Undercurrents – A Computer-Based Gameplay Tool to Support Tabletop Roleplaying

This paper introduces Undercurrents, a computer-based gameplay tool for providing additional communication and media streams during tabletop roleplaying sessions. Based upon a client-server architecture, the system is intended to unobtrusively support secret communication, timing of audio and visual presentations to game events, and real-time documentation of the game session. Potential end users have been involved in the development and the paper provides details on the full design process

MAGIC and the Search for Signatures of Supersymmetric Dark Matter

The 17m Imaging Air shower Cherenkov Telescope MAGIC (Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma, Canary Islands) has recently entered its commissioning phase. One of the main goals of the MAGIC telescope project is to provide an unprecedented sensitivity for the detection of gamma rays with energies as low as 30 GeV. A dedicated search for the gamma rays expected to be produced by WIMP annihilations is a prime object of the MAGIC physics program. We consider annihilating supersymmetric dark matter in M 87 and discuss a possible observation strategy. New calculations concerning the extragalactic gamma ray and neutrino backgrounds owing to cosmological neutralino annihilation are also briefly discussed.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of the "6th UCLA Symposium on Sources and Detection of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe", Marina del Rey, 200

Evaluation of post-operative complications after mastectomy performed without perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis in dogs

Background Mastectomy is the most common procedure for treatment of mammary tumours. Dogs undergoing mastectomy have a risk of developing surgical site infections (SSI) and other postoperative complications. However, potential risk factors associated with such complications have been sparsely investigated. Thus, the objective of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence of, and identify risk factors for, SSI and non-SSI postoperative complications after mastectomy performed without perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis in privately owned otherwise clinically healthy dogs. Results Medical records were reviewed retrospectively for 135 client-owned female dogs, 10-35 kg in weight and three to 10 years of age, which had undergone mastectomy due to mammary tumours at three referral animal hospitals in Sweden over a 3-year period. Twelve (8.9%) dogs developed SSI, and 21 dogs (17.1%) dogs suffered a non-SSI postoperative complication. The incidence of SSI and all complications (SSI and non-SSI) were higher in dogs that had two to three (SSI: P = 0.036 and all complications: P = 0.0039) and four to five (SSI and all complications: P = 0.038) mammary glands excised, compared to dogs that had one mammary gland excised. The incidence of SSI was 1.7% (n = 1/60) in dogs that had one gland removed. The incidence of non-SSI postoperative complications was higher in dogs with a higher body weight (P = 0.02). Conclusions The incidence of SSI was lower than or similar to previously reported incidences of SSI in dog populations that have undergone tumour excisional surgery, despite the fact that dogs in the present study had not received perioperative antibiotics. Dogs that had two or more glands excised had an increased risk of developing SSI and non-SSI complications compared to dogs that had one gland excised. Furthermore, higher BW was associated with an increased risk of non-SSI complications. Results from the study indicate that routine use of perioperative antibiotics in tumour excisional surgery can be questioned, at least in single gland mastectomy in otherwise clinically healthy dogs

Food plots as a habitat management tool: forage production and ungulate browsing in adjacent forest

A key challenge for wildlife management is to handle competing goals. High ungulate densities may be desirable from hunting and recreational perspectives, but may come in conflict with needs to limit or reduce browsing damage. Since browsing intensity is negatively related to forage availability it may be possible to mitigate damage on forest by increasing forage availability within the landscape. A commonly used method to increase the attractiveness of a localized part of the landscape is to establish food plots. In a multiyear setup using enclosures, wildlife observations, field surveys, and controlled biomass removal, we studied food plots to document forage production, utilization by ungulates, and browsing on adjacent forests in southern Sweden. The fenced parts of the food plots produced on average 2230 to 5810 kg ha. 1 marrow-stem kale, second-year clover mix or early-sown rapeseed. The biomass of target crops was generally higher within ungrazed (exclosures) compared to grazed (controls) quadrats on the food plots, which demonstrates that the crops were used as forage by ungulates. Browsing on deciduous trees in the adjacent forest was higher within 70-135 m from the food plots compared to areas further away. For wildlife management, our study shows that establishment of food plots provides substantial amounts of forage both during growing season and at the onset of the dormant season, and that a large share of this food is consumed. Finally, our study documents that forage availability for ungulates at the onset of the often-limiting dormant season can be increased by fencing food plots throughout the growing season

