Hästen i skogsbruket – kommuners erfarenheter

Hästarna hade förr en stor betydelse i skogsbruket, då de avlastade människan när det gällde bär- och draghjälp. I början på 1900-talet fanns det cirka 600 000 hästar i Sverige som sedan kom att minska drastiskt efter andra världskriget. Den drastiska minskningen av hästar kom att bero på den mekanisering som genomfördes och år 1970 återstod cirka 42 500 arbetshästar i Sverige. Mekaniseringen innebar att maskiner utvecklades och tillverkades för att ersätta arbetshästarna. Idag bor det många människor i och runt om Sveriges tätorter där det oftast också finns skogbeklädda arealer. Skogen bör skötas om i form av att man avverkar träd med jämna mellanrum och just i tätorterna finns det kommuner som använder sig av skogshästar i stället för skogsmaskiner. När skogsmaskiner skall utföra arbetet i skogen kan motstånd uppstå från allmänheten som anser att maskinerna förstör rekreationsområden. Det kan handla om att det blir körskador i markskiktet och att det låter mycket från maskinerna under tiden som åtgärden utförs. När hästen arbetar i skogen så minimeras risken för att körskador skall uppstå, samtidigt som att åtgärden utförs med en lägre ljudnivå. Hästen stör helt enkelt inte allmänheten på samma sätt som maskiner kan göra. Studiens syfte var att undersöka i hur stor utsträckning som skogshästar används inom Katrineholms, Jönköpings och Nyköpings kommun. Därtill skulle studien också besvara hur allmänheten reagerar på skogsvårdsåtgärder som utförs med häst. Studiens genomfördes med hjälp av intervjuer under sommaren 2022 med personer som är skogligt insatta inom de tre kommunerna, och som arbetar som skogsförvaltare och underentreprenörer. Dessutom har tio privatpersoner intervjuats inom Katrineholms och Jönköpings kommun. Många respondenter var positiva till att använda hästen inom skogsbruket där det ansågs som lämpligt. Några anledningar till detta var för att det ansågs som mer skonsamt för markskiktet än om en maskin hade utfört samma jobb samt att det ansågs trevligt att se djur som utför skogsvårdsåtgärden. Flera respondenter nämnde att allmänheten ofta var och tittade på hästarna under tiden som åtgärderna utfördes, där ibland även förskoleklasser. Studien visar att vid mindre uttag av skogsråvara så kan hästen även ekonomiskt vara ett konkurrenskraftigt alternativ till en liten skogsmaskin.The horse used to have a great importance in forestry, they were man's right hand when it came to carrying and pulling. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were approximately 600 000 horses in Sweden, which then came to decrease drastically after the Second World War. The drastic reduction in horses was due to the mechanization, and in 1970 approximately 42 500 working horses remained in Sweden. Mechanization meant that machines were developed and manufactured to replace the workhorses. Today, many people live in and around Sweden's conurbations, where there usually also are forested areas. The forest should be cared for with regular intervals and there are municipalities that are using horses instead of machines to work in the urban areas. When forest machines work in the forest, opposition may arise from the public who believe that the machines are destroying recreational areas. This could mean that there is ground damage on the soil and that there is a lot of noise from the machines during the time of the logging. When the horse works in the forest, the risk of driving injuries is minimized, and the logging takes place more silently. The horse simply does not disturb the public in the same way that machines may do. The purpose of the study is to answer the extent to which forest horses are used within the municipalities of Katrineholm, Jönköping and Nyköping. In addition, the study will also answer how the public reacts to forest conservation measures carried out with horses. The study is answered with the help of interviews conducted during the summer of 2022 with people who are knowledgeable about forestry within the municipality, for example forest managers and contractors. In addition, 10 private individuals have been interviewed within the municipalities of Katrineholm and Jönköping. Many of the respondents were positive about using the horse in forestry where it was considered appropriate. Some of the reasons were that it is gentler on the soil than if a machine were to perform the same job and that people like to see animals working in the forest. Several respondents mentioned that the public often came to watch the horses while they were working, sometimes including preschool classes. The study shows that with less extraction of forest raw material, the horse can also economically be a competitive alternative to a small forest machine

Föräldrarnas upplevelse av mötet med anestesisjuksköterskan i samband med barnets operation

Bakgrund: När ett barn opereras finns ett starkt samband mellan föräldrarnas och vårdpersonalens beteende vilket påverkar barnet sätt att hantera den nya miljön och anestesin. Att anestesisjuksköterskan möter barn i alla åldrar ställer höga krav på bemötandet och hur informationen anpassas till dem och deras föräldrar. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att belysa föräldrarnas upplevelse av mötet med anestesisjuksköterskan när deras barn skall sövas inför ett kirurgiskt ingrepp. Metod: Semistrukturerade intervjuer med 14 föräldrar. Materialet analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet utmynnade i tre kategorier: Information, Föräldrar på operationssalen och Anestesisjuksköterskans professionalitet. Konklusion: Föräldrarna önskar tydlig information i ett tidigt skede. Anestesisjuksköterskans bemötande upplevs viktig för att lämna över barnet i andras händer. Även en lugn miljö på operationssalen var önskvärt

