2,605 research outputs found
The interstellar cloud surrounding the Sun: a new perspective
Aims: We offer a new, simpler picture of the local interstellar medium, made
of a single continuous cloud enveloping the Sun. This new outlook enables the
description of a diffuse cloud from within and brings to light some unexpected
properties. Methods: We re-examine the kinematics and abundances of the local
interstellar gas, as revealed by the published results for the ultraviolet
absorption lines of MgII, FeII, and HI. Results: In contrast to previous
representations, our new picture of the local interstellar medium consists of a
single, monolithic cloud that surrounds the Sun in all directions and accounts
for most of the matter present in the first 50 parsecs around the Sun. The
cloud fills the space around us out to about 9 pc in most directions, although
its boundary is very irregular with possibly a few extensions up to 20 pc. The
cloud does not behave like a rigid body: gas within the cloud is being
differentially decelerated in the direction of motion, and the cloud is
expanding in directions perpendicular to this flow, much like a squashed
balloon. Average HI volume densities inside the cloud vary between 0.03 and 0.1
cm-3 over different directions. Metals appear to be significantly depleted onto
grains, and there is a steady increase in depletion from the rear of the cloud
to the apex of motion. There is no evidence that changes in the ionizing
radiation influence the apparent abundances. Secondary absorption components
are detected in 60% of the sight lines. Almost all of them appear to be
interior to the volume occupied by the main cloud. Half of the sight lines
exhibit a secondary component moving at about -7.2 km/s with respect to the
main component, which may be the signature of a shock propagating toward the
cloud's interior.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Regulation versus practice - The impact of accessibility on the use of specialist health care in Norway
In Norway specialized health services are provided both by public hospitals and by privately practicing specialists who have a contract with the public sector. Patientsâ co-payment is the same irrespective of the type of provider they visit. The ambition of equity in the allocation of medical care is high among all political parties. The instruments for auditing whether these goals are fulfilled are not equally ambitious. The objective of the present study is to explore whether laws and regulations that govern the allocation of specialist health care resources in fact are fulfilled. Panel data from the Survey of Living Conditions are merged with data on capacity and spatial access to primary and specialist care. We find that accessibility and socio-economic variables play a considerable role in determining both the probability of at least one visit and the number of visits to a private specialist. A person with a higher university degree living in a municipality with the highest value of the geographical accessibility index has a 46%-points higher probability of at least one visit to a private specialist compared with a person with junior high living in a municipality with the lowest value of the accessibility index. With regard to visits to a hospital outpatient department these variables are not found to have significant effects. We conclude that public ambitions and regulations are fulfilled for specialist services provided by public hospitals. With regard to the provision of services provided by publicly financed private specialists we find a discrepancy between public goals and surveyed practice.specialist health services; utilization; equity; private/public provision; survey data
Hobbits, ents, and dĂŠmons : ecocritical thought embodied in the fantastic
This paper investigates the occurrence of ecocritical thought in two canonical fantasy epics, The Lord of The Rings (1954â1955) by J. R. R. Tolkien and His Dark Materials (1995â2000) by Philip Pullman. Using current ecocritical theory as well as writers and critics of speculative fiction to study the primary works from a marginalized angle, this paper argues that fantasy fiction, more than other literary genres, has an intrinsic exploratory potential for ecocritical ideas because the strong immersive aspect of the genre entices the reader to open up for a less anthropocentric view of the world. If this is investigated further, the narrow space for fantasy literature in literary criticism and academia may be broadened to include a more politically engaged discussion of fantasy than typically assumed
Biosecurity and animal husbandry in goat herds in Zambia and Sweden
In Zambia, goats have an as important role for the wellbeing of humans as humans have for the goats
they care for. Infectious diseases are common and can have devastating effects for the animals and
thereby their owners and all others that benefit from these goats. Improved animal husbandry and
basic infection control measures could therefore be key for farmers of both small and large herds
and help maintain and improve animal health and welfare.
Sweden is a rich country, in both an economical aspect as well as in educational level. The goat
industry is small, most goat farmers are smallholder farmers and only a few farms of larger scales
exist in the country. There are many laws that regulate how one should take care of oneâs animals
and there are many seminars and lectures that farmers can attend to increase their knowledge and
further improve their animal husbandry and thereby improve the productivity of their animals.
Based on the literature, quarantine routines for new or sick animals, stable hygiene, feed hygiene
and parasite control are important areas to protect oneâs herd from infections. Maintaining a good
general health in the herd by providing a correct diet, clean drinking water in sufficient amounts,
shelter from the weathers and a stress-free environment are other important factors.
The aim of this study was to describe the animal husbandry in Zambia and Sweden; what is alike
and what differs? How do farmers know what to do and how to manage their goats? Are there any
lessons that can be learned and implemented in either country? Answers to these questions were
sought by conducting semi-structured interviews with goat farmers from both countries.
Ten interviews with Zambian goat owners with farm size ranging between 7 and 35 goats, and five
interviews with Swedish goat owners with between 8 and 64 animals took place over Zoom, Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp during October and November 2021. The interviews were recorded and
then transcribed in English, the same day or shortly after. Themes in the answers were sought within
these transcriptions.
