Increased fitness of a key appendicularian zooplankton species under warmer, acidified seawater conditions

Ocean warming and acidification (OA) may alter the fitness of species in marine pelagic ecosystems through community effects or direct physiological impacts. We used the zooplanktonic appendicularian, Oikopleura dioica, to assess temperature and pH effects at mesocosm and microcosm scales. In mesocosms, both OA and warming positively impacted O. dioica abundance over successive generations. In microcosms, the positive impact of OA, was observed to result from increased fecundity. In contrast, increased pH, observed for example during phytoplankton blooms, reduced fecundity. Oocyte fertility and juvenile development were equivalent under all pH conditions, indicating that the positive effect of lower pH on O. dioica abundance was principally due to increased egg number. This effect was influenced by food quantity and quality, supporting possible improved digestion and assimilation at lowered pH. Higher temperature resulted in more rapid growth, faster maturation and earlier reproduction. Thus, increased temperature and reduced pH had significant positive impacts on O. dioica fitness through increased fecundity and shortened generation time, suggesting that predicted future ocean conditions may favour this zooplankton species. © 2018 Bouquet et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Assessing Environmental Performance of a Circular Business Modelusing Business Model Life Cycle Assessment A Case Study of a Sharing Service for Power Tools

Climate change is becoming more and more inevitable and the pressure to act is higher than ever. While facing a growing world population and increasing con- sumption, production, and consumption patterns must become more sustainable. To counteract climate change, there is a need for business models that separate resource use and economic profit. One such type of model is the circular business model. By looping the resources in a non-finite system characterized by reuse and recycling, we can achieve decoupling. Circular business models can however be difficult to quantify and thus the actual climate impact compared to a linear counterpart becomes difficult to estimate in many cases. LCA is a tool that has been used in recent years to calculate the cli- mate impact of a product’s total life cycle. To apply this measurement method to an entire business model, BM-LCA was developed, which includes the use phase in the calculation and then relates the environmental impact to the profit. In this study, a BM-LCA is conducted on a case company that provides a subscription- sharing service for power tools. The BM-LCA is focused on one of the products, a percussion drill, and the locker depot holding all the tools. The method of the study consisted of information-gathering meetings with the case company as well as a literature study of relevant theory. It was found that the locker depot had a significant environmental impact and that a change in its material would have a significant effect on the emissions per profit. Additionally, the lifetime of the product was found to be significant as well as the user behavior which was found to be hard to estimate. Lastly, it was concluded that the BM-LCA did highlight valuable hot spots in the business model and that some changes could have a large impact on the final climate footprint of the product service offering. The study resulted in the following recommendations for the case company: Increase the lifetime of the product, reduce the weight and consider another material for the locker depot, increase the number of subscribers, consider partnerships with other actors in the ecosystem, lobby for a change in consume and considerhow the inconveniences related to sharing can be overcome

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This thesis aims to examine differences in responses of small–cap and large-cap stocks on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, as a result of monetary policy changes. With focus on interest rate changes. Previous research has established a strong connection between monetary policy and general performance of stocks, this paper finds firm size to be an important differentiating factor. Using a quantitative approach, this thesis uses multivariable OLS regressions on monthly returns from Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The findings show that small-cap stocks are more negatively affected by increases in ECB policy rates. Money supply and inflation also affect returns, with small-caps being comparatively less sensitive to increases in money supply. All stocks are negatively affected by inflation. In a second OLS regression, dividing restrictive and expansionary monetary policy periods, small-caps outperform large-caps in expansionary monetary policy (1.4% vs. 1.19% monthly return) but underperform significantly in restrictive periods (–0.58% vs. 0.69%). The results show that monetary policy does not just affect market-wide returns but also affects firms disproportionately by their size

Metabarcoding and metabolome analyses of copepod grazing reveal feeding preference and linkage to metabolite classes in dynamic microbial plankton communities

