Freedom and dependency from a feminist perspective - a comparison between Nina Björk, Martha C. Nussbaum and Simone de Beauvoir

This paper will deal with the complex interaction between our individual freedom (independence) and our deep need of other people (dependency). Western women often say that non-Western women are not free as a consequence of tradition and culture. It is rarer that we question our own so called freedom. My main purpose is to take a closer look at the relationship between independence and neediness in order to see why this relationship is problematic but also what good it might bring. This paper is an analysis of three prominent feminists? arguments regarding this matter. I have turned to Nina Björk, Martha C. Nussbaum and Simone de Beauvoir in order to find answers to my questions. My results are a reflection of the complications but also the possibilities that this interaction creates. Feminist theory is occupied with this question as well and my choice to consult the above mentioned feminists is no coincidence. Their some what opaque position is a trend within feminist theory which today lacks a coherent reference point as far as women and women's rights are concerned

Prevalence of subclinical mastitis and udder pathogens in small holder dairy farms in Mapepe, Batoka and Choma areas in Zambia

Subclinical mastitis (SCM) is a well-known problem in the dairy sector, where it causes severe economic losses mainly due to reduced milk production. This is a problem not only in the western world but also in developing countries. Surveys from different developing countries have shown a SCM prevalence of 52.4 – 88.6 % at cow level and 26.7 – 63.2 % at quarter-level. To combat mastitis is important to optimize the milk production of the cow. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SCM and udder pathogens on small scale dairy farms in three different areas in southern Zambia, and to obtain information about the distribution of different pathogens and penicillin resistance among staphylococcal species. A field study was conducted including 26 farms. From these farms udder bulk milk samples and quarter milk samples were taken from 111 cows without signs of clinical mastitis (CM). All milk samples were analyzed for somatic cell count (SCC) using the DeLaval cell counter. Bacteriological culturing was done on all quarter samples (n=432). Staphylococcal strains were tested for production of β-lactamase to evaluate the penicillin resistance. Based on SCC > 200 x 103/ml, the prevalence of SCM in the studied cow population was 48.7 % at cow level and 26.9 % at quarter level. The prevalence of intramammary infection (IMI) on cow and quarter level was 41.4 % and 31.5 % respectively. The most common udder pathogens were Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (CNS), followed by Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, accounting for 60.0 % and 30.4 % of the isolated bacteria, respectively. Of the staphylococcal isolates tested for penicillin resistance, 75.9 % of the S. aureus and 34.5 % of the CNS were positive for production of β-lactamase. According to the results, the prevalence of SCM in these areas of southern Zambia is modest compared to reports from other developing countries, both at cow and quarter level, but high compared to countries with a more developed dairy sector. The bacteriological findings are similar to results from other comparable countries, with the exception of the frequency of streptococcal isolates which was low; all together they represented 1.6 %, more than half of which emanated from the same farm. Streptococcus (Strept.) agalactiae, a strict udder bound and contagious pathogen, was only found on one farm which implies that it is not commonly occurring and measures ought to be taken to prevent this bacterium from becoming a growing mastitis problem. Although the prevalence of SCM in this study was not notably high it still indicates that there is a potential for improvement of the udder health to increase the milk production in Zambia. Increasing the level of milk production contributes in turn to better availability of milk which is a wholesome and therefore valuable food item as well as increased income from the sale of milk for the small scale dairy farmer. Achieving improved udder health requires organized control programs with advisory service to the farmers about mastitis prevention as well as resources to implement necessary interventions. Regular surveys monitoring the effects of such programs are needed for success in a long term perspective.Subklinisk mastit (SKM) är ett välkänt problem inom mjölkproduktionen som orsakar stora ekonomiska förluster, främst på grund av minskad mjölkproduktion. SKM är inte bara ett problem i västvärlden utan också i utvecklingsländer. Studier från olika u-länder har visat en prevalens av SCM på 52,4 - 88,6 % på konivå och 26,7 - 63,2 % på juverdelsnivå. Mastitbekämpning är ett viktigt led i att försöka optimera mjölkproduktionen genom minskade förluster, men trots detta har inga studier avseende prevalensen av SKM i Zambia gjorts. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka prevalensen av SKM hos kor i småskalig mjölkproduktion i tre olika områden i södra Zambia samt förekomsten av juverpatogener och penicillinresistens hos stafylokockerna. En fältstudie utfördes på 26 gårdar. Prover togs på individuell samlingsmjölk från hela juvret samt från varje juverdel separat från 111 kor utan tecken på klinisk mastit. Analys av mjölkens celltal utfördes på samtliga prover med DeLaval’s cellräknare. Bakteriologisk odling gjordes på alla juverdelsprover (n=432). Stafylokockstammar som isolerades testades för produktion av β-laktamas för att utvärdera eventuell penicillinresistens. Baserat på SCC > 200 x 103/ml hade 48,7 % av de inkluderade korna SKM och på juverdelsnivå var prevalensen 26,9 %. Förekomsten av intramammära infektioner på ko- och juverdelsnivå var 41,4 % respektive 31,5 %. Vanligast förekommande patogener var koagulasnegativa stafylokocker (KNS), följt av Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, vilka utgjorde 60,0 % respektive 30,4 % av bakterieisolaten. Av de stafylokockisolat som testades för penicillinresistens var 34,5 % av KNS och 75,9 % av S. aureus positiva för produktion av β-laktamas. Resultaten visar att prevalensen av SKM både på ko- och juverdelsnivå i Zambia är ganska modest jämfört med andra utvecklingsländer men den är hög om man jämför med länder med en mer utvecklad mjölkproduktion. De bakteriologiska fynden liknar resultaten från andra jämförbara länder, med undantag för den lägre frekvensen av streptokockisolat som tillsammans endast representerade 1,6 % varav mer än hälften kom från samma gård. Streptococcus (Strept.) agalactiae, en strikt juverbunden och mycket smittsam patogen, isolerades endast från en gård vilket tyder på att den inte är så spridd. Det är positivt och ger goda förutsättningar för att förhindra att denna bakterie blir ett växande mastitproblem. Även om prevalensen av SKM som observerades i denna studie inte var anmärkningsvärt hög tyder det ändå på att det finns en god potential till förbättring av juverhälsan för att åstadkomma en förbättrad mjölkproduktion i Zambia. En större volym producerad mjölk bidrar till större tillgänglighet av mjölk, som är ett nutritionellt fullvärdigt och därför värdefullt livsmedel, samt högre inkomster från försäljning av mjölk för de småskaliga mjölkbönderna. För att åstadkomma ett bättre juverhälsoläge behövs organiserade kontrollprogram med rådgivning till bönderna om mastitförebyggande åtgärder samt resurser för att genomföra nödvändiga förbättringar. Regelbundet återkommande uppföljningar för att övervaka effekterna är nödvändiga för att lyckas i ett långsiktigt perspektiv

