#Metoo in the Swedish forest sector: testimonies from harassed women on sexualised forms of male control

This study adds to the literature on the gendered culture of the forest sector by examining testimonies of sexual harassment in relation to the gendering of forestry-related competence and organisations and the consequences that the sexualisation of social relations in organisations has, mainly for women. The empirical base of the study comprised testimonies within the campaign #slutavverkat published on Instagram to highlight experiences of sexual harassment of women in the Swedish forest sector. Qualitative content analysis of the testimonies suggested that the situations described in the testimonies in #slutavverkat comprise controlling actions that diminish women’s power in the forest sector. Sexualised forms of male control and harassment thus work to remind women that they are first and foremost a representation of women, rather than of forestry professions and knowledge. In that sense, sexualised forms of male control and harassment are part of, rather than deviating from, the overall gendering of forestry as a men-dominated sphere. The study adds to organisational understandings and policy developments on discrimination and harassment and suggests that researchers and policy-makers interested in reducing inequality in forestry need to pay more attention to issues of harassment and sexualisation of social relations.     

Analysis of tofu‐related traits by a bench‐scale tofu production method and their relationship with agronomic traits in European soybean

European tofu manufacturers are becoming more and more interested in locally grown soybeans. A prerequisite for the development of European tofu cultivars is to improve our understanding of how the environment and genetics affect soymilk and tofu quality, as well as how quality and agronomic traits are correlated. This study was based on 215 recombinant inbred lines derived from two populations and grown at three locations that were evaluated for tofu traits in a bench‐scale tofu laboratory. The heritabilities of most of the evaluated tofu traits were moderately high with h² > 0.6. We observed significant genotypic variance components, but an even stronger contribution of the location. The network analysis of the evaluated traits was population‐dependent; however, the tofu traits were not associated with any of the agronomic traits. Collectively, our results indicate the potential to improve tofu‐related traits in European soybean. The bench‐scale tofu production method provides a valuable tool to test soybean lines in breeding programmes; however, the method needs to be further improved and automated to minimize errors due to the laboratory staff.     

A leap forward in geographic scale for forest ectomycorrhizal fungi

The functionally critical role of mycorrhizal fungi in forest ecosystems, and the imminent threat of climate change that may act to alter mycorrhizal functional biodiversity, means there is an urgent need for a regional to continental-scale assessment of mycorrhizal distributions. Until recently, it had not been possible to cost-effectively assess mycorrhizas precisely and accurately. A large-scale survey of ICP Forests plots would be only the first stage in answering many of the questions outlined above, but it is essential if future studies are going to address these questions with hypothesis-driven research in a cohesive manner, rather than remain independent for lack of a unified approach. The chance to utilise the vast network of biomonitoring plots at this time is a remarkable opportunity because it minimises the logistics and costs associated with achieving such an enormous effort and provides a rare stable — past and future — ground for forest ecosystem scientific investigation. In the face of rapid global change, we finally have an opportunity to accurately integrate mycorrhizal distribution data with long-term environmental monitoring, providing a basic understanding of functionally crucial organisms, and at the same time creating an invaluable resource for future research.     

Sensitivity and specificity of fasting ammonia and serum bile acids in the diagnosis of portosystemic shunts in dogs and cats

Background: Portosystemic shunt (PSS) is the most common cause of hepatic encephalopathy in dogs and cats. Fasting ammonia and serum bile acids (SBA) are used to diagnose PSS, but their true sensitivity and specificity have not been fully evaluated, especially in cats. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of fasting ammonia and SBA concentrations in the diagnosis of PSS in dogs and cats and to compare diagnostic accuracy between species. Methods: A retrospective analysis of data from 373 dogs and 85 cats presented to the clinic from 1996 to 2006 was carried out. Based on clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings, animals were grouped as having PSS, parenchymal hepatic disease, or extrahepatic disease. The sensitivity and specificity of ammonia and SBA concentrations for the diagnosis of PSS were calculated and receiver‐operating characteristic analysis was used to optimize cut‐offs. Results: Using the upper limit of laboratory reference intervals (ammonia, 59 μmol/L; SBA, 20 μmol/L), the sensitivity and specificity of ammonia was 85% and 86% in dogs, and 83% and 76% in cats, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of SBA was 93% and 67% in dogs, and 100% and 71% in cats, respectively. Using optimal cut‐off points for ammonia (dogs, 57 μmol/L; cats, 94 μmol/L) the sensitivity and specificity was 91% and 84% in dogs and 83% and 86% in cats, respectively. Using optimal cut‐off points for SBA (dogs, 58 μmol/L; cats, 34 μmol/L) the sensitivity and specificity was 78% and 87% in dogs and 100% and 84% in cats. Conclusion: Increased fasting ammonia and SBA concentrations are accurate indicators of PSS. An improvement in diagnostic accuracy can be achieved by using defined optimal cut‐off points for the selective diagnosis of PSS.     

