A sociotop investigation in Hedemora

Hedemora is the oldest town in Dalarna; traditionally acting as an important junction for trade. Nowadays, the town is suffering from a declining population and a poor economy. Therefore, it is important to explore how to best spend the money needed for Hedemora to become an attractive city once again. "Sociotops" are public spaces that have been evaluated by their users and by city planners, both working together. The result in the sociotop investigation will be used as a basis for city planning and as a foundation for discussing how to make the town a nicer environment. The sociotop investigation attempts to answer the questions: What places are popular and why? And What places are disliked? I approached the questions by using questionnaires, by arranging public walks in the city and by holding group interviews with children, along with my own observations. The information I have gathered is most detailed for children and youth between the ages of seven and twenty years old. This is good because they spend a lot of time outside, but seldom have any part in the planning process. The most popular place in Hedemora is Sveaparken, while the most well used place is Åsgatan. Åsgatan is a necessary place for everyday life because that is where all the shops are. Sveaparken, on the other hand, is used by free will. Generally speaking, the most well liked places are open-air recreational areas and sports grounds, and well managed, central located, parks with some sort of extra activity or social meaning. The sociotops will change as the town and its inhabitants develop, therefore the sociotop investigation has to continue. Otherwise it will soon be useless.Hedemora är Dalarnas äldsta stad med anrika traditioner som traktens största handelsknutpunkt. Nu för tiden dras orten med minskande invånarantal och sämre ekonomi. Därför är det viktigt att ta reda på hur man bäst använder sina pengar för att åter bli en attraktiv stad. Sociotoper är offentliga platser i stadens utemiljö som värderats av brukare och planerare gemensamt. Resultatet i sociotopundersökningen kommer att användas som planeringsunderlag i stadsplaneringen och som diskussionsplattform i kommunens arbete med miljömålet God Bebyggd Miljö. Sociotopundersökningen behandlar frågor som Vilka platser är omtyckta och varför? och Vilka platser är inte omtyckta? Jag har försökt ta reda på detta genom enkätundersökningar, gångturer för allmänheten och gruppintervjuer med skolbarn, samt genom egna observationer. Svarsunderlaget jag fått in är störst för barn och ungdomar i åldrarna 7 till 20 år vilket är bra eftersom de ofta vistas utomhus men sällan tillfrågas i planeringen. Det regleras också i Hedemoras barnplan att barn ska tillfrågas, vilket inte alltid sker. Den mest omtyckta friytan i Hedemora är Sveaparken, den mest använda är Åsgatan. Åsgatan är en nödvändig vardagsplats där handeln sker, Sveaparken är däremot en frivilligt vald vistelseplats. Generellt sett är friluftsområdena och motionsanläggningarna omtyckta liksom välskötta parker med någon form av extra aktivitet eller social funktion i centrala lägen. Sociotoperna kommer förändras i takt med att staden och dess invånare utvecklas, därför måste sociotopundersökningen fortgå för att inte bli oanvändbar

Genetics of gaits in Icelandic horses

A genome-wide association analysis of Icelandic horses has shown that a mutation in DMRT3, doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 3 (‘gait keeper’ mutation), has a strong impact on gait pattern. The DMRT3 mutant allele (A) has been found in high frequency in gaited breeds, and breeds used for harness racing, while non-gaited breeds were homozygous for the wild-type allele (C). Icelandic horses have the ability to perform alternate gaits besides the three basic gaits (walk, trot, canter/gallop) such as flying pace and tölt. Homozygosity for the DMRT3 nonsense mutation enables pace and has a positive effect on the quality of tölt (beat quality, speed capacity and suppleness). CA Icelandic horses on the other hand have better scores for walk, trot, canter and gallop. Previously, two border-line significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with tölt in another genome-wide association study (using breeding values as the phenotype). The aim is to validate the two tentative associations in additional Icelandic horses. In this study we want to confirm the association of two SNP markers, one on Chromosome 13 and one on Chromosome 28 with breeding values (EBVs) for tölt (tölt, slow tölt and direct tölt). We also want to investigate the genotype frequencies in; American Curly, American miniature horse, American Saddlebred, Friesian, Hackney, Morgan, Peruvian Paso, Rocky Mountain and Swedish Warmblood. TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays was used to genotype the individuals for the SNP markers of interest. The association was confirmed for EBVs on Chromosome 28 (tölt P=0,03*, P=0,03*) and also Chromosome 13 (tölt P=0.009**). Next step is to fine map the confirmed genomic regions

Kungliga Klimatträdgården : ett gestaltningsförslag på hur Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, kan anpassas till ett framtida varmare klimat

