Introduction to Nordic Mediation Research

Non peer reviewe

EFSUMB Recommendations and Guidelines for Gastrointestinal Ultrasound - Part 1: Examination Techniques and Normal Findings (Short version)

Abstract ▼ In October 2014 the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology formed a Gastrointestinal Ultrasound (GIUS) task force group to promote the use of GIUS in a clinical setting. One of the main objectives of the task force group was to develop clinical recommendations and guidelines for the use of GIUS under the auspices of EFSUMB. The first part, gives an overview of the examination techniques for GIUS recommended by experts in the field. It also presents the current evidence for the interpretation of normal sonoanatomical and physiological features as examined with different ultrasound modalities

EFSUMB Recommendations and Guidelines for Gastrointestinal Ultrasound - Part 1: Examination Techniques and Normal Findings (Long version).

Abstract ▼ In October 2014 the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology formed a Gastrointestinal Ultrasound (GIUS) task force group to promote the use of GIUS in a clinical setting. One of the main objectives of the task force group was to develop clinical recommendations and guidelines for the use of GIUS under the auspices of EFSUMB. The first part, gives an overview of the examination techniques for GIUS recommended by experts in the field. It also presents the current evidence for the interpretation of normal sonoanatomical and physiological features as examined with different ultrasound modalities

Effects of geographical location on potentially valuable components in Ulva intestinalis sampled along the Swedish coast

Macroalgal biomass has the potential to become an important source of chemicals and commodities in a future biorefinery. Currently, production of macroalgal biomass is expensive and the content of high-value compounds is often low. Therefore, in this study the biochemical composition of\ua0Ulva intestinalis\ua0along the Swedish west coast and the east coast up to Stockholm was assessed with the aim of determining how the content of potentially valuable compounds, such as rhamnose, iduronic acid and PUFAs, could be maximized by utilizing natural variation in the choice of marine cultivation site. Along the investigated coastline, the salinity dropped from 19.4‰ at high latitudes along the west coast to 5.4‰ at Stockholm. Nitrogen and phosphorus availability varied, while temperature was similar at all locations. The two major components of biomass, carbohydrates and ash, varied inversely with the highest content of ash in the west and carbohydrates in the east. In addition, total fatty acids were significantly higher in west coast samples at 3.2\ua0g 100\ua0g–1\ua0dw, with a higher proportion of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Some health-beneficial fatty acids were found, including EPA and DPA, at 10–50\ua0mg 100\ua0g–1\ua0dw, respectively. The metal content and elemental composition varied widely, probably due to the influence of specific local conditions. The P content was correlated with the phosphorus concentration in waters at the locations. In PCA analysis, the monosaccharides constituting the cell wall polysaccharide ulvan were found to vary by geographical location, with higher levels possibly associated with lower salinities. However, only glucuronic acid differed significantly between sites. These results show the considerable geographical variability in the composition of Swedish\ua0U. intestinalis\ua0and suggest that different salinities could be used to create a lipid- or carbohydrate-rich biomass

Cultivation of seaweeds in food production process waters: Evaluation of growth and crude protein content

There is an increasing demand for sustainably produced, protein-rich, and nutritious food. Seaweeds are promising protein sources for the future if their protein content can be optimized, something which can be achieved by cultivation in elevated nutrient concentrations. Cultivation of seaweeds in integration with fish farms have received much attention lately, but using nutrient-rich process waters from other food industries as feed stock for seaweed has rarely been studied. Here, we demonstrate a simple and sustainable strategy to answer the increasing world demand for food rich in plant-based proteins by connecting food production process waters with seaweed cultivation. We compared growth rates and crude protein content of four different seaweed species, the brown species Saccharina latissima, and the green species Ulva fenestrata, Ulva intestinalis, and Chaetomorpha linum, when cultivated in two dilutions (providing 20 and 200 μM ammonium) of eight different process waters emerging from recirculating salmon aquaculture systems as well as from herring, shrimp and oat processing. Growth rates of the green seaweeds were up to 64% higher, and crude protein content was almost up to four times higher when cultivated in the food production process waters, compared to seawater controls. Growth rates were generally higher in presence of 20 μM compared to 200 μM ammonium, while crude protein content was either unaffected or positively affected by the increasing ammonium concentration. This study indicates the potential for cultivating seaweeds with food production process waters to generate additional protein-rich biomass while nutrients are being circulated back to the food chain. A new nutrient loop is thus illustrated, in which the costly disposal of food production process waters is instead turned into value by seaweed cultivation

