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Exploring the genetic cause of myotonic dystrophy in horses
Get PDFMyotonic Dystrophy (MD) is an inherited neuromuscular disorder that leads to a wide range of clinical signs including stiffness, abnormal muscle relaxation, and muscle atrophy or hypertrophy. Affected muscles develop a prolonged contracture in response to percussion of the muscle and show waxing and waning complex repetitive discharges in electromyography (EMG). Two genetic mutations underlie the genetic basis for MD in humans that cause abnormal RNA processing. There are a limited number of case reports of MD in horses in the veterinary literature and its genetic cause is unknown. By analysing whole genome sequencing (WGS), RNAseq, and proteomics data from horses in our MD dataset, we aim to identify the molecular mechanisms contributing to the condition. Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind MD may lead to non-invasive diagnostic tests and potentially therapeutic strategies.
MD horses and seven age, sex and breed-matched controls were low pass Whole genome sequenced to approximately 4X coverage. Fst values were calculated and 6 chromosome regions on ECA 1, 3, 6, 7, 16 and 18 appeared higher than our threshold of 0.0005% and conserved across multiple window sizes. On chromosome 3 was found a candidate gene responsible for the Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy 1 in human. SNPs were investigated and one splice variant has been identified. Sequencing depth will be increased on the same horses to confirm the preliminary findings. The obtained results of this project may also provide insights into the related human MD disease, which affects an average of 1 out of 8000 individuals.
As a complementary study within the main investigation, an allele frequency analysis was conducted on a specific variant located on ECA 3. Whole-genome sequencing data of horses were retrieved from NCBI, and alignment of the exon harbouring the variant was performed followed by genotyping of each horse. A distinction was observed between Endomorph (muscular) and Ectomorph (lean) horses, with different alleles linked to the horses' morphological characteristics. However, further analysis is warranted due to the limited dataset and time constraints involved in this study
Day or night? Testing thermal imaging technology for estimating ungulate population densities in southern Sweden
Get PDFTo be able to make a proper judgement and choose the best management or conservation solution when working with populations of wild ungulates or any other wildlife, it is important to obtain good estimates of population densities. Inventing or improving wild animal monitoring methods is a key to protect what may be endangered or to avoid human-wildlife conflicts. That thought has inspired me to test an advanced, modern equipment to investigate whether upgrading traditional point transect monitoring method by using a thermal imaging device and conducting the observations during the night will show a potential to become more implemented in wildlife monitoring. For my study location I have chosen Öster Malma area in southern Sweden. I decided to focus on ungulates, with fallow deer being the main target. Night observations with thermal imaging binoculars Pulsar Merger LRF XP50 were compared with day observations with day optics binoculars Minox X-range 10x42. Collected data were also compared with data from dung counts conducted through other projects in the same study area. I have specifically tested four hypotheses: more animals in general and more different species will be observed during the night observations than during day observations; fallow deer will be the most spotted species; there will be a correlation between data collected during my observations and the dung counts and; that the density estimates from the night observations will be more accurate than the ones based on day observations. The results confirmed that there were more successful observations during the night observations. Fallow deer occurred to be the most spotted species in the area. There was a correlation between data from dung counts and data from day and night point transects observations and this correlation occurred to be stronger with the day observations than with the night observations. Surprisingly the density estimates, for the average number of clusters, after distance sampling analysis in R was similar for both day and night observations, but overall the estimates are more accurate for the data from night observations. In general, the findings support that implementing night wildlife monitoring with usage of thermal imaging technology can improve monitoring methods and provide more detailed information
Drönare
Get PDFLantbruksbranschen har mer eller mindre alltid varit i en ständig utveckling och
kommer även så att vara i framtiden. Några skäl är en ökande världsbefolkning
samtidigt som andelen mark som kan producera livsmedel fortsätter att minska,
samt högre priser på både mark och insatsvaror. Allt detta gör att det i framtiden
kan ställas högre krav på lantbrukarna att hitta nya och hållbara sätt att producera
livsmedel på. Trenden inom lantbruket är att mindre gårdar lägger ner och detta
gör att gårdarna blir större och större. Men i takt med denna utveckling har det
även visat sig att det är svårt att hitta ”rätt” personal. Därav är det viktigt att
tekniska lösningar som har utvecklats under de senaste årtiondena fortsätter att
utvecklas för att underlätta för de lantbrukare som finns kvar. En teknisk lösning
som under 2000-talet har ökat i omfattning är drönaren. I dagsläget finns omkring
500 000 civila drönare i Sverige och intresset verkar bara att öka. Men inom
lantbruket finns det några hinder i form av regler och lagar samt andra tekniska
lösningar som kan göra att lantbrukarna inte har fått upp intresset för drönare
riktigt ännu. Men på sikt kan lantbrukarnas intresse för drönare öka om regelverk
och lagar ändras till lantbrukets fördel.
