Biodiversity is essential for human well-being and it is defined as the genetic variation within species and the variety of species and ecosystems. Biodiversity provides several ecosystem services which are necessary for human beings but there are different threats towards the biodiversity. The biodiversity linked to the forest in Sweden are threatened, about 50 % of the red-listed species in Sweden are associated with forests. This is linked to the commercial exploitation of the boreal forest in Sweden which started 200 years ago. The forestry the last 50 years, with clear-cuts, have contributed to a fragmented forest landscape.

The Swedish population has the world?s largest percentage of shareholders either by direct or indirect owning. Due to the increasing interest of equity capital markets, private as well as institutional investors rely on forecasts from financial analysts. The reason for this is due to the lack of expertise among investors in this area. Due to the fact that analysts influence the Swedish stock market immensely, it?s of great interest to explore whether an analyst can be seen as a rational participant.

The purpose of this study was to compare naturally regenerated Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris (L.)) against seeded Scots pine in terms of benefits and differences. An inventory was performed at a number of different sites, 4 ? 6 years after soil scarification and data on the number of new established plants, their height growth as well as ground-line diameter was collected. Information about site conditions such as altitude, quarter exposure and frost risk was also collected. A review of previous studies was conducted in addition to the field study.

In this study, 29 calves were dehorned by heat cauterisation at the age of 1 to 8 weeks. Before the procedure, the calves were given local anaesthetic but were not sedated. In connection with the dehorning, 14 calves were given the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) meloxicam and 15 calves were given placebo. During the following three days behavioural studies were performed to investigate if the different treatments had any effect on the calves´ postoperative behaviour. Head shakes, head rubs, kicks and ear flicks were studied, as earlier studies have shown that an increase in these behavioural patterns suggests postoperative pain.

In the year of 2009 the conditions for managing primary healthcare in the region of Västra Götalandchanged. The decision was taken by the regional assembly and resulted in that the citizens since thenhave had the opportunity to choose which health care provider they preferto stay with. Along with thisdecision a new market for private health careproviders was established, which resulted inincreasedcompetition between the providers.In order to manage the competition, the health care providers arenow forced to be more efficient in their operations andalso to beeven more focused on their patients.Backa Läkarhusgruppen is an example of a private healthcare provider in the region of Västra Götaland.In the same way it is also an example of anorganizationin need of analysing their operations to seehowit can be further optimized to meet patient needs and expectations.The aim of this study is to analyse Backa Läkarhusgruppen?s organization and its operationsin the hopeoffinding suggestions whichwill improve the patient flow.To allocate and solve the problems thatBacka Läkarhus suffer from,an approach inspired by Lean Healthcare is used throughout the report.Some of themost significant problems that were identified within the organization are:?The synchronization of demand and capacity is inadequate.?Absence of standardized routines.?Absence of present leadership.To be able to improve the patient flow Backa Läkarhus needs to handle these identified problem areas.By synchronizing the staffing level in relation to the trends in demand a reduction in the patient?swaiting times and throughput time will be possible. Creating clear responsibilities and routines for thestaff will contribute to a higher degree of patient focus and thus lead to a more efficient patient flow.

This thesis is my exploration of the immaterial heritage that is the craft of bending of ?dn?ris? out of spruce. It?s a broken tradition that is scarcely described, mainly through Yngve Ryd?s report T?ltk?tor (1999) that contains interviews with two knowledge keepers, Nilas Tuolja and Johan Rassa. Yngve Ryd?s report went against the earlier opinion by the mid 20th century ethnologist Ernst Manker who claimed that they were only made exclusively out of mountain birch that has curved growth. As a background, I discuss the special importance of heritage conservation, both material and immaterial, in a S?mi context as being an indigenous people.

The spread of digital photography has created major changes in the previously stable Swedish photofinishing market. We investigate how companies act to survive in the face of technological change, through our research question: What strategies have actors in the photofinishing business chosen during the changeover from analog to digital photofinishing? Using a deductive method, we have conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 actors in the photofinishing business. Innovation management studies innovation from a number of perspectives, describing effects of innovations on the competitive ability of established actors, and on the value of their resources. The companies were not prepared for the speed of the change.

