Legal Challenges and Market Rewards to the Use and Acceptance of Remote Sensing and Digital Information as Evidence

Bakgrund I den nutida forskningen är det essentiellt att företag tar hänsyn till medarbetarnas motivation så att de gynnas av det arbetssätt som tillämpas. En arbetsmetod som blivit allt vanligare är konceptet Lean som ursprungligen kommer från den japanska bilindustrin. Lean har idag utvecklats till ett allmängiltigt koncept som tillämpas i flertalet branscher världen över. Trots att konceptet innebär flertalet positiva aspekter har det fått utstå stark kritik när det kommer till de mänskliga aspekterna och forskare har ställt sig frågan om Lean är "Mean". Kritiken härleds främst till medarbetares arbetsmiljö i form av stress och brist på variation, självbestämmande, hälsa och välmående. Få empiriska studier har däremot genomförts som undersöker konsekvenserna som Lean får på medarbetares upplevda motivation. Syfte Vårt syfte är att undersöka och öka förståelsen för medarbetares upplevelser av motivationen i företag som tillämpar Lean. Vidare har studien för avsikt att utreda om det föreligger en paradox mellan Lean och vad som motiverar medarbetare på en arbetsplats. Metod Studien har utgått från en kvalitativ metod via intervjuer. För att göra en djupare undersökning och analysera hur vårt fenomen, motivation, upplevs i en kontext med Lean tillämpade vi Små-N-studier. Vi har även haft en iterativ forskningsansats som förenat den deduktiva och induktiva ansatsen där studien pendlat mellan teorier och empiriska observationer fram tills det slutgiltiga resultatet. Slutsatser Utefter medarbetarnas upplevelser har vi identifierat att det inte föreligger någon paradox mellan Lean och motivation eftersom övervägande antal medarbetare upplevde att de är motiverade även om företaget tillämpar Lean. Dock har studien kunnat urskilja både stödjande och motverkande faktorer när det kommer till medarbetarnas upplevda arbetsförhållanden som i sin tur inverkar på motivationen. De motverkande faktorerna menar vi främst beror på att arbetsförhållandena i somliga fall innehåller höga prestationskrav, målstyrning samt standardiseringar. Vidare upplevs motivationen överlag som mer positiv när företagen använder en mjukare form av Lean där samtliga medlemmars intressen beaktas.Background In modern research, it is essential that companies consider employees’ motivation so that they benefit from the applied practices. A working method that has become increasingly common is the concept Lean, which has its origin in the Japanese automotive industry. Today, Lean has evolved into a universal concept that is applied in many industries worldwide. Although the concept involves numerous positive aspects it has endured strong criticism when it comes to the human aspects and researchers have raised the question if Lean is "Mean". Criticism is derived primarily to employees’ working conditions in terms of stress and lack, variation, autonomy, health and wellbeing. However, few empirical studies have been carried out that examines the impact that Lean has on employees’ experienced motivation. Aim The aim is to increase the understanding of employees’ experienced motivation in companies that practice Lean. Further on the study has the intention to investigate if there is a paradox between Lean and what motivates employees on work. Methodology The study has been conducted through a qualitative method by interviews and to be able to do a deeper examination and analyze how our phenomenon, motivation, is experienced in a Lean context we applied small-N-studies. Our strategy has been iterative, combining both a deductive and inductive approach, where the study has varied between theories and empirical observations until the final result. Conclusions We have identified that there is no paradox between Lean and motivation since the majority of employees’ experienced that they are motivated even though the company practice Lean. Nevertheless the study shows that there are both supportive and counteractive factors when it comes to the employees’ experienced working conditions. The counteractive factors consists foremost of high performance standards, goal steering and standardizations, and have in some cases a negative influence on the working conditions. Furthermore the experienced motivation is more positive overall when the companies use a softer form of Lean where all the members’ interests are taken into account