Tidig social kontakt mellan smågrisar från olika kullar, konsekvenser för tillväxt och beteende

Blandning av främmande grisar med varandra i samband med avvänjning kan leda till aggressioner och allvarliga skador. Vid uppfödning av okastrerade hangrisar kan problem i samband med blandningen försvåras ytterligare och kan bli ett potentiellt djurvälfärdsproblem. Genom att låta de smågrisar som ska gå ihop efter avvänjning träffas redan vid två veckors ålder kan aggressionerna reduceras. Två veckor är den ålder då smågrisar naturligt lämnar boet och slår följe med den övriga gruppen. Vid den perioden kan smågrisarna skapa nya kontakter utan att det involverar aggressioner. I det här försöket observerades 12 försökskullar och 12 kontrollkullar. Suggorna med smågrisar hölls i konventionella grisningsboxar och inga hangrisar kastrerades under försöket. Smågrisarna i försöksgruppen fick tillgång till boxen intill och blandades med en annan kull från två veckors ålder (13-16 dagar) fram till avvänjning (33–36 dagar). Smågrisarna vägdes regelbundet från födsel till en vecka efter avvänjning. Smågrisarnas beteende och digivningar observerades innan blandningen, dagen efter blandningen, vid fyra veckors ålder och avvänjningsdagen. Antal riv- och bitsår på smågrisarna räknades också under perioden. Det var inga skillnader i vare sig smågrisarnas tillväxt eller digivningsbeteende under diperioden. Endast ett fåtal fall av korsdi och allvarligare riv- och bitskador observerades. Dagen efter blandningen hade antalet aggressiva beteenden ökat något i försöksgruppen, dock inte signifikant. Efter avvänjningen var de smågrisar som haft tillgång till boxen intill, under diperioden, mer aktiva och utförde fler sociala kontakter än smågrisarna i kontrollgruppen. Studien visade att den tidiga blandningen inte hade några negativa effekter på smågrisarna under diperioden

Samband mellan dammars egenskaper och trollsländearters förekomst och detekterbarhet

