Aspects of hybrid larch (Larix X eurolepis Henry) as a potential tree species in southern Swedish forestry

The interest in growing hybrid larch (Larix × eurolepis Henry) in southern Sweden has increased in recent decades, one of its assumed advantages being high volume growth. The work underlying this thesis was designed to contribute to our understanding of hybrid larch and its use in commercial forestry as a complement to Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in southern Sweden. A literature review supported the hypotheses that young hybrid larch stands have high growth and yield potential. In addition, it highlighted the difficulties involved in morphologically distinguishing the hybrid from its parental species and stressed the susceptibility of hybrid larch to root rot (mainly caused by Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref.). A survey conducted through interviews in 1993 of the opinions of forest managers with practical experience of growing hybrid larch showed that the species was considered to offer an interesting complement to other conifer tree species in southern Sweden. In addition, a growth simulator was developed, based on data from 28 sample plots established in stands on fertile sites managed with practical forestry programs. It included regression functions for basal area increment, stand form-height and initial basal area. Top height growth curves from a Norwegian study were also included in the simulator. A yield table was calculated for the age span 15 to 45 years. The calculations showed that the yield of hybrid larch stands on fertile sites in southern Sweden was slightly higher compared to Norway spruce, and its growth rate was markedly higher in young stands. On fertile sites the mean annual volume increment peaked at an age of 35 years, at a level of 13 m³/ha. However, the bark volume, as a proportion of total volume, was ca. 5% lower for Norway spruce than for hybrid larch. Economic calculations using current prices and costs (year 2002) showed that cash flow for hybrid larch was slightly higher and the soil expectation value was more than double the corresponding values for Norway spruce. Hybrid larch stands can be damaged by root and butt rot, but there was no clear evidence that the species was markedly worse than Norway spruce in this respect. The general opinion was that well managed older larch stands were less susceptible to wind throw than old Norway spruce stands. A general conclusion was that hybrid larch could be an attractive complement to Norway spruce on relatively rich sites in southern Sweden

Stadsdelsträdgård - plats för gemenskap och kreativa processer

Public Garden. A Place for Community and Creative Processes Abstract The thesis draws attention to an aspect of society that is of profound importance to the achievement of sustainable development, namely the relation between governing forces (top-down policies) and local practice within bottom-up initiatives. Informal groups constitute an important, but often overlooked, resource when working to change society towards sustainable development. The objective is to identify and analyse aspects of local gardening initiatives where people jointly design and use public space in a socially and ecologically sustainable manner. Particular focus is placed on the driving forces within the gardening initiative and the processes identifiable in the contact between the users and the local authorities. The aim is to contribute to an increased understanding of self-organised gardens for community and cultivation as a social phenomenon. The method is explorative with a qualitative approach. Case studies have been carried out and each case was subjected to in-depth interviews and observations in situ. The concept stadsdelsträdgård (a community garden in a Swedish urban context) is introduced, in which the meaning of the concepts self-organisation and landscape, i.e. the social process and the place-making process, are brought together. In the garden the users are self-organised in relation to the local authority, attaining a common right of usage where it is the users who make the decisions. By cultivating organically the users develop knowledge of ecological cycles and the condition of the ecosystem. Through daily cultivation practices this knowledge becomes incorporated in the shaping of the garden through a process of interplay between the people and the physical landscape. Ideally, this creative place-making process creates a fertile ground for the trying out of new patterns of action for sustainable development. When users create gardens jointly the outcome are gardens with a personal touch and a feeling of hominess, which distinguish them from the public park. The self-organised garden thus fosters a combination of being in public space and feeling at home. The thesis contributes knowledge concerning what a socially and ecologically sustainable public garden may look like in relation to tangible, lived life in the city. The interplay between community and the physical landscape needs to be recognized, this thesis argues, as a potentially important dimension of the planning process

