer med olika insatta aktörer har jag gjort jämförelse mellan de tre studerade exemplen. I jämförelsen har jag diskuterat olika likheter och skillnader mellan de tre processerna, vilket kan ha haft betydelse för slutresultaten. Utifrån denna diskussion har jag i min slutsats listat olika aspekter som är av stor vikt att reflektera över om naturanpassning eftersträvas. Att definiera begreppet naturanpassning, samt målsättningen och ambitionsnivån är nödvändigt för att alla parter ska sträva mot samma mål. En positiv inställning förenklar arbetet ytterligare och öppnar ofta för nya lösningar. Arbetsformen, och att i denna eftersträva kontinuitet, är viktigt att reflektera över i ett tidigt stadium för att ytterligare effektivisera processen och forma en trivsam arbetsmiljö. Att våga ställa krav är oerhört viktigt när man eftersträvar något som är så okvantifierbart som naturanpassning. Tydligt skrivna krav underlättar förståelsen och minskar därmed risken för missförstånd. Val av byggteknik, så som grundläggning och massbalans, liksom exploateringstalet har avgörande inverkan på graden av naturanpassning

Better growth for the smallest pigs? : a trial with automatic feeders for the weaned pigs

Grisar föds med olika förutsättningar och en gris som föds med lägre födelsevikt kan ha svårt att komma upp i samma tillväxttakt som sina kullsyskon. Detta leder till att det i varje omgång finns ett antal grisar med lägre avvänjningsvikt än de andra grisarna. De grisar med lägre avvänjningsvikt har dock i de flesta fall samma tid på sig att nå samma slaktvikt som de större grisarna vilket kräver en noggrann och genomtänkt utfodringsstrategi till dessa minsta grisar. Vid avvänjningen sker många förändringar i smågrisens liv, bland annat ändras enzymprofilen i deras mage och tarm vilket gör att fodret inte kan brytas ner eller absorberas och en stor mängd foder kan ansamlas i mage och tarm. Här kan oönskade bakterier växa till, vilka kan orsaka avvänjningsdiarré. Mindre grisar är oftast känsligare än tyngre och har svårare att anpassa sig, därför kan det vara bra att plocka ut de minsta och svagaste grisarna för att sätta i en egen box med extra tillsyn. Flera utfodringstillfällen med mindre fodergivor samt blötutfodring gynnar foderintaget och tillväxten. En restriktiv fodergiva uppdelad på flera tillfällen resulterar i färre sjukdomsfall. Ett hjälpmedel för att skapa bättre förutsättningar för de minsta grisarna är en speciell utfodringsautomat som sätts i deras box i samband med att de flyttas till tillväxtstallet. Vi har genom ett mindre försök undersökt huruvida en sådan här utfodringsautomat haft någon inverkan på de minsta grisarnas tillväxt, jämfört med att bara använda sig av torrfoder. Försöket utfördes på tre gårdar och det gjordes tre upprepningar på varje gård. De minsta och svagaste grisarna valdes ut och vägdes enskilt vid avvänjningen och delades därefter in i en försöks- och en kontrollbox, som viktmässigt var så lika varandra som möjligt. I försöksboxen användes en utfodringsautomat och i kontrollboxen togs grisarna om hand på det sätt man gjorde innan utfodringsautomaten införskaffades. Resultatet blev att grisarna i försöksboxarna hade växt 540 gram mer i genomsnitt per gris än grisarna i kontrollboxarna. Dock skiljde sig resultaten åt mellan omgångarna. I en del omgångar hade kontrollboxarna en större viktökning än försöksboxarna. Gårdarna hade olika utfodringsrutiner vilket kan förklara de olika resultaten. Vid en sammanslagning av de två gårdar med mest lika förutsättningar så fick vi en signifikant ökad tillväxt i försöksboxen. Det verkar alltså sannolikt att de grisar som fått fodret uppblött i automaten växt mer än de som fått samma foder men som torrt. Våra slutsatser är att det är fördelaktigt att använda sig av en utfodringsautomat till de minsta och svagaste grisarna vid avvänjning men det krävs fler och bättre kontrollerade försök för att säkerställa resultatet.Piglets are born with different conditions depending on the weight at birth. If a piglet is born with a lower weight than the other piglets in the same litter it is difficult to achieve the same growth rate as the others. This leads to that there will be pigs that has a lower weight at the weaning than the other pigs but these pigs usually has the same amount of time to gain the same weight before slaughter as their littermates. If it should be successful it requires a lot of consideration and a well-planned strategy for the feeding to the smallest pigs. At weaning there are a lot of changes in a piglets’ life, they are losing their mother and they will have to find their own food and nutrition. The environment is also changing, they may move to another pen that is not designed as the one they were born in. There will also be some changes in their stomach and intestines, such as the enzyme profile. When the enzyme profile is changing, the piglets cannot absorb or decompose the feed, and a large amount of food will accumulate at the intestines. Here, unwanted bacteria such as E. coli will be able to grow which can cause weaning diarrhoea for example. The smallest piglets are often more sensitive and it is more difficult for them to adjust to these new conditions than it is for the bigger littermates. That is why it is a good idea to put the smallest piglets in a separate pen for extra supervision, to be able to control the amount of feed and to keep track of the diseases outbreak. It is better to have several feeding occasions with smaller rations than less feeding occasions with bigger rations. Also wet feeding instead of dry feeding increases feed intake and growth of the piglets. A restrictive ration divided on several occasions, results in fewer cases of disease. There is a tool to help the smaller piglets to gain weight and to control the feeding intake. It is a special feeding machine that is installed in the pen at the same time as the weaning, and this machine can be set so that it dispenses the feed several times with lower rations. There is also a sensor in the tray of the machine, which detects the amount of feed in the tray, in order to reduce feed waste. We have made a small experiment to find out whether such a machine has any effect on the smallest piglets weight and growth. The experiment was made on three different farms and there were three replicates on each farm. The smallest and weakest piglets were sorted out and weighted individually at weaning. Then they were separated in to two different pens, one pen had the feeding machine installed and the other pen was without the machine. The weight of the piglets was as similar as possible in both of the pens. The pen without the feeding machine was the pen that we compared the results with and the piglets were fed with dry feed and taken care of in the same way as the farm did before they bought the machine. The result showed that the piglets in the pen with the feeding machine had gained more weight than the piglets without the machine; they had gained 540 grams more on average per piglet. But the results was very different between the replicates, in some of the replicates the pen without the feeding machine had gained more weight. The farms had different feeding strategies and that can be one of the explanations for the differences of the replicates. The experiment shows that the pigs that were fed with wet feed in the feeding machine had grown more than those who received the same feed as dry. Our conclusions of this experiment is that it is advantageous to use this kind of feeding machine for the smallest piglets, to give them a better start after weaning and to help them gain more weight than they would have done without this machine