På senare år har intresset för trollsländor ökat. I jämförelse med andra stora och lättstuderade insekter finns dock relativt få vetenskapliga och systematiska studier. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur habitatet påverkar trollsländearternas förekomstmönster och detekterbarheten hos olika arters larver samt inventeringsmetodens effektivitet. Med detekterbarhet menas sannolikheten att arten upptäckts givet att den finns på lokalen. Både larver och adulta trollsländor inventerades i 14 dammar i Frihult, Sjöbo kommun i Skåne under juni-augusti 2009. Larverna inventerades genom håvning och för varje håvdrag noterades dominerande vegetation. Förekomstdata för trolleländelarverna samt dammarnas egenskaper analyserades art för art med hjälp av programvaran Presence4.2. Jag testade om dammarnas pH, yta, djup och beskuggningsgrad påverkade sannolikheten för att en art förekom och om vegetation och tiden för inventeringen påverkade sannolikheten att upptäcka en viss art. För varje damm jämfördes observationer av larver med observationer av adulter av samma art. 28 arter hittades under inventeringen, totalt 22 arter av larver och 25 arter av fullbildade trollsländor. De 13 vanligaste arterna analyserades. Beskuggning var den egenskap som påverkade flest arter. De flesta av dessa arter fördrog mer solexponerade dammar. De tre arter som påverkades av dammens yta fördrog alla större dammar. Enligt de statistiska analyserna t fanns genomsnitt en art i 16 % fler dammar än vad den upptäcktes i. Alltså kan man räkna med att missa relativt många förekomster av larver även under en intensiv inventering som denna. Är syftet med en inventering att finna många arter inom ett större område är inventering av adulter mest effektivt, men vill man undersöka vilka livsmiljöer som är viktiga för reproduktion måste larverna inventeras. Vid håvning av larver är det viktigt att vara ute både i början och slutet av sommaren då det inte finns någon tidpunkt då larver av samtliga arter finns i dammen. Finns flera typer av vegetation bör man håva i alla dessa då sannolikheten att upptäcka en viss art varierar beroende på vegetationstypen

Exploring the meaning, role and experiences of a patient-led social innovation for people affected by cancer: a new collaborative care model complementing traditional cancer rehabilitation in Sweden

Objective Kraftens Hus is the first support centre in Sweden designed by and for people affected by cancer, including patients, family, friends, staff members and local community representatives (collectively \u27stakeholders\u27). The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning, role and experiences of Kraftens Hus stakeholders using a patient and public involved methodology. Methods To understand and map the experiences of visitors to Kraftens Hus, we applied concept mapping (CM), a mixed methods approach where data are collected and analysed in four structured steps designed to capture the diverse perspectives of multiple stakeholders. Qualitative interviews with relevant stakeholders supplemented the CM findings. Results The final concept map contained six clusters of ideas. Within the clusters, there was a recurring theme that cancer-affected people value accessible and long-term psychosocial support (PSS). The intended emotional, social and practical needs identified in a previous design process seem to have been addressed and appreciated by Kraftens Hus visitors. Conclusion Kraftens Hus is an example of a new patient-led social innovation based on a life-event perspective and integration of resources from different sectors in society. By focusing on life, not the disease, the care continuum expands, and long-term PSS is provided alongside cancer treatment. The evaluation confirms that PSS should focus on health and well-being in the broadest sense

The process of identifying, solving and preventing drug related problems in the LIMM-study

Objective To avoid negative effects of drug treatment and need for additional medical care, drug treatment must be individualised. Our research group has developed a model for clinical pharmacy which improves several aspects of the patient's drug treatment. This study describes the process behind these improvements, i.e. drug related problems identified by pharmacists within a clinical pharmacy service. Setting Three wards at a department of internal medicine. Method Pharmacists performed systematic interventions during the patient's hospital stay, aiming to identify, solve and prevent drug related problems in the elderly. Identified drug related problems were put forward to the health care team and discussed. Information on identified problems, and their outcomes was collected and analysed. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the health care personnel's attitudes towards the process. Main outcome measure The number of drug related problems identified by the clinical pharmacists, the proportion of problems discussed with the physicians, the proportion of problems adjusted by the physicians and whether pharmacists and physicians prioritised any subgroup of drug related problems when choosing which problems to address. Finally, we wanted to evaluate the health care personnel's attitudes towards the model. Results In total, 1,227 problem were identified in 190 patients. The pharmacists discussed 685 (55.8%) of the identified problems with the physicians who accepted 438 (63.9%) of the suggestions. There was no significant difference in which subgroup to put forward and which to adjust. There was a high response rate (84%) to the questionnaire, and the health care personnel estimated the benefits to be very high, both for the patients and for themselves. Conclusion The process for identifying, solving and preventing drug related problems was good and the different types of problems were considered equally important. The addition of a clinical pharmacy service was considered very useful. This suggests that the addition of our clinical pharmacy service to the hospital setting add skills of great importance