The aim of this thesis is to find strategies to mitigate the negative effects of an increased temperature and apply them in a design proposal to an urban space of social importance. The chosen site was Kungsträdgården, which is located in central Stockholm, Sweden. Climate change is a contested political debate and a global issue. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has in recent years established that it is with 95% certainty human activities that is causing the change in the global climate. The impacts will affect people and ecosystems around the world and the effects will be most noticeable in cities. Cities generally experience a higher temperature than their non-urban surroundings. This phenomenon is referred to as the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI). The elements, which increase the temperature in cities, are the large amount of impervious surfaces, buildings, lack of green spaces and the large amount of traffic. In order to define mitigating strategies, literature studies to determine what elements that help decrease temperature were conducted. The strategies to decrease temperature included vegetation such as trees and open grass, biodiversity, location of the green space and wind corridors. They also included water features such as fountains and ponds with vegetation. Vegetation at several levels are important for maximum cooling effect and to allow the cool air to spread. Along with the literature study, a site study were conducted to determine the physical features of the site today (2017). This to understand what is heating and cooling the space. Although people are major contributors to climate change, cities are spaces made by and for people. Therefore, this work does not only focus on the climate aspects of the site, but the social aspects as well. Thus, social studies were conducted to determine how the space is used. This thesis is an attempt to try out solutions for temperature decrease and to learn what is required of urban spaces in the future. Our final design is a conceptual idea of how an urban space in a city can be re-designed in order to cope with the future climate in the aspect of temperature increase. We decided to create a multifunctional space with five different parts, each with its own climate benefits based on our found climate strategies. The parts are an entrance with pond and amphitheatre, an event surface with semi-permeable ground material, a broadleaved forest, a raised boardwalk and an open grass surface and waterfront. This thesis highlights the importance of green spaces as a way to reduce the impacts of climate change in cities. It also shows the difficulties of balancing between climate aspects and social aspects when designing an urban space. In order to adapt an urban space to climate change and an increased temperature, vegetation is vital, and the removal of impervious surfaces. We think landscape architects have a responsibility to plan for a sustainable future, and we need to be the voice for the changes that needs to be made. Hopefully before it is too late!Syftet med uppsatsen var att undersöka hur ett socialt viktigt stadsrum kan anpassas till ett framtida varmare klimat samtidigt som de sociala värdena bibehålls. Detta genomfördes genom att hitta strategier för att lindra de negativa effekterna av en höjd temperatur och att sedan använda dessa i en gestaltning av Kungsträdgården i Stockholm; ett offentligt stadsrum med ett högt socialt värde. Klimatförändringar är idag en aktuell politisk debatt och ett stort globalt problem. FN’s klimatpanel, IPCC, har under senaste åren klargjort att det är med 95 % säkerhet mänsklig aktivitet som har orsakat förändringarna i det globala klimatet. Effekterna av klimatförändringarna kommer att påverka människor och ekosystem världen över och de kommer vara tydligast i städerna. Detta på grund av att städer är ömtåliga system som lätt tar skada vid externa förändringar eller påfrestningar. Samtidigt är städerna en stor bidragande faktor till vårt allt varmare klimat, eftersom de är källor till stora koldioxidutsläpp. Städer har ett generellt varmare klimat än den omkringliggande landsbygden. Detta fenomen kallas urbana värmeöar och beror på den höga andelen ogenomsläppliga ytor, byggnader, brist på grönytor och mycket trafik. De strategierna vi fann för att sänka temperaturen innefattade vegetation där träd kombineras med öppna gräsytor, en hög biodiversitet, placeringen av vegetationsytorna samt vindkorridorer. Övriga temperatursänkande strategier vi fann var även vattenelement som fontäner och dammar med vegetation i anslutning. Att ha vegetation i olika nivåer och lager är också viktigt för att maximera kylningseffekten och för att hjälpa den kalla luften att spridas till ett större område. Tillsammans med en litteraturstudie gjordes en platsundersökning av Kungsträdgården för att klargöra de fysiska förutsättningarna idag (2017) för att förstå vad som värmer och kyler platsen. Eftersom vi valde att behålla Kungsträdgården som en viktig social plats, genomförde vi även en social studie för att ta reda på hur platsen används. Vår slutgiltiga gestaltning är ett konceptuellt förslag. Vi skapade en multifunktionell park som består av fem delar, vilka alla har olika klimatfördelar baserade på de funna strategierna. Delarna har även olika sociala funktioner för att möta behoven på platsen. Uppsatsen lyfter fram vikten av grönytor och avlägsnandet av hårdgjorda ytor för att minska effekterna av klimatförändringarna i städer. Den visar också på svårigheterna med att balansera klimataspekter mot sociala aspekter vid gestaltning av urbana ytor. Vi anser att landskapsarkitekter har ett ansvar att planera för en hållbar framtid och att vi behöver förespråka de förändringar som krävs. Förhoppningsvis innan det är för sent