Factors Affecting Swedish Forest Property Prices

Historically the price of a forest estate has, at least in Sweden, been closely related to the financial return from the estate, but this connection no longer seems to be that strong, other factors that previously had limited influence on prices now add to the price. Factors like site productivity and age distribution affect the financial return of a forest estate but is it obvious that these factors still influence prices as they once did? Over the last 20 years, the price of forest estates has increased dramatically. If development of prices has led to a weakened connection between return and price, could this be explained by the fact that previously price affecting factors have less weight when valuing forest estates? The purpose of the study was therefore to investigate how a number of factors influence the forest estate price; including site productivity and age distribution. The results shows that neither site productivity, nor age distribution have a significant impact on the forest estate price. What mainly influence the prices seems to be the standing forest volume on the estate and region. The development of the prices seems not only to have influenced the relationship between the return from the forest and the prices, but also minimized the influence of factors like age distribution and site productivity. This means that estates that are bought within the same region, at the same price per cubic meter, can have considerably different potential to gain financial return

Value creation- How can companies optimize the human capital

The thesis aims to examine how companies optimize the human capital from a value creation perspective. The value creation will be related to transfer of knowledge, recruitment, staff turnover and development. The thesis has a deductive approach and six qualitative interviews have been conducted. The results from the interviews will be strengthened with a quantitative data analysis of two measurements; value added per employee and human capital efficiency. The theoretical framework includes definitions of human capital. Theories regarding human capital investments and how to find and develop the human capital are presented. The relation between human and structural capital and theories regarding the measurements are presented. The empirical framework is based on data obtained from the interviews and from the companies’ annual reports. Our conclusion is that the optimization of the human capital is depending on the organisational capital. External recruitment and staff turnover can have an indirect affect while internal recruitment, development and transfer of knowledge can have a direct affect. The factors affect is managed and determined by the organisational capital that influences the optimization of the human capital

Klimatförändringar och djurhälsa hos mjölkkor

Som en följd av den globala uppvärmningen förändras klimatet. Bland annat tros en ökad medeltemperatur och extrema väderförhållanden såsom värmeböljor bli alltmer frekventa runtom i Europa. Klimatförändringarna är något som i allra högsta grad påverkar lantbruket, inklusive mjölksektorn. I detta arbete undersöks hur djurhälsan hos mjölkkor kan påverkas av ett förändrat klimat i Europa, och hur man kan möta några av de utmaningar som kan uppstå. Huvudfokus ligger på hur korna påverkas av en varmare miljö med ökad frekvens av värmeböljor, och om klimatförändringarna kommer kunna leda till att smittsamma sjukdomar sprids i större omfattning och i så fall på vilket sätt. En konsekvens vi kommer kunna se mer av i framtidens Europa till följd av en varmare miljö, är värmestressade kor. Vid höga temperaturer kommer en mjölkko att äta mindre, producera mindre mjölk och få en nedsatt fertilitet. Likaså kan klimatförändringarna gynna både vektorer och parasiter, och därmed leda till en annorlunda spridning och geografisk utbredning av vektorburna sjukdomar och parasiter som infekterar nötkreatur. Detta eftersom både vektorer, såsom myggor, och parasiter är beroende av klimatfaktorer som till exempel temperatur och nederbörd för sin utveckling och överlevnad. Tänkbara sätt att möta utmaningarna med värmestressade kor är att börja använda mer embryoöverföring istället för traditionell insemination och klimatanpassa stall. Att avla för ökad värmetolerans bland europeiska mjölkkor i framtiden kan också vara en tänkbar lösning, så länge andra viktiga egenskaper bibehålls. En diskussion förs också om att mer forskning behövs för att möta eventuella framtida problem med förändrad spridning och geografisk utbredning av parasiter till följd av klimatförändringar. Något annat som tas upp är vikten av att myndigheter tar den globala uppvärmningen på allvar, och bevakar klimatutvecklingen samt spridningen av klimatkänsliga, vektorburna sjukdomar. Det finns till synes en rad utmaningar som ett förändrat klimat leder till i Europa gällande djurhälsan hos mjölkkor, och min slutsats är att det även till stor del går att möta dessa utmaningar. Men, som inom så många andra områden, behövs det mer forskning om hur mjölksektorn och därmed djurhälsan hos mjölkkor påverkas av klimatförändringarna. Det krävs också både planering och beredskap för att man ska kunna möta ovannämnda, framtida utmaningar på ett effektivt sätt.As a consequence of global warming the climate is changing. In Europe, a result of this is predicted to be an increased average temperature and a higher frequency of extreme weather events such as heat waves. Climate change is indeed something that affects agriculture, including dairy cow production systems. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate in what ways the animal health among dairy cows is affected by climate change in Europe, and how to deal with some of the challenges that may emerge. The primary focus of the thesis lies in how the cows will be affected by a warmer environment with a higher frequency of heat waves, and if climate change can lead to an altered spread of contagious diseases, and if so, in what ways. One of the consequences that may be more noticeable in the future as a result of a warmer environment with a higher frequency of heat waves, is heat-stressed dairy cows. At high temperature a dairy cow will eat less, produce less milk and get an impaired fertility. Furthermore, climate change can favor both vectors and parasites, and therefore lead to an altered transmission of vector-borne diseases and parasites infecting cattle. This is because both vectors, such as mosquitos, and parasites are heavily dependent on for example temperature and rainfall for their development and survival. Possible ways to deal with the challenges heat-stressed cows lead to, are for instance starting to use more embryo transfer instead of traditional artificial insemination and climate-adapting barns. In this thesis it is also discussed whether it will be necessary to breed for an increased heat tolerance among European dairy cows in the future. To address possible future problems with an altered spread of parasites due to climate change, it is concluded that more research is needed. Moreover, the importance of governments in each country monitoring climate change and the distribution of climate-sensitive, vector-borne diseases is discussed. There are indeed many challenges that climate change in Europe will lead to when it comes to animal health among dairy cows. But in fact, my conclusion is that it is also possible to meet these challenges in many ways. However, more research is needed on how the animal health among dairy cows is affected and endangered by climate change. Furthermore, both planning and preparedness is required in order to encounter future challenges in an efficient way

