How to redesign lawns with an ecological approach?

Conventional lawn is the dominating element in green space in Swedish cities. This is not unique. As a result of globalisation the conventional lawn is a universal element, which covers up to 70 per cent of open green areas in cities in many parts of the world. Being the most common green space element in the urban environment with almost exactly the same appearance and plant species composition in different cities around the world, regardless climatic conditions, it plays a significant role in threatening both biodiversity and place significant identity. The homogenous conventional lawn’s contribution to ecological function is very limited and it also offers few experiential values as well as requires intensive maintenance. In recent years, the high prevalence of conventional lawns, have therefore started to be questioned. This thesis focuses on redesign of conventional lawns in Swedish residential areas. The aim is to combine theoretical knowledge with practical lessons in order to obtain a result, which deals with new approaches and at the same time is realistic to implement. To get a comprehensive understanding of the subject the main aspects are ecology, design and maintenance. We present selected ecological principles and experiential values to consider when redesigning conventional lawns in Swedish residential areas. We also present more sustainable alternatives to the conventional lawn and explain how they should be established and managed. A case study in a residential area in Gothenburg shows how this approach can be applied. By introducing a varied composition of elements such as meadows, grass-free lawns, trees and shrubs the proposal transforms a homogenous residential area dominated by conventional lawn, into a heterogeneous area that offers rich experiences and high ecological values. The proposal is presented in neighbourhood scale followed by selected design interventions in detail where applied ecological principles, experiential values, establishment methods and maintenance are explained.Den traditionella gräsmattan är idag ett dominerade element i urbana miljöer i Sverige. Som ett resultat av globalisering har gräsmattan blivit ett universellt element som täcker upp till 70 procent av öppna grönytor i de flesta av världens städer. Trots att den förekommer i olika klimat och kulturer har gräsmattan ett homogent utseende och består av nästintill samma artsammansättning oavsett plats i världen. Detta resulterar i att gräsmattan är ett hot mot både biologisk mångfald och den platsspecifika identiteten. Den homogena gräsmattan bidrar till få ekologiska funktioner samt erbjuder få upplevelsevärden och kräver intensiv skötsel. Under senare år har därför den höga förekomsten av traditionell gräsmatta blivit ifrågasatt. Denna uppsats har som syfte att omvandla traditionella gräsmattor i svenska bostadsområden för att åstadkomma högre ekologiska värden, erbjuda fler och starkare upplevelsevärden samt minska skötselintensiteten. Uppsatsen fokuserar därmed på aspekterna ekologi, upplevelsevärden och skötsel. Målet är att kombinera teori med praktiska lärdomar för att generera ett resultat som behandlar nya metoder och som även är realistisk att genomföra. I uppsatsen presenteras utvalda ekologiska principer och upplevelsevärden som kan appliceras för att omvandla traditionella gräsmattor i svenska bostadsområden. Även mer hållbara alternativ till den traditionella gräsmatta och hur de ska skötas presenteras. Utvalda ekologiska principer, upplevelsevärden och alternativ till den traditionella gräsmattan appliceras slutligen i en fallstudie av ett bostadsområde i Göteborg. Designförslaget för området introducerar fler typer av vegetationsytor som exempelvis olika typer av ängar, ’grass-free lawn’ och högt gräs, för att skapa ett område med större variation i utseende, habitat och upplevelser. Förslaget presenterar omvandlingen av hela bostadsområdet, där vissa platser inom området beskrivs mer detaljerat om hur de utvalda ekologiska principerna, upplevelsevärden tillämpas samt hur förslaget etableras och sköts

Reducing queues: demand and capacity variations

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate how waiting lists or queues could be reduced without adding more resources; and to describe what factors sustain reduced waiting-times. Design/methodology/approach – Cases were selected according to successful and sustained queue reduction. The approach in this study is action research. Findings – Accessibility improved as out-patient waiting lists for two clinics were reduced. The main success was working towards matching demand and capacity. It has been possible to sustain the improvements. Research limitations/implications – Results should be viewed cautiously. Transferring and generalizing outcomes from this study is for readers to consider. However, accessible healthcare may be possible by paying more attention to existing solutions. Practical implications – The study indicates that queue reduction activities should include acquiring knowledge about theories and methods to improve accessibility, finding ways to monitor varying demand and capacity, and to improve patient processing by reducing variations. Originality/value – Accessibility is considered an important dimension when measuring service quality. However, there are few articles on how clinic staff sustain reduces waiting lists. This paper contributes accessible knowledge to the field

The attractive city centre : a comparison between the approach of three Swedish municipalities towards achieving an attractive urban environment