A comparative environmental life cycle assessment of hatchery, cultivation, and preservation of the kelp Saccharina latissima

Seaweed cultivation and processing industries could contribute to sustainable blue growth and the European bioeconomy. This article contributes a case study evaluation of environmental sustainability of preserved brown seaweed Saccharina latissima by means of environmental life cycle assessment of a pilot facility in Sweden. The study accounts for nutrient bioremediation and carbon capture and includes two alternative hatchery processes, a 2-ha longline cultivation, and four alternative preservation methods (hang-drying outdoors, heated air-cabinet drying, ensiling, and freezing). The study found that as a result of carbon capture and nitrogen and phosphorus uptake (bioremediation) by seaweed, more CO2 and PO4 equivalents are (temporarily) absorbed than emitted by the supply chain. The extent of emissions is most affected by preservation methods undertaken. Impact profiles of the supply chain show that the greatest impact shares result from freezing and air-cabinet drying, both the two most energy-intensive processes, followed by the cultivation infrastructure, highlighting strategic optimization opportunities. Hatchery processes, harvesting, and the low-energy ensilage and hang-drying outdoors were found to have relatively small impact shares. These findings presage the environmentally friendliness of seaweed-based products by documenting their potential to mitigate eutrophication and climate change, even when taking a life cycle perspective

Sustainable large-scale aquaculture of the northern hemisphere sea lettuce, ulva fenestrata, in an off-shore seafarm

The growing world population demands an increase in sustainable resources for biorefining. The opening of new farm grounds and the cultivation of extractive species, such as marine seaweeds, increases worldwide, aiming to provide renewable biomass for food and non-food applications. The potential for European large-scale open ocean farming of the commercial green seaweed crop Ulva is not yet fully realized. Here we conducted manipulative cultivation experiments in order to investigate the effects of hatchery temperature (10 and 15◦C), nutrient addition (PES and 3xPES) and swarmer density (500 and 10,000 swarmers ml−1 ) on the biomass yield and biochemical composition (fatty acid, protein, carbohydrate, pigment and phenolic content) of off-shore cultivated Ulva fenestrata in a Swedish seafarm. High seedling densities were optimal for the growth of this northern hemisphere crop strain and significantly increased the mean biomass yield by ~84% compared to low seedling densities. Variations of nutrients or changes in temperature levels during the hatchery phase were not necessary to increase the subsequent growth in an open-water seafarm, however effects of the factors on the thallus habitus (thallus length/width) were observed. We found no significant effect of the environmental factors applied in the hatchery on the total fatty acid or crude protein content in the off-shore cultivated Ulva. However, low seedling density and low temperature increased the total carbohydrate content and furthermore, high temperature in combination with high nutrient levels decreased the pigment content (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids). Low temperature in combination with high nutrient levels increased the phenolic content. Our study confirms the successful and sustainable potential for large-scale off-shore cultivation of the Scandinavian crop U. fenestrata. We conclude that high seedling density in the hatchery is most important for increasing the total biomass yield of sea-farmed U. fenestrata, and that changing temperature or addition of nutrients overall does not have a large effect on the biochemical composition. To summarize, our study contributes novel insights into the large-scale off-shore cultivation potential of northern hemisphere U. fenestrata and underpins suitable pre-treatments during the hatchery phase of seedlings to facilitate a successful and cost-efficient large-scale rope cultivation

