“I have nobody, I need someone. My name is Amanda Todd” - En kvalitativ studie om mobbning på sociala medier.

15-åriga Amanda Todd från Kanada blev utsatt för nätmobbning och trakasserier, så till den grad att hon valde att ta sitt eget liv i oktober 2012. Fallet har fått förvånansvärt lite uppmärksamhet i svenska medier, och nätmobbning är ett fenomen som är relativt outforskat i Sverige. Denna uppsats undersöker mobbningens uttryck i den digitala världen, i åldersgruppen 13-16 år, och hur den skiljer sig från den traditionella mobbningens uttrycksformer. Vidare sätts nätmobbningen i förhållande till det digitala identitetsskapandet och nätmobbningen problematiseras även ur ett genusperspektiv. Syftet var att göra en undersökande studie kring fenomenet nätmobbning där ungdomarnas egna upplevelse och definition har varit i centrum. Genom en kvalitativ ansats har vi utfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med 9 respondenter i åldrarna 13-16 år för att besvara våra frågeställningar. Inom de alltmer visuella sociala medierna, blir fokus på utseende och sexualitet tydligt framträdande, något som nätmobbningen ofta kretsar kring. Ungdomarna upplevde att man ensam bar ansvaret för det egna handlandet och konsekvenserna av det egna agerandet, vilket kan förstås som en konsekvens av samhällets individualisering

Germany’s contribution to the forest and climate protection programme REDD+

Deforestation and forest degradation are major contributors to climate change. The international REDD+ framework aims to mitigate climate change by rewarding developing countries for conserving and sustainably managing their forests and for enhancing forest carbon stocks. This report synthesizes the existing evidence about the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact of REDD+ measures supported by the German Federal Government. Primary and secondary REDD+ documents and literature were analysed and triangulated with qualitative interviews. The synthesis study provides evidence-based insights into the results and impact of REDD+ measures that have been designed, financed, and implemented by or on behalf of German actors. It is the first inter-ministerial study by the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) that encompasses measures commissioned by three different Federal Ministries. The report highlights heterogeneous results on the numerous REDD+ objectives. REDD+ leads to notable changes in partner countries and renews attention to forests, Indigenous Peoples, and rural communities. German efforts are unique and have shaped and advanced the REDD+ concept internationally. The initial expectation of reducing emissions in the forest sector has not (yet) been fulfilled, also because most countries needed considerable readiness support. The report confirms the difficulties in countering deforestation and forest degradation, and in setting effective incentives vis-à-vis the powerful drivers behind forest destruction. The report derives several implications for improving and further developing REDD+ strategies and portfolios, coordination, transparent communication, and learning by German implementing organizations and Federal Ministries

Germany's Contribution to the Forest and Climate Protection Programme REDD+: synthesis study

Deforestation and forest degradation are major contributors to climate change. The international REDD+ framework aims to mitigate climate change by rewarding developing countries for conserving and sustainably managing their forests and for enhancing forest carbon stocks. This report synthesizes the existing evidence about the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact of REDD+ measures supported by the German Federal Government. Primary and secondary REDD+ documents and literature were analysed and triangulated with qualitative interviews. The synthesis study provides evidence-based insights into the results and impact of REDD+ measures that have been designed, financed, and implemented by or on behalf of German actors. It is the first inter-ministerial study by the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) that encompasses measures commissioned by three different Federal Ministries. The report highlights heterogeneous results on the numerous REDD+ objectives. REDD+ leads to notable changes in partner countries and renews attention to forests, Indigenous Peoples, and rural communities. German efforts are unique and have shaped and advanced the REDD+ concept internationally. The initial expectation of reducing emissions in the forest sector has not (yet) been fulfilled, also because most countries needed considerable readiness support. The report confirms the difficulties in countering deforestation and forest degradation, and in setting effective incentives vis-à-vis the powerful drivers behind forest destruction. The report derives several implications for improving and further developing REDD+ strategies and portfolios, coordination, transparent communication, and learning by German implementing organizations and Federal Ministries

Who\u27s accessing emergency food services?

Introduction: Last year, Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf provided 1,260,517 pounds of food to over 11,000 people each month via groceries, hot meals and home delivery, supplying an average of almost 40% of food for families. CEFS seeks to improve their services and offerings by better understanding the demographics, food preference, and needs of the clients they serve. Our goal was to collect demographic and utilization data to identify areas where CEFS could enhance services and improve client access to healthful food.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1208/thumbnail.jp

Improved Predictions for the Arctic and connections to the Midlatitudes

Several Blue-Action partners attended the 2017 Arctic Circle event http://www.arcticcircle.org/ in Reykjavik, Iceland, October 13-15. These are the sessions we have been contributing to: http://www.blue-action.eu/index.php?id=4011 More information about the event and full programme: http://www.arcticcircle.org/ Keywords: Blue-Action, Blue Growth, Improved Predictions, Arctic, northern hemisphere, weather, climate, Climate Services, business strategy, Climate service innovation, climate-resilience, Arctic business, H2020, climate actio

