Different Locations In Sweden Research Articles

How green is an urban tree? The impact of species selection in reducing the carbon footprint of park trees in Swedish cities

IntroductionPlanting trees in urban areas can mitigate some of the emissions generated in cities by carbon sequestration (annual uptake of CO2 through the process of photosynthesis) and carbon storage (amount of carbon stored in the tree's biomass throughout its lifespan). The aim of this study was to calculate the carbon footprint from nursery production to final establishment of different tree species grown for planting in urban parks in a northern European context.Material and methodsThe analysis included a cradle-to-gate approach and investigated the amount of carbon the adult trees needed to sequester in order to compensate for initial carbon emissions and which temporal perspectives are of concern. Greenhouse gas emissions were estimated based on an inventory of consumption of fuels, energy, materials and other production inputs during cultivation, delivery, planting and establishment of three different tree species in three different locations in Sweden. The tree species considered in the analysis (Salix alba, Quercus rubra, Pinus sylvestris) were selected due to significant differences in their growth rates. Salix alba is a competitive strategist in resource-rich habitats, and is proficient at converting these resources into vigorous growth. Pinus sylvestris is a pronounced stress strategist with good ability to handle resource-limited habitats, and invests in traits accordingly, resulting in significantly slower development. Quercus rubra has its main distribution in cool and moderately resource-rich habitats, but has relatively high stress tolerance and can be considered intermediate between the other two species in terms of growth rate.Results and discussionThe results showed that within 16 years of planting, all species in all three cities, except Pinus sylvestris planted in Umeå, compensated for initial carbon emissions, i.e. showed net absorption of CO2 after emissions from cultivation, delivery, planting and establishment of the trees had been deducted. There was a clear link between the time by which compensation of initial carbon emissions was achieved and growth rate of the different species, with the fast-growing Salix alba showing the best results. The single largest source of emissions among all activities carried out during cultivation, delivery and planting of all species, regardless of the city in which they were planted, was fuel consumption during tree planting.

Host Tree and Geography Induce Metabolic Shifts in the Epiphytic Liverwort Radula complanata.

Bryophytes are prolific producers of unique, specialized metabolites that are not found in other plants. As many of these unique natural products are potentially interesting, for example, pharmacological use, variations in the production regarding ecological or environmental conditions have not often been investigated. Here, we investigate metabolic shifts in the epiphytic Radula complanata L. (Dumort) with regard to different environmental conditions and the type of phorophyte (host tree). Plant material was harvested from three different locations in Sweden, Germany, and Canada and subjected to untargeted liquid chromatography high-resolution mass-spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS) and data-dependent acquisition (DDA-MS). Using multivariate statistics, variable selection methods, in silico compound identification, and compound classification, a large amount of variation (39%) in the metabolite profiles was attributed to the type of host tree and 25% to differences in environmental conditions. We identified 55 compounds to vary significantly depending on the host tree (36 on the family level) and 23 compounds to characterize R. complanata in different environments. Taken together, we found metabolic shifts mainly in primary metabolites that were associated with the drought response to different humidity levels. The metabolic shifts were highly specific to the host tree, including mostly specialized metabolites suggesting high levels of ecological interaction. As R. complanata is a widely distributed generalist species, we found it to flexibly adapt its metabolome according to different conditions. We found metabolic composition to also mirror the constitution of the habitat, which makes it interesting for conservation measures.

Improving Life Cycle Sustainability and Profitability of Buildings through Optimization: A Case Study