Muslimska begravningsplatsen i Malmö : förändring över tid

Islam är Sveriges näst största religion och därför är det väldigt viktigt att det finns bra och korrekt information kring hur man som muslim vill ha sin begravning utförd, efter-som alla har rätt till en värdig begravning. Uppsatsen uppmärksammar att det finns stora olikheter i hur man förhåller sig till och tolkar de muslimska begravningsplatserna, och att man bör vara medveten om detta när man ska utforma en muslimsk begravnings¬plats. Uppsatsen gör en dokumentation av de muslimska begravningsplatserna på främst Östra kyrkogården i Malmö. I en undersökande jämförelse över hur gravplatserna ser ut nu samt hur de sett ut tidigare kan man konstatera att det har skett en förändring av gravarnas utformning, där de från 1980-talet är enkla och avskalade medan gravarna från 2000-talet har en stor variation av både gravstenar och dekoration på gravarna. Muslimernas begravningstraditioner säger bland annat att det från ett dödsfall endast får ta 24 timmar innan den avlidne begravs, att kroppen inte får kremeras samt att begravning ska ske utan kista och att den döde ska vara placerad i graven så att ansiktet är vänt mot Mecka. Dessutom får graven inte beträdas, och därför markerar man både gravens huvud- och fotända. Jag har under mitt arbete konstaterat att det finns en synlig förändring av muslimernas gravplatser i Malmö vad gäller främst gravstenar och annan utsmyckning av gravarna. Däremot behöver detta inte bero på ändrade traditioner ifrån muslimernas sida, utan snarare kan det vara ett resultat av förändrade förutsättningar

Håndjern og hantler : en kvalitativ studie av hvordan fremme fysisk trening blant patruljeansatte i politiet

Masteroppgave i beredskap og kriseledelse - Nord universitet 202

Malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal are formed during dynamic gastrointestinal in vitro digestion of cod liver oils.

Marine long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) are associated with reduced risk for inflammatory diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and rheumatoid arthritis. These fatty acids, however, are rapidly oxidized, generating highly reactive malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (HHE) and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE). These oxidation products may interact with DNA and proteins, thus possibly leading to impaired cell functions. Little is known about the formation of MDA, HHE and HNE in fish oil in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In this study, the effect of dynamic in vitro digestion of cod liver oil on the generation of MDA, HHE and HNE was evaluated using the TNO Gastro-Intestinal Model (tiny-TIM). Effects of pre-formed oxidation products, pre-emulsification of the oil, and addition of oxidants (EDTA and hemoglobin, Hb) on GI oxidation were evaluated. Formation of aldehydes occurred during GI digestion. However, only emulsified oil fortified with 11.5 μM Hb oxidized to a degree that overcame the dilution induced by gastric secretion, which caused increased aldehyde concentrations in gastric lumen up to 90 min. The maximum levels of aldehydes generated in this study were 24.5 μM MDA, 1.6 μM HHE and 0.07 μM HNE. Oils containing different amounts of pre-formed lipid oxidation products maintained the same oxidation ranking order during digestion, even though the relative changes were not directly proportional. Emulsification of the oil had an unclear effect in the gastric phase, but a pro-oxidative effect in the intestinal phase. In general, higher aldehyde levels were reached in the intestinal lumen than in the initial meal, demonstrating that GI digestion promotes oxidation. Hence, epithelial cells may be exposed to elevated amounts of reactive aldehydes for several hours after a meal containing fish oil

A descriptive study of Swedish women with symptoms of breast inflammation during lactation and their perceptions of the quality of care given at a breastfeeding clinic

BACKGROUND: Women's perceptions of quality of care during episodes of breast inflammation have been scantily explored. It was the objective of the present study to describe a cohort of breastfeeding women with inflammatory symptoms of the breast during lactation regarding demographical variables, illness history and symptoms at first contact with a breastfeeding clinic and to explore their physical health status, psychological well-being and perceptions of quality of care received, at a six-week postal follow-up. METHODS: This is a descriptive study set at a midwife-led breastfeeding clinic in Sweden, which included a cohort of women with 210 episodes of breast inflammation. The women had taken part in a RCT of acupuncture and care interventions and were recruited between 2002 and 2004. Of the total cohort, 176 (84 %) responded to a postal questionnaire, six weeks after recovery. RESULTS: Of the 154 women for whom body temperature was recorded at the first visit, 80 (52%) had fever ranging from 38.1°C to 40.7°C. There was no significant difference between those with favourable outcomes (5 or less contact days) and those with less favourable outcomes (6 or more contact days) for having fever or no fever at first contact. Thirty-six percent of women had damaged nipples. Significantly more women with a less favourable outcome (6 or more contact days) had damaged nipples. Most women recovered well from the episode of breast inflammation and 96% considered their physical health and 97% their psychological well-being, to be good, six weeks after the episode. Those whose illness lasted 6 days or more showed less confidence in the midwives and in the care given to them. Twenty-one (12%) women contacted health care services because of recurring symptoms and eight of the 176 responders (4.5%) were prescribed antibiotics for these recurring symptoms. A further 46 women (26% of the responders) reported recurring symptoms that they managed without recourse to health care services. CONCLUSION: Initial fever may not be indicative of outcomes for women with inflammatory breast symptoms and treatment by antibiotic therapy may be necessary less often than has been supposed. Women who are also suffering from damaged nipples may need special attention. Those with protracted symptoms were less satisfied with care and showed less confidence in caregivers. International research collaboration might help us find the optimal level of antibiotic therapy for this group of women. This is an important consideration for the global community