Mild blanching prior to pH-shift processing of Saccharina latissima retains protein extraction yields and amino acid levels of extracts while minimizing iodine content

The seaweed Saccharina latissima is often blanched to lower iodine levels, however, it is not known how blanching affects protein extraction. We assessed the effect of blanching or soaking (80/45/12 \ub0C, 2 min) on protein yield and protein extract characteristics after pH-shift processing of S. latissima. Average protein yields and extract amino acid levels ranked treatments as follows: blanching-45 \ub0C ∼ control > soaking ∼ blanching-80 \ub0C. Although blanching-45 \ub0C decreased protein solubilization yield at pH 12, it increased isoelectric protein precipitation yield at pH 2 (p < 0.05). The former could be explained by a higher ratio of large peptides/proteins in the blanched biomass as shown by HP-SEC, whereas the latter by blanching-induced lowering of ionic strength, as verified by a dialysis model. Moreover, blanching-45 \ub0C yielded a protein extract with 49 % less iodine compared with the control extract. We recommend blanching-45 \ub0C since it is effective at removing iodine and does not compromise total protein extraction yield

Development of a new real-time PCR for the detection of pilchard orthomyxovirus (POMV) in apparently healthy fish

Pilchard orthomyxovirus (POMV) is a virus of concern to the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry in Tasmania. First isolated from wild pilchards in southern Australia in 1998, the virus is now a recognised pathogen of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Tasmania. While the current real-time PCR for POMV targets segment 5 of the viral genome, recent viral gene expression data suggests that other segments of the POMV genome presented higher transcription levels and thus may be better candidates for the early detection of the virus. This study aimed to design and begin validating a more sensitive reverse transcriptase real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) assay to detect POMV. Primers and probes were developed targeting two independent viral genes derived from segments 7 and 8, which presented higher transcription levels than segment 5 in both cell culture and infected fish. These were compared with the current POMV RT-qPCR. The POMV segment 8 assay had a higher analytical sensitivity than segment 7, detecting at least 1 plasmid copy μl−1, and was 10-fold more sensitive than both POMV segment 7 and 5 assays when analysing nucleic acid from a positive field sample. Both new assays also had high analytical specificity, detecting the 11 POMV isolates tested (inclusivity testing) and not amplifying nucleic acids from other viruses, including ISAV, a related orthomyxovirus. In the latent class model analysis, the diagnostic sensitivity of the segment 8 and 7 assays were higher than segment 5 in 93% and 92% of simulations, respectively. Seven samples (18.4%), all from subclinical fish infected with POMV, returned a positive result only with the segment 8 assay. Both new assays showed reproducible results when applied to aliquots of the same samples tested in three different laboratories. The new POMV segment 8 assay shows promising results as a surveillance tool for detecting POMV in fish without any symptoms.publishedVersio

Public space in an age of austerity

Through an overview of the decade 2008 to 2017, and looking comparatively across four northern European cities, this paper refects on the changing nature of public space during these austerity years and on the processes of shaping public spaces. The paper draws from the experiences of London, Copenhagen, Malmo and Oslo to explore processes of the design, development, use and management of public spaces during this period. The evidence suggests that we have witnessed a period of signifcant innovation, side by side with major challenges to the collective approach to public spaces. This has led to distinct forms of public spaces that for good or ill have multiplied as a result of the trends discussed in the paper, spaces of; expectation; the private/public sphere; spectacle; respite; infrastructure; diversion; income generation; security; the ephemeral city; community control; occupation; disadvantage; and decline. Episodes of changing practice are set out in the paper and cumulatively reveal distinct and signifcant changes during the austerity era, although not necessarily in the manner that might have been expected. Instead, in these four cities, the impact of austerity seems to have been eclipsed by other evolving and competing public policy goals, and by the evolving range of public space type