Stadskärnans attraktionskraft har blivit allt mer uppmärksammad på senare år. I ett samhälle präglat av svängande konjunkturer och ökade externa företagsetable-ringar har konkurrenssituationen för Sveriges stadskärnor blivit allt hårdare. Svenska kommuner har därför börjat arbeta allt mer målinriktat med att behålla och utveckla stadskärnans attraktionskraft. Globalisering och liknande riktlinjer har medfört att nya miljöer som skapas i kommunerna har en tendens att likna varandra. Denna uppsats syftar därför till att jämföra tre svenska kommuners arbete med att skapa attraktiva stadskärnor. Målet är att utreda vilka likheter och skillnader som finns samt vilka aspekter som är mest tongivande för arbetet. Bakgrunden och det teoretiska avsnittet i uppsatsen avser att se den attraktiva stadsmiljön ur ett större perspektiv och reda ut vilka aspekter som främst har påverkat, och än idag påverkar, hur stadsmiljön utformas. Detta för att kunna ge en översiktlig bild av varför svenska städer ser ut som de gör och varför kommu-nerna arbetar som de gör. Fallstudien inbegriper Malmö stad, Växjö kommun samt Östersunds kom-mun. Fakta har tagits fram på två sätt, dels har kommunernas respektive riktlinjer studerats. Sedan, för att ta reda på hur de arbetar med stadsmiljöfrågorna rent praktiskt, genomfördes intervjuer med personer som arbetar med dessa frågor i de olika kommunerna. Resultat och påföljande jämförelse kunde sedan visa på en hel del gemen-samma fokuspunkter och mål, men också lokala variationer mellan de tre kom-munernas arbete med att skapa en attraktiv stadskärna. Bland annat arbetar alla städer med att profilera sig och skapa en tydlig identitet, men skalan på satsning-ar och projekt skiljer sig mycket åt. Gemensamt för de tre kommunerna är även insikten om att det är viktigt att investera i stadsmiljön och att en attraktiv stadsmiljö kan vara ett viktigt redskap i arbetet med att locka till sig både invånare och företagsetableringar. Samtliga kommuner anser även att samverkan mellan kommun, fastighetsägare och nä-ringsliv är en viktig faktor för att få arbetet med stadsmiljön att fungera väl. Denna jämförelse kan ge landskapsarkitekter och planerare en samtidsbild över hur arbetet med att skapa attraktiva stadskärnor förs i svenska kommuner, vilket kan utgöra ett viktigt redskap i den fortsatta utvecklingen av detta arbete.An increased interest in the attractiveness of city centres has developed in recent years. In a society characterized by changing economic situations and an increase in external shopping mall areas, the existence of Swedish city centres have been challenged. In answer to this, Swedish municipalities have begun to work more goal-oriented to maintain and develop the attractiveness of the city centre. Newly built urban environments tend to resemble one another as a result of globalization and similar guidelines used by the different municipalities. This paper therefore aims to compare the efforts of three Swedish municipalities to create attractive city centres. The goal is to examine the similarities and differences that exists and which aspects are most influential in their work. The background and the theoretical section of the paper is an attempt to see the attractive urban environment from a broader perspective and to sort out which aspects that has primarily affected, and still affects, how urban environments are designed. This is to provide an overview of why Swedish city centres appear as they do, and why the municipalities work the way they do. The case study includes the cities of Malmö, Växjö and Östersund. Facts have been produced in two ways, firstly, the guidelines of each municipality has been studied. Secondly, to find out how they work with urban environmental issues in practice, interviews with people who work with these issues in the various municipalities were conducted. Result and subsequent comparison could then show a lot of common focus points and goals, but also some local variations between the works of the three municipalities. For example, all cities worked with profiling and creating a strong identity, but the scale of the initiatives and projects differed. Common to the three municipalities is also the recognition that it is important to invest in the urban environment and that an attractive urban environment can be used to attract both residents and business establishments. All municipalities also believe that cooperation between the municipality, property owners and businesses is important in getting the work of the urban environment to function well. This comparison gives landscape architects and planners a contemporary picture of how the process of creating attractive city centres work in Swedish municipalities, which is interesting in the shaping of these environments

Surgical Helmets and SARS Infection

Performance testing of two brands of surgical helmets indicated that their efficiency at in vivo filtration of sub–micrometer-sized particles is inadequate for their use as respirators. These helmets are not marketed for respiratory protection and should not be used alone for protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome when performing aerosol-generating procedures

Childhood indicators of susceptibility to subsequent cervical cancer

Common warts could indicate cervical cancer susceptibility, as both are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Eczema was also investigated, as atopic eczema has been negatively associated with warts, but non-atopic eczema may be associated with compromised host defences, as observed in patients with HIV, suggesting increased susceptibility to HPV infection and cervical cancer. ‘Cervical cancer’ was self-reported during an interview by 87 of 7594 women members of two longitudinal British birth cohorts. The accuracy of the diagnoses is limited by lack of confirmation using medical records. Odds ratios are adjusted for common warts and eczema in childhood; and cigarette smoking, number of cohabiting partners and social class in early adult life. The odds ratios of warts and eczema with cervical cancer are 2.50 (95% confidence interval 1.14–5.47) and 3.27 (1.95–5.49), respectively. The association of eczema with cervical cancer is independent of hay fever as a marker of atopy, suggesting the importance of non-atopic eczema. Both heavier smoking compared with non-smoking and four or more cohabiting partners compared with one/none have odds ratios for cervical cancer of 8.26 (4.25–15.10) and 4.89 (1.39–17.18), respectively. Common warts in childhood may indicate cervical cancer susceptibility; this and the relationship with eczema deserves investigation

The factors influencing the decision to list on Abu Dhabi securities exchange

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange is established to fund corporates, investments and economic growth. However, many companies operating in Abu Dhabi do not take the opportunity and list in the market. In this paper we survey a sample 145 chief executive officers and deputies of the CEO’s in order to explain why firms refrain from going public and float their equity in the market. Our findings indicate that the poor quality of the Abu Dhabi equity market in terms of its inefficiency and inadequate liquidity plays a crucial role in discouraging firms to list in the market. Moreover, management do not list in order to avoid dilution of ownership as well as to retain control of the company. Finally, we find that knowledgeable managers in big companies are more likely to list in the market particularly when they operate in a competitive industry

New insights into HIV-1-primary skin disorders

Since the first reports of AIDS, skin involvement has become a burdensome stigma for seropositive patients and a challenging task for dermatologist and infectious disease specialists due to the severe and recalcitrant nature of the conditions. Dermatologic manifestations in AIDS patients act as markers of disease progression, a fact that enhances the importance of understanding their pathogenesis