Covercrete with hybrid functions – A novel approach to durable reinforced concrete structures

Due to the corrosion of steel in reinforced concrete structures, the concrete with low water-cement ratio (w/c), high cement content and large cover thickness is conventionally used for prolonging the passivation period of steel. Obviously, this conventional approach to durable concrete structures is at the sacrifice of more CO2 emission and natural resources through consuming higher amount of cement and more constituent materials, which is against sustainability. By placing an economically affordable conductive mesh made of carbon fibre or conductive polymer fibre in the near surface zone of concrete acting as anode we can build up a cathodic prevention system with intermittent low current density supplied by e.g. the solar cells. In such a way, the aggressive negative ions such as chloride, carbonate and sulphate can be stopped near the cathodic (steel) zone. Thus the reinforcement steel is prevented from corrosion even in the concrete with relatively high w/c and small cover thickness. This conductive mesh functions not only as electrode, but also as surface reinforcement to prevent concrete surface from cracking. Therefore, this new type of covercrete has hybrid functions. This paper presents the theoretical analysis of feasibility of this approach and discusses the potential durability problems and possible solutions to the potential problems

Effects of achromatic and chromatic lights on pupillary response, endocrinology, activity, and milk production in dairy cows

Artificial light can be used as a management tool to increase milk yield in dairy production. However, little is known about how cows respond to the spectral composition of light. The aim of this study was to investigate how dairy cows respond to artificial achromatic and chromatic lights. A tie-stall barn equipped with light-emitting diode (LED) light fixtures was used to create the controlled experimental light environments. Two experiments were conducted, both using dairy cows of Swedish Red and light mixtures with red, blue or white light. In experiment I, the response to light of increasing intensity on pupil size was evaluated in five pregnant non-lactating cows. In experiment II 16h of achromatic and chromatic daylight in combination with dim, achromatic night light, was tested on pregnant lactating cows during five weeks to observe long term effects on milk production, activity and circadian rhythms. Particular focus was given to possible carry over effects of blue light during the day on activity at night since this has been demonstrated in humans. Increasing intensity of white and blue light affected pupil size (P<0.001), but there was no effect on pupil size with increased intensity of red light. Milk yield was maintained throughout experiment II, and plasma melatonin was higher during dim night light than in daylight for all treatments (P<0.001). In conclusion, our results show that LED fixtures emitting red light driving the ipRGCs indirectly via ML-cones, blue light stimulating both S-cones and ipRGCs directly and a mixture of wavelengths (white light) exert similar effects on milk yield and activity in tied-up dairy cows. This suggests that the spectral composition of LED lighting in a barn is secondary to duration and intensity