Building developers are continuously seeking solutions to increase saleable/rentable floor area and thus the profitability of investments, especially in large/dense cities where the real estate/rental values are high and shortage of available land results in smaller building footprints. Application of passive energy efficiency measures (e.g., thick insulation in walls) not only affects the life cycle sustainability of buildings, but also the floor area and its profitability. This can affect the decisions made on the choice of measures when aiming to improve sustainability. In line with limited studies in this context, a case study is presented here in which multi-objective optimization was used to explore the impact of various passive energy efficiency measures on the life cycle sustainability when accounting for the profitability of the floor area. The building case was a high-rise apartment based on a standardized building concept situated in different locations in Sweden, namely Vindeln, Gothenburg, and Stockholm. The findings indicated that, regardless of the location, use of (1) thick cellulose coating for the roof, and (2) moderately thick expanded polystyrene for the floor, were necessary to improve the life cycle sustainability. However, the optimal wall insulation was dependent on the location; in locations with high real estate values, the scope for using thick and conventional insulations (mineral wool/cellulose) was limited due to the significant economic loss caused by floor area reductions. In general, the optimization identified optimal solutions that could save up to 1410.7 GJ energy, 23 tonnes CO2e, and 248.4 TEUR cost from a life cycle perspective relative to the building’s initial design.

Assessment of Risk of Introduction of Echinococcus multilocularis to Mainland Norway

In the light of the recent findings of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis (EM) in four red foxes from three different locations in Sweden, the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (Vitenskapskomiteen; VKM), Panel of Biological Hazards (Faggruppe hygiene og smittestoffer) took the initiative to undertake a risk assessment regarding the probability of this parasite being introduced to mainland Norway and thus becoming a threat to public health in the country.
 EM is a small tapeworm that resides in the intestine of carnivores (e.g. foxes, dogs) that function as final hosts for the adult tapeworm. The infection here gives few or no symptoms. Adult tapeworms produce eggs that are released in the faeces of the carnivores and may be ingested by mammals, usually rodents or lagomorphs1, which act as intermediate hosts. In the intermediate hosts, the larval form of the tapeworm produces cysts, predominantly in the liver, where they proliferate and may invade the surrounding tissues. If the infected intermediate host is eaten by a susceptible final host, the adult tapeworm develops in the intestine and the lifecycle is completed.
 EM is of public health significance as humans may act as accidental intermediate hosts if they ingest eggs, either through contaminated foods or water, or from contact with infected final hosts (dogs, foxes) or their faeces. In untreated patients the disease is often fatal (10 year survival rate of 29 %), and in treated patients the 10 year survival rate is 80 %. The anthelmintic treatment is long-term (for several years, possibly life-long) and expensive. Liver transplantation may be required.
 Conclusions: Based on the fact that EM is endemic in many European countries, that the incidence in endemic countries is increasing, and that the areas of endemicity are expanding it seems likely that EM will be imported into Norway at some point, perhaps within the next 10 years.
 Given the high numbers of pets crossing the border between Sweden and Norway and the paucity of checks regarding compliance with treatment legislation, this seems to be a likely route of entry of EM to Norway, should this occur. Introduction of checks may reduce this likelihood.
 Under the current monitoring conditions, VKM find it less likely that EM will be detected upon the first introduction to Norway. EM will probably only be detected once the prevalence in foxes is greater than 1%. The red fox population size is estimated to be between 70 000 to 120 000 animals. This means between 700 to 1200 red foxes would need to be infected before EM infection is likely to be detected under the current monitoring program. If EM is identified early enough after introduction, then it might be possible to avoid the establishment of EM in Norway and/or to limit the region of endemicity. This is dependent on optimal detection techniques and sufficient monitoring.
 VKM considers that it is unlikely that EM will be imported to Norway via contaminated produce (berries, fruits and mushrooms).
 Norway’s strong ‘outdoor’ culture, in which hunting, camping, berry-picking and other outdoor activities play a significant role, may place the Norwegian population at greater likelihood of contracting EM than populations in other European countries. However, it should be noted that even in countries with endemic EM, human echinococcosis is, apparently, relatively rare.

Impact of climate change on Swedish agriculture: Growing season rain deficit and irrigation need

Over 90% of Swedish agriculture is rainfed, and thus future climate change can pose a risk to agricultural production in coming decades. An overall increase in annual precipitation is predicted for northern Europe, but Sweden could still face an increasing need for irrigation, as shown by the drought summer of 2018. Adaptation of Swedish agriculture to include irrigated agriculture should thus be considered. To evaluate the theoretical need for irrigation, calculations were performed for different locations in Sweden, and for different soil-crop pairs at each location. In-situ weather data from a projected climate dataset created by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute were used to evaluate changes in irrigation need over the period 1981–2050. The results showed an increasing need for irrigation of cereal crops during the early season (May–June), for two main reasons: i) A shift to an earlier start of the cropping period, leading to an earlier need for irrigation; and ii) a higher probability of dry spring weather, substantially increasing the irrigation requirement in dry years. Crops for which the growing season starts later (e.g., potatoes) showed an increasing need for irrigation during July. Crop development stages were predicted to occur earlier, leading to earlier harvesting, reducing the irrigation requirement in August. However, the calculation approach developed for this study may have underestimated the need for irrigation, which could be higher than reported here.

Numerical calculation of heat losses for crawl space foundation at different locations in Sweden

Crawl space is one of the most common foundation types in Sweden, and over five hundred thousand family houses have this type of foundation. This study determines how the heat losses variate at six different locations in Sweden from the south to the north. The average heat for a year varied between 1.76 and 3.07 ​W/m2. The maximum heat flux was 4.43 ​W/m2 in Kiruna, while Falsterbo has a maximum heat flux of 3.18 ​W/m2. Minimum heat flux varied between 0.43 and 1.38 ​W/m2. A sensitivity study of the important parameter showed that the temperature is the most important parameter with a decrease in average heat flux of 0.15 ​W/m2 per degree increase in air temperature. Snow depth and snow days are less sensitive and give less than a 2.3% decrease for the average heat flux with a variation of ±50% and ±20 days, respectively.

Migration Diversity and House Prices - Evidence from Sweden

The impact of migration on local communities and economies is one of the most important and contentious issues of our time. One particular area of policy concern is the extent to which migration results in an increase in house prices, and whether these effects are consistent across different types of location, ranging from large urban areas, to small urban and rural areas. We contribute to the small but growing literature on migration and housing by examining the impact of migration on house prices at different locations in Sweden. Our model, estimated using IV with a shift-share instrument, allows us to disaggregate the effects of labour migration, family reunification migration, and humanitarian migration, as well as to quantify the effect of internal migration. Using data for 284 municipalities over the period 2000-2015, we find that a 1% increase in the foreign-born population results in a 0.8% increase in house prices, which increases to 1.2% if internal migration is also accounted for, allowing us to account for the effects of the displacement of existing residents. Our results also show that the more skilled labour migrants have a large and positive effect on house prices in large urban areas, while refugees, who are often low-skilled, younger, and less wealthy, have a large effect on house prices in the mainly peripheral, rural or small urban areas where they are placed by the government.

Measurements of 106Ru in Sweden during the autumn 2017: Gamma-ray spectrometric measurements of air filters, precipitation and soil samples, and in situ gamma-ray spectrometry measurement

During the last days of September to the first days of October in 2017, a unique detection of 106Ru was observed in air filters sampled at different locations in Sweden via the national air monitoring network. Furthermore, measurements of precipitation also showed the presence of 106Ru. This initiated soil sampling and in situ gamma-ray spectrometry at one of the locations.

Impact of spatial rainfall resolution on point-source solute transport modelling

ABSTRACTNumerical simulations of unsaturated solute transport from point sources were carried out using HYDRUS-1D. Three different soil types cropped with spring wheat were considered at three different locations in Sweden: Malmö, Norrköping and Petisträsk. Two types of rainfall data were used, point-scale raingauge measurements and a gauge-adjusted weather radar product at four spatial resolutions, 2 × 2, 6 × 6, 10 × 10 and 14 × 14 km2. The results showed that differences in the mean solute transport depths were small and not significant, with the exception of Petisträsk. Maximum transport depths were in most cases significantly larger using raingauge data compared to radar data. The results showed that using areal-averaged rainfall input will give solute transport estimations close to those using point-measured data. This shows the great potential in using radar-measured rainfall data in small-scale hydrological applications.