I detta arbete har det gjorts en kvalitativ undersökning i form av en digital enkät,
en intervju och en litteraturstudie. Enkäten skickades ut till fem olika
lantbruksgrupper på Facebook, dessa grupper har tillsammans strax över 75 000
medlemmar. Totalt valde 13 personer att medverka i undersökningen. De fakta
som kommer från intervjun och undersökningen har sammanställts, jämförts med
litteraturstudien för att se vilka likheter och skillnader som eventuellt
förekommer.
Resultatet från denna studie visar att drönare används inom djurproduktion och
växtodling, både stora som små gårdar. Anledningen till varför respondenterna
valde att köpa drönare beror på att de vill få en bättre överblick av sin produktion
och därmed kunna upptäcka förändringar inom produktionen innan det blir
”försent”. Att upptäcka förändringarna i tid är viktigt eftersom det kan öka
möjligheterna till att den förväntade intäkten blir högre än vad kostnaden kommer
att bli, därmed kan förhoppningsvis lantbrukarnas lönsamhet bli bättre.The agriculture has more or less always been in a content progress to change the
agriculture to a preferable way and so will it even be in the future. As the world
population continues to grow, the land that can produce food continues to reduce
and at the same time the price of both land and important raw products continues
to increase. This means that in the future there may be stricter requirements for
the farmers to find better ways to produce food in a more sustainable way. The
trend in agriculture has for a while shown that the small farmers continue to close
their productions and it means that the big farmers continue to increase in size. At
the same time while this trend continues, it also shows that another problem is to
find the ”right” staff to the working team. Therefore, it is important that technical
solutions that have been developed in recent decades continue to be developed to
make it easier for the farmers who remains in the business. A technical solution
that has increased in scope during the 21st century is the drone. Today, there are
currently around 500,000 civilian drones in Sweden and the interest towards
drones seems to be increasing. But in the Swedish agriculture there are some
types of holdbacks dictated by the rules and legislations. There could also be
some other technical solutions that capture the farmers interest instead of drones.
But if the rules and laws change to benefit the farmers perhaps more farmers get
interested of drones.
This study was conducted by a qualitative survey that has by carried out as a
digital survey, an interview and literature study. The qualitative survey was sent
to five different Facebook groups that have connection to farming. These five
groups have together over 75,000 members. A total of 13 people chose to
participate in the survey. The results from the survey and interview have been
compiled, compared to the results from the literature study to see what similarities
and differences may occur.
The results from this study show that drones are currently used in animal
production and crop cultivation, both large and small farms. The reason why the
respondents chose to buy drones is because the respondents want to get a better
overview of their production and ability to see the changes in the production.
Detecting the changes in time is important because it can increase the chances that
the expected revenue will be higher that what the cost will be. Thus, hopefully,
the farmers profitability can improve
Upplevda risker och riskhantering hos svenska lantbruksföretag
Get PDFDet svenska lantbruket har under de senaste åren utsatts för flera utmaningar. Torka, en pandemi och krig är inget som den svenska lantbrukarkåren har någon inverkan på men påverkan mot företagen blir stor. Torkan gav missväxt, oklarheten kring pandemin påverkade marknaden och kriget har bidragit till ett kostnadsläge där insatsvarorna blivit dyrare och avsalu priset är fluktuerande. Dessa utmaningar är inget som svenska lantbrukare kan påverka men måste hantera. Lantbrukare tar ständiga risker när dem satsar kapital i sin odling utan att veta om avkastningen kommer att täcka insatserna.