Kunskap om Vilt och Skog 4

• Klövviltet är en förnybar resurs som har såväl ekologiska, ekonomiska som sociala värden. • Samtidigt orsakar klövviltets bete på träd nedsatt virkeskvalitet, minskad tillväxt och därmed minskat ekonomiskt utbyte för skogsnäringen. • En ökad fodermängd i landskapet kan minska betestrycket på ekonomiskt viktiga trädslag. • Genom att anlägga viltåkrar kan fodertillgången i landskapet ökas och viss del av betningen styras mot dessa. • Studien visar att 1 700–13 000 kg foder (torrvikt) per hektar potentiellt kan skapas beroende på gröda, men att en stor del konsumeras av klövviltet redan på sommaren. • I brynen kring viltåkrarna var betestrycket på lövträd 20–50 % högre än på marker längre från åkrarna, vilket tyder på en ökad skaderisk för träd i direkt anslutning till åkrarna

Cosmological gamma ray and neutrino backgrounds due to neutralino dark matter annihilation

We compute the cosmological background radiation of gamma rays and neutrinos due to neutralino annihilation in evolving dark matter halos, assuming the observed dark matter is comprised of thermally excited neutralinos in the MSSM. The spectrum of this gamma-ray background radiation does not show strong annihilation line features, but could amount to a significant fraction of the extragalactic gamma ray continuum flux observed by EGRET above a few GeV. The corresponding cosmological neutrino background is weak compared to the atmospheric foreground. Assuming full mixing, however, the cosmological tau-neutrino background could be detectable with a flavor-discriminating neutrino telescope in the energy range 10 GeV - 1 TeV. A small anisotropy of the background radiation is expected, reflecting the local clustering of dark matter halos along the supergalactic plane.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures; Accepted for publication by Astroparticle Physic

Neural markers of inhibition in human memory retrieval

Retrieving particular information from memory facilitates the later retrieval of that information, but also impairs the later retrieval of related, interfering information. It has been theorized that this retrieval-induced forgetting reflects inhibition of interfering memory representations. We used event-related fMRI to investigate the functional neuroanatomy of this impaired retrieval, at the time the impairment is observed. Neural activity differences between impaired and facilitated information occurred in left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC, BA 45 and 47), precuneus (BA 7), and right inferior parietal lobule (IPL, BA 40). Activity in left anterior VLPFC (BA 47) and left posterior temporal cortex (BA 22), regions implicated in the controlled retrieval of weak semantic memory representations, predicted the degree of retrieval-induced forgetting. In contrast, activity in precuneus and right IPL predicted the degree of retrieval-induced facilitation. Our findings demonstrate that impairment of interfering memories and facilitation of practiced memories involve distinct neural processes, and suggest that the impairment reflects inhibition that weakens interfering memory representations

Innovative, effective and sustainable technology and logistics for forest residual biomass

Luken kirjat, raportit, oppaat ja esitteet. Summary of the INFRES project results201