Stadsrum för människor

Syftet med uppsatsen är att komma fram till hur och varför urbana miljöer fungerar med avseende på mänsklig aktivitet och vilka element som krävs för att en plats ska uppfattas som aktiv. För att göra det valde vi en plats med lite mänsklig aktivitet, Vardagsrummet i Uppsala, för att se vad som fungerade och saknades där. Med social hållbarhet som utgångspunkt ville vi ta reda på vad som kan bidra till mänsklig aktivitet i urbana miljöer och även faktorer som är avgörande för hur mycket en plats används och upplevs. En teoristudie gjordes och på platsen genomfördes platsobservation och ELA-observation för att studera hur Vardagsrummet fungerade med avseende på den mänskliga aktiviteten. Vidare gjordes intervjuer med utvalda huvudaktörer för gestaltningen av rummet. Jan Gehls 12 kvalitetskriterier för aktiva stadsrum användes som en avprickningslista över vilka faktorer som finns och saknas Vardagsrummet. Vidare gjordes skisser på tillägg till den befintliga gestaltningen på platsen som vi ansåg skulle kunna höja den mänskliga aktiviteten. Vårt resultat visar att det är en kombination av faktorer som gör att Vardagsrummet upplevs som tomt. Att platsen är en passage men har många bänkar som inte används förstärker känslan av att det är få som använder platsen. Slutligen diskuterades de avgörande faktorerna vid gestaltning av en urban miljö för att människor ska använda platsen. Dessa faktorer är var platsen ligger i förhållande till andra funktioner och stråk, attraktioner utöver platsens utformning som verksamhet i bottenvåningarna samt om platsen skapar ett bestående intryck hos sina besökare.The purpose of this thesis is to identify how and why urban spaces function in relation to human activity and which elements are essential in creating an environment we experience as active. To accomplish this, we studied a place with little human activity, Vardagsrummet in Uppsala, to detect what worked and what was missing there. Taking social sustainability as a starting point, we wanted to find out what may contribute to human activity in urban environments and also which factors are crucial to how much space is used and how it is perceived. Theoretical research, a site observation and an ELAobservation was done to investigate how Vardagsrummet functions in terms of human activity. Furthermore, we interviewed operators responsible for the design of Vardagsrummet. Jan Gehl’s 12 quality criteria on active urban spaces were used as a checklist of existing factors and factors that are missing in Vardagsrummet. Futhermore, we made basic sketches to show additions to the current design in Vardagsrummet which we thought could enhance the human activity there. Based on our results we could determine that there is a combination of factors that contribute to why Vardagsrummet is perceived as empty. The fact that the site is a passage but has many unused benches reinforces the impression that there are few who use the space. Finally, we discussed the key factors in designing an urban environment to encourage human activity. These factors include where the site is located in relation to other functions and routes, attractions in addition to the design of the site such as the ground floor activities and that the site itself creates a lasting impression on its visitors

Optimizing zebrafish rearing−Effects of fish density and environmental enrichment

Introduction: Despite its popularity in research, there is very little scientifically validated knowledge about the best practices on zebrafish (Danio rerio) husbandry, which has led to several facilities having their own husbandry protocols. This study was performed to expand knowledge on the effects of enrichment and fish density on the welfare of zebrafish, with hopes of providing a scientific basis for future recommendations and legislations.Methods: Zebrafish were reared at three different stocking densities, (1, 3 or 6 fish/L), in tanks with or without environmental enrichment. Agonistic behavior was observed twice a week for 9 weeks directly in the housing tanks. Aspects of welfare is known to be reflected in neuroendocrine stress responses. Thus, cortisol secretion in response to lowering the water level was analyzed for each group. In addition, we assessed cortisol secretion in response to confinement and risk-taking behavior (boldness) using the novel tank diving test for individual fish. At termination of the experiment fish were subjected to stress by transfer to a novel environment and brain tissue was sampled for analysis of brain monoaminergic activity.Results: Fish kept at the lowest density (1 fish/L) showed a significantly higher level of aggression than fish kept at 3 or 6 fish/L. Moreover, fish kept at this low density showed significantly higher cortisol secretion on a group level than fish kept at the higher stocking densities, when subjected to lowering of the water level. Keeping fish at 1 fish/L also had effects on brain monoamines, these fish showing higher brain dopamine concentrations but lower dopamine turnover than fish kept at higher densities. Neither stocking density or enrichment had any clear effects on the behavior of individual fish in the novel tank diving test. However, fish kept at high densities showed lower and more variable growth rates than fish kept at 1 fish/L.Discussion: Taken together these results suggest that zebrafish should not be kept at a density of 1 fish/L. The optimal stocking density is likely to be in the range of 3–6 fish/L

