| 1. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Planned Behavior, Social Networks, and Perceived Risks: Understanding Farmers' Behavior toward Precision Dairy Technologies
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Dairy Science. - 0022-0302 .- 1525-3198. ; 107, s. 2968-2982
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Precision dairy tools (PDT) can provide timely information on individual cow's physiological and behavioral parameters, which can lead to more efficient management of the dairy farm. Although the economic rationale behind the adoption of PDT has been extensively discussed in the literature, the socio-psychological aspects related to the adoption of these technologies have received far less attention. Therefore, this paper proposes a socio-psychological model that builds upon the theory of planned behavior and develops hypotheses regarding cognitive constructs, their interaction with the farmers' perceived risks and social networks, and their overall influence on adoption. These hypotheses are tested using a generalized structural equation model for (a) the adoption of automatic milking systems (AMS) on the farms and (b) the PDT that are usually adopted with the AMS. Results show that adoption of these technologies is affected directly by intention, and the effects of subjective norms, perceived control, and attitudes on adoption are mediated through intention. A unit increase in perceived control score is associated with an increase in marginal probability of adoption of AMS and PDT by 0.05 and 0.19, respectively. Subjective norms are associated with an increase in marginal probability of adoption of AMS and PDT by 0.009 and 0.05, respectively. These results suggest that perceived control exerts a stronger influence on adoption of AMS and PDT, particularly compared with their subjective norms. Technology-related social networks are associated with an increase in marginal probability of adoption of AMS and PDT by 0.026 and 0.10, respectively. Perceived risks related to AMS and PDT negatively affect probability of adoption by 0.042 and 0.16, respectively, by having negative effects on attitudes, perceived self-confidence, and intentions. These results imply that integrating farmers within knowledge-sharing networks, minimizing perceived risks associated with these technologies, and enhancing farmers' confidence in their ability to use these technologies can significantly enhance uptake.
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| 2. |
- Allen, Lisa Zeigler, et al.
(författare)
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The Baltic Sea Virome : Diversity and Transcriptional Activity of DNA and RNA Viruses
- 2017
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Ingår i: mSystems. - 2379-5077. ; 2:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data were generated from size-fractionated samples from 11 sites within the Baltic Sea and adjacent marine waters of Kattegat and freshwater Lake Tornetrask in order to investigate the diversity, distribution, and transcriptional activity of virioplankton. Such a transect, spanning a salinity gradient from freshwater to the open sea, facilitated a broad genome-enabled investigation of natural as well as impacted aspects of Baltic Sea viral communities. Taxonomic signatures representative of phages within the widely distributed order Caudovirales were identified with enrichments in lesser-known families such as Podoviridae and Siphoviridae. The distribution of phage reported to infect diverse and ubiquitous heterotrophic bacteria (SAR11 clades) and cyanobacteria (Synechococcus sp.) displayed population-level shifts in diversity. Samples from higher-salinity conditions (>14 practical salinity units [PSU]) had increased abundances of viruses for picoeukaryotes, i.e., Ostreococcus. These data, combined with host diversity estimates, suggest viral modulation of diversity on the whole-community scale, as well as in specific prokaryotic and eukaryotic lineages. RNA libraries revealed single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and RNA viral populations throughout the Baltic Sea, with ssDNA phage highly represented in Lake Tornetrask. Further, our data suggest relatively high transcriptional activity of fish viruses within diverse families known to have broad host ranges, such as Nodoviridae (RNA), Iridoviridae (DNA), and predicted zoonotic viruses that can cause ecological and economic damage as well as impact human health. IMPORTANCE Inferred virus-host relationships, community structures of ubiquitous ecologically relevant groups, and identification of transcriptionally active populations have been achieved with our Baltic Sea study. Further, these data, highlighting the transcriptional activity of viruses, represent one of the more powerful uses of omics concerning ecosystem health. The use of omics-related data to assess ecosystem health holds great promise for rapid and relatively inexpensive determination of perturbations and risk, explicitly with regard to viral assemblages, as no single marker gene is suitable for widespread taxonomic coverage.
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| 3. |
- Dupont, Chris L., et al.
