Sweden signed, in 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and has thus assumed responsibility for the indigenous biodiversity. That also means that Sweden has a conservation responsibility for the Swedish Friesian (SLB) (SJV, 2007a). In a survey conducted by the Board of Agriculture (SJV) in 1996, it appeared that there were around 780 cows and heifers of the SLB breed (SJV, 1997). SJV did in 2006 a plan for the development of livestock genet-ic resources and the number of cows of SLB was estimated at approximately 200. This meant that the SLB was in need of being conserved and SJV assumed it would be categorized as threatened.The primary objective of conservation of a breed is to reduce the loss of the original genetic variation (Lacy et al., 1995).

This literature review summarizes available data on infection with the parasitic roundworm, Ascaridia galli, as a cause of disease in poultry, including the consequences of a conversion to alternative production systems. Ascaridia galli has a direct life cycle with resistant eggs that survive and are easily spread in the environment, especially in systems with bedding materials where the faecal contact is high. The infection is usually subclinical but depending on the infection dose, the symptoms range from weight loss and diarrhea to mortality. Factors such as the feed composition and genetic variation among different hybrids clearly affect the establishment rate of the infection. Ascaridia galli will probably become an increasing problem, with a shift from the traditional battery cages to alternative systems where the risk of re-infection is high.

AbstractTitle: The debut of gluten ? Does timing of gluten introduction affect the risk ofceliac disease in high-risk children?Author: Sandra Hagwall Frohm and Maria IngmarSupervisor: Frode SlindeExaminer: Mette AxelsenProgramme: Programme in dietetics, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Bachelor?s thesis in clinical nutrition, 15 hpDate: May 26, 2015Background: Celiac disease is a chronic disease in which the intestinal mucosa is damaged bygluten exposure, and the only treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet. The disease affects about1 % of the population worldwide, but the majority are undiagnosed. Ingestion of gluten and thegenotype HLA-DQ2/8 are required for disease development, although additional genetic andenvironmental factors are believed to be of importance. One hypothesis is that timing of glutenintroduction in infants affects the disease risk.

The aim of the thesis is twofold: the first aim is to identify a number of reproductive logics that are used to construct Swedish regulation of embryo donation for reproductive use as either ethical or unethical in the governmental ? and medical discussions ? and to examine how these logics are interconnected with notions of gender and parenthood. The second aim is to identify a number of tensions that arise in the application of the governmental ethical logic on the embryo and embryo donation and discuss how these tensions can be solved with a feminist material approach. I argue that the terminology used to distinguish between genetic, biological, social and legal parenthood in my material is insufficient for understanding the value of the embryo outside its pre-human status. I therefore argue for an embryonic feminist bioethics that is attentive to the embryos post-human status, and for a reformulation of the parenthood terminology in line with what I call ?reproductive ties?..

It is mainly high levels of androstenone and skatole in adipose tissue that is the reason behind boar-taint, which is an unpleasant odor and taste from the meat of adult male boars. The purpose of this literature study is to provide an overview of current knowledge about the physioloical functioning of androstenone. There are several studies showing androstenone´s function as a pheromone, and that it is an important part of communication and mating behavior between pigs. Androstenone is produced in the testes of the boar and transported via the bloodstream to the salivary glands where it is excreted with the saliva. Sows sense the pheromone, not via the vomeronasal organ as previously considered, but via the olfactory mucosa.

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.

In schools, misconceptions about genetics can arise due to several factors, and the consequences of these misunderstandings can be significant. Lack of education can play a central role in the spread of misinformation about genetics. When teachers lack sufficient knowledge or do not have access to up-to-date resources, they risk inadvertently conveying inaccuracies to students. Additionally, students own preconceived notions and misinterpretations can be reinforced through interaction with their peers, creating a vicious cycle of misinformation. In this study, various misconceptions within genetics education have been identified and analyzed, while different strategies to prevent these misconceptions have been examined. The study revealed that the two most common misconceptions are the confusion between "genes" and "DNA" and the simplified perception of genetic determinism.

