Dairy farmers using Artificial insemination (AI) are dependent on effective oestrus detection. In Sweden, AI is used for a majority of all dairy cows and oestrus synchronisation with hormones is not allowed. There are reports of declining ability to express oestrus with higher levels of milk production. This makes oestrus detection more difficult. Several aids for oestrus detection have been developed, for instance pedometers and mounting detectors.

The use of transrectal ultrasonography of the uterus is a fairly new method for early pregnancy diagnosis. In the present study 40 cows and 10 heifers were examined 16, 19, 22 and 25 days after Artificial insemination to decide on what day an accurate pregnancy diagnosis could be made under field conditions. A 5 and 7,5 MHz transducer were used in all examinations in order to determine wheter one of them was better for the present purpose. The animals were also examined for clinical signs of oestrus. The results shows that an accurate pregnancy diagnosis "not pregnant" was easier to make on day 22 than on day 25 since most of the not pregnant cows then were in heat.

Millions of preselected progeny have been born since the development of The Beltsville Sperm Sexing Technology 1986. The method is based on flow cytometry and sorting is done on the basis of DNA difference of the X- and Y-chromosomes. Preselection of progeny provides an opportunity to obtain genetic gain and increased production as well as increased animal welfare and decreased environmental impact. However, the method is associated with low fertility, high costs and uncertainty whether the sorting process contributes to DNA damage and thereby results in genetically impaired progeny. Today, sex sorted sperm is only commercially available in the bovine industry, due to the fact that bull sperm is more suitable for selection than sperm from other species.

Sahlgrenska Academyat University of GothenburgDepartment of Internal Medicine and Clinical NutritionAbstractTitle: Artificial sweeteners in beverage and their effecton hunger and energy intakeAuthor: Sofia Andersson and Sofia JakobssonSupervisor: Heléne Bertéus ForslundExaminer: Anna WinkvistProgramme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Examination paper, 15 hpDate: April 11, 2012BackgroundIn 2010 the total consumption of soft drinks in Sweden was estimated to 69 litres per person and17 % of the domestic production was estimated to consist of soft drinks sweetened with artificialsweeteners. The effects of artificial sweeteners on hunger is not yet fully understood. It isspeculated that they might increase hunger and hence increase energy intake.ObjectiveThe aim was to compile the evidence regarding the effects of an intake of a beverage sweetenedwith artificial sweeteners compared to sucrose on subsequent hunger and energy intake.Search strategyA systematic search for literature was performed in the databases PubMed and Scopus.Selection criteriaThe inclusion criteria were RCT, human studies, articles published in Swedish or English, studieson healthy adults and studies measuring hunger with a subjective scale or energy intake. Theexclusion criteria were studies who measured energy intake under other forms than standardisedor controlled, studies without a standardised dose of the beverage and articles needed to beordered against payment.Data collection and analysisFour articles were selected and examined according to a template developed by SBU. Theevidence for each outcome was weighed together and graded according to GRADE based on asummarised evidence form developed by the Sahlgrenska Academy.Main resultsAll four articles measured subjectively rated hunger.

Most Swedish Warmbloods are bred by Artificial insemination (AI). Quality control of the semen consists of the subjective evaluation of motility. There is a need for a more accurate and objective method of rating the semen. In this study we compared fluorometry with flowcytometry as a method for evaluating sperm viability. Semen was collected from three stallions, stationed at Markebäcks Gård, Askersund, three times during week 15 and week 34, 2008.

There is considerable variation between stallions in semen quality and fertility due to the fact that selection of stallions for breeding is not based on fertility or semen quality but on performance. The increasing use of cooled semen for Artificial insemination has resulted in decreasing pregnancy rates. Therefore the equine breeding industry needs new methods for evaluation and development of sperm quality and fertility. This study is a part of such a project and is performed by SLU in cooperation with Flyinge AB. Ten stallions at the Flyinge National Stud were used in the study and three ejaculates were collected from each stallion.

AI är något som blir allt viktigare inom dagens spel och får allt högre krav på att agera mänskligt och intelligent. Detta kandidatarbete undersöker vilken metod som är att föredra för att skapa en AI som kan lära sig av sina tidigare erfarenheter. Några av de metoder som undersöks är trädstrukturer, Artificial Neural Network och GoCap. Genom att skapa en applikation med en av metoderna samt göra en undersökning på hur AI:n i applikationen upplevdes fick vi resultat om denna metod var användbar. Utifrån detta diskuteras det ifall andra metoder hade varit mer effektiva, hur man hade kunnat förbättra AI:n samt hur framtiden för spel-AI skulle kunna se ut..