(författare)
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Functional Tradeoffs Underpin Salinity-Driven Divergence in Microbial Community Composition
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:2, s. e89549-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bacterial community composition and functional potential change subtly across gradients in the surface ocean. In contrast, while there are significant phylogenetic divergences between communities from freshwater and marine habitats, the underlying mechanisms to this phylogenetic structuring yet remain unknown. We hypothesized that the functional potential of natural bacterial communities is linked to this striking divide between microbiomes. To test this hypothesis, metagenomic sequencing of microbial communities along a 1,800 km transect in the Baltic Sea area, encompassing a continuous natural salinity gradient from limnic to fully marine conditions, was explored. Multivariate statistical analyses showed that salinity is the main determinant of dramatic changes in microbial community composition, but also of large scale changes in core metabolic functions of bacteria. Strikingly, genetically and metabolically different pathways for key metabolic processes, such as respiration, biosynthesis of quinones and isoprenoids, glycolysis and osmolyte transport, were differentially abundant at high and low salinities. These shifts in functional capacities were observed at multiple taxonomic levels and within dominant bacterial phyla, while bacteria, such as SAR11, were able to adapt to the entire salinity gradient. We propose that the large differences in central metabolism required at high and low salinities dictate the striking divide between freshwater and marine microbiomes, and that the ability to inhabit different salinity regimes evolved early during bacterial phylogenetic differentiation. These findings significantly advance our understanding of microbial distributions and stress the need to incorporate salinity in future climate change models that predict increased levels of precipitation and a reduction in salinity.
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| 4. |
- Ekman, Inger, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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The person-centred approach to an ageing society
- 2013
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Ingår i: European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare. - : University of Buckingham Press. - 2052-5656 .- 2052-5648. ; 1:1, s. 132-137
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modern care is often based on investigations such as laboratory markers and imaging - for example, x-ray or ultrasound. The results contribute to a diagnosis and, if judged necessary, treatment is initiated. This diseased-oriented approach is the prevailing mode of management in modern medicine. In contrast, person-centered care (PCC) takes the point of departure from each person´s subjective experience of illness and its impact on daily life. A patient is considered as a person with emotions and feelings. PCC is considered present within clinical care according to a definition articulated by the Centre for Person Centred Care at the University of Gothenburg (GPCC) when three core components are present: elicitation of a detailed patient narrative; formulated partnership between caregiver and patient and documentation of the partnership in the patient record. Accordingly, when there is an illness requiring care and the person is attended using these components, PCC is being applied. In most situations today, PCC is not applied as the narrative is not fully elicited or the partnership and/or the documentation are not included. It is proposed that the challenge to Society arising from changing demographics can be addressed by implementing PCC and creating an alternative to existing healthcare. The importance and benefits of such an approach on a wider scale is not yet clear as research has been limited to date. Studies in selected patient populations (heart failure and hip fractures), however, have shown promising results. As the population ages, there will be a dramatic increase in healthcare consumption. Even with technological developments, there will be a need for tremendous resources to be dedicated to care. A new organization and attitude from healthcare policymakers and providers above and beyond the present model appears required in order to respond to this demand. As part of such change, person-centred care, with the interaction between healthcare providers and the person of the patient, can facilitate, compensate and develop more effective healthcare services for the future.