Detta arbete undersöker användningen av evolutionära algoritmer för framtagning och utvärdering av byggordningar i RTS-spel. Syftet var att undersöka om just evolutionära tekniker kan uppnå lika bra resultat som skriptade byggordningar då evolutionära tekniker oftast är billigare att utveckla.För att undersöka denna problemställning utvecklades en applikation med en experimentmiljö och en Artificiell Intelligens (AI) med evolutionär algoritm. Denna applikation och AI användes sedan för utvärdering av framtagna byggordningar.Resultatet antyder att evolutionära tekniker kan uppnå lika bra kvalitet som de skriptade byggordningarna.Något som krävs i detta arbete är fördefinierade skript för byggordningar för att köra evolutionen men något som skulle vara intressant att kolla på är coevolution. Med coevolution hade det varit möjligt evolvera fram byggordningar utan dessa färdiga skript genom att köra evolutionen mot individer i samma population..

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vikten av ett genetiskt föräldraskap hos par som genomgick infertilitetsbehandling i Sverige med donerade ägg eller spermier, samt att jämföra attityder till genetiskt föräldraskap mellan kvinnor och män samt personer med eller utan möjlighet till genetiskt föräldraskap. Denna delstudie ingår i ett större projekt som heter Långtidsuppföljning av IVF, ägg- och spermiedonation i Sverige. Den grupp som har undersökts i föreliggande studie är par som genomgått behandling med donerade ägg eller spermier under 2005-2006. Antalet recipienter i denna studie var 277 personer. Information har samlats in i form av enkäter.

Cardiomyopathy is the most common type of cardiac disease in the cat. Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is comparably uncommon and only a few studies have been conducted in this disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the presence and inheritance pattern of RCM in a family of Birman cats. The family comprised 177 known cats. 107 of these cats were examined by echocardiography, 23 of the cats died/were euthanized and a diagnosis could be established post mortem.

n this dissertation a comparison of two evolutionary methods for evolving ANNs for robot control is made. The methods compared are SANE with enforced sub-population and delta-coding, and marker-based encoding. In an attempt to speed up evolution, marker-based encoding is extended with delta-coding. The task selected for comparison is the hunter-prey task. This task requires the robot controller to posess some form of memory as the prey can move out of sensor range.

The ability of a dog to perform some kind of practical work, for example hunting or herding, depends among other things on its behavioural characteristics. In animal breeding it is not always easy though to select for behavioural traits. It may, for example, be difficult to identify traits that are not only heritable but also of importance for the dogs' ability to perform the practical work of interest. Moreover, it is often difficult to accomplish accurate measurements of behavioural traits. When selecting dogs for breeding, it is usually preferable to evaluate them using an objective and standardized bahavioural test, rather than results from field trials.

Hepatitis E virus, HEV, is a frequent causative agent behind, especially waterborne, infections in developing countries such as India. However, during the last years the number of non-travel-associated infections in industrialised countries, for example US, Germany and Sweden, has increased. The symptoms vary from mild with nausea to icterus and it can even be lethal. There are four different genotypes of HEV and many studies consider HEV infection to be a zoonosis. Scientists have by using phylogenetic analyses found great genetic similarity between strains isolated from humans, pigs and food, such as pork and liver, especially among viruses belonging to genotype 3.

The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is a common genetic disorder that affects for example the heart, palate, immune system and hearing and therefore affects a child?s development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the proportion of children (0-18 years) with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome who have a hearing loss. A retrospective study of 103 children diagnosed with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome was conducted by medical records. Of the 103 children, 51 were boys and 52 were girls.

 Genotyping can be used to link genetic variation among individuals to certain diseases or conditions. Some known disorders and states that are dependent on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) are lactose intolerance, venous thrombosis, hereditary hemochromatosis and the difference in sensibility among people to metabolise drugs.In this project a new kit, TaqManÒ Sample-to-SNP KitÔ for extraction of DNA and preparation of the extract for genotyping with real-time PCR and allelic discrimination, was evaluated. QIAamp® DNA Blood Biorobot® MDx Kit was used as the reference method.The purpose of the comparison was to find a method that makes DNA extraction from blood samples cheaper and faster, but with the same reliability as the reference procedure.The results of the evaluation showed a complete agreement of the genotype results between the methods tested, which means that the new method was as reliable as the reference method. The costs of reagents and material would be reduced with 52% if the new method is adopted, that alone would result in a cost reduction of 144 000SEK a year with a sample volume of 650 samples/month. The time for DNA extraction would also be reduced with the new procedure. .