Faktorer som påverkar skogsfastigheters pris

Under de senaste 20 åren har priset på skogsfastigheter ökat dramatiskt. Historiskt sett har priset på skogsfastigheter haft en tydlig koppling till skogens avkastning, men detta samband tycks inte längre gälla. Utöver värdet av skogens ekonomiska avkastning, tillkommer idag värdet av ickemonetära resurser som tidigare hade en begränsad betydelse för fastigheternas pris. Faktorer som bonitet och åldersfördelning påverkar en skogsfastighets avkastning. Men är det självklart att dessa faktorer även påverkar skogsfastigheters pris? Om utvecklingen av fastighetspriset medfört en försvagad koppling mellan avkastning och pris, kan detta då förklaras av att tidigare prispåverkande faktorer inte längre beaktas i fastighetsvärderingarna? Syftet med studien var med bakgrund av detta att undersöka hur ett antal faktorer påverkar fastigheters pris; däribland åldersfördelningen och boniteten. Resultatet antyder att varken boniteten eller åldersfördelningen har någon signifikant inverkan på priset på skogsfastigheter. Vad som i huvudsak påverkar priset är fastighetens stående virkesvolym och den region, enligt LRF Konsults indelning, som fastigheten är belägen i. Slutsatsen av resultatet är att värderingen av fastigheter i huvudsak görs utifrån fastigheternas stående skogsvolym och deras regiontillhörighet. Prisutvecklingen tycks inte bara ha påverkat förhållandet mellan avkastningen och priset, utan även minimerat inflytandet av faktorer som åldersfördelning och bonitet. Detta innebär att fastigheter som köpts inom samma region till samma pris per kubikmeter skog, kan ha väsentligt olika förutsättningar att avkasta investeringen.Over the last 20 years, the price on forest real estates has increased dramatically. Historically the price on forest real estates has been closely connected to the economic yield of the estate, but this connection no longer seems to be valid. In addition to the economic yield of the forest, other resources that previously had limited influence on forest real estate prices now add to the price. Factors like site productivity and age distribution affect the economic yield of a forest real estate. But is it obvious that these factors still influence the forest real estate prices as they once did? If the development of the forest real estate prices has led to a weakened connection between economic yield and price, could this be explained by the fact that previously price affecting factors no longer are taken in to consideration when valuing forest real estates? The purpose of the study was therefore to investigate how a number of factors influence the forest real estate price; including site productivity and age distribution. The results shows that neither site productivity, nor age distribution have a significant impact on the forest real estate price. What mainly influence the prices seems to be the standing forest volume on the estate and the region, according to LRF Konsults division, that the estate is located in. The conclusion of the result is that forest real estates are valued mainly according to the standing forest volume on the estate and the region in which the estate is located. The development of the prices seems not only to have influenced the relationship between the economic yield of the forest and the prices, but also minimized the influence of factors like age distribution and site productivity. This means that real estates that are bought within the same region, at the same price per cubic meter of forest, can have considerably different potential to gain economic yield