EU law is superior to Swedish domestic law, and it is on Sweden's responsibility to implement the COJ judgments so that it becomes compatible with EU law. The advantage of the Union being superior is the internal market given the member states.However, problems arise when the Swedish legislature goes further in its interpretation of EU law. Restrictions can be imposed but it must be considered to be strongly motivated so the restriction outweighs the need to maintain the freedoms granted by EU law. In Cadbury Schweppes, the court states that restrictions on freedom of establishment may be done to counter artificial arrangements whose sole purpose is to evade the national tax. Its further stated that an artificial arrangement does not exist in those cases there is a real business, even through the establishment in the low-taxing country is economically justified. The Swedish CFC rules states that the general rule is that if an establishment in a country within the EEA, which have lower corporate tax than 55% of the Swedish tax, the shareholder of this company is taxed on its current share in Sweden. The outcome of Cadbury Schweppes has not been made into a general rule, it became the exception. In addition to that in Sweden it is presumed that the company is an artificial arrangement that expressly are prohibited by the EUD, as well been implemented to supplement the rule, where the Swedish legislature changes the meaning of the term granted by the appeal. The Swedish legislature has amended the original economically motivated establishment, to be commercially motivated. The term is undefined, but applicable elsewhere in the Incometaxlaw and from this one can find that, for an establishment to be considered as commercially motivated the decisions to establish should be taken to promote normal profit-making enterprises based upon commercially motivated decisions..

This study was made to compare and distinguish any differences in olfactory recognition and host plant adaptation between two strains of cotton leaf worm, Spodoptera littoralis. The populations used were established in Egypt and Benin, Africa. The documentation consisted of information about (1) each of the strains development through the larval stage up to pupation on diets of cotton, clover and cowpea. (2) Their oviposition preferences as adults between cotton, clover, cowpea, maize and cabbage. (3) Electroantennographic recordings to quantify any possible responses to plant volatiles. Throughout the diet experiments the larvae from the Benin strain showed significantly a better development between artificial, clover, cowpea and cotton respectively, while the Egypt strain had significance between artificial, cotton and cowpea/clover as diet. Also noted was how the strains substantial development of weight differentiated if fed the cotton diet, followed by the cowpea diet showing that the Benin strain would develop a higher body mass on a cotton diet as well as on a cowpea diet. This trend was however switched once the pupal stage was reached, where the Egyptian strain contained a significantly greater body mass than the Benin strain on the artificial and the Benin strain a greater on cowpea, which suggests that in the end, the Benin strain develops significantly better on cowpea while the Egypt strain develops better on an artificial diet. During the oviposition experiment that both stains showed a clear difference in hierarchy of host plants considered suitable for oviposition, where the Egyptian strain is significantly more attracted to clover than the Benin strain. Also showed with electroantennographic recordings and significant values was the higher sensitivity the Egypt strain had towards (E)2-hexenal, (E/Z)-b-ocimene, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, Nonanal, (-)-linalool and ?-myrcene when compared to the responses from the Benin strain..

This case study is based on a previous documented method of manufacturing artificial nest containing pre-colored hen eggs. This method is going to be used to find, if the wild boar population, which is growing in number, is a threat to the capercaillie population.  In comparison to the wild boar population, the capercaillie population is diminishing in different parts of Sweden.  In order to find out if they are affect by each other, the case study was carried out during the months of April to May 2009. 100 artificial nests were placed out on various locations on the Södertuna estate just in the outskirts of Gnesta. The unique aspect of this study is that a fenced environment to keep out wild animals is used to conduct this study, which has been previously known to be free from wild boar, but the area outside has sittings of wild boar. So to fully understand how this affects the capercaillie population, 50 of the nests were placed outside the fence area, while the other 50 nests were placed inside the fenced area. The sites were visited on two separate occasions, and were noted of the changes inside and outside the fenced compounds.

In ambition to produce more and better harvests, artificial fertilizers are used to produce a better growth of crops in the agriculture landscape. This contributes to leakage of nutrients. Our forests also exhibit a leakage of nutrients. Air pollution contributes to more nutrients. High precipitation with high water flows as a consequence seems currently to occur more frequently in the county of Halland.