Investigation of new brominated and organophosphorous flame retardants in Svalbard benthic marine food web; FlammePlank

Project manager Pernilla CarlssonThe aim of this pilot-study was to use silicone rubber-based passive samplers to measure novel brominated flame retardants (nBFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dechlorane plus (DP) in seawater and air around Longyearbyen as well as investigate the presence of those compounds in sediment and biota (amphipods, Gammarus spp.) nearby Longyearbyen. Passive samplers require no electricity and provide an integrated picture of the levels of the targeted compounds over time. The results were combined with the sampled sediment and Gammarus spp. to assess concentrations in the environment. Out of all substances under study, PBDE-47 and -99, α- and β- tetrabromoethylcyclohexane (TBECH), syn- and anti-DP were detected in all investigated matrices. Freely dissolved water concentrations of ΣDPs (3 pg/L) were in line with recent Arctic studies, while ΣPBDEs (3 pg/L) were comparable to urban rivers in southern Norway. Nevertheless, for some compounds, especially the lighter and most volatile ones, long-range transport is most likely a more important contribution to observed levels than local sources. For other compounds, e.g. PBDEs, local sources might still play a role for the load of contaminants into the surrounding environment. The present study is the first to report a suit of nBFRs and DPs in Arctic benthic fauna. Many of the nBFRs and DPs were detected in sediment and in the amphipods. We recommend further studies with respect to measurements of concentrations over time, and in other species as well, to better understand whether the nBFRs and DPs are common in the marine environment on Svalbard. We recommend that local sources of flame retardants in remote areas receive more attention in the future.Svalbard miljøvernfondpublishedVersio

Två frivårdskontors syn på den procentuella skillnaden, vad gäller kontraktvårdsdomar

The aim of this paper is to spread some light over contract treatment from the perspective of the District Courts, Social Services and Probation Services, and understand the reason for local variation of the number of people sentenced to contractual treatment. Essential questions asked in this paper are; What advantages and disadvantages are known by the cooperating parties regarding contract treatment in comparison to prison? What parameters are considered when the cooperating parties decide upon contract treatment? What impact does the shared responsibility of cost have? What do the respondents think is the reason for the local variation? In order to answer the essential questions a qualitative and descriptive method has been used to highlight the main question of our study; What is the reason for the local variation in number of contract treatment sentences in Halmstad and Ystads district courts? The paper shows that the local variation between the Probation Services districts is dependent on the conditions to propose a contract treatment. In Halmstad it is not conditioned for the Probation Services to have a responsibility agreement with the Social Services to the same extent as for the Probation Services in Ystad

Evaluation of a School-Based Program Aimed at Preventing Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the implementation of a universal school-based cognitive behavioral program whose target is to prevent depressive symptoms in adolescents. The study had a quasi-experimental design with pretest, posttest, and a 1-year follow-up and provides an illustrative calculation for the implementation costs of the intervention. Sixty-two students (aged 14) and seven tutors participated. A majority of the students and all of the tutors were satisfied with the intervention. The students, both females and males, rated their depressed symptoms as significantly lower after the course; and for the females, this was maintained 1-year postintervention. The implementation costs for the initial 2 years were about US$300 per student. Positive effects of a universal school-based cognitive behavioral intervention aiming at preventing depressive symptoms in adolescents were found, especially among females

Less meat, more legumes: prospects and challenges in the transition toward sustainable diets in Sweden

The Western diet is characterized by high meat consumption, which negatively affects the environment and human health. Transitioning toward eating more plant-based products in Western societies has been identified as a key instrument to tackle these problems. However, one potential concern is that radically reducing meat in the current diet might lead to deficiencies in nutritional intake. In this paper, we explore a scenario in which meat consumption in Sweden is reduced by 50% and replaced by domestically grown grain legumes. We quantify and discuss the implications for nutritional intake on population level, consequences for agricultural production systems and environmental performance. The reduction in meat consumption is assumed to come primarily from a decrease in imported meat. We use data representing current Swedish conditions including the Swedish dietary survey, the Swedish food composition database, Statistics Sweden and existing life cycle assessments for different food items. At population level, average daily intake of energy and most macro- and micro-nutrients would be maintained within the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations after the proposed transition (e.g., for protein, fat, zinc, vitamin B12 and total iron). The transition would also provide a considerable increase in dietary fiber and some increase in folate intake, which are currently below the recommended levels. The transition scenario would increase total area of grain legume cultivation from 2.2% (current level) to 3.2% of Swedish arable land and is considered technically feasible. The climate impact of the average Swedish diet would be reduced by 20% and the land use requirement by 23%. There would be a net surplus of approximately 21,500 ha that could be used for bioenergy production, crop production for export, nature conservation, etc. Implementation of this scenario faces challenges, such as lack of suitable varieties for varying conditions, lack of processing facilities to supply functional legume-based ingredients to food industries and low consumer awareness about the benefits of eating grain legumes. In sum, joint efforts from multiple actors are needed to stimulate a decrease in meat consumption and to increase cultivation and use of domestically grown grain legumes

