The purpose of the study was to find out whether the interaction between mentally disabled individuals and pet positively affects the individual and gives a feeling of well-being to the extent that this might be implicated in the psychologically disabled people?s everyday life in some form of rehabilitation measure. The study is qualitative and builds on an ethnographic design. Data collection was performed through six observations, six interviews and reflections. Interviews were also conducted with relatives and assistants for greater opportunity for follow-up questions, and descriptions of the situation.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element that is involved in several physiological functions in mammals. Mostly, Se is bound to proteins, many of them with enzymatic functions. A group of seleno-depending enzymes, glutathione peroxidases (GSH-Px?s), are important as antioxidants and protects against free radicals. The activity of GSH-Px is strongly regulated by Se storage in the liver.

This paper discusses animal welfare, and Sweden, as an EU member state, has a responsibility toensure that official animal welfare inspections are carried out in accordance with communityregulations. The first of January 2009, the welfare moved from the municipalities in to the 21county administrative boards. This restructuring was made due to the deficiencies that the auditconducted by the EU of the FVO (Food and Veterinary Office) 2003 found in the Swedishsystem. Sweden failed in coordination and inspection to ensure animal welfare.The aim of this examination paper is to shed light on animal welfare work operated in the countyof Halland and in Sweden in general. The paper focuses on a few questions.

Bakgrund: Djur har under väldigt många år varit en del av människans vardag från början i form av vakt och jaktdjur. Idag används djuren mer som sällskap och familjemedlemmar. Hundar och människor har genom århundradena tillsammans utvecklat ett samspel som gör att de kan kommunicera. Många äldre personer har idag husdjur som enda sällskap när barnen flyttat ut och make/maka gått bort. När personen måste flytta till ett vårdboende kan de bli tvungna att göra sig av med sitt djur för att många vårdboende idag inte tillåter djur där.

The aim of this study is to describe how nature is portrayed in swedish poet and critic Aase Berg?s two earliest poetry collections, Hos rådjur (1997) and Mörk materia (1999), and how it relates to notions of humanity, culture and civilisation. The concept of ?nature? is problematized in a short survey of how it has been used by and critizised in ecocritical literary theory, which is used as the main theoretical framework for this survey, with an emphasis on selected theoretical concepts by Donna Haraway. As a methodological starting point, ?nature? is tentatively defined as ?that which does not let itself be subsumed under the human, culture or civilisation?, and this definition is contrasted with how the concepts are handled in the texts.The investigation shows that the relationship of nature to the human is a fundamental theme that provides a structure for both poetry collections.

Adherence to medical ordination is low and for long-time medication it is estimated to be as low as 50 percent. Depending on the prescribed drug this could lead to adverse effects and/or loss of effect of the drug. Information about why a drug is prescribed is important patient information and is thought to help increase compliance with the physician?s prescription. According to results from a recent study of visits to the emergency room at Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset in Solna, Stockholm, medically related problems were the cause in about 30 percent of the cases.

During the last ten- fifteen years the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) population in southern Sweden has increased considerably. This area has a high density of both people and roads and have a higher roe deer (main prey of lynx) density than the rest of the country. Movement patterns such as how long animals utilize their kills and how far they travel from their kills between revisits is unknown for lynx in southern Sweden. The aim of this study was to examine how different factors affected the time lynx used their kills and the distances they travelled from the kill between revisits. The data was prepared and calculated using ArcGIS and the study is based on 98 ungulate kills and 12 lynx individuals.

Several previous studies have in different ways tried to explain how new social movements are affected by the different sets of political and social contexts within different states and societies. This essay asks the question how much the institutional aspects within the theory of Political Opportunity Structures (POS) have determined how the rather successful animal rights movements in the Netherlands and Great Britain have mobilized and acted to gain progress. Since the Netherlands and Great Britain contains different kinds of political and institutional contexts, these two states are found to be suitable for a comparative analysis of the theory's durability. A qualitative portrayal of both state's institutional political opportunity structures are presented. Then the mobilization, progress, and actions of the political party ?Party for the Animals? in the Netherlands, and a wide group of animal rights organisations in Great Britain are determined.