Windsurfing in Mute Swans (Cygnus olor)

ABSTRACT Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) were observed using tailwind as a support for high-speed water transportation on three different occasions in three different locations in Sweden. With the wings arched over the back, they traveled ∼100 m in an inlet of the Baltic Sea in Stockholm, several hundred meters in Lake Hjalstaviken in Enkoping, and ∼350 m in Lake Krankesjon in Lund. The speed of the movement was estimated to be much higher than normally seen for swimming swans. The first observation included two Mute Swans traveling one after another in the same direction, the second observation was of one single individual traveling towards a group of conspecifics, and the third observation was of a single individual traveling by itself. This behavior may serve as a means of medium-distance water transportation in this heavy bird species.

Genetic diversity of rhizobia nodulating native Vicia spp. in Sweden

Despite the recognition that Rhizobium leguminosarum sv. viciae is the most common symbiont of Vicia species worldwide, there is no available information on rhizobia nodulating native Vicia species in Sweden. We have therefore studied the genetic diversity and phylogeny of root nodule bacteria isolated from V. cracca, V. hirsuta, V. sepium, V. tetrasperma and V. sylvatica growing in different locations in Sweden as well as an isolate each from V. cracca in Tromsø, Norway, and V. multicaulis in Siberia, Russia. Out of 25 isolates sampled from the six Vicia species in 12 different locations, there were 14 different genotypes based on the atpD, recA and nodA gene phylogenies. All isolates were classified into Rhizobium leguminosarum sv. viciae group based on the concatenated atpD and recA phylogeny and the nodA phylogeny.

Investigating Upper Secondary School Teachers’ Conceptions: Is Mathematical Reasoning Considered Gendered?

This study examines Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ gendered conceptions about students’ mathematical reasoning: whether reasoning was considered gendered and, if so, which type of reasoning was attributed to girls and boys. The sample consisted of 62 teachers from six different schools from four different locations in Sweden. The results showed that boys were significantly more often attributed to memorised reasoning and delimiting algorithmic reasoning. Girls were connected to gamiliar algorithmic reasoning, a reasoning type where you use standard method when solving a mathematical task. Creative mathematical founded reasoning, which is novel, plausible and founded in mathematical properties, was not considered gendered.

R&D Strategy, Metropolitan Externalities and Productivity: Evidence from Sweden

This paper studies the influence of metropolitan externalities on productivity for different types of long-run R&D engagement based on information from the Community Innovation Survey. We apply a dynamic general method of moments model to a panel of manufacturing and service firms with different locations in Sweden, classified as a metropolitan region, the largest metropolitan region, a metropolitan city, the largest metropolitan city and a nonmetropolitan area. This analysis generates three distinct results. First, the productivity premium associated with persistent R&D is close to 8 per cent in nonmetro locations and about 14 per cent in the largest city. Second, a firm without any R&D engagement does not benefit at all from the external milieu in metro areas. Third, no productivity premium is associated with occasional R&D effort regardless of the firm's location.

Patterns of fungal communities among and within decaying logs, revealed by 454 sequencing

Owing to previous methodological limitations, knowledge about the fine-scale distribution of fungal mycelia in decaying logs is limited. We investigated fungal communities in decaying Norway spruce logs at various spatial scales at two environmentally different locations in Sweden. On the basis of 454 pyrosequencing of the ITS2 region of rDNA, 1914 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected in 353 samples. The communities differed significantly among logs, but the physical distance between logs was not found to have a significant effect on whether fungal communities had any resemblance to each other. Within a log, samples that were closer together generally had communities that showed more resemblance to each other than those that were further apart. OTUs characteristic for particular positions on the logs could be identified. In general, these OTUs did not overlap with the most abundant OTUs, and their ecological role was often unknown. Only a few OTUs were detected in the majority of logs, whereas numerous OTUs were rare and present in only one or a few logs. Wood-decaying Basidiomycetes were often represented by higher sequence reads in individual logs than Ascomycete OTUs, suggesting that Basidiomycete mycelia spread out more rapidly when established. OTU richness tended to increase with the decay stage of the sample; however, the known wood decayers were most abundant in less-decomposed samples. The fungi identified in the logs represented different ecological strategies. Our findings differ from previously published sporocarp studies, indicating that the highly abundant fruiting species may respond to environment in different ways than the rest of the fungal community.