Lantbruket är fullt med risker, de risker som studien valt att definiera som riskkällor är pris och marknadsrisk, institutionell risk, person och humanrisk, produktionsrisk och finansiell risk. Vilka är då riskerna lantbrukarna tycker påverkar dom mest och hur hanteras dessa? Syftet med studien är att identifiera och jämföra risker hos grönsaks- och spannmålsproducenters och få en bättre förståelse hur riskhanteringsprocessen ser ut, vilket stöd de upplever finns och vad dem önskar ska finnas genom rådgivare och organisationer. För att undersöka syftet genomfördes en kvalitativ studie där intervjuer genomfördes med fyra grönsaksproducenter och fyra spannmålsproducenter. Detta gjordes för att identifiera vilka risker de ansåg störst och hur de valde att hantera dessa. Vidare jämfördes de olika produktionsgrenarna. För att kunna utveckla support till lantbrukare ställdes även frågor kring vilken typ av support de upplevde fanns och vad de ansåg kunde bli bättre.
Studien visade att lantbrukarna upplever en stor påverkan av produktionsrisk (främst klimat och väderrisk), human och personrisk (främst arbetskraft). Dels för att mycket är utanför deras kontroll, men också för att hanteringen av riskerna är komplext.In recent years, Swedish agriculture has faced many challenges that have affected and continue to affect. Drought, pandemics, and war are not something that the Swedish Farmers has any influence on, but the impact on the companies will be great. The drought caused stunted growth, the uncertainty surrounding of the pandemic affected the market and the war has contributed to a cost situation where inputs have become more expensive, and the sale price is fluctuating. These challenges are not something that Swedish farmers can influence but must deal with. Farmers take constant risks when they invest capital in their cultivation without knowing if the harvest will be as good as they hope.
Agriculture is full of risks, examples of sources of risk are price and market risk, institutional risk, person and human risk, production risk and financial risk. What are the risks that farmers think affect them the most and how are these managed? The purpose of the study is to identify and compare risks of vegetable and grain producers and to get a better understanding of what the risk management process looks like, what support they feel is available and what they wish to be available through advisors and organizations. To answers the questions, a qualitative study was conducted in which interviews were conducted with four vegetable producers and four cereal producers to identify which risks they considered the greatest, how they chose to manage these, compared between the different production branches and what type of support they experienced and what which needs to be improved.
What the study showed was that the farmers experienced a large impact of production risk (mainly climate and weather risk), human and personal risk (mainly labour). Partly because much was beyond their control, but also because the management of risks was complex, where much can be done correctly but the outcome will still be negative
Att få politiken på kroken
Get PDFFisket har enligt tradition varit viktigt på Åland men är ett yrke som alltmer håller på att försvinna. Ökade utmaningar i form av begränsningar och regelverk, samt miljömässiga faktorer stramar åt fiskarnas olika möjligheter att bedriva deras näring. Uppsatsens syfte är att försöka förstå hur småskaliga fiskare på Åland uppfattar sitt yrke, sin roll och sin försörjning samt hur de agerar för att kunna verka som fiskare och bemöta de utmaningar deras yrke ställer på dem. Studien har ett fenomenologiskt angreppsätt där jag vill försöka empiriskt skildra och analysera hur fiskarna uppfattar sin vardagsvärld. För att kunna besvara uppsatsens syfte appliceras de analytiska begreppen habitus, kapital och sociala fält av sociologen Bourdieu, redovisningskultur redovisad av Cris Shore och Susan Wright, och alienation tolkad av filosofen Hartmut Rosa. Studien utfördes på huvudön Åland där sju fiskare intervjuades samt tre övriga ”grupper” för att få en djupare förståelse för fiskarnas situation och dess relation till dessa. Intervjuerna byggdes upp enligt semi-strukturerad modell.
Fisket är ett levande intresse som både skapar och kännetecknar en viss identitet, ett specifikt habitus. De åländska fiskarnas habitus är starkt kopplat till att kunskaper och färdigheter gått i arv i familjer där fiskare vuxit upp med fisket. Fiskarna uppskattar friheten; att vara i naturen, flexibiliteten och att vara sin egen. Detta är något fiskarna anser meningsfullt och som de försöker uppnå som fiskare. Dock har denna idealt föreställda livsstil kolliderat med hur fisket har utvecklats, där fisket står inför flera utmaningar i dagsläget. Fisket och att vara fiskare har förändrats och utvecklats till en allt svårare bransch att uppnå lönsamhet i. Det beror på dels naturliga fenomen såsom ökad population av säl, dels lagstiftningen som hindrar till att bedriva ett önskat fiske. Lagstiftningen präglas av den så kallade redovisningskulturen och begränsar fiskarnas möjlighet till fiske. Fiskarna behöver anpassa sig och förändra sitt fiske. Detta kan resultera i att fiskaren känner sig främmande för sin egen näring och uppleva så kallad alienation. En väg som flera fiskare har valt för att få lönsamhet i sitt fiske är förädling. Förädlingen kan ses som ett innovativt agerande för att kunna verka i sitt yrke. Det kan ses vara ett alternativt sätt att ta kontroll över sin näring och framtid, och en form av motstånd mot de begränsningar av fiskarnas verksamhet som ägt rum de senaste decennierna. Det innebär att fiskarna arbetar tillbaka till det som kännetecknar livet som fiskare och det som utgör ett gott liv som fiskare.