In order to characterize copepod feeding in relation to microbial plankton community dynamics, we combined metabarcoding and metabolome analyses during a 22-day seawater mesocosm experiment. Nutrient amendment of mesocosms promoted the development of haptophyte (Phaeocystis pouchetii)- and diatom (Skeletonema marinoi)-dominated plankton communities in mesocosms, in which Calanus sp. copepods were incubated for 24 h in flow-through chambers to allow access to prey particles (<500 μm). Copepods and mesocosm water sampled six times spanning the experiment were analysed using metabarcoding, while intracellular metabolite profiles of mesocosm plankton communities were generated for all experimental days. Taxon-specific metabarcoding ratios (ratio of consumed prey to available prey in the surrounding seawater) revealed diverse and dynamic copepod feeding selection, with positive selection on large diatoms, heterotrophic nanoflagellates and fungi, while smaller phytoplankton, including P. pouchetii, were passively consumed or even negatively selected according to our indicator. Our analysis of the relationship between Calanus grazing ratios and intracellular metabolite profiles indicates the importance of carbohydrates and lipids in plankton succession and copepod–prey interactions. This molecular characterization of Calanus sp. grazing therefore provides new evidence for selective feeding in mixed plankton assemblages and corroborates previous findings that copepod grazing may be coupled to the developmental and metabolic stage of the entire prey community rather than to individual prey abundances

Vuxenmobbning inom Försvarsmakten - Ett genusperspektiv

The aim of this study was to investigate adult workplace bullying from a gender perspective within the Swedish Armed Forces. Do women consider themselves more exposed to bullying at a workplace dominated by men like the Swedish Armed Forces? The concept of work-related bullying is defined as repeated, negative acts that ridicule and isolate an employee. These actions may force the employee to quit their job. Adult bullying has been found to be a serious social stress factor and may be seen as a critical life event. The instrument used in this study was the NAQ-R (Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised) questionnaire with 22 items, a widely used and reliable instrument that measures workplace bullying. The results of this study showed no significant difference between women and men in perceived bullying. This result is supported by previous research. Previous research did not find significant differences from a gender perspective regarding exposure to bullying. However, in this study greater differences in the mean value for perceived bullying in other demographic data of the study; employment status and age were demonstrated. The findings in this study may be due to the Swedish Armed Forces method and criteria when recruiting personnel. It may also be due to the Swedish Armed Forces code of conduct, that is being honored at authority level and at the individual level regarding, among other things, equality and gender equality.Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vuxenmobbning på arbetsplatsen inom Försvarsmakten ur ett genusperspektiv. Upplever kvinnor på en mansdominerad arbetsplats såsom Försvarsmakten sig oftare utsatta för mobbning än vad män gör? Begreppet arbetsrelaterad mobbning definieras som upprepade, negativa handlingar som förlöjligar, isolerar och kan leda till att den anställde fördrivs från arbetsplatsen. Vuxenmobbning har visat sig vara en allvarlig social stressfaktor och kan ses som en kritisk livshändelse. Det mätinstrument som användes i studien var NAQ-R (Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised) enkät med 22 items, ett välbeprövat instrument som mäter mobbning på arbetsplatsen. Resultatet i denna studie visade inte på några signifikanta skillnader mellan kvinnor och män i upplevd mobbning. Resultatet stöds av tidigare forskning som inte heller funnit signifikanta skillnader ur ett könsperspektiv beträffande utsatthet för mobbning. Däremot visade denna studie större skillnader i medelvärde för upplevd mobbning för övrig demografisk data;anställningsform och ålder. Fynden i denna studie kan bero på Försvarsmaktens urvalskriterier vid rekrytering. Försvarsmakten har även en värdegrund på myndighetsnivå och en uppförandekod på individnivå, som uttrycker Försvarsmaktens och dess personals syn på bland annat jämställdhet och jämlikhet, vilket kan vara en bidragande faktor

