Small urban greenspaces as mentally beneficial environments : a design proposal for a small park in a growing neighbourhood

Allt fler människor bor idag i urbana områden, något som genom ökat behov av bostäder och infrastruktur lett till en platseffektiv stadsbyggnad. Täta städer innebär både fördelar och risker, en av de faktorer som kan påverkas negativt är psykisk hälsa. Det är väl känt att tillgänglighet till natur och gröna miljöer har positiva effekter för människors mentala hälsa och välbefinnande men i den täta staden finns inte alltid möjlighet till nya stora grönområden i närhet till människors bostäder. Däremot finns många mindre platser och grönområden som troligen har potential att nyttjas bättre och öka möjligheterna för bättre mental hälsa och välmående för människor boende i den täta staden. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka och samla kunskap kring vilka möjligheter det finns med små urbana grönytor som restorativa miljöer i det täta stadsnätet samt att identifiera aspekter som kan vara viktiga i landskapsarkitektens och stadsplanerarens yrke. Målet är att försöka ta fram kriterier för hur små urbana grönytor kan öka möjligheterna till god mental hälsa och välbefinnande samt att tillämpa dessa i ett platsspecifikt gestaltningsförslag i en växande stadsdel. En litteraturstudie visar att flera teorier och nutida forskning pekar på samband mellan natur-lika miljöers och positiva effekter på mental hälsa och välmående. Forskning visar även att små gröna platser kan ha effekt om de är utformade på rätt sätt och placerade i anslutning till människors vardagliga rörelsemönster. Framförallt visar resultaten på att en kvantitet av små urbana grönytor med god kvalitet skapar stor potential för mentalt välmående. Litteraturen pekar på särskilda kvaliteter som med stöd av forskning har betydelse för att små urbana grönytor ska verka positivt för människors välbefinnande. De framtagna kvaliteterna handlar framförallt om olika natur-lika element men också om rumslig upplevelse av platsen och olika behov av andra människor och mötesplatser. I en exempelstudie i Malmö tillämpas kvaliteterna i ett gestaltningsförslag på en liten grönyta i en växande stadsdel. Exempelstudien pekar ut möjligheter och utmaningar med att applicera aspekter från forskning i ämnet på ett specifikt fall. Att endast utgå från kvaliteterna blir ett svagt och icke pålitligt sätt att arbeta kvaliteterna bör istället ses som riktlinjer. Att enbart planera utifrån syftet att gynna mental hälsa kan också vara ett svagt sätt att planera då vi står inför många utmaningar för att nå hållbara städer. De framtagna kvaliteterna verkar dock följa ett mönster som tyder på att planering för mental hälsa och välbefinnande också har stora möjligheter att även främja andra aspekter av den socialt och ekologiskt hållbara staden. Slutligen har små urbana grönytor goda möjligheter att öka möjligheterna till god mental hälsa och välmående om de är placerade i nära ansluting till människors bostäder och vardagliga rörelsemönster och har en god gestaltning. Små urbana grönytor kan vara ett komplement till större parker om det finns en kvantitet av jämnt spridda grönytor över hela staden. För att gestalta en liten urban grönyta har betydelse för människors välmående och hälsa finns en mängd aspekter som är viktiga för landskapsarkitekter och stadsplanerare. Förutom de framtagna kvaliteterna som kan fungera som utgångspunkt och riktlinjer är det viktig att göra en platsspecifik bedömning i flera skalor och utgå från att skapa en helhetsupplevelse av platsen. från att skapa en helhetsupplevelse av platsen.More people living in urban areas has led to space-efficient urban planning and densification to fill the increased need for housing and infrastructure. Dense cities present both benefits and risks, one of the factors that can be negatively affected is mental health. It is well known that access to nature and green environments has positive effects on people’s mental health and well-being, but in a dense city there are not always opportunities for new large green areas in close proximity to people’s homes. However, there are many small places and urban greespaces that probably have potential to be utilized better and create opportunities for better mental health and well-being for people living in the dense city. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and gather knowledge about the possibilities of small urban green spaces as restorative environments in the dense urban network and to identify aspects that may be important to a landscape architect and urban planner’s profession. The goal is to try to develop criterias for how small urban green spaces can increase opportunities for good mental health and well-being and to apply these in a sitespecific design proposal in a growing neighbourhood. A literature study display that several theories and contemporary research show a connection between natural environments and positive effects on mental health and well-being. Research also shows that small green spaces can have an effect if they are properly designed and situated in connection with people’s everyday movements. Above all, results show that a quantity of small urban green spaces with good quality creates great potential for mental well-being. The literature points to specific qualities which are supported by research that is important for small urban green spaces to work positively for people’s well-being. The qualities are primarily about different natural elements and the spatial experience of the place but also about different needs of other people and meeting places. A case study in Malmö applied the qualities in a design proposal on a small green space in a growing city district. The case study identifies opportunities and challenges in applying aspects of research in the subject to a specific case. Only using the qualities is a weak and non reliable way of working and the qualities should be seen as guidelines. Planning solely in the purpose of promoting mental health can also be a weak way of planning as we today face several challenges to reach a sustainable city. However, the developed qualities seem to follow a pattern revealing that planning for mental health and well-being also has great potential for other aspects of the socially and ecologically sustainable city. Lastly, small urban green spaces have good opportunities to increase opportunities for good mental and well-being if they are located in close proximity to people’s homes and everyday movements and have a good design. Small urban green spaces can be a complement to larger parks if there is a quantity of evenly distributed green spaces throughout the city. In order to design small urban green spaces that have positive effects for people’s well-being and health, there are a number of aspects that are important for landscape architects and urban planners. In addition to the developed qualities, which can serve as a starting point and guidelines, it is important to make a site specific assessment of several scales and emanate from trying to create an experience of the place as a whole.whole

Drivers for and barriers to electric freight vehicle adoption in Stockholm

Freight transport in urban areas needs to become more sustainable. There is much potential to reduce emissions by transitioning to electric freight vehicles (EFVs). The context of this study is Sweden, a country with ambitious goals for transitioning to fossil-free road transport that in-centivizes the adoption of EFVs through regulations, subsidies and environmental zones. How -ever, it seems that few companies are adopting EFVs. This paper aims to explore why that is by investigating drivers for and barriers to the adoption of EFVs. An embedded case study of five firms in Stockholm that are exploring the possibilities of using EFVs is conducted. The findings reveal a number of drivers and barriers, which are then categorized as internal, external or governmental. The results show uncertainties at the micro, meso and macro levels. Uncertainties relate to political and legal uncertainties, technological and infrastructure-related uncertainties, customer expectations and willingness to pay, and operational uncertainties

Den moderne Sovjetlitteratur

Den moderne Sovjetlitteratu

The 2009 US Federal Cigarette Tax Increase and Quitline Utilization in 16 States

Background. On April 1, 2009, the federal cigarette excise tax