Towards an ontology driven approach for systems interoperability and energy management in the smart city

Modern Information and Communication Technologies are definitely a key factor to develop the green and sustainable applications that the so-called “smart city” needs. Effective management of resources, gathering and interpreting data as well as ecological considerations are prerequisites to turn such a vision into reality. The European FP7 project DIMMER address these issues by providing a flexible Internet of Thing platform for application development and data integration, exploiting information about buildings, energy distribution grids and user behaviors. Among those applications, the possibility to real-time access and aggregate information about building environmental characteristics and energy consumption enables the optimization of energy management and control, as well as the user’s awareness about, which is the scope of the DIMMER project. The paper will describe the ontology-driven approach, as well as the actual design, exploited to model the physical world within the context of this project, adding a special emphasis on the state of art research in the field of energy profiling

Boldness in Zebrafish Larvae-Development and Differences between a Domesticated Lab Strain and Offspring of Wild-Caught Fish

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are becoming one of the most important model organisms in behavioural neuroscience. It has been shown repeatedly that different zebrafish strains show large behavioural differences. These divergent behavioural profiles may have a genetic basis, but environmental factors and previous experience are also known to greatly affect the behavioural phenotype of zebrafish. It could be expected that behavioural differences at the larval stage should be less affected by environmental factors and experience. In the present study, we screened larvae of zebrafish of the AB strain and offspring of wild-caught zebrafish for boldness, using an open field test. In order to follow the behavioural development, we studied larvae at the age of 5-, 7-, 12- and 30-days post fertilization (dpf). Behaviour, as well as behavioural development, clearly differed between the larvae of the different strains. Wild larvae showed larger total distance moved than AB larvae, both at light and dark conditions. These differences were already present at 12 dpf but became more pronounced with age. Wild larvae had a greater variance compared to AB larvae for most of the variables. We have previously shown that bold and shy adult zebrafish differ in the brain expression of dopamine and opioid receptors. The results of the current study show that wild larvae display significantly higher brain expression of drd2b than AB larvae at 30 dpf, a difference that could be related to differences in activity. We did not detect any differences in the expression of opioid receptors

The KB paradigm and its application to interactive configuration

The knowledge base paradigm aims to express domain knowledge in a rich formal language, and to use this domain knowledge as a knowledge base to solve various problems and tasks that arise in the domain by applying multiple forms of inference. As such, the paradigm applies a strict separation of concerns between information and problem solving. In this paper, we analyze the principles and feasibility of the knowledge base paradigm in the context of an important class of applications: interactive configuration problems. In interactive configuration problems, a configuration of interrelated objects under constraints is searched, where the system assists the user in reaching an intended configuration. It is widely recognized in industry that good software solutions for these problems are very difficult to develop. We investigate such problems from the perspective of the KB paradigm. We show that multiple functionalities in this domain can be achieved by applying different forms of logical inferences on a formal specification of the configuration domain. We report on a proof of concept of this approach in a real-life application with a banking company. To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP).Comment: To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP

Green tea powder and Lactobacillus plantarum affect gut microbiota, lipid metabolism and inflammation in high-fat fed C57BL/6J mice

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity, ectopic lipid accumulation and low-grade inflammation. A dysfunctional gut microbiota has been suggested to participate in the pathogenesis of the disease. Green tea is rich in polyphenols and has previously been shown to exert beneficial metabolic effects. Lactobacillus plantarum has the ability to metabolize phenolic acids. The health promoting effect of whole green tea powder as a prebiotic compound has not been thoroughly investigated previously. METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet with or without a supplement of 4% green tea powder (GT), and offered drinking water supplemented with Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 15313 (Lp) or the combination of both (Lp + GT) for 22 weeks. Parameters related to obesity, glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, hepatic steatosis and inflammation were examined. Small intestinal tissue and caecal content were collected for bacterial analysis. RESULTS: Mice in the Lp + GT group had significantly more Lactobacillus and higher diversity of bacteria in the intestine compared to both mice in the control and the GT group. Green tea strongly reduced the body fat content and hepatic triacylglycerol and cholesterol accumulation. The reduction was negatively correlated to the amount of Akkermansia and/or the total amount of bacteria in the small intestine. Markers of inflammation were reduced in the Lp + GT group compared to control. PLS analysis of correlations between the microbiota and the metabolic variables of the individual mice showed that relatively few components of the microbiota had high impact on the correlation model. CONCLUSIONS: Green tea powder in combination with a single strain of Lactobacillus plantarum was able to promote growth of Lactobacillus in the intestine and to attenuate high fat diet-induced inflammation. In addition, a component of the microbiota, Akkermansia, correlated negatively with several metabolic parameters known to be risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes