At SLU, Divison of Reproduction, Dept of Clinical Science, there is an ongoing project on the development and evaluation of new methods for the assessment of stallion semen quality. This EEF-study, which is a part of that larger project, has focused on the effects on motility and fertility of stallion semen of two different extenders and selection. Both an objective method and a subjective method for analysis have been used and compared in the study. The increase in the use of artificial insemination with cooled semen in Swedish horse breeding over the last decade is thought to play a part in declining foaling rates (Kareskoski et al, 2006, Kuisma et al, 2006). This calls for better evaluation methods of semen quality since cooling and transportation put higher demands on semen quality in order to maintain fertility (Aurich, 2005).

Tyr ? A historical and comparative study of configurations and formations connected to the Old Norse god Tyr. Klas af Edholm This thesis has two aims. One is a discussion of the history of the study of Old Norse religion and related aspects, centered on how general tendencies within the area of research have affected the interpretations of the god *T?waz/Tyr.

There are several factors influencing the profitability of production with sheep. Two of the most important factors are ewe fertility and lamb survival. Also growth capacity of the lambs is important. This paper aims to review correlations between the ewe?s fertility and maternal behavior and lamb survival.

The purpose of this thesis is to compare five different ranking algorithms for query expansion. The algorithms compared are f4, f4mod, porter, wpq, and emim. This is done using a TREC collection, a selection of topics, and relevance judgements. Relative recall is measured before and after the expansion of the query. The study shows that all of the algorithms manage to increase the relative recall, f4 being the one most successful..

This report is a documentation of a Master?s thesis of 20 credits performed at the educational program of Technical Product- and Production Development with Design at Halmstad University. The project is carried out in cooperation with Hafa AB in Halmstad.The purpose of this project was to bring forth a concept of a bathroom cabinet for Hafa?s new selection Young through creative design methods. The selection is supposed to attract the younger purchaser but also a target group that dare to experiment with home furnishing and appreciates new design.

For centuries inbreeding has been used to refine traits in dogs, making desired traits more hereditary and thereby, different breeds have been invented. Breed standards have been written for each of these breeds, describing in detail the different characteristics of each breed. When humans start to choose which animal to breed from, so called artificial selection, taste is put before function and the laws of nature, the natural selection, cease to apply. During this development, pedigree dogs have gone towards more and more extreme exterior characteristics and the dogs may have inherited various, more or less, severe problems for example compromised vision, impaired ability to move and difficulties to breathe. However they can still survive and reproduce because humans provide them with the conditions to do so.

The purpose of our essay is to investigate the trust in accountants. The method we used to investigate the trust was a survey and a questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was gathered from three different groups, shareholders, lenders and tax authority. When we analysed the data we found out that the groups trust in accountants were neither strong nor weak. The results can be generalized on all the three groups because the observations were scattered around the means and we used random selection to collect the data.

Streams and riparian zone are closely linked by reciprocal flows of energy and nutrients. A large part of the transportation from water to land is in form of emerged aquatic insects. Conversion of land from forest to agriculture can greatly affect aquatic ecosystems, and due to the close link, also affect the adjacent terrestral zone. Investigating how the presence of agriculture in the surrounding area affects amounts of emergent aquatic insects gives an indication on how agriculture, in turn, may affect the terrestral enviroment. The study was preformed alongside ten streams in northern Sweden; five in landscape transformed by agriculture and five in undisturbed forest areas.

Military dogs in Sweden spend their first 18 months after weaning with a foster owner that has volunteered to care for its upbringing. The foster owner is advised by a consultant and offered three opportunities to train the dog together with other foster owners. There is a positive correlation between the number of attended training opportunities with the consultant, or other professional dog trainers, and the results of the dog in the temperament test at the end of the 18 months. The test results are in turn positively correlated with the likelihood of the dog to enter service. This thesis aims to investigate why the number of training opportunities is important for the dog?s chance to enter service by identifying foster owner factors that influence the success of the dog and which temperament test items the factors have the strongest impact on.

Nina Johansson starts her essay by making some examples of dreams to show the diversity of the ?dream world?. She speaks of how all humans dream, that it ties us together. She wants to translate the ?feeling of dreams? into wearable objects, and to be able to do that, she must try and describe what that feeling consists of.

Throughout its wide distribution in the northern hemisphere, the golden eagle occurs in a diverse range of environments, e.g., mountainous, forest and open areas. The literature on juvenile golden eagles is limited, and this study provides further knowledge on habitat use and ranging behaviour during the post-fledging period in boreal Sweden. A total of 14 golden eagle juveniles were tagged with GPS transmitters during 2010 and 2011, and nine could be followed during the entire post-fledging period from fledging until migration. The juveniles fledged at the end of July and beginning of August and initiated migration during October and beginning of November. The length of the post-fledging period, until migration started, ranged from 49 to 97 days. During this period, the juveniles? distance from their natal nest and their GPS height increased with time as their flying abilities developed.

Today endless choices exist for a customer in the grocery store in terms of information, products, brands and prices. Consequently, it is important for retailers and brand owners to gain insights in how they can manage to break through the clutter to reach the customer. Displays that include some kind of motion element are assumed to possess an attention grabbing ability, which is a necessary first step in influencing the customer?s decision making. Therefore we have explored whether so called dynamic displays are efficient in grabbing attention and influencing customer behaviour.

The increased frequency of reported Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) is of great concern to small animal healthcare due to limited options of antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this literature study is to investigate 1) characteristics and classification of S. pseudintermedius, 2) resistance mechanisms and emergence of MRSP, 3) risk factors for selection of MRSP, and 4) clonal distribution around the world. S. pseudintermedius is a skin and mucosal commensal in healthy dogs and cats, but can cause infections, including pyoderma. Beta-lactam antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth by binding to the penicillin binding protein (PBP), a vital enzyme in the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall.

The purpose of this investigation was to study what students in in the first year of the social science program in high school think about the guidance they had access to during their time at primary school. This is to ensure that it the guidance students are entitled to and contribute to the development of the business. The survey was conducted at two different high schools in southern Sweden. A total of 57 students participated in the survey. The results show that 46 and 29 percent of students at the two schools did not feel they had the information they needed for their upper secondary school The results proving what previous research reached that students selection process can lead to stress and uncertainty associated with the choice to high school. The results of the present study showed that girls in particular have high standards for themselves and experience stress and anxiety associated with their selection to a greater extent than boys.

This masters thesis examines the reading environment during "booktalk", with special reference to a reading project in compulsory comprehensive and upper secondary schools in Stockholm. The main question is: What does the reading environment look like during booktalk? Three questions are asked: Which factors affect the reading environment? Which are the conditions concerning book selection and book availability? How do the librarians perform as enabling adults? Different groups of pupils, together with their teachers and the librarian, are studied during booktalks in five schools. The study uses a qualitative approach, which takes the form of open observations during 15 booktalks and one interview with the two librarians involved in the project and studies of literature. The theoretical framework is Aidan Chambers theory relating to reading environment and its effects upon the reading process.