Birthweight, BMI in adulthood and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults : a Mendelian randomisation study

Aims/hypothesis Observational studies have found an increased risk of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) associated with low birthweight and adult overweight/obese status. We aimed to investigate whether these associations are causal, using a two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) design. In addition, we compared results for LADA and type 2 diabetes. Methods We identified 43 SNPs acting through the fetal genome as instrumental variables (IVs) for own birthweight from a gcnomc-wide association study (GWAS) of the Early Growth Genetics Consortium (EGG) and the UK Biobank. We identified 820 SNPs as IVs for adult BMI from a GWAS of the UK Biobank and the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits consortium (GIANT). Summary statistics for the associations between IVs and LADA were extracted from the only GWAS involving 2634 cases and 5947 population controls. We used the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) estimator as our primary analysis, supplemented by a series of sensitivity analyses. Results Genetically determined own birthweight was inversely associated with LADA (OR per SD [similar to 500 g] decrease in birthweight 1.68 [95% CI 1.01, 2.82]). In contrast, genetically predicted BMI in adulthood was positively associated with LADA (OR per SD [similar to 4.8 kg/m(2)] increase in BMI 1.40 [95% CI 1.14, 1.71]). Robust results were obtained in a range of sensitivity analyses using other MR estimators or excluding some IVs. With respect to type 2 diabetes, the association with birthweight was not stronger than in LADA while the association with adult BMI was stronger than in LADA. Conclusions/ interpretation This study provides genetic support for a causal link between low birthweight, adult overweight/obese status and LADA.Peer reviewe

Overweight, obesity and the risk of LADA : results from a Swedish case-control study and the Norwegian HUNT Study

Aims/hypothesis Excessive weight is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but its role in the promotion of autoimmune diabetes is not clear. We investigated the risk of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) in relation to overweight/obesity in two large population-based studies. Methods Analyses were based on incident cases of LADA (n = 425) and type 2 diabetes (n = 1420), and 1704 randomly selected control participants from a Swedish case-control study and prospective data from the Norwegian HUNT Study including 147 people with LADA and 1,012,957 person-years of follow-up (1984-2008). We present adjusted ORs and HRs with 95% CI. Results In the Swedish data, obesity was associated with an increased risk of LADA (OR 2.93, 95% CI 2.17, 3.97), which was even stronger for type 2 diabetes (OR 18.88, 95% CI 14.29, 24.94). The association was stronger in LADA with low GAD antibody (GADA; Conclusions/interpretation Overweight/obesity is associated with increased risk of LADA, particularly when in combination with FHD. These findings support the hypothesis that, even in the presence of autoimmunity, factors linked to insulin resistance, such as excessive weight, could promote onset of diabetes.Peer reviewe

Combined lifestyle factors and the risk of LADA and type 2 diabetes - Results from a Swedish population-based case-control study