Effects of Harvesting Date and Storage on the Amounts of Polyacetylenes in Carrots, Daucus carota

The amounts of three main polyacetylenes in carrots; falcarinol, falcarindiol, and falcarindiol-3-acetate, were determined by HPLC, during three seasons, in carrots harvested several times per season and at different locations in Sweden. The amounts of falcarindiol first decreased from a relatively high level and then increased later in the harvest season. The amounts of falcarindiol-3-acetate showed similar variations, whereas the amounts of falcarinol did not exhibit any significant variation during the harvest season. During storage the amount of polyacetylenes leveled off, increasing in samples initially low and decreasing in samples initially high in polyacetylenes. The amounts of all polyacetylenes varied significantly due to external factors and between stored and fresh samples. This variation opens up possibilities to achieve a chemical composition of polyacetylenes at harvest that minimizes the risk of bitter off-taste and maximizes the positive health effects reported in connection with polyacetylenes in carrots.

An assessment of different fertilization regimes in three boreal coniferous stands

In 1981–82 three field experiments were established with the aim of elucidating (i) the growth response of middle-aged coniferous stands at different fertilization intensities and, hence, the economic outcomes; and (ii) the need to add nutrients other than nitrogen (N). Nutrient additions were performed at intervals of two, four, six and eight years. The experiments were established on typical podzolized and N-limited mor-humus sites, two in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands and one in a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand, at three different locations in Sweden. The ages of the stands were 65–70 years at the time of establishment. Growth responses were calculated after a 22-year study period. The growth responses were significant in all treatments. The addition of nutrients other than N did not affect stem growth at any of the sites. The growth response tended to increase with decreasing application interval. The results also revealed that the efficiency of fertilization is reduced as the interval between fertilizations is shortened. Accordingly, the growth effect per kg of added N was negatively correlated to fertilization intensity. The least intensive fertilization regime (an eight-year interval) resulted in an average net increase in C sequestration of 35 kg per kg N added. The profitability, in terms of internal rate of return, the present net value at different interest rates and the cost of production, i.e. the cost to produce one extra m under the different N regimes, are presented and discussed.3

A single asteroidal source for extraterrestrial Ordovician chromite grains from Sweden and China: High-precision oxygen three-isotope SIMS analysis

We examined oxygen three-isotope ratios of 48 extraterrestrial chromite (EC) grains extracted from mid-Ordovician sediments from two different locations in Sweden, and one location in south-central China. The ages of the sediments (similar to 470 Ma) coincide with the breakup event of the L chondrite parent asteroid. Elemental compositions of the chromite grains are generally consistent with their origin from L or LL chondrite parent bodies. The average Delta O-17 (parts per thousand-deviation from the terrestrial mass-fractionation line, measured in situ from 15 mu m spots by secondary ion mass spectrometry; SIMS) of EC grains extracted from fossil meteorites from Thorsberg and Brunflo are 1.17 +/- 0.09 parts per thousand (2 sigma) and 1.25 +/- 0.16 parts per thousand, respectively, and those of fossil micrometeorites from Thorsberg and Puxi River are 1.10 +/- 0.09 parts per thousand, and 1.11 +/- 0.12 parts per thousand, respectively. Within uncertainty these values are all the same and consistent with the L chondrite group average Delta O-17 = 1.07 +/- 0.18 parts per thousand, but also with the LL chondrite group average Delta O-17 = 1.26 +/- 0.24 parts per thousand. (Clayton et al., 1991). We conclude that the studied EC grains from correlated sediments from Sweden and China are related, and most likely originated in the same event, the L chondrite parent body breakup. We also analyzed chromites of modern H, L and LL chondrites and show that their Delta O-17 values coincide with averages of Delta O-17 of bulk analyses of H, L and LL chondrites. This study demonstrates that in situ oxygen isotope data measured by SIMS are accurate and precise if carefully standardized, and can be used to classify individual extraterrestrial chromite grains found in sediments. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)

In vitro analysis of inflammatory responses following environmental exposure to pharmaceuticals and inland waters