Producentorganisationen har ambition för utveckling men har inget handlingsutrymme att påverka eller göra sig hörd inför politiken. Fiskarna har gått från att vara mobiliserade till att bli mer individualiserade. Tilliten och kommunikationen till myndigheten Fiskeribyrån är bristande, vilket stagnerar utvecklings- och samarbetsmöjligheter. Rådande utmaningar minskar antalet fiskare och därmed förlorar näringen alltmer betydelse. Livet som fiskare är inte lika självklart numera, på grund av dagens och framtidens utmaningar. Det behöver finnas förutsättningar att nyetablerade fiskare har en möjlighet att försörja sig, annars riskeras den kunskap som fiskarna bär på att försvinna. Dock ger dagens småskaliga fiskare på Åland förhoppningar och fortsätter trots utmaningarna, och söker därmed efter möjligheter att kunna fortsätta att verka som fiskare.Fishing has traditionally been important in Åland but is an occupation that is increasingly disappearing. Increased challenges in the form of restrictions and regulations, as well as environmental factors tighten the various opportunities for fishermen to pursue their livelihood. The purpose of the essay is to try to understand how small-scale fishermen on Åland perceive their profession, their role and their livelihood, as well as how they act to be able to work as fishermen and meet the challenges their profession poses to them. The study has a phenomenological approach where I want to try to empirically depict and analyse how the fishermen perceive their everyday world. In order to answer the purpose of the essay, the analytical concepts of habitus, capital and social fields are applied by the sociologist Bourdieu, audit culture reported by Cris Shore and Susan Wright, and alienation interpreted by the philosopher Hartmut Rosa. The study was carried out on the main island of Åland, where seven fishermen were interviewed as well as three other "groups" to gain a deeper understanding of the fishermen's situation and its relationship to them. The interviews were structured according to a semi-structured model.
Fishing is a living interest that both creates and characterises a certain identity, a specific habitus. The habitus of the Åland fishermen is strongly linked to knowledge and skills being passed down in families where fishermen grew up fishing. Fishermen appreciate freedom; to be in nature, the flexibility and to be oneself. This is something the fishermen consider meaningful and which they try to achieve. However, this ideal lifestyle has collided with the way fishing has developed, where fishing is facing several challenges today. Fishing and being a fisherman has changed and developed into an increasingly difficult industry to achieve profitability in. This is partly due to natural phenomena such as an increased population of seals, and partly to legislation that prevents the pursuit of desired fishing. The legislation is characterised by the so-called audit culture and limits the fishermen's opportunity to fish. The fishermen need to adapt and change their fishing. This can result in the fisherman feeling alienated from his own livelihood. A route that several fishermen have chosen to gain profitability in their fishing is processing. To process can be seen as an innovative action to be able to work in one's profession. It can be seen as an alternative way of taking control of their livelihood and future, and a form of resistance to the restrictions on the fishermen's activities that have taken place in recent decades. This means that the fishermen work back to what characterises life as a fisherman and what constitutes a good life as a fisherman.
The producer organisation has ambition for development but has no room for action to influence or make itself heard in front of politics. Fishermen have gone from being mobilised to becoming more individualised. There is a lack of trust and communication with Fiskeribyrån (the Fisheries Agency on Åland), which stagnates opportunities for development and cooperation. Current challenges are reducing the number of fishermen and thus the industry is increasingly losing importance. Life as a fisherman is not as obvious nowadays, due to the challenges of today and the future. There needs to be conditions for newly established fishermen to have an opportunity to make a living, otherwise the knowledge that the fishermen carry risks disappearing. However, today's small-scale fishermen on Åland give hope and continue despite the challenges, and are thus looking for opportunities to continue working as fishermen
Landskapsanalys för byutveckling
Get PDFResultatet av min SAVE-analys i Lagga kyrkby visar att de viktigaste delarna att skydda i landskapet runt Lagga för att behålla den nuvarande karaktären är bronsålderslandskapet, odlingslandskapet med sin bystruktur och den småbrutna karaktären. Jag anser att SAVE-analysen i Lagga kyrkby kompletterar kommunens och bybornas förslag. Det är vissa skillnader mellan alla tre förslag men det kan vara bra som ett diskussionsunderlag inför exempelvis ett samråd men byborna.