Samboende partners upplevelser av aktiviteter i en gemensam vardag

Arbetsterapi har som mål att utifrån individens egna behov främja delaktighet genom utförandet av aktiviteter. Det finns få studier som riktar sig mot samboende partners gemensamma kontext, syftet med studien var därför att undersöka hur samboende partners upplever och beskriver aktiviteter i en gemensam vardag. En kvalitativ ansats användes för att fokusera på deltagarnas subjektiva upplevelser av sin vardag. Fyra samboende par deltog i studien; datainsamlingen genomfördes med strukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer bestående av frågor med öppna svarsalternativ. Data analyserades genom en innehållsanalys vilken ledde fram till fyra kategorier: perspektiv på tid i olika livsfaser, variation av grunder för aktivitetsutförande, olika uppfattningar om aktivitetsutförande och ansvar för hemmet. Resultatet visade att vardagen utformades olika beroende på var deltagarna befann sig i livet och att det fanns olika orsaker till varför deltagarna utförde aktiviteter. Studiens resultat har skapat en större förståelse för den vardagliga kontext samboende partners befinner sig i och vilken inverkan partnernas aktiviteter har på varandra

Vilka aspekter stödjer och/eller hindrar arbetsterapeuter i primärvården att arbeta med patienter som har aktivitetsbegränsningar relaterat till psykisk ohälsa.

Bakgrund: Sjukskrivningarna relaterat till psykisk ohälsa har ökat de senaste åren och behandlingarna rapporteras vara otillräckliga. Det saknas kunskap och resurser för att arbeta med individer med psykisk ohälsa. Primärvården är oftast den instans individer vänder sig till i första skedet och där kan arbetsterapeutiska interventioner användas som en del av behandlingen vid psykisk ohälsa. Syfte: Att undersöka stödjande/hindrande faktorer för arbetsterapeuter inom primärvården i arbetet med patienter som har aktivitetsbegränsningar relaterade till psykisk ohälsa, och vilka bedömningar/interventioner arbetsterapeuterna använder. Metod: En egenkonstruerad webbenkät skickades ut. För att analysera svaren från enkäten användes deskriptiv analys och kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Studien visade på att arbetsterapeuterna hade intresse att arbeta med målgruppen men upplevde att de inte hade stöd i de nationella riktlinjerna. Målgruppen blev remitterade till arbetsterapeuterna men det saknades kunskap om vad arbetsterapeuter kan göra för denna målgrupp. Slutsats: Flertalet av arbetsterapeuterna inom primärvården arbetade med individer med psykisk ohälsa och ansåg att det viktigaste att förbättra var främst ökad kunskap om arbetsterapi inom verksamheten samt teamarbetet med andra vårdprofessioner.Background: Sick leave due to mental illness have increased in recent years and the treatments are reported to be insufficient. There is a lack of knowledge and resources to work with individuals with mental illness. Primary health care is usually the instance individuals meet at first stage, and occupational therapy interventions can be used as part of the treatment of mental illness. Purpose: To investigate what support/prevent occupational therapists in primary health care to work with patients who have activity constraints related to mental illness, and which assessments/interventions occupational therapists use. Method: A self-designed web-survey was sent out. To analyze the answers from the survey, descriptive analysis and qualitative content analysis were used. Results: The study showed that occupational therapists were interested in working with this group but they had no support in the national guidelines. Individuals with mental illness were remitted to the occupational therapists but there was lack of knowledge of what occupational therapists can do for this group. Conclusion: Occupational therapists in primary health care worked with individuals with mental illness and felt that the most important thing to improve was to increased knowledge of occupational therapy and teamwork with other care professionals

Bostad – en vara eller icke vara?