The seafloor from a trait perspective:A comprehensive life history dataset of soft sediment macrozoobenthos

Biological trait analysis (BTA) is a valuable tool for evaluating changes in community diversity and its link to ecosystem processes as well as environmental and anthropogenic perturbations. Trait-based analytical techniques like BTA rely on standardised datasets of species traits. However, there are currently only a limited number of datasets available for marine macrobenthos that contain trait data across multiple taxonomic groups. Here, we present an open-access dataset of 16 traits for 235 macrozoobenthic species recorded throughout multiple sampling campaigns of the Dutch Wadden Sea; a dynamic soft bottom system where humans have long played a substantial role in shaping the coastal environment. The trait categories included in this dataset cover a variety of life history strategies that are tightly linked to ecosystem functioning and the resilience of communities to (anthropogenic) perturbations and can advance our understanding of environmental changes and human impacts on the functioning of soft bottom systems

On the influence of serotonin- and sex steroid-related genetic variation on mood, anxiety, personality, autism and transsexualism

Background: The neurotransmitter serotonin has been related to mood and anxiety, and variation in genes that encode important members of the serotonergic system may hence affect mood- and anxiety-related traits. Sex steroids influence brain development, and variation in genes encoding androgen and estrogen receptors, or enzymes needed for sex steroid synthesis, may be of importance for both personality traits and risk for psychiatric disorders. The specific aims of this thesis were: (i) to investigate the possible influence of serotonin-related genetic variation on the neural correlates of anxiety, and on mood- and anxiety-related phenotypes, including premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), depression and anxiety-related personality traits, (ii) to investigate the possible influence of sex steroid-related genetic variation on personality, autism spectrum disorder and transsexualism, and (iii) to try to ameliorate the chance of detecting effects of combinations of genetic variations by restricting the statistical analysis to particular patterns. Results: (i) The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) and a polymorphism in an important enzyme for serotonin synthesis (tryptophan hydroxylase 2; TPH2) were associated with amygdala response during presentation of angry faces in subjects with social phobia and controls. (ii) The same polymorphisms were associated with response to placebo and also with placebo-induced changes in amygdala activity during public speaking in subjects with social phobia. (iii) In men, genetic variation in the neurotrophic factor BDNF, which is closely related to the serotonergic system, was associated with the amount of serotonin transporter in the brain. (iv) Polymorphisms in genes that encode proteins important for the development of the serotonergic system (GATA2), for serotonin synthesis (TPH2) and for serotonergic transmission (5-HT3B) were associated with PMDD. (v) The 5-HTTLPR was shown to influence reports of controllable stressful life events in combination with the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism or anxiety-related personality traits in non-depressed men. (vi) Variants that may increase the function of the androgen receptor were associated with extraversion and spiritual acceptance in men. (vii) A variant that is associated with increased androgen receptor function was more common in women with autism spectrum disorder than in controls. (viii) The same androgen receptor polymorphism was associated with transsexualism in combination with polymorphisms in the genes encoding the estrogen receptor β or the testosterone-converting aromatase enzyme. (ix) A method that restricts the search for genetic combinations to monotone effect patterns was shown to increase the probability of finding gene-gene effects. Conclusions: The results support the notion that variation in genes that encode serotonin-related and sex steroid-related proteins are of importance for the psychiatric traits studied in this thesis

Transcriptional memory-like imprints and enhanced functional activity in gamma delta T cells following resolution of malaria infection

Gamma delta T cells play an essential role in the immune response to many pathogens, including Plasmodium. However, long-lasting effects of infection on the gamma delta T cell population still remain inadequately understood. This study focused on assessing molecular and functional changes that persist in the gamma delta T cell population following resolution of malaria infection. We investigated transcriptional changes and memory-like functional capacity of malaria pre-exposed gamma delta T cells using a Plasmodium chabaudi infection model. We show that multiple genes associated with effector function (chemokines, cytokines and cytotoxicity) and antigen-presentation were upregulated in P. chabaudi-exposed gamma delta T cells compared to gamma delta T cells from naive mice. This transcriptional profile was positively correlated with profiles observed in conventional memory CD8(+) T cells and was accompanied by enhanced reactivation upon secondary encounter with Plasmodium-infected red blood cells in vitro. Collectively our data demonstrate that Plasmodium exposure result in "memory-like imprints" in the gamma delta T cell population and also promotes gamma delta T cells that can support antigen-presentation during subsequent infections