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| 5. |
- Ekman, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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A shotgun metagenomic investigation of the microbiota of udder cleft dermatitis in comparison to healthy skin in dairy cows
- 2020
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) is a skin condition affecting the fore udder attachment of dairy cows. UCD may be defined as mild (eczematous skin changes) or severe (open wounds, large skin changes). Our aims were to compare the microbiota of mild and severe UCD lesions with the microbiota of healthy skin from the fore udder attachment of control cows, and to investigate whether mastitis-causing pathogens are present in UCD lesions. Samples were obtained from cows in six dairy herds. In total, 36 UCD samples categorized as mild (n = 17) or severe (n = 19) and 13 control samples were sequenced using a shotgun metagenomic approach and the reads were taxonomically classified based on their k-mer content. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the abundance of different taxa between different sample types, as well as to compare the bacterial diversity between samples. A high proportion of bacteria was seen in all samples. Control samples had a higher proportion of archaeal reads, whereas most samples had low proportions of fungi, protozoa and viruses. The bacterial microbiota differed between controls and mild and severe UCD samples in both composition and diversity. Subgroups of UCD samples were visible, characterized by increased proportion of one or a few bacterial genera or species, e.g. Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus, Brevibacterium luteolum, Trueperella pyogenes and Fusobacterium necrophorum. Bifidobacterium spp. were more common in controls compared to UCD samples. The bacterial diversity was higher in controls compared to UCD samples. Bacteria commonly associated with mastitis were uncommon. In conclusion, a dysbiosis of the microbiota of mild and severe UCD samples was seen, characterized by decreased diversity and an increased proportion of certain bacteria. There was no evidence of a specific pathogen causing UCD or that UCD lesions are important reservoirs for mastitis-causing bacteria.
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| 6. |
- Ekman, Lisa
(författare)
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Conflicting Calls of Duty in Contemporary Intervention : Exploring the Role of Host Citizens in Understandings of Military Duty
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper explores understandings of military duty in contemporary international intervention. The concept of military duty is increasingly complex in unfolding global security dynamics. Western armed forces, principally trained, socialized and tasked with fighting wars with the use of force are now expected to conduct ‘population-oriented’ interventions to protect local populations at risk. In a context of increased regional instability, which has renewed focus on national security, military defense, and the reinstatement of conscription in several European states, a number of European armed forces nevertheless continue to deploy elsewhere to conduct military operations that address the political and security concerns of host nations. Coexisting calls of duty to defend at home and protect populations abroad raise a number of questions, including how do host citizens feature in military members’ understandings of military duty? Informed by the literatures on military intervention and cohesion, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with Swedish military members with experiences of international deployment to illustrate the relational qualities of military duty, and specifically explore the role of obligations to host citizens. In doing so, the study identifies a number of tensions between the general idea of military duty as principally defined by a commitment to national defense and the strength of interpersonal bonds and loyalties within the military organization, and military members’ sense of duty––perceived obligations––in the context of mission deployment.
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| 7. |
- Ekman, Lisa
(författare)
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Fighting for Strangers? : Military Duty in Contemporary War
- 2017
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Ingår i: Leadership in Extreme Situations. - Cham : Springer. - 9783319550596 - 9783319550589 ; , s. 167-180
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This chapter explores the concept of military duty in the context of contemporary war. It focuses on the recent developments in the normative and strategic frameworks of Western military operations, which emphasize that mission effectiveness is largely dependent on the security and wellbeing of the local population. This has seemingly stretched the traditional notion of military duty, which is to master and apply organized military force to achieve political objectives and defeat the enemy on the battlefield. Based on empirical insights from the U.S. military and its recent missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the chapter argues that this development has created tensions between political and military understandings of duty, as well as between organizational and individual notions of duty within the U.S. military. Conflicting notions of military duty hold important policy implications to both domestic civil-military relations and U.S. military power abroad because they challenge the integrity of political objectives and threaten military cohesion and unity of effort with regard to the management of local populations during war.