Den främsta fördelen med att göra en SAVE-analys i Lagga kyrkby var att den förutom att belysa landskapets karaktär och sårbarhet också visade konkreta gestaltningsprinciper som kan vara användbara vid placering av ny bebyggelse i landskapet som inte konkurrerar med den befintliga karaktären alltför mycket.
Det tog mycket arbetet innan jag förstod hur SAVE-analysen skulle genomföras men när jag väl förstod strukturen tyckte jag att den kompletterade både byborna och kommunens förslag på ett bra sätt. Eftersom SAVE fokuserar på historia, topografi och arkitektur och lyfter fram landskapets sårbarhet och karaktär är metoden tvärvetenskaplig men samtidigt specialiserad.
Det svåraste med att göra SAVE-analysen på landsbygden var att analysera bebyggelsemönster då bebyggelsen är mycket glesare på landsbygden än i en stad. I en stad kan man tydligare dela upp bebyggelsen i olika sammanhängande områden genom bostadsområden som har byggts under samma tid. I Lagga har nya hus poppat upp i en långsammare takt och därmed syns inte samma årsringar som i en stad.
Metodens uppdelning i dominerande drag, bebyggelsemönster och element i bebyggelsen var ett användbart sätt att identifiera karaktärsdrivande drag i landskapet i olika skalor.
SAVE är en passande metod på landsbygden eftersom den fokuserar på historia och det stämmer överens med riksantikvarets synpunkt att det är en viktig del av landsbygdens välfärd att den historiska dimensionen av landskapet bevaras. Landsbygden har ett viktigt värde även för stadens invånare och vi behöver vårda det som är unikt i landsbygdens landskap.
SAVE-metodens fördel är att den är en bred analysmetod som tar upp topografiska, naturgivna, kulturhistoriska och rumsliga aspekter i landskapet. Däremot undersöker den inte hur platsen används idag. Därmed behöver man komplettera metoden med en analys av rekreation och hur människor rör sig i landskapet. SAVE-metodens följegrupp kan dock ses som en typ av medborgardialog och här kan de boende peka ut viktiga rekreationsområden eller andra platser som är omtyckta av de boende.The results of my SAVE analysis in Lagga village show that the most important parts to protect in the landscape around Lagga, in order to maintain its current character, are the Bronze Age landscape, the agricultural landscape with its village structure, and the fragmented nature. I believe that the SAVE analysis in Lagga village complements the proposals of the municipality and the villagers. There are some differences among all three proposals, but it can be useful as a basis for discussion, for example, during a public consultation with the villagers.
The main advantage of conducting a SAVE analysis in Lagga village was that, in addition to highlighting the character and vulnerability of the landscape, it also revealed concrete design principles that can be useful when locating new developments in the landscape that do not compete too much with the existing character.
It took a lot of work before I understood how to carry out the SAVE analysis, but once I grasped the structure, I found that it complemented both the villagers' and the municipality's proposals effectively. Since SAVE focuses on history, topography, and architecture and emphasizes the vulnerability and character of the landscape, the method is interdisciplinary but specialized at the same time.
The most challenging aspect of conducting the SAVE analysis in the countryside was analyzing the building patterns, as the population density in rural areas is much lower than in a city. In a city, you can more clearly divide the buildings into different cohesive areas through residential neighborhoods built during the same period. In Lagga, new houses have emerged at a slower pace, and therefore, the same "rings" of development aren't visible as in a city.
The method's division into dominant features, building patterns, and elements in the built environment was a useful way to identify character-defining features in the landscape at different scales.
SAVE is a suitable method in rural areas because it focuses on history, aligning with the National Heritage Board's view that preserving the historical dimension of the landscape is crucial for rural well-being. The countryside holds value even for urban residents, and we need to preserve what is unique in the rural landscape.
