Scrapie is an infectious neurologic disease in sheep caused by prions, corresponding to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in other species. The prion is presumably constituted of PrPSc, the misfolded form of the normal endogenous prion protein, PrPC, which is found in practically all cells in the body. PrPSc can induce a conformational change in PrPC and misfold it as an imprint of itself; this is how prions amplify and spread. The process of conformational change is poorly understood and there might exist intermediate forms between PrPC and PrPSc. Bioassay using mice has traditionally been the golden standard in prion studies but is limited by cost and time.

A common problem in forestry is plant death caused by frost. The risk of frost is highest on wind protected, flat or low-lying areas in the terrain. Here you often have regeneration problems with Norwegian spruce which is especially sensitive to spring frost. Swedish tree experiments have shown that the black spruce can be a suitable alternative on these areas, for example on moisture frost prone areas. The species originates from North America and its pioneer tree characteristics make it more frost hardy than Norwegian spruce.

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.

What makes a Swede betake himself into the Chinese wilderness? How does the Rio Convention influence a plant collector? And who will crack the nut positioned 12 meters up in the crown of a tree? There are many secrets behind the act of collecting plants. In many regards, the documentation of the collection of plants for a Swedish purpose has been unsatisfactory. The focus of the publications is on what plant species that have been found rather than information on how these plants have been collected. Only few results of experimental cultivation are available. There is no doubt that there exists knowledge that has not been publicised yet.

The last decades the populations of wild boar (Sus scrofa) has increased rapidly over the species? entire European range, including Sweden. This is followed by increasing human-wildlife conflicts as a result of the wild boar foraging behavior, causing damage to agricultural crop fields due to trampling and feeding. To be able to minimize damage we need more knowledge of where in the fields the risk of damage is high and what features in the landscape that affect this risk. I analyzed damage distribution in relation to the distance to six different landscape features; forest, road, ditch, building, game field and bait station, in the study area, the Island Mörkö in eastern central Sweden.

In East Africa live two species of Griffon Vultures; Rüppel?s Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) and African White-backed Griffon Vulture (G. africanus). One of the apparently most important factors limiting the population of these birds is food supply. Griffon vultures nest for eight months of the year, and are during this period geographically tied down to the nesting place.

Every observation method has its advantages and disadvantages and a well-adopted method gives more reliable results. Factors affecting the choice of the most appropriate methods for recording foraging behaviours include species, group size, environment, seasons and age. The focus for this study was to determine which method is most appropriate for studying the foraging behaviour of a troop of 89 olive baboons (Papio anubis) living in a riverine forest by the Southern Ewaso Ng'iro River by Lale'enok Resource Centre in Kenya. To determine this, a literature study was carried out to compare methods from monkeys and apes. I found instantaneous sampling was the most common method with intervals of 5 minutes in most cited studies.

John Dewey föddes år 1859, samma år som Charles Darwin bröt ny mark för människan genom sin Theory of Species. Genom Darwin skulle grunden för det kollektiva mänskliga tänkandet och förståelsen av oss själva aldrig förbli detsamma. För Dewey precis som för Darwin är det förståelsen av människan och hennes värld som är det intressanta.Denna uppsats är en närläsning av Deweys verk Demokrati och utbildning som publicerades för första gången 1916. Verket som är skrivet på tidigt 1900-tal har haft ett stort inflytande på pedagogiskt tänkande generellt, men är också ett av de verkligt intressanta arbetena rörande människan och utbildningens roll för det demokratiska samhället. Verket är av idémässigt fundamental betydelse för den filosofiska tanketradition som kallas pragmatism då Dewey fångar upp den bärande idén om människan i samhället som en del av världen och som beroende av en bra utbildning.Uppsatsen har för avsikt att förmedla och tolka de tankegångar som Dewey låter framträda i Demokrati och utbildning.

Today there are no analgesic drugs approved to be used in goats. Drugs approved for use in other species are consequently being used without knowing the pharmacokinetics of these drugs in goats. The purpose of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of the opioid butorphanol when given subcutaneously in goats. Subcutaneous administration might extend the half-life compared to intravenous or intramuscular administration. Eight clinically healthy, non-pregnant 6 months old female goats were used.

The aims of the study were to investigate the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in chicken and chicken products, and to investigate farmer awareness of antibiotic resistance development. The study was conducted in the Can Tho province in Vietnam during six weeks in October to November 2008. Ninety-six samples from raw chickens were collected from twelve market places and analysed for the presence of Campylobacter. A total of 96 cloacal swabs from 20 farms were obtained and analysed for the presence of Campylobacter. Farmers were asked to answer eight questions concerning the housing of the chickens, modes of handling sick animals as well as use and knowledge of antibiotics and resistance development to antibiotics.

Uganda has the largest pig population in east Africa, and most of the animals are owned by smallholders. Infectious diseases among pigs have a devastating impact on the livelihood of these farmers, which are dependent on the proceeds from pig rearing. In a metagenomics study of the wild pig species bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus), the porcine viruses Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) 1and 2 and Porcine parvovirus 4 (PPV4) were detected. TTSuV1 and 2 are ubiquitous in the world?s swine population, and PPV4 has been found in USA and China, but neither of them has been studied in Africa previously.

In this study, the efficiency of a newly launched predatory mite, Amblydromalus limonicus, has been examined for its potential to use as a biological control agent in cucumber production. A. limonicus can be used for biological control of two thrips species, Frankliniella occidentalis and Thrips tabaci. Field trials were conducted in greenhouses of two conventional cucumber growers in Scania, the southern part of Sweden. The basic control agent used against thrips was the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii. In selected areas, additional A.

During the summer of 2007 I was employed by Högestad Christinehofs Förvaltning AB. My main task was to make an inventory of giant trees at the estate. Högestad and Christinehof,which with their total possession of 13 000 ha of land is the biggest estate in Scania. A giant tree is a tree with a diameter in breast height more then 1 meter. Trees of these dimensions are registered by Swedish authorities. Landowners with a giant tree on their property can receive a subsidy for cutting trees that are in competition with the giant tree.(Levenskog, 2007) Giant trees are important for biodiversity in the landscape and there are important habitats for different insects, birds, bats, lichens and funguses.

SCA is the largest private owned forest owner in Sweden, with an ownership of 2 million hectares of productive forestland. To manage the planning of such large areas and to fit the traditional organization structure of a Swedish forest company, the planning approach is subdivided into three stages; strategic, tactical and operational. The strategic part, based on a statistic sample of stands, returns a harvest level estimate which should then be implemented at actual sites in the tactical part. This procedure can lead to incompatible solutions as the strategic solution is not necessarily possible to translate into actual sites in the tactical plan. The geographic aspect is important in tactical planning due to the large costs for moving equipment and maintenance of a large number of forest roads.

An increasing number of peole are resisting the attraction of living around nature and opting instead to spend their lives in cities. Parks and green areas play an important part in our well-being and we become fascinated with the diversity of nature, in which we find a peacefulness that is unique. Amongst other things, being surrounded by nature can reduce high blood presure, lower the production of stress hormones and stimulate the mind and our ability to concentrate. It is therefore vitally important to entice city residents to parks and green areas to improve their physical and mental well-being. Previous research has shown that humans are seeking for certain characteristics in the parks and green areas which they are visiting.