Perfluoroalkyl substances in circum-ArcticRangifer: caribou and reindeer

Livers of caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) from Canada (n = 146), Greenland (n = 30), Svalbard (n = 7), and Sweden (n = 60) were analyzed for concentrations of eight perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and four perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids. In Canadian caribou, PFNA (range < 0.01–7.4 ng/g wet weight, ww) and PFUnDA (<0.01–5.6 ng/g ww) dominated, whereas PFOS predominated in samples from South Greenland, Svalbard, and Sweden, although the highest concentrations were found in caribou from Southwest Greenland (up to 28 ng/g ww). We found the highest median concentrations of all PFAS except PFHxS in Akia-Maniitsoq caribou (Southwest Greenland, PFOS 7.2–19 ng/g ww, median 15 ng/g ww). The highest concentrations of ΣPFAS were also found in Akia-Maniitoq caribou (101 ng/g ww) followed by the nearby Kangerlussuaq caribou (45 ng/g ww), where the largest airport in Greenland is situated, along with a former military base. Decreasing trends in concentrations were seen for PFOS in the one Canadian and three Swedish populations. Furthermore, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFDoDA, and PFTrDA showed decreasing trends in Canada’s Porcupine caribou between 2005 and 2016. In Sweden, PFHxS increased in the reindeer from Norrbotten between 2003 and 2011. The reindeer from Västerbotten had higher concentrations of PFNA and lower concentrations of PFHxS in 2010 compared to 2002. Finally, we observed higher concentrations in 2010 compared to 2002 (albeit statistically insignificant) for PFHxS in Jämtland, while PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFDoDA, and PFTrDA showed no difference at all.publishedVersio

Acute and Sublethal Effects of Deltamethrin Discharges from the Aquaculture Industry on Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis Krøyer, 1838): Dispersal Modeling and Field Investigations

Pharmaceutical deltamethrin (Alpha Max), used as delousing treatments in aquaculture, has raised concerns due to possible negative impacts on the marine environment. A novel approach combining different scientific disciplines has addressed this topic. Acute (mortality) and sublethal effects (i.e., fitness, neurological, immunological, and oxidative responses) of exposure of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) were studied in laboratory experiments. Passive water sampling combined with sediment analyses revealed environmental concentrations. Finally, dispersal modeling was performed to predict environmental concentrations. Ecotoxicological analyses showed mortality in shrimp after 1 h of exposure to 2 ng L–1 (1000-fold dilution of treatment dose), revealing a high sensitivity to deltamethrin. Sublethal effects included induction of acetylcholinesterase and acyl CoA oxidase activities and oxidative impairment, which may be linked to neurotoxic responses. Field concentrations of 10–200 ng L–1 in water (100 m from the pens) and <LOD-0.19 ng g–1 dw in sediment (0–400 m from pens) were measured. Ecotoxicological values were compared with measured and modeled concentrations. They showed that concentrations higher than those causing mortality could be expected up to 4–5 km from point of release, in an area of 6.4 km2, with lethal concentrations remaining up to 35 h in some areas. Hence, the study demonstrates that there is a considerable risk for negative effects on the ecologically and commercially important shrimp.publishedVersio

Perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) and legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in halibut and shrimp from coastal areas in the far north of Norway:small survey of important dietary foodstuffs for coastal communities

Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) and shrimps (Pandalus borealis) are regular foodstuffs for communities in northern Norway and important species for the coastal fishing industry. This is the first study to present a comprehensive overview of the contaminant status of these species, with emphasis on unregulated perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS). The contaminant concentrations were low and within tolerable levels for human dietary exposure. Median Σpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were 4.9 and 2.5 ng/g ww for halibut and unpeeled shrimps, respectively. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) – the most abundant PFASs – were 0.9 and 2.7 ng/g ww in halibut and shrimp, respectively. The halibut fillets were dominated by PCBs, which contributed to 50% of the total POPs load, followed by ΣDDTs; 26% and PFASs (18%), whereas shrimps were dominated by PFASs (74%). ΣPBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) contributed to 1–4% of the total POP load. Local sources are not contributing significantly to the contaminant burden in these species