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.

Difficult calvings and stillbirths are problems in Swedish dairy production that result in large expenses for the farmers and welfare issues concerning the animals. A common opinion is that the live weight of SRB and SLB is increasing, and whether increased weights have caused the increase in calving problems has been discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the relative birth weight (calf/cow) and calving difficulty and stillbirth, respectively. The importance of breed and parity for the relative weight has been investigated, and comparisons with previous studies have been made to evaluate whether the relative weight has changed over the last decades or not. The study was based on 807 calvings, registered during the period 1993-2003 in the experimental dairy herd of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Jälla).

Dairy farming in Uganda provides a source of food, employment and income. Previous studies have revealed high frequencies of bovine mastitis, a costly disease for the dairy farmer. The aims of this study were to investigate the bacteriological panorama in milk from udder quarters with clinical (CM) and subclinical mastitis (SCM) and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility in staphylococcal isolates. Further, we intended to establish the prevalence of subclinical mastitis and to investigate some environmental factors and animal properties that might influence the frequency of mastitis. For CM, farmers made contact with the members of this study when recognizing an animal with CM.

The purpose of this review was to study the cow eye physiology, focusing on how it registers light, and to see how light affects the cow?s milk yield. It has been showed in studies that more hours of light per day (16 hours of light a day) as opposed to about 9-12 hours of light a day, increases milk yield for dairy cows. This review contains suggestions on how this is connected with the physiology of the eye. Vision is an important sense for many mammals, and is used to check out the animals surroundings. Sensor cells in the eyeball help in turning photons from the light into signals to the brain.

Nanofiltration is a proper way of preparation of drinking water. The process has a lot in common with reverse osmosis where a semipermeable membrane is used to separate a pure water flow from the remaining water. A pilot plant was used to ensure that nanofiltration is a suitable technology for a specific waterworks station in Glemmingebro, Ystad. The purpose was also to find out if a pH-adjustment is needed for feed water in a possible full scale plant.  In this case nanofiltration is used mainly to remove sulphate and calcium since the raw water contains concentrations of these substances which exceed the limits for potable water. It is important to receive a high recovery (RC), otherwise the deliviery of water won?t be high enough.

This Masters thesis work describes a comparison between two different methods for estimation of the down channel (base station to mobile subscriber) in Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA). The first estimation method, Optimal Feed-forward Channel Estimation (OFCE), is a conventional method that bases the estimates on data that is known to both sender and receiver, so called pilots. The second method, Decision Directed Channel Estimation (DDCE), is an elaboration of OFCE. It also uses user data for estimation. Simulations show that DDCE, in comparison to OFCE, does not attain an improvement in signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) for high bit error rates (BER).

The aim of this study was to document treatments of sick and injured reindeer in Tornedalen and the area around Gällivare. I also wanted to find out the basis for the treatments, how they are considered to work and if they agree with established veterinary science. The occurrence of ?folk remedies? was especially studied. In all, 40 reindeer owners were interviewed.

Ultrasound is still a relatively new method for the diagnosis of abdominal conditions in cattle. The objective of this study is to evaluate ultrasound as a diagnostic tool for the common diseases affecting high-producing dairy cattle, for example traumatic reticuloperitonitis, right- and left displacement of the abomasum, fatty liver, wound infections and abscesses. This paper is a combined litterature study and a report of the results from ultrasound examinations of bovine patients at the ruminant clinic at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The study includes two healthy cows from the ruminant clinic, and seven patients with abdominal related diseases. The examinations were made with a 2-6 MHz curvilinear transducer and both the right and left sides of the abdomen were scanned.

A cattle producer that buys calves that are younger than six months to the herd should have a starter stable to prevent infection spreading in the herd. According to the Swedish animal welfare regulation there has to be a starter stable if more than 50 calves that are younger than four months are bought in yearly to the herd. The aim of the study was to improve the knowledge about bovine buildings and management of starter stables to obtain optimal weight gain and health of the calves. The hypothesis 1) The younger the calves are when purchased, the higher the calf mortality and 2) Purchasing calves from a high number of herds involves a higher risk of calf health problems and calf mortality were tested in the study. The objective of the study was to give advices by way of presenting ideal solutions of how a starter stable should be constructed and managed. A field study was done during June to September 2008 to collect knowledge and experience from existing starter stables.

In this study I have compared two systems of handling TMR, self-propelled/ self loading mixers and conventional towed mixers, what has been investigated is the time for filling, mixing and feeding TMR as well as maintenance and fuel consumption. The background of this study is the structural rationalization within the Swedish milk production that has put focus on efficiency and reducing of costs. Forage and labour are the two biggest costs in milk production today. The study has been performed by visiting three farms and with a stopwatch measured the times for filling, mixing and feeding TMR. At the time for the visits, the users have been interviewed regarding maintenance and fuel consumption. They have also had an opportunity to give comments of how they experience the mixers. The result of the study after processing is that the average stock in the study can save 74000 SEK a year by reducing time for filling, mixing and feeding TMR to cows with a self propelled/ self loading mixer . The conclusion I can make of this study is that it?s not the size of the stock that decides whether it?s interesting to invest in a self propelled/ self loading mixer, but the presumptions on the farms, for instance forage logistics and mechanical equipment..

Many farms in the counties in the south of Sweden have difficulties with diseases spread by ticks; mainly babesiosis and tick-borne fever (TBF) but there are indications that borreliosis ought to be included. All of the tick-borne diseases radically decrease farm profit if the herd is affected. The production of the vaccine used against babesiosis since the 1920´s, will be discontinued in the near future and in addition to economical reasons it is therefore important to learn more about the diseases above. During the summer and fall of 2002 and 2003, a farm in the island of Gotland was burdened with unusually many cases of bovine babesiosis. In total 43 animals fell ill and one died.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the literary site Vulkan.se affects the conditions for publishing, distribution, incorporation in value systems and feedback in the literary process, as it appears in Lars Furuland?s model of this process. The purpose is also to propose an updated version of the model. This is achieved through a qualitative testing of Furuland?s theory.

Swedish beef production has during the past year decreased while the consumption has increased. It´s imported beef that takes market shares. The purpose with this degreeproject is to investigate if the restaurants in Sweden are using imported or Swedish beef and the reason for their choice. The purpose is to find out if there is something the Swedish beef producers can change to increase Swedish beef in restaurants. My expectation is that the demand for Swedish beef will increase in restaurant and later even among consumers. I have interviewed ten chiefs in different restaurants and asked them the following questions: Is it the price, quality or something else that influences your choise? Does it matter to their customers if they serve Swedish or imported beef? How is the marketing of Swedish beef? It appeared both Swedish and imported beef on the restaurants.

With increased milkproduction in our dairy cattle, comes a risk for a reduced fertility. Studies performed on animals and humans have shown that it is possible to manipulate the oestrous cycle through exposure to pheromones. This means that pheromones could potentionally be used to make reproduction more efficient. To evaluate the bioactivity of the substances in question, there is need for a bioassay. In insects, pheromones can induce a changed cardiac activity.

This Masters thesis work describes a comparison between two different methods for estimation of the down channel (base station to mobile subscriber) in Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA). The first estimation method, Optimal Feed-forward Channel Estimation (OFCE), is a conventional method that bases the estimates on data that is known to both sender and receiver, so called pilots. The second method, Decision Directed Channel Estimation (DDCE), is an elaboration of OFCE. It also uses user data for estimation. Simulations show that DDCE, in comparison to OFCE, does not attain an improvement in signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) for high bit error rates (BER).