Adhesion of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum 299v onto the gut mucosa in critically ill patients: a randomised open trial

INTRODUCTION: To achieve any possible positive effect on the intestinal mucosa cells it is important that probiotics adhere tightly onto the intestinal mucosa. It has been shown in healthy volunteers that Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp 299v) (DSM 9843), a probiotic bacterium, given orally in a fermented oatmeal formula adheres onto the intestinal mucosa, but whether this also occurs in critically ill patients is unknown. METHODS: After randomisation, nine enterally fed, critically ill patients treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics received an oatmeal formula fermented with Lp 299v throughout their stay in the intensive care unit; eight patients served as controls. Biopsies of the rectal mucosa were made at admission and then twice a week, and the biopsies were analysed blindly. RESULTS: Four patients in the control group were colonised with Lp 299v at admission but thereafter all their biopsies were negative (Lp 299v is an ingredient in a common functional food, ProViva(®), in Sweden). Of the treated patients none was colonised at admission but three patients had Lp 299v adhered on the mucosa from the second or third biopsy and in the following samples. CONCLUSION: This study shows that Lp 299v could survive the passage from the stomach to the rectum and was able adhere onto the rectal mucosa also in critically ill, antibiotic-treated patients

Utvärdering och skötselanalys av rhododendrondalen i Göteborgs botaniska trädgård

Den övre delen av rhododendrondalen i Göteborgs Botaniska Trädgård är relativt nyanlagd, ombyggnaden startade i början av 1990-talet, med växtmaterial från insamlingsresor runt om i världen. Rhododendronen har här fått en underordnad plats på grund av de starkväxande perennerna som nu helt dominerar platsen under sommarmånaderna. Däremot är nedre delen av rhododendrondalen inte förändra alls. Resultatet har nu blivit att den övre och nedre delen av rhododendrondalen skiljer sig, genom att den övre delen är mer genomarbetad. Den nedre delen har inte alls ett lika utvecklat gångsystem som den över delen har och det finns inte den mängden av olika perenner. I nedre delen är dessutom rhododendronen uppvuxna och klarar sig bra gentemot de få perenner som finns. I detta område finns betydligt färre arter rhododendron, men antalet plantor är stort. Därmed blir upplevelsen att nedre delen är mycket mer rhododendron dominerad, jämfört med den övre delen där rhododendronen får en underordnad betydelse vissa delar av året. Om man i framtiden skall utöka rhododendrondalen med mer rhododendron och om man vill ha mer perenner så gäller det att man tar perenner som inte är aggressiva i sitt växtsätt eller att man låter rhododendronen etablera sig först

A validated disease specific prediction equation for resting metabolic rate in underweight patients with COPD

Malnutrition is a serious condition in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Successful dietary intervention calls for calculations of resting metabolic rate (RMR). One disease-specific prediction equation for RMR exists based on mainly male patients. To construct a disease-specific equation for RMR based on measurements in underweight or weight-losing women and men with COPD, RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry in 30 women and 11 men with a diagnosis of COPD and body mass index <21 kg/m2. The following variables, possibly influencing RMR were measured: length, weight, middle upper arm circumference, triceps skinfold, body composition by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance, lung function, and markers of inflammation. Relations between RMR and measured variables were studied using univariate analysis according to Pearson. Gender and variables that were associated with RMR with a P value <0.15 were included in a forward multiple regression analysis. The best-fit multiple regression equation included only fat-free mass (FFM): RMR (kJ/day) = 1856 + 76.0 FFM (kg). To conclude, FFM is the dominating factor influencing RMR. The developed equation can be used for prediction of RMR in underweight COPD patients