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| 8. |
- Ekman, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Hock lesions in dairy cows in freestall herds: a cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors
- 2018
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Ingår i: Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-605X .- 1751-0147. ; 60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Hock lesions (HL) in dairy cows are a common animal welfare problem in modern dairy production with freestall housing systems, but there are no large-scale studies addressing its epidemiology in Sweden. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to investigate the prevalence of HL of different severity in 100 Swedish freestall dairy herds, and to identify cow- and herd-related risk factors. Associations between HL and mastitis as well as culling were also investigated.Results: In total, 3217 cows from 99 herds were included in the statistical analyses. The overall cow prevalence of hair loss on the hock (mild HL) was 68% and the prevalence of ulceration or evident swelling of the hock, with or without hair loss, (severe HL) was 6%. The within-herd prevalence varied among herds, between 23 and 100% for mild HL, and between 0 and 32% for severe ones. Breed (higher risk for Swedish Holstein than for Swedish Red) and days in milk (higher risk at 181-305 days than at 0-90 days) were cow-related risk factors associated with both types of lesions, whereas higher parity and cleaner cows were associated only with increased risk of severe HL. A reduced risk for mild HL was seen in cows housed on mattresses compared to rubber mats, and in cows housed on peat compared to other bedding materials. Also, cows in herds with a high proportion of not yet inseminated heifers older than 17 months had a lower risk of mild HL than cows in herds with a low proportion. Risk for severe HL was lower when cubicles were of recommended width compared to under recommendation, for organic production compared to conventional, and when teat dip or no treatment after milking was used, compared to teat spray. For both mild and severe HL, herringbone milking parlors were associated with higher risk than tandem parlors. We found no significant associations between HL and mastitis or culling.Conclusions: The prevalence of HL is high in Swedish dairy herds, although most lesions are mild. Several cow- and herd-related risk factors were identified and the results can be used to improve recommendations for the prevention of HL in Swedish freestall dairy herds.
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| 9. |
- Ekman, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Incidence of udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) in dairy cows and risk factors for transitions to UCD
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Dairy Science. - : American Dairy Science Association. - 0022-0302 .- 1525-3198. ; 103, s. 11736-11749
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) is a common skin condition in Swedish dairy cows, affecting the anterior parts of the udder. The main objective of this study was to investigate incidence rate and duration of UCD in a 1-yr longitudinal study. Other objectives were to investigate risk factors for transitions from being healthy to having mild or severe UCD, and from having mild UCD to having severe UCD, and associations between UCD and clinical mastitis, somatic cell count (SCC) and hock lesions. Seven herds were included in the study and visited 9 times each at 6-wk intervals. At the visits, mild and severe UCD lesions, hock lesions, udder conformation traits, and hygiene scores were registered for each cow milked in the milking parlor. Information on breed, parity, days in milk (DIM), results from test milkings (milk production, SCC, and urea level), and veterinary treatments was also obtained. A UCD case was defined as one or several consecutive observations of UCD. The incidence and duration of UCD were described. Mixed-effect logistic regression models were used to analyze associations between potential risk factors and transitions to any type of UCD. Separate risk factor analyses were performed for transitions to mild arid severe UCD. Associations with SCC, mastitis, and hock lesions were also analyzed with mixed-effect logistic regression models. The mean overall incidence of new UCD cases for all visits and herds was 0.5 cases per cow-year at risk. Risk factors associated with a higher risk of a transition to any type of UCD and mild UCD were breed (Swedish Red vs. Swedish Holstein), an indentation or fold at the fore udder attachment, and increasing DIM. In addition, a low milk urea level was associated with a lower risk of transition to any type of and mild UCD. Cows with previous mild UCD and high-yielding cows had increased risk for a transition to severe UCD. Cows that had an observed transition to severe UCD had an increased risk of veterinary-treated clinical mastitis within 6 wk after the UCD observation. No associations were found between UCD and SCC or hock lesions. The median observed duration of a UCD case was 12 wk, but most cases did not have an observed start or end during the study period. The observed duration of cases including severe UCD was longer than for cases involving only mild UCD. The high incidence and often long duration of UCD emphasize the need for preventive measures and treatment strategies.
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| 10. |
- Ekman, Lisa
(författare)
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Local Ties that Bind? : Exploring Noncombat Contact and Understandings of Military Duty in Afghanistan
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Global Security Studies. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2057-3170 .- 2057-3189. ; 6:1, s. 1-19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Contemporary “population-oriented” military intervention and the objectives of protecting, supporting, and fighting alongside host-nation authorities and populations pose new challenges to Westernarmed forces’ traditionally combat-oriented understanding of duty. The article argues that militarypersonnel who engage in unarmed and nonthreatening interaction—noncombat contact—with hostcitizens are more likely to develop a stronger sense of duty—perceived obligations—toward the hostnation population. Interviews with US Army officers with experiences from Afghanistan show thatnoncombat contact with Afghan citizens led to increased willingness to safeguard the interests andwell-being of the Afghan population and adapt the mission accordingly.
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