Nature is in many ways considered a source to both physical and mental health among people. Trends in today?s society reveal that children become more distanced to nature. Seen from the perspective of sustainable development this trend is considered crucial: it is of importance that children in their early ages experience nature positively in order to develop a dedication towards environmental issues as adults.The purpose of this study is to investigate how teachers use outdoor learning as an educational tool. Research data were collected through a series of interviews.

En förutsättning för att undvika depression och istället uppleva posttraumatiskt växande (PTG), efter att ha upplevt belastande livshändelser, kan vara känslan av sammanhang (KASAM). Denna studie syftar till att undersöka om det finns en skillnad mellan belastande livshändelser avseende negativa utfallet depression samt undersöka om en stark KASAM kan vara avgörande för att individen istället utvecklar PTG. I studien undersöks 150 studerande vid Örebro universitet. Av resultatet framgår det att studenterna med högt värde av belastande livshändelser är mer deprimerade än studenterna med lågt värde, oberoende av KASAM. Dock hittades ingen signifikant skillnad mellan belastande livshändelser och KASAM avseende PTG.Huruvida belastande händelser utvecklar en positiv eller negativ förändring hos individen kan istället avgöras av personens tolkning, hantering av situationen..

Respiratory infections are one of the major causes of disease in sheep throughout the world. In the beginning of 2008 the Swedish National Veterinary Institute and the Swedish Animal Health Service together started a project about respiratory infections in Swedish sheep. This study is an initial part of that project and the aim of this study was to investigate different sampling possibilities with focus on nasal swabs. This study is composed partly of a literature review on causative agents of respiratory infections in sheep and existing sampling methods, and partly of an experimental study comprising 56 sheep. These sheep were sampled with both an ordinary nasal swab and a guarded nasal swab. Before the start of this study there was to our knowledge no described method for sampling sheep with a guarded swab.

The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the early process of socialization and its influence on the choices in life, with the example taken from the agricultural family. The question is considering how the process of socialization within an agricultural family has influenced on the choices in life of four women. A qualitative method with a hermeneutic, phenomenologic perspective is applied and four interviews have been done with women who all grew up in an agricultural family. The results have been analysed through social constructive-, psychodynamic-, attachment- and cognitive theory. The results indicate that socialization is a complex process.

Previous research has, by studying large listed firms, identified cost reductions and knowledge transference as the primary reasons for outsourcing.  Previous research has also indicated that Business Process Outsourcing is likely to increase in popularity and experience high annual growth going forward. This study aims to explore why mid-sized and large firms decide to in Jämtlands län, fully or partly, outsource their finance/accounting activities. Theories regarding transaction cost economics and resource based view composes the foundation of this study and the information used has been gathered through the use of semi-structured interviews.  The results shows, like the chosen theories and previous research indicates, that the outsourcing decision is primary based on expected cost reductions.

In the era of urbanization and globalization, many small, rural and post-industrialcities struggle for growth. The competition for citizens and visitors is intense, andone commonly used strategy is to promote the city to a target audience. Placemarketing, however, is homogenized to a great extent. Marketing thus seems likea useless approach, yet almost every city does it.By using discourse analysis and institutional theory, this essay aims to explainwhy the city of Kramfors markets itself. There are several problems arising due tothe marketing of places, especially concerning the discrepancy between the city?simage and identity.

Studies have shown that air pollution, as well as bark fissure depth and sun exposure of a tree can have an effect on lichen growth as well as abundance of lichen species. The aim of this study was to find out the relative importance of these factors. 211 oaks in south eastern Sweden were surveyed for presence of 17 lichen species, as well as the total number of lichen species. Half of the trees were situated in urban areas and half in the countryside. For each tree the bark fissure depth was measured and the sun exposure of the trunk was estimated.

Organic rearing of broilers is not a large production in Sweden. In order to create a sustainable yet efficient production of organically produced poultry meat, at a price that the consumers are willing to pay, much more knowledge is needed. It is therefore important to do more research on organic broilers under Swedish conditions. This report is aimed to be a base for further studies. In the study 2000 broilers of the hybrid Ross 308 divided in to two equal groups. The broiler hybrids that are used in Sweden are selected for a high growth rate and are normally slaughtered at the age of 5 to 6 weeks, with a slaughter weight of 1.7-2 kg.