Long-term effects of no-take zones in Swedish waters

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly established worldwide to protect and restore degraded ecosystems. However, the level of protection varies among MPAs and has been found to affect the outcome of the closure. In no-take zones (NTZs), no fishing or extraction of marine organisms is allowed. The EU Commission recently committed to protect 30% of European waters by 2030 through the updated Biodiversity Strategy. Importantly, one third of these 30% should be of strict protection. Exactly what is meant by strict protection is not entirely clear, but fishing would likely have to be fully or largely prohibited in these areas. This new target for strictly protected areas highlights the need to evaluate the ecological effects of NTZs, particularly in regions like northern Europe where such evaluations are scarce. The Swedish NTZs made up approximately two thirds of the total areal extent of NTZs in Europe a decade ago. Given that these areas have been closed for at least 10 years and can provide insights into long-term effects of NTZs on fish and ecosystems, they are of broad interest in light of the new 10% strict protection by 2030 commitment by EU member states.In total, eight NTZs in Swedish coastal and offshore waters were evaluated in the current report, with respect to primarily the responses of focal species for the conservation measure, but in some of the areas also ecosystem responses. Five of the NTZs were established in 2009-2011, as part of a government commission, while the other three had been established earlier. The results of the evaluations are presented in a synthesis and also in separate, more detailed chapters for each of the eight NTZs. Overall, the results suggest that NTZs can increase abundances and biomasses of fish and decapod crustaceans, given that the closed areas are strategically placed and of an appropriate size in relation to the life cycle of the focal species. A meta-regression of the effects on focal species of the NTZs showed that CPUE was on average 2.6 times higher after three years of protection, and 3.8 times higher than in the fished reference areas after six years of protection. The proportion of old and large individuals increased in most NTZs, and thereby also the reproductive potential of populations. The increase in abundance of large predatory fish also likely contributed to restoring ecosystem functions, such as top-down control. These effects appeared after a 5-year period and in many cases remained and continued to increase in the longer term (>10 years). In the two areas where cod was the focal species of the NTZs, positive responses were weak, likely as an effect of long-term past, and in the Kattegat still present, recruitment overfishing. In the Baltic Sea, predation by grey seal and cormorant was in some cases so high that it likely counteracted the positive effects of removing fisheries and led to stock declines in the NTZs. In most cases, the introduction of the NTZs has likely decreased the total fishing effort rather than displacing it to adjacent areas. In the Kattegat NTZ, however, the purpose was explicitly to displace an unselective coastal mixed bottom-trawl fishery targeting Norway lobster and flatfish to areas where the bycatches of mature cod were smaller. In two areas that were reopened to fishing after 5 years, the positive effects of the NTZs on fish stocks eroded quickly to pre-closure levels despite that the areas remained closed during the spawning period, highlighting that permanent closures may be necessary to maintain positive effects.We conclude from the Swedish case studies that NTZs may well function as a complement to other fisheries management measures, such as catch, effort and gear regulations. The experiences from the current evaluation show that NTZs can be an important tool for fisheries management especially for local coastal fish populations and areas with mixed fisheries, as well as in cases where there is a need to counteract adverse ecosystem effects of fishing. NTZs are also needed as reference for marine environmental management, and for understanding the effects of fishing on fish populations and other ecosystem components in relation to other pressures. MPAs where the protection of both fish and their habitats is combined may be an important instrument for ecosystembased management, where the recovery of large predatory fish may lead to a restoration of important ecosystem functions and contribute to improving decayed habitats.With the new Biodiversity Strategy, EUs level of ambition for marine conservation increases significantly, with the goal of 30% of coastal and marine waters protected by 2030, and, importantly, one third of these areas being strictly protected. From a conservation perspective, rare, sensitive and/or charismatic species or habitats are often in focus when designating MPAs, and displacement of fisheries is then considered an unwanted side effect. However, if the establishment of strictly protected areas also aims to rebuild fish stocks, these MPAs should be placed in heavily fished areas and designed to protect depleted populations by accounting for their home ranges to generate positive outcomes. Thus, extensive displacement of fisheries is required to reach benefits for depleted populations, and need to be accounted for e.g. by specific regulations outside the strictly protected areas. These new extensive EU goals for MPA establishment pose a challenge for management, but at the same time offer an opportunity to bridge the current gap between conservation and fisheries management

Competition for the fish - fish extraction from the Baltic Sea by humans, aquatic mammals and birds

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