Pharmaceuticals are regularly released into the environment; in particular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antibiotics. Erythromycin, naproxen, furosemide and atenolol are reported to be stable for up to 1 year in the environment, which increases the risk for accumulation. In the present study we have measured the occurrence and concentration of pharmaceuticals in river Viskan (Jössabron) downstream of a sewage treatment plant in Borås, Sweden. Pharmaceuticals and water samples were tested for potential human risk by evaluating inflammatory responses (NF-κB and AP-1) using human T24 bladder epithelial cells and Jurkat T-cells. NF-κB activity in T24 cells was significantly reduced by all NSAIDs analysed (diclofenac, ketoprofen, naproxen, ibuprophen and dextropropoxyphene), but also by trimethoprim, using environmentally relevant concentrations. NF-κB and AP-1 activation was further analysed in response to water samples collected from different locations in Sweden. Dose-dependent down-regulation of AP-1 activity in Jurkat cells was observed at all locations. At two locations (Jössabron and Almenäs) down-regulation of NF-κB was observed. In contrast, the NF-κB response was potentiated by exposure to water from both locations following activation of NF-κB by treatment with heat-killed Escherichia coli. To determine the involvement of pharmaceuticals in the responses, T24 cells were exposed to the pharmaceutical mixture, based on the determined levels at Jössabron. This resulted in reduction of the NF-κB response following exposure to the pharmaceutical mixture alone while no potentiation was observed when cells were co-exposed to heat killed E. coli and pharmaceuticals. The obtained results demonstrate that the identified pharmaceuticals affect the inflammatory responses and furthermore indicate the presence of unknown substance(s) with the ability to potentiate inflammatory responses.

Physical, biological and chemical processes during storage and spontaneous combustion of waste fuel

The storage of unsorted industrial waste (IND) fuel and refused-derived fuel (RDF) in piles at two different locations in Sweden was investigated. The objective was to assess the feasibility of waste storage in open areas for later energy utilization, and to study the physical, biological and chemical processes that occur during storage, by monitoring a number of parameters. One monitored IND pile showed an increase in temperature from an average of 49±10 to 73±7 °C, accompanied by considerable fluctuations in the waste mass interstitial oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations during the first month of storage. Thereafter, steady-state conditions were registered for about 4 months, with an average pile temperature of 77±8 °C, interstitial oxygen concentration varying from below the detection limit up to 5% by volume, interstitial carbon dioxide concentrations varying from 0.2 to 18%, and interstitial methane concentrations varying from below detection limit up to 0.5%. After 6 months of storage, spontaneous combustion occurred in the monitored IND pile. This was preceded by strong winds, which ventilated the pile and increased its oxygen content. Spontaneous combustion was also observed in one RDF pile after the same storage time (about 6 months). The leachate produced as a result of the large quantity of water used in an attempt to douse the burning RDF pile showed higher concentrations of chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total oxidized nitrogen, total phosphorus and the heavy metals lead, cadmium and chromium than the median values in the leachate from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill and from MSW incineration residues (50% fly ash) landfill. Baling to reduce waste fuel porosity is suggested as a safer option for the storage of waste material for energy recovery purposes.

Simulation of Asphalt Concrete (AC) Pavement Temperatures for use with FWD

ABSTRACT A simulation model to be used primarily for falling weight deflectometer (FWD) testing has been developed to calculate temperatures of asphalt concrete (AC) layers. Input to the model is a series of measured temperatures at the surface of AC layer. The measuring series need to be started in the morning, before the sun has strongly heated up the AC layers. A start-up procedure is proposed to follow, if the measuring series lacks the early morning data. By means of a finite difference approximation of the heat transfer equation, the temperatures below the AC surface are calculated. Parameter values were adapted using data for 8 days during the period June 20 to June 27, 2001 from 3 different locations in Sweden. Two other locations in Sweden were used for validation. For the measuring data, the proposed model gives essentially better results than the commonly used BELLS method, as well as the improved version BELLS3 and a method recently proposed by researchers at the Michigan State University. Comparisons with measured temperatures, show that the proposed method calculates the temperature distribution of the AC layers with good accuracy. This includes cloudy as well as sunny days. The method also accurately handles the change between cloudy and sunny weather during the day.