Mallbo är ett projekt som arbetar med en ny bostadsförsörjningsmodell som syftar till att åstadkomma billiga bostäder för ekonomiskt utsatta grupper. Det unika med Mallbo-modellen är att den förenar insatser för att stärka strukturellt hemlösas ekonomiska situation, genom bland annat arbetsmarknadsåtgärder, samtidigt som man vill sänka produktions- och boendekostnaderna. Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att belysa problem och lösningar i svensk bostadsförsörjning genom en fallstudie av Mallbo ur ett rättviseperspektiv. Detta har gjorts genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och dokumentanalys. Fallstudiens resultat pekar på att det finns flera hinder i att göra bostadsförsörjningen mer rättvis. Exempel på detta är dyra byggprocesser och de involverade aktörernas olika incitament som försvårar samverkan. Vidare visar fallstudien att Mallbo-modellen kan komma att bidra till att strukturellt hemlösa kan efterfråga och tilldelas fler billiga och ändamålsenliga bostäder. Studien visar också att bostadsförsörjningsproblemet för betalningssvaga är komplext, vilket innebär att det behövs fler insatser än Mallbo för att göra bostadssituationen mer rättvis. Slutligen kan konstateras att synen på bostaden som vara och något att främst profitera på, bidrar till att de sociala aspekterna av bostaden hamnar i skymundan.Mallbo is a project working on a new housing supply model which aims to provide affordable housing for economically disadvantaged groups. The uniqueness of the Mallbo model is that it combines efforts to strengthen the economic situation for the structurally homeless, including actions on the labor market, while reducing production- and housing costs. The purpose of this thesis has been to highlight problems and solutions in the Swedish housing supply through a case study of Mallbo from a justice perspective. This has been done through semi-structured interviews and document analyses. The results of the case study indicate that there are several obstacles in making housing supply more just. Examples of this are expensive construction processes and the different incentives of the involved actors which complicate the cooperation. Furthermore, the study shows that the Mallbo model can contribute so that structurally homeless can request and be assigned more cheap and efficient housing. The study also shows that the housing supply problem regarding the group of economically disadvantaged is complex, which means that more efforts than Mallbo are required for making the housing law conditions more fair. Finally, it can be said that the perception of the housing as a good and something to make a profit of are contributing to the disregard of the social aspects of housing

Transabdominal ultrasonographic evaluation of fetal well-being in the late-term mare and cow

In the equine practice, attempts have been made to examine the fetus in the second and third trimester of pregnancy but all of the available methods have limitations. Until now, transabdominal ultrasonography has been regarded as the most informative examination. This method allows us to measure fetal heart rate, fetal activity as well as the quality and quantity of the fetal fluids. A modified biophysical profile for horses was used by several researchers in the USA from the 1990s as a gold standard. However, it is not sensitive enough and, in the authors’ experience, professionals can face difficulties during its application (e.g. for measuring aortic diameter and fetal breathing movements). In cows, this method was first used for this purpose by a Canadian research group in 2007. They reported that transabdominal ultrasound was promising but showed low sensitivity in this species. The present studies show that birth weight cannot be predicted from fetal aortic diameter measurement in cows as suggested by other researchers. Transabdominal ultrasound needs special equipment (2–3.5 MHz convex transducer) and basic ultrasonographic knowledge; however, we suggest that in most cases it can be performed with the dam placed in a stock and without shaving the examination area. The method provides useful information within 30–40 minutes, enabling the examiner to determine whether or not the fetus is alive and to recognise placentitis or twins. This technique also allows measuring the combined thickness of the uteroplacental unit, and the authors’ ongoing study showed higher normal values in Lipizzaner mares compared to values in other breeds. In conclusion, with the help of advanced techniques, simple and low-cost methods should be developed for the evaluation of the pregnant dam and its fetus to assess fetal viability in the veterinary practice

Mechanically reinforced, flexible, hydrophobic and uv impermeable starch-cellulose nanofibers (Cnf)-lignin composites with good barrier and thermal properties

Bio-based composite films have been widely studied as potential substitutes for conventional plastics in food packaging. The aim of this study was to develop multifunctional composite films by introducing cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and lignin into starch-based films. Instead of costly and complicated chemical modification or covalent coupling, this study optimized the performance of the composite films by simply tuning the formulation. We found that starch films were mechanically reinforced by CNF, with lignin dispersing as nanoparticles embedded in the matrix. The newly built-up hydrogen bonding between these three components improves the integration of the films, while the introduction of CNF and lignin improved the thermal stability of the starch-based films. Lignin, as a functional additive, improved hydrophobicity and blocked UV transmission. The inherent barrier property of CNF and the dense starch matrix provided the composite films with good gas barrier properties. The prepared flexible films were optically transparent, and exhibited UV blocking ability, good oxygen-barrier properties, high hydrophobicity, appreciable mechanical strength and good thermal stability. These characteristics indicate potential utilization as a green alternative to synthetic plastics especially for food packaging applications.publishedVersio