Colour Perception and Visitor Experiences of Urban Parks as Influenced by an Intense Colourful Urban Artefact: An In-situ Quasi-experiment

PurposeColourful street furniture, fitness and playground equipment has become increasingly common in contemporary urban green spaces. The study aims to increase knowledge about their influence on human perception of urban park settings, and explore the perceived interaction between an orange coloured urban artefact and the colour schemes of a public park.Design/Methodology/ApproachThis study consisted in first reviewing 794 park visitors through formal observations, and applying the semantic environmental description (SMB) on 102 individuals (park visitors). The analysis of the SMB dimensions used an analysis of variance with a 3x2 factorial design and the perceived colours measured with Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) colour charts.FindingsThe findings from the study show that placing intense colourful artefacts in various park environments can both increase and decrease experienced pleasantness and change the overall perceived characteristics of colour (colour contrast).Research LimitationsThe limitation of this study was that only a monochromatic coloured (orange) object with a specific structure and scale was used and that complementary colour combinations were not investigated. The experimental design did not allow a completely randomized design of the individuals in the study.Social/Practical ImplicationsGiven the results from the study, we propose that municipalities and landscape architecture offices involved in the planning, design and management of urban green spaces should pay just as much attention to the placement of urban artefacts in a public outdoor context as to the design of the artefacts themselves. Discussing these issues across the planning and management level can help increase consciousness of the impact of intensely colourful street furniture on park visitors colour perception and experiences.Original/ValueThe number of studies on this subject is very limited and performing this study is considered to contribute to the understanding of coloured urban artefacts in urban green spaces

The quality of Swedish adolescents' outdoor life and its relationship with self-esteem and well-being

This study investigates the relationship between outdoor life and the well-being and self-esteem of Swedish adolescents aged 12-15 years old (n = 320), residing in three different living environments in the south of Sweden. The study employed a questionnaire that was administered twice during a school year that included questions on time spent outdoors, environmental quality and the perceived benefit of the outdoor environment. Additionally, the study used standardized scales to measure life satisfaction, self-esteem and mental health. The results of the study revealed that adolescents who had more positive perceptions of their outdoor environment and being outdoors reported higher life satisfaction and self-esteem, as well as better mental health. Notably, girls' generally perceived their outdoor environments as lower quality compared to boys across different seasons. Furthermore, variations between living environments and seasons were also observed. Overall, the study underscores the importance of promoting outdoor life and highlights specific areas planners should address to create outdoor environments with possible benefits for the well-being of adolescents of different ages, sexes and living in different communities

Site characteristics determine the duration of structure liming effects on clay soil

Adding carbonated or non-carbonated lime to clay soils can lead to changes in aggregate stability. In Sweden, 'struc-ture liming' with a mixed product (normally 80-85% calcium carbonate and 15-20% calcium hydroxide) is subsidised through environmental schemes to increase aggregate stability, thereby mitigating losses of particulate phosphorus (PP). This study assessed the effects of structure liming on aggregate stability in eight clay soils in southern Swe-den, using turbidity as a proxy for aggregate stability. Turbidity in leachate from simulated rain events performed on aggregates (2-5 mm) in the laboratory was measured one and six years after application of four treatments 0, 4, 8 and 16 t ha-1 of a mixed structure liming product. The effect on turbidity was analysed for all application rates, but also as the contrast between the unlimed control and the mean of the limed treatments, to identify the gen-eral effect. A significant effect of structure liming on turbidity was found after one year. The effect decreased over time, but was still detectable after six years. However, there was a significant interaction between trial and treat-ment, indicating different reactions on different soils and suggesting that not all clay soils are suitable for structure liming if the desired objective is to lower the risk of PP losses. Clay content, initial pH and mineralogy may explain the different responses to structure liming. These findings show a need for a site-specific structure liming strategy. As a tentative recommendation, soils with a minimum clay content of approximately 25-30% and pH <7 should be preferred for structure liming

Site characteristics determine the duration of structure liming effects on clay soil

Adding carbonated or non-carbonated lime to clay soils can lead to changes in aggregate stability. In Sweden, ‘structure liming’ with a mixed product (normally 80–85% calcium carbonate and 15–20% calcium hydroxide) is subsidised through environmental schemes to increase aggregate stability, thereby mitigating losses of particulate phosphorus (PP). This study assessed the effects of structure liming on aggregate stability in eight clay soils in southern Sweden, using turbidity as a proxy for aggregate stability. Turbidity in leachate from simulated rain events performed on aggregates (2–5 mm) in the laboratory was measured one and six years after application of four treatments 0, 4, 8 and 16 t ha-1 of a mixed structure liming product. The effect on turbidity was analysed for all application rates, but also as the contrast between the unlimed control and the mean of the limed treatments, to identify the general effect. A significant effect of structure liming on turbidity was found after one year. The effect decreased over time, but was still detectable after six years. However, there was a significant interaction between trial and treatment, indicating different reactions on different soils and suggesting that not all clay soils are suitable for structure liming if the desired objective is to lower the risk of PP losses. Clay content, initial pH and mineralogy may explain the different responses to structure liming. These findings show a need for a site-specific structure liming strategy. As a tentative recommendation, soils with a minimum clay content of approximately 25–30% and pH &lt;7 should be preferred for structure liming