EU law is superior to Swedish domestic law, and it is on Sweden's responsibility to implement the COJ judgments so that it becomes compatible with EU law. The advantage of the Union being superior is the internal market given the member states.However, problems arise when the Swedish legislature goes further in its interpretation of EU law. Restrictions can be imposed but it must be considered to be strongly motivated so the restriction outweighs the need to maintain the freedoms granted by EU law. In Cadbury Schweppes, the court states that restrictions on freedom of establishment may be done to counter artificial arrangements whose sole purpose is to evade the national tax. Its further stated that an artificial arrangement does not exist in those cases there is a real business, even through the establishment in the low-taxing country is economically justified. The Swedish CFC rules states that the general rule is that if an establishment in a country within the EEA, which have lower corporate tax than 55% of the Swedish tax, the shareholder of this company is taxed on its current share in Sweden. The outcome of Cadbury Schweppes has not been made into a general rule, it became the exception. In addition to that in Sweden it is presumed that the company is an artificial arrangement that expressly are prohibited by the EUD, as well been implemented to supplement the rule, where the Swedish legislature changes the meaning of the term granted by the appeal. The Swedish legislature has amended the original economically motivated establishment, to be commercially motivated. The term is undefined, but applicable elsewhere in the Incometaxlaw and from this one can find that, for an establishment to be considered as commercially motivated the decisions to establish should be taken to promote normal profit-making enterprises based upon commercially motivated decisions..

Fertiliteten hos högavkastande mjölkkor i världen har en negativ trend. Eftersom brunststyrkan avtagit i takt med att mjölkproduktionen ökat, och lantbrukarna har allt mindre tid avsatt för observation av sina djur, finns en växande marknad för automatiska brunstpassningssystem. I denna studie utvärderas ett sådant system; Heatime®. Arbetet är tvådelat, och består av en retrospektiv studie av den eventuella förändring i besättningarnas fertilitetsresultat som uppkommit efter installation av systemet och en enkätstudie som utvärderade hur nöjda 65 lantbrukare var efter inköp. Efter att ha granskat och jämfört fertilitetsdata (antal kor, inkalvningsålder, kalvningsintervall (KI), kalvning till första insemination (KFI), kalvning till sista insemination (KSI), antal inseminationer/serie, 56 dagar non-return, andel dräktiga av nypåbörjade och dräktighetsprocent per insemination) från de databaser som finns i Sverige (kokontroll och seminrapportering) från två år före installation med två år efter konstaterades att dessa värden inte skiljde sig signifikant åt. Detta beror antagligen på att fertiliteten hos mjölkkor är så pass multifaktoriell att det finns fler faktorer än bara brunstpassning som påverkar resultaten. Resultaten av enkätundersökningen visade att majoriteten (94 %) av de som köpt systemet var så pass nöjda att de skulle köpa det igen, och 96 % av dem tyckte sig se en förbättring av fertilitetsresultaten efter installation. Vidare uppgav 76 % att de ansåg sig spara väsentligt med tid varje vecka efter installation av Heatime®. Om tid sparas varje arbetsdag utan negativ påverkan på fruktsamheten får detta ses som en vinst och skulle kunna motivera en installation av systemet.

To get a good economy on the dairy farms the fertility control of heifers and cows is a crucial factor. It is also important to know which key parameters that should be tracked. In this work well established routines for heat detection have to be applied. When the dairy farmers use technical aid in estrus control it is important not to forget that technical aids can not replace the human eye. Approximately 50 % of all opportunities to inseminate are missed because clear signs of estrus have not been displayed and/or recorded. The cattle fertility has been declining over recent years. During the same time the cow?s proceeds have increased, consequently applying a higher pressure on the cow and the manager.

Denna rapport jämför prestandan mellan state-of-the-art AI-botar i racing spelet TORCS och en AI-bot som kör med hjälp av ett artificiellt neuralt nätverk (ANN-bot). ANN-boten, som implementerades som en del av arbetet, använder en feedforward arkitektur och backpropagation för inlärning. Ett separat program som användes för att träna det neurala nätverket med träningdata som spelats in från TORCS implementerades också. Som state-of-the-art AI-botar användes AI-botar som har använts i en tävling. De fyra AI-botarna testades på åtta olika banor och data om hur lång tid varje varv tog och hur snabbt AI-botarna körde sparades och sammanställdes. Resultaten visar att på banorna som ANN-boten klarar av att köra runt så är ANN-boten snabbare än en den långsamaste state-of-the-art boten, men ANNboten klara inte av majoriteten av banorna som den testades på.