An antagonistic pair of FT homologs mediates the control of flowering time in sugar beet

Cultivated beets (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) are unable to form reproductive shoots during the first year of their life cycle. Flowering only occurs if plants get vernalized, that is, pass through the winter, and are subsequently exposed to an increasing day length (photoperiod) in spring. Here, we show that the regulation of flowering time in beets is controlled by the interplay of two paralogs of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene in Arabidopsis that have evolved antagonistic functions. BvFT2 is functionally conserved with FT and essential for flowering. In contrast, BvFT1 represses flowering and its down-regulation is crucial for the vernalization response in beets. These data suggest that the beet has evolved a different strategy relative to Arabidopsis and cereals to regulate vernalization.     

Food consumption, eating behaviour and self-esteem among single v. married and cohabiting mothers and their 12-year-old children

OBJECTIVE: Being a single mother may have implications for health behaviours that can also affect the child. More information about the food intakes and body weights in single v. married/cohabiting mothers and in their children is needed. Psychological dimensions of eating behaviour and self-esteem are also of relevance to explore for single mothers and their children. DESIGN: Food style patterns were assessed by self-reported consumption of fruits, vegetables, sweets and soft drinks. Eating behaviour was measured by the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire and self-esteem by the Harter self-perception scale. The participants were 1781 mothers and their 12-year-old children, of whom 278 mothers (16 %) were single. RESULTS: Single mothers had lower intake of fruits and vegetables and lower self-worth compared to the married and cohabiting mothers, controlling for age, education and BMI. Although single mothers did not have a higher BMI, their daughters were heavier than girls from complete families. Daughters to single mothers furthermore had a higher intake of soft drinks, higher levels of restrained eating and lower self-worth. No such difference was found for the boys. CONCLUSIONS: A lower sense of self-worth and lower intake of fruit and vegetables in single mothers could be seen in the context of the social disadvantages and less social support. Girls may be more inclined to be affected by family status than the boys, seen in a more unfortunate psychological pattern and a higher body weight. Boy's health behaviours may be more unaffected by living in single families.     

The influence of oestrous substances on cyclicity and oestrous behaviour in dairy heifers

Background

Declining fertility is a major concern for dairy farmers today. One explanation is shorter and weaker expression of oestrus in dairy cows making it difficult to determine optimal time for artificial insemination (AI). Chemical communication is of interest in the search for tools to detect oestrus or to synchronise or enhance oestrous periods. Pheromones, used in chemical communication within species, can influence reproduction in different ways. The aim here was to investigate whether oestrous cycle length, and duration and intensity of oestrous expression in dairy heifers could be manipulated through exposure to pheromones in oestrual substances from other females.

Methods

Beginning on day 16 of two consecutive control oestrous cycles, ten heifers of the Swedish Red Breed (SRB) were exposed to water. During the two following cycles the heifers were exposed to urine and vaginal mucus, obtained from cows in oestrus. Cyclicity parameters were monitored through hormone measurements, oestrus detection and ultrasonographic examination.

Results

We found no difference in cycle length or in duration of standing oestrus between control and treatment. We did, however, find a tendency of interaction between type of exposure (control or treatment) and cycle number within type of exposure for cycle length (p = 0.068), with the length differing less between the treatment cycles. We also found a tendency of effect of type of exposure on maximal concentration (p = 0.073) and sum of concentrations (p = 0.063) of LH during the LH surge, with values being higher for the control cycles. There were also significant differences in when the different signs of oestrus occurred and in the intensity of oestrous expression. The score for oedema and hyperaemia of external genitalia was significantly higher (p = 0.004) for the control cycles and there was also a significant interaction between type of exposure and time period for restlessness (p = 0.011), with maximum score occurring earlier for treatment cycles.

Conclusions

No evidence of altered oestrous cycle length or duration of oestrus after exposure of females to oestrous substances from other females was found. Expression of oestrus, and maybe also LH secretion, however, seemed influenced by the exposure, with the effect of treatment being suppressive rather than enhancing.     

Control of heather (Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull) by steam treatment: Effects on establishment and early growth of Scots pine

Following boreal forest ecosystem disturbance,such as fire and clear-cutting, the ericaceousspecies Calluna vulgaris often becomescompletely dominant and may convert forestlandinto heathland. Calluna is known toeffectively exclude other vegetation and causes``growth check' or stagnation of coniferseedlings to result in poor tree regeneration.In this study we investigated the use of steamtreatment as an alternative method forvegetation control of Calluna vulgaris.Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)establishment and growth were recorded in botha planting and a seeding experiment. Steamtreatment was compared with mechanical soilscarification and intact vegetation in theplanting experiment and with intact vegetationin the seeding experiment. The results showthat the vegetation is still strongly reducedfive years after the treatment. The steamtreatment strongly favoured the establishmentand growth of both seeded and planted Scotspine. The planted seedlings grown in the steamtreated plots had a dry weight more than twiceas high when compared to scarified plots.Seedling height and basal diameter were alsohighest for seedlings grown in steamed plots.Seedlings planted in scarified plots did notgrow as well during the first years possiblydue to injuries caused by frost heaving. Theseeding experiment showed an increasedestablishment and growth of Scots pineseedlings in steam treated plots compared to inintact vegetation.