Efter att vi kommit i kontakt med en tidningsartikel som handlade om barn som läste för en specialtränad hund, väcktes vår nyfikenhet för möjligheten att använda sig av djur i undervisningssyften. Vår utgångspunkt är att studera hur barn kan träna upp sina läsfärdigheter. Avgränsningen i studien innebär att vi har för avsikt att studera yngre barns, i årskurs 2, upplevelser av att läsa högt för ett djur. Vi valde att göra en kvalitativ undersökning i form av intervju, där 6 elever intervjuades, eftersom vi var intresserade av att studera elevers uppfattningar och tankar kring att läsa för ett djur. I resultatet har det framkommit att när eleverna talade om läsupplevelsen beskrev de att de fann det roligt att läsa för sin hund.

The landscape with its associated historical tracks and remains are an important part of our cultural heritage that we consider important to conserve. The stone walls are an example of historical remains that helps to build up this cultural heritage. It is a landscape element that today usually is being associated with the old cultivated landscape, where they mainly functioned as boundary markings and fences. Today, the stone wall is a valuable element in the landscape with ecological, culture-historical and aesthetic values. Since the stone walls arose as elements in the landscape a lot has been changed within the agriculture.

The Angolan black and white colobus monkey (Colobus angolensis palliatus) is an arboreal primate that inhabits coastal forest fragments on the south cost of Kenya and is consequently vulnerable to forest fragmentations. The study was carried out in March and April 2011 in Diani Beach in Kenya where two of the largest populations of the species are distributed. This study is a pilot study to test methods for a Master?s thesis. The aim was to investigate any variations in use of two habitats of C.a.

Chewing behaviour includes both eating and ruminating activity. Chewing behaviour is of great importance for the feed intake as through the action of chewing (i.e. eating and ruminating) animals mechanically process the forages in small particle sizes and prepare the food for digestion. As cattle grow the chewing behaviour changes along with increasing body weight and chewing efficiency is increased. The aim of this thesis was to review the available scientific literature in order to describe chewing behaviour in growing cattle, as well as the factors that affect this behaviour.

Wildlife fences are today commonly used along highways to reduce the risk of vehicle collisions with wildlife. Since traffic and roads have expanded over the years, wildlife behaviour has become more interesting not only for the prevention of vehicle collisions but also to understand how human activities impact their natural habitats. Moose is one of those animals that have increased in interest in such studies. In this study, I tested if the probability to cross wildlife fences of moose would increase with increasing home range sizes, and also at what time of the year they cross. The study area is situated in Nordmaling municipality, located in Northern Sweden in the County of Västerbotten.

Zambia is a country in Southern Africa where poverty is widespread and the traditional keeping of local poultry therefore plays a crucial role in improving nutrition. Meat and eggs from poultry are important sources of protein but also of income. Improving the poultry production is thereby a method to fight poverty. For poultry, the access to light is an important factor for both growth and egg production. In this paper, the focus is on the traditional village chickens used for both egg and meat production, how they are kept, their health and welfare and if the use of a solar lamp will influence their behaviour, growth and egg production. Three studies were conducted in Chibombo and Choma Districts in Zambia were 17 farmers were interviewed regarding the village chicken management of which six farmers participated in a solar lamp experiment.

Earlier studies have shown that musculoskeletal disorders among animal keepers are more frequent than in other occupations. Most of the farms have expanded and the farmers who used to work alone have suddenly become a work manager with several employers. There are only a few studies made on the work environment in dairy farms. Our study is based on a questionnaire and is a part of a project called large dairy herds. The study is based on data from the persons who milk most of the time. The questions they had to answer were about the work environment, musculoskeletal disorders and the psychosocial environment. The results of the survey are presented in diagrams and figures. It was common that the dairy producer themselves answered the questionnaire.