Aims: We investigated the risk of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and type 2 diabetes in relation to a healthy lifestyle, the proportion of patients attributable to an unhealthy lifestyle, and the influence of family history of diabetes (FHD) and genetic susceptibility. Methods: The population-based study included incident LADA (n = 571), type 2 diabetes (n = 1962), and matched controls (n = 2217). A healthy lifestyle was defined by BMI < 25 kg/m2, moderate-to-high physical activity, a healthy diet, no smoking, and moderate alcohol consumption. We estimated odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for age, sex, education, and FHD. Results: Compared to a poor/moderate lifestyle, a healthy lifestyle was associated with a reduced risk of LADA (OR 0.51, CI 0.34-0.77) and type 2 diabetes (OR 0.09, CI 0.05-0.15). A healthy lifestyle conferred a reduced risk irrespective of FHD and high-risk HLA genotypes. Having a BMI < 25 kg/m2 conferred the largest risk reduction for both LADA (OR 0.54, CI 0.43-0.66) and type 2 diabetes (OR 0.12, CI 0.10-0.15) out of the individual items. Conclusion: People with a healthy lifestyle, especially a healthy body weight, have a reduced risk of LADA including those with genetic susceptibility to diabetes. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Consumption of red meat, genetic susceptibility, and risk of LADA and type 2 diabetes

Purpose Red meat consumption is positively associated with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes. We investigated if red meat consumption increases the risk of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and T2D, and potential interaction with family history of diabetes (FHD), HLA and TCF7L2 genotypes. Methods Analyses were based on Swedish case-control data comprising incident cases of LADA (n = 465) and T2D (n = 1528) with matched, population-based controls (n = 1789; n = 1553 in genetic analyses). Multivariable-adjusted ORs in relation to self-reported processed and unprocessed red meat intake were estimated by conditional logistic regression models. Attributable proportion (AP) due to interaction was used to assess departure from additivity of effects. Results Consumption of processed red meat was associated with increased risk of LADA (per one servings/day OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.07-1.52), whereas no association was observed for unprocessed red meat. For T2D, there was no association with red meat intake once BMI was taken into account. The combination of high (> 0.3 servings/day vs. less) processed red meat intake and high-risk HLA-DQB1 and -DRB1 genotypes yielded OR 8.05 (95% CI 4.86-13.34) for LADA, with indications of significant interaction (AP 0.53, 95% CI 0.32-0.73). Results were similar for the combination of FHD-T1D and processed red meat. No interaction between processed red meat intake and FHD-T2D or risk variants of TCF7L2 was seen in relation to LADA or T2D. Conclusion Consumption of processed but not unprocessed red meat may increase the risk of LADA, especially in individuals with FHD-T1D or high-risk HLA genotypes.Peer reviewe

Physical Activity, Genetic Susceptibility, and the Risk of Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults and Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) has been linked to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes by reducing weight and improving insulin sensitivity. We investigated whether PA is associated with a lower incidence of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and whether the association is modified by genotypes of human leukocyte antigen (HLA), transcription factor 7-like 2 ( TCF7L2)-rs7903146, or the fat mass and obesity-associated gene, FTO-rs9939609. Methods: We combined data from a Swedish case-control study and a Norwegian prospective study including 621 incident cases of LADA and 3596 cases of type 2 diabetes. We estimated adjusted pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% CI of diabetes in relation to high (>= 30 minutes of moderate activity 3 times/ week) self-reported leisure time PA, compared to sedentariness. Results: High PA was associated with a reduced risk of LADA (RR 0.61; CI, 0.43-0.86), which was attenuated after adjustment for body mass index (BMI) (RR 0.90; CI, 0.63-1.29). The reduced risk applied only to noncarriers of HLA-DQB1 and -DRB1 (RR 0.49; CI, 0.33-0.72), TCF7L2 (RR 0.62; CI, 0.45-0.87), and FTO (RR 0.51; CI, 0.32-0.79) risk genotypes. Adjustment for BMI attenuated but did not eliminate these associations. For type 2 diabetes, there was an inverse association with PA (RR 0.49; CI, 0.42-0.56), irrespective of genotype. Main Conclusions: Our findings indicate that high PA is associated with a reduced risk of LADA in individuals without genetic susceptibility.Peer reviewe