Klosettvattenkvalitet

Växtnäringsämnena i hushållsavloppsvatten kan fångas upp och återföras till åkermark med ett minimum av föroreningar om klosettvatten samlas upp skiljt från hushållets BDT-vatten1. Flera tidigare studier har visat att källsorterat klosettvatten har en bra kvalitet ur växtnärings- och föroreningssynpunkt och kan kvalitetsmässigt i viss mån jämföras med nötflytgödsel. Målet med denna studie har varit att beskriva halter av spårelement i relation till växtnäring (fosfor) i källsorterat klosettvatten samt att identifiera eventuella kvalitetsskillnader hos klosettvatten beroende på ursprung

Additive effect of the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetransand the fungus Rhizoctonia solanion potato yield and damage

The significance of nematodes for disease development caused by other soil-borne pathogens has been demonstrated in many crops throughout the world and specifically prevalent are interactions between plant-parasitic nematodes and species of plant pathogenic fungi. Here, the interaction between the fungusRhizoctonia solani(AG2) and the migratory endoparasitic root-lesion nematodePratylenchus penetranswas investigated on potato. The hypotheses were that the combination ofR. solaniandP. penetranswould result in more severe canker lesions, reduced quality of the tubers and lower tuber yield, and we also expected higher nematode levels to render more nematode damage. To test this, potato plants were grown in pots in two replicate experiments and the presence and/or abundance of the two pathogens were controlled. The first three hypotheses were rejected as (1) the tuber yield decreased when the fungus and nematode occurred together but not more than the sum of their separate effects, i.e. additive, (2) there was no effect of presence of nematodes on the incidence of stem canker, and (3) the quality of tubers was actually partly improved as the presence of the nematodes reduced the likelihood of elephant hide on the tubers in one of the experiments. As expected, there were more visible nematode damages with addition of more nematodes, but beyond that the different nematode levels rendered in most cases similar responses. To have knowledge about interactions between pathogens, as the one showed here, is essential for disease control through appropriate management methods

Downregulation of the INDEHISCENT Gene by RNAi Resulted in Desired Pod Shatter Reduction of Lepidium campestre in Subsequent Generations

Wild species field cress (Lepidium campestre) has favorable agronomic traits, making it a good candidate for future development as an oil and catch crop. However, the species is very prone to pod shatter, resulting in severe yield losses. This is one of the important agronomic traits that needs to be improved in order to make this species economically viable. In this study, we cloned the L. campestre INDEHISCENT (LcIND) gene and prepared two LcIND-RNAi constructs with the IND promoter (long 400 bp and short 200 bp) from Arabidopsis. A number of stable transgenic lines were developed and evaluated in terms of pod shatter resistance. The majority of the transgenic lines showed increased resistance to pod shatter compared to the wild type, and this resistance was maintained in four subsequent generations. The downregulation of the LcIND gene by RNAi in the transgenic lines was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis on T-3 lines. Southern blot analysis showed that most of the analyzed lines had a single-copy integration of the transgene, which is desirable for further use. Our results show that it is possible to generate stable transgenic lines with desirable pod shatter resistance by downregulating the LcIND gene using RNAi in field cress, and thus speeding up the domestication process of this wild species

Exploring the Integration Between Colour Theory and Biodiversity Values in the Design of Livning Walls

Designing green infrastructure in cities requires vegetation that has multiple outcomes and functions, particularly using plants that have both attractive visual or aesthetic features and high biodiversity values. Plantings that have high visual appeal are more highly valued by people and increase their feeling of wellbeing. Increasing biodiversity in cities is one of the major challenges facing urban planning and design. However, balancing biodiversity and aesthetic outcomes in urban planting design is complex, and to date there are few methods that can be used to guide plant selection. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the use of a colour theory framework for planting arrangements to see if we could design vegetation that is highly aesthetic and has high biodiversity. We did this by configuring planting combinations for living walls in Malmö, Sweden, using principles based on Johannes Itten’s colour theories. The plant combinations on each wall were graphically arranged using (1) colour analysis of each plant and (2) design of the plant species into two colour schemes: light-dark colour concept and a complementary colour concept. For each species used in the compositions we created a biodiversity classification, based on its pollination value, “nativeness” and conservation value as a cultivar; and a plant visual quality classification, based on the performance from living walls studies. The graphical colour composition and interlinked biodiversity value were then compared to designs created with randomly selected plant species. The results showed that it is possible to design a living wall based on colour theory without compromising with biodiversity outcomes, namely species richness, pollination and the nativeness of the species. The results also indicate the potential application of this design approach to deliver greater aesthetic appreciation and enjoyment from plantings. While more work is needed, this study has shown that a theoretical colour framework can be a useful tool in designing green infrastructure to improve delivery of both cultural and regulatory ecosystem services

Smågrisdödlighet

Trots många insatser är hög smågrisdödlighet fortfarande ett problem i kommersiell grisproduktion. Smågrisdödlighet förklaras av en rad olika faktorer, såsom suggans modersegenskaper, livskraft hos de nyfödda grisarna, diverse faktorer i närmiljön (temperatur, hygien och boxsystem) och skötselrutiner för att ta hand om de nyfödda grisarna. Andelen överlevande grisar är resultatet av en komplicerad interaktion mellan suggan, grisarna och omgivningen