The advantage of the SAVE method is that it is a comprehensive analytical approach that considers topographical, natural, cultural-historical, and spatial aspects of the landscape. However, it does not investigate how the site is currently used. Therefore, it needs to be supplemented with an analysis of recreation and how people move through the landscape. The follow-up group of the SAVE method can be seen as a form of citizen dialogue, where residents can point out important recreation areas or other places that are beloved by the community
Att göra hinder till språng
Get PDFDå ridsporten i Sverige och metoderna för att utbilda ryttare förändrats avsevärt de senaste årtiondena har även kulturen kring undervisningen och den mentala inställningen förändrats. Tränarens roll idag inkluderar inte bara kunskap om ridning och hästar utan även god pedagogik och förmåga att undervisa olika individer. Tränare idag förväntas coacha ryttare på ett annat sätt och således inte bara lära ut ridning utan även hur ryttaren ska prestera framgångsrikt. Syftet med denna studie var att intervjua välmeriterade tränare kring hur de arbetar med sina elever utifrån ett idrottspsykologiskt perspektiv. Studien genomfördes med målet att besvara frågeställningarna; “Hur hanterar en tränare sin elevs olika mentala hinder?” samt “Hur får tränarna sina elever att prestera med optimalt mindset?”. Den metod som användes var kvalitativa intervjuer som genomfördes utifrån en intervjumall. Nio intervjuer genomfördes med A- och B-tränare inom disciplinerna dressyr, hoppning och paradressyr. Dessa intervjuer spelades in, transkriberades och analyserades sedan. Intervjuerna kunde sammanställas till sex olika huvudteman; Förberedelse, Förståelse, Relationen till hästen, Relationen till eleven, Rädsla eller respekt? och Bekräftelse. Resultatet som framkom av intervjuerna visade att de två avgörande faktorerna för att tränarna skulle kunna hjälpa sina elever i deras mentala utveckling var Dialog och Kunskap. Slutsatsen av denna studie är att tränarna hanterar sina elevers mentala hinder och optimerar deras mindset inför prestation genom en öppen och ärlig dialog samt genom kunskap och den förståelse som den ger. Kunskapen om bakomliggande faktorers betydelse innebär dels att förbereda ryttaren för prestationen och dels att ta reda på varför ryttaren upplever negativa känslor för att kunna hantera dessa. Dialogen i sin tur är tränarens främsta verktyg för att kunna uppnå ett lyckat samarbete med sina elever. Sammanfattningsvis visar denna studie att tränarna ansåg att de allra bäst kunde hjälpa sina elever både med mentala utmaningar och med att optimera sitt mindset genom en ärlig och öppen dialog samt genom att skaffa sig själva kunskap och förståelse. Detta i sin tur ger dem möjlighet att kommunicera med sina elever och därigenom överföra kunskap för att ge möjlighet till förståelse.In Sweden, the sport of horseriding and the methods of teaching riders have changed a lot during the past decades. Therefore, the culture of teaching horseriding and the attitude towards the mental challenges that comes with it has changed as well. The role of the coach does not only include riding and horsemanship skills but also knowing how to educate the rider and the different individuals the coach will meet. Today´s coach need to adopt a more modern style of coaching and not only teach riding skills but how to perform as well. The purpose of this study was to conduct interviews with well-merited coaches about how they work with their students from a psychological point of view. The goal of the study was to answer the questions “How does a coach handle their students’ mental challenges?” and “How do coaches make their students perform with an optimal mindset?”. The method chosen for the study was qualitative interviews whose starting-point was a standard-questionnaire. Nine interviews were conducted with A- or B-level coaches in the discipline’s dressage, showjumping and paradressage. The interviews were recorded and later transcribed. After transcription the content of the interviews were analysed and six major themes were detected. The six themes were Preparation, Understanding, The relationship with the horse, The relationship with the student, fear or respect? and Confirmation. The result of the interviews show that the two main factors when it came to coaches helping their students develop mentally was Dialogue and Knowledge. In conclusion, the study shows that the coaches ability to help their students were at its finest when the coach had a good dialogue with the student, and when the coach gained both knowledge and understanding in the teaching-process. This gave them the opportunity to communicate with their students, through communication transfer knowledge, and it gave the student the opportunity to understand. The conclusion of this study is that coaches will handle their students’ mental challenges and optimize their mindset by having an open and honest dialogue and through knowledge and the understanding that goes with it. Knowledge and understanding of contributing factors and their impact means preparing the rider to perform but also knowing what is behind the riders’ feelings and handling them. During these different processes the dialogue will be the trainers’ foremost tool in achieving a successful cooperation with the student
The effect of guaranteed prices for green certificates on technology adoption