The interviews indicated that the health situation of goats is better in Sweden, and it was less
common for animals to die of infections than in Zambia. The general biosecurity appears higher
than compared to Zambian goat farms, despite Zambian farmers having received goat specific
training in higher extent than the Swedish farmers. The cause for the difference in biosecurity measures implemented is not clear, but the level of knowledge or difference in available funds and means
might be conceivable reasons.
A similarity in the goat husbandry, however, is that farmers in both countries have apparent problems costs for veterinary care. In Sweden, the lack of goat specific knowledge amongst veterinarians was another factor for the reluctancy of contacting veterinarians and several farmers preferred
conducting their own research, mainly by reading information online, when their goats fall ill.I Zambia har getter en betydande roll för mÀnniskors vÀl och ve, men samtidigt Àr mÀnniskan vÀldigt
viktig för getternas hÀlsa. Infektionssjukdomar Àr vanliga och pÄverkar getternas förmÄga till produktion och dÀrigenom pÄverkas alla de som har nytta av det getterna bidrar med. Mer kunskap
inom djurhÄllning och smittskydd kan dÀrför ha stor betydelse för bÄde smÄ som stora besÀttningar
och kan bidra till att förbÀttra djurvÀlfÀrd och dÀrigenom förbÀttra mÀnniskors liv.
Sverige Àr ett förhÄllandevis rikt land, bÄde nÀr det gÀller ekonomi och kunskapslÀge. Getindustrin
Àr dock vÀldigt liten och endast ett fÄtal stora kommersiella besÀttningar finns. DjurhÄllning Àr strikt
reglerad av lagar och regler och det finns mÄnga organisationer dÀr medlemmar fÄr kontinuerlig
tillgÄng till nya rÄd och rön, samt ofta veterinÀrkonsultation.
Baserat pÄ tillgÀnglig litteratur Àr karantÀnsrutiner för nyinköpta och sjuka djur, stallhygien, foderhygien och parasitkontroll viktiga omrÄden för att skydda besÀttningen frÄn infektioner. LikasÄ Àr
det viktigt att bibehÄlla getternas generella hÀlsa genom att erbjuda en korrekt diet, rent dricksvatten
i tillrÀcklig mÀngd, skydd frÄn vÀder och vind samt en allmÀnt stressfri miljö i sÄ stor utstrÀckning
som möjligt.
MÄlet med denna studie var att beskriva hur gethÄllningen ser ut i Sverige och Zambia; vilka likheter
och skillnader finns det? Hur vet getbönderna vad de ska göra och hur de ska hantera sina getter?
Finns det lÀrdomar frÄn ettdera landet som kan implementeras i det andra landet? För att besvara
dessa frÄgor genomfördes semi-strukturerade intervjuer med getbönder frÄn respektive land.
Tio intervjuer med zambiska getbönder med mellan 7 och 35 getter, och fem intervjuer med svenska
getbönder med mellan 8 och 64 getter genomfördes via Zoom, WhatsApp eller Microsoft Teams
under oktober och november Är 2021. Intervjuerna spelades in och transkriberades pÄ engelska snart
efter att intervjuerna Àgt rum. Olika teman bland de transkriberade svaren söktes.
Intervjuerna indikerade att den generella gethÀlsan Àr bÀttre i Sverige och det var ovanligare att djur
dog pÄ grund av infektionssjukdomar Àn i Zambia. BiosÀkerhetsrutiner implementerades i högre
grad i de svenska besÀttningarna, trots att fler av de zambiska getbönderna hade fÄtt getspecifik
trÀning. Vad skillnaden i biosÀkerhet beror pÄ Àr sannolikt multifaktoriellt, men skillnader i kunskapslÀge, tillgÄng till resurser eller nÄgot annat Àr tÀnkbara faktorer.
En likhet mellan gethÄllning i de tvÄ lÀnderna Àr att getbönder i bÄda lÀnder har problem med
veterinÀrpriser. I Sverige lyftes Àven problematiken med veterinÀrers brist pÄ getspecifik kunskap
som en faktor till motviljan att kontakta veterinÀr. Flertalet av de svenska bönderna föredrog att sjÀlva leta efter information och svar (samt har resurser för att göra det) istÀllet för att kontakta veterinÀrer nÀr djuren insjuknar
âAge of Lovecraftâ?â Anthropocene Monsters in (New) Weird Narrative
This paper considers whether the twenty-first-century resurgence of H. P. Lovecraft and weird fiction can be read as a conceptual parallel to the Anthropocene epoch, taking Carl H. Sederholm and Jeffrey Andrew Weinstockâs The Age of Lovecraftas a starting-point. The assumption is that the two âagesâ are historically and thematically linked through the âmonstersâ that inhabit them; monsters that includeâbut are not limited toâextensions, reproductions, and evolutions of Lovecraftâswritings. Preoccupied with environmental issues such as global climate change, the twenty-first-century imaginary has conjured monsters that appear to have much in common with early twentieth-century cosmic horror stories. Considering the renewed interest in Lovecraft and the weird, such developments raise the question: what can (weird) monsters tell us about the Anthropocene moment? This paper maps the âmonstrousâ in the discourses emerging from the Anthropocene epoch and âThe Age of Lovecraftâ by considering (new) weird narratives fromcontemporary literature, graphic novels, film, TV, and video games. Mindful of on-going discussions within ecocriticism, philosophy, and critical theory, the paper discusses a handful of unconventional texts to investigate the potential of the weird for expressing Anthropocene anxieties and for approaching nonhuman realities from new angles
- âŠ