THE CHANGING ROLE OF HUNTING IN SWEDEN-FROM SUBSISTENCE TO ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP?

Although hunting served traditionally to supply game meat, and that is still important in Sweden, recreation is the most common reason for hunting moose (Alces alces) today. Hunting also serves an important management purpose in regulating moose populations to control crop and forest damage. This study used semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and officials involved in the recently implemented ecosystem-based, adaptive local moose management system where hunters and landowners become environmental stewards responsible for managing moose in context with forest damage, vehicular collisions, large carnivores, and biodiversity. Our study found that participation and collaboration in reaching management objectives was perceived as positive by stakeholders, although their stewardship is jeopardized if specific management responsibilities are not clarified regarding monitoring. Further, it is important to find long-term funding solutions for monitoring activities that are critical for adequate data collection and to support the stakeholder role as steward. The importance of monitoring must be communicated to individual hunters and landowners to achieve an ecosystem-based moose management system that effectively incorporates both social and ecological values

Unraveling Molecular Signatures of Immunostimulatory Adjuvants in the Female Genital Tract through Systems Biology

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) unequivocally represent a major public health concern in both industrialized and developing countries. Previous efforts to develop vaccines for systemic immunization against a large number of STIs in humans have been unsuccessful. There is currently a drive to develop mucosal vaccines and adjuvants for delivery through the genital tract to confer protective immunity against STIs. Identification of molecular signatures that can be used as biomarkers for adjuvant potency can inform rational development of potent mucosal adjuvants. Here, we used systems biology to study global gene expression and signature molecules and pathways in the mouse vagina after treatment with two classes of experimental adjuvants. The Toll-like receptor 9 agonist CpG ODN and the invariant natural killer T cell agonist alpha-galactosylceramide, which we previously identified as equally potent vaginal adjuvants, were selected for this study. Our integrated analysis of genome-wide transcriptome data determined which signature pathways, processes and networks are shared by or otherwise exclusive to these 2 classes of experimental vaginal adjuvants in the mouse vagina. To our knowledge, this is the first integrated genome-wide transcriptome analysis of the effects of immunomodulatory adjuvants on the female genital tract of a mammal. These results could inform rational development of effective mucosal adjuvants for vaccination against STIs

Evaluation of the application for a new alternative processing method for animal by-products of Category 3 material (ChainCraft B.V.)

EFSA received an application from the Dutch Competent Authority, under Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 and Regulation (EU) No 142/2011, for the evaluation of an alternative method for treatment of Category 3 animal by‐products (ABP). It consists of the hydrolysis of the material to short‐carbon chains, resulting in medium‐chain fatty acids that may contain up to 1% hydrolysed protein, for use in animal feed. A physical process, with ultrafiltration followed by nanofiltration to remove hazards, is also used. Process efficacy has been evaluated based on the ability of the membrane barriers to retain potential biological hazards present. Small viruses passing the ultrafiltration membrane will be retained at the nanofiltration step, which represents a Critical Control Point (CCP) in the process. This step requires the Applicant to validate and provide certification for the specific use of the nanofiltration membranes used. Continuous monitoring and membrane integrity tests should be included as control measures in the HACCP plan. The ultrafiltration and nanofiltration techniques are able to remove particles of the size of virus, bacteria and parasites from liquids. If used under controlled and appropriate conditions, the processing methods proposed should reduce the risk in the end product to a degree which is at least equivalent to that achieved with the processing standards laid down in the Regulation for Category 3 material. The possible presence of small bacterial toxins produced during the fermentation steps cannot be avoided by the nanofiltration step and this hazard should be controlled by a CCP elsewhere in the process. The limitations specified in the current legislation and any future modifications in relation to the end use of the product also apply to this alternative process, and no hydrolysed protein of ruminant origin (except ruminant hides and skins) can be included in feed for farmed animals or for aquaculture