Get PDFThere is rising concern about the adverse implications of climate change on ecosystems and human livelihoods. This concern has led to a growing emphasis on enhancing the generation of renewable energy as a means to foster sustainability in societies. As part of this endeavor, governments around the world have tried to promote the adoption of renewable energy through different policy instruments. Countries, such as Belgium, have implemented a market for green tradable certificates. Additionally, regional authorities in the country have introduced guaranteed prices for certificates awarded to household solar energy systems. Through a two-way fixed effects model, this thesis investigates the relationship between uncertainty regarding future profits and the adoption of solar energy. Results suggest a positive relationship between the value of the minimum price and the adoption of solar energy systems in households. With a total cost of over €10 billion euros, this result suggests that around 20% of the total solar capacity installed in Belgium between 2008 and 2014 was related to the policy investments in the country
Consumers’ willingness to pay for food safety attributes of nectarines : A discrete choice experiment in the Polokwane Municipality of Limpopo, South Africa
Get PDFConsumer concerns about food safety are growing, and there is an increasing demand for quality fruits and vegetables. As such, fruit control procedures and standards should be based on understanding consumers’ choices and preferences. However, not much is known about what consumers are willing to pay for food safety attributes of fruits and vegetables, particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine consumers' preferences and willingness to pay for food safety attributes of nectarines in the Polokwane municipality area of Limpopo, South Africa. A discrete choice experiment was employed to assess consumer preferences for nectarine attributes, namely, appearance, food safety certification, country of origin, and price. Primary data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire from 152 participants in various supermarket chains around the Polokwane Municipality. A conditional logit model was utilized for the data analysis. Results show that consumers prefer and are willing to pay R27.70 more for nectarines that are produced in South Africa relative to nectarines that are imported. They are also willing to pay R16.63 more for nectarines that have a label that communicates information on the safety checks done by health officials relative to no communication received from them. Furthermore, consumers are willing to pay R12.28 less for nectarines that were bruised relative to nectarines that were wholesome looking. Consumer characteristics such as age and income significantly impact the willingness to pay for food safety attributes of nectarines. If policymakers and supermarket chains can effectively react to changes in consumer demand, it can result in new business opportunities. This study’s results will contribute richly to the discourse on overcoming food safety challenges through more stringent regulations and policies, such as an efficient food labelling system
Pluviala urbana översvämningar i ett förtätat Sverige : går hållbar översvämningshantering ihop med förtätning?
Get PDFPluvial urban flooding occurs in many parts of the world, including Sweden, often with severe consequences. Climate change and increased urbanization exacerbate the risk of urban flooding, and traditional urban drainage systems are unable to keep up. Alternate solutions utilizing green infrastructure have thus emerged to manage flooding in more sustainable ways. At the same time, a popular planning strategy for urban growth is densification, which can potentially put these sustainable systems at risk. Despite this apparent contradiction between sustainability in urban flood management strategies and densification, the aim is evidently to include both in the same urban landscape. This contradiction is explored in this thesis, through an investigation into Sweden’s national and municipal strategies for urban flood management. An analysis of these strategies is then made with the concept of the technological fix, to discuss whether or not technical solutions are used to bypass other necessary solutions for urban flood management. It was found that Sweden has a number of national laws and guidelines pertaining to flooding, as well as a national strategy for climate adaptation. Investigating the municipalities of Malmö and Uppsala yielded rain gardens, limiting hard surfaces, and multifunctional areas designed to handle flooding and retain water as strategies used on a municipal level in Sweden. Furthermore, it was shown that both municipalities also aim for further urban growth through densification, since housing needs to be provided for their growing populations. While sustainable solutions have the potential to effectively manage flooding, they could still be considered technological fixes in that they are seemingly used to ensure the possibility of continued urbanization, without requiring society to really change. On the other hand, the increased implementation of nature-based solutions could be considered as steps towards a societal change regarding how cities are planned and how resilient or adaptable they are. Though densification has its downsides, other forms of urban planning strategies do as well, and until a better alternative has potentially been devised, the desire for densification is unlikely to abate. Thus, even if sustainable solutions for flood management are used as technological fixes, it is still vital to include them in densification projects since they are necessary to meet current and future demands for protection against pluvial urban flooding