Modelling marine trophic transfer of radiocarbon (14C) from a nuclear facility

Sellafield marine discharges of 14C are the largest contributor to the global collective dose from the nuclear fuel industry. As such, it is important to understand the fate of these discharges beyond the limitations and scope of empirical analytical investigations for this highly mobile radioactive contaminant. Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) is widely used to model anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems, such as fishing, although very few EwE studies have modelled the fate of bioavailable contaminants. This work presents, for the first time, a spatial-temporal 14C model utilising recent developments in EwE software to predict the ecological fate of anthropogenic 14C in the marine environment. The model predicted observed trends in 14C activities between different species and through time. It also provided evidence for the integration of Sellafield 14C in species at higher trophic levels through time

The Utility of Acute-Phase Proteins in the Assessment of Treatment Response in Dogs With Bacterial Pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Acute-phase proteins (APPs) are sensitive markers of inflammation, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) recently has been shown to be a useful diagnostic marker in dogs with bacterial pneumonia (BP). In humans with community-acquired pneumonia, APPs also have great utility as follow-up markers aiding in the assessment of treatment response. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to investigate the applicability of APPs as markers of treatment response in dogs with BP. ANIMALS: Nineteen dogs diagnosed with BP and 64 healthy dogs. METHODS: The study was conducted as a prospective longitudinal observational study. Serum CRP, serum amyloid A (SAA), and haptoglobin concentrations were followed during a natural course of BP. Normalization of serum CRP was used to guide the duration of antibiotic treatment (treatment was stopped 5-7 days after CRP normalized) in 8 of 17 dogs surviving to discharge; 9 of 17 dogs were treated according to conventional recommendations. RESULTS: All measured APPs initially were significantly increased, but the magnitude of increase was not correlated to disease severity. C-reactive protein and SAA concentrations decreased rapidly after initiation of antimicrobial treatment. When normalization of serum CRP was used to guide the duration of antibiotic treatment, treatment duration was significantly (P = .015) decreased without increasing the number of relapses. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Serum CRP and SAA reflected the recovery process well and therefore may be used as markers of treatment response. According to the results, the normalization of serum CRP may be used to guide the duration of antibiotic treatment in dogs with BP.Peer reviewe

Development of Spatial Distribution Patterns by Biofilm Cells

Confined spatial patterns of microbial distribution are prevalent in nature, such as in microbial mats, soil communities, and water stream biofilms. The symbiotic two-species consortium of Pseudomonas putida and Acinetobacter sp. strain C6, originally isolated from a creosote-polluted aquifer, has evolved a distinct spatial organization in the laboratory that is characterized by an increased fitness and productivity. In this consortium, P. putida is reliant on microcolonies formed by Acinetobacter sp. C6, to which it attaches. Here we describe the processes that lead to the microcolony pattern by Acinetobacter sp. C6. Ecological spatial pattern analyses revealed that the microcolonies were not entirely randomly distributed and instead were arranged in a uniform pattern. Detailed time-lapse confocal microscopy at the single-cell level demonstrated that the spatial pattern was the result of an intriguing self-organization: small multicellular clusters moved along the surface to fuse with one another to form microcolonies. This active distribution capability was dependent on environmental factors (carbon source and oxygen) and historical contingency (formation of phenotypic variants). The findings of this study are discussed in the context of species distribution patterns observed in macroecology, and we summarize observations about the processes involved in coadaptation between P. putida and Acinetobacter sp. C6. Our results contribute to an understanding of spatial species distribution patterns as they are observed in nature, as well as the ecology of engineered communities that have the potential for enhanced and sustainable bioprocessing capacity

A multicenter, non-randomized, phase II study of docetaxel and carboplatin administered every 3 weeks as second line chemotherapy in patients with first relapse of platinum sensitive epithelial ovarian, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer

In patients with ovarian cancer relapsing at least 6 months after end of primary treatment, the addition of paclitaxel to platinum treatment has been shown to improve survival but at the cost of significant neuropathy. In the first line setting, the carboplatin-docetaxel combination was as effective as the combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel but with less neurotoxicity. This study was initiated to evaluate the feasibility of carboplatin with docetaxel as second line treatment in patients with ovarian, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer. Methods Patients with stage IC-IV epithelial ovarian, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer were enrolled at the first relapse after at least 6 months since completion of the first line treatment. Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 was given as an one hour IV infusion followed immediately by carboplatin (AUC = 5) given as a 30–60 min. IV infusion on day 1 and repeated every 3 weeks for 6–9 courses. Primary endpoint was toxicity; secondary endpoints were response rate and the time to progression. Results A total of 74 patients were included. Of these, 50 patients received 6 or more cycles, 13 received 3–5 courses and 11 received less than 3 courses. A total of 398 cycles were given. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was seen in 80% (59 of 74) patients with an incidence of febrile neutropenia of 16%. Grade 2/3 sensory peripheral neuropathy occurred in 7% of patients, but no grade 4 sensory peripheral neuropathy was observed. Sixty patients were evaluable for response. The overall response rate was 70% with 28% complete responses in the response evaluable patient population. Median progression-free survival was 12.4 months (95% CI 10.4-14.4). Conclusions The three-weekly regimen of docetaxel in combination with carboplatin was feasible and active as second-line treatment of platinum-sensitive ovarian, peritoneal and Fallopian tube cancer. The major toxicity was neutropenia, while the frequency of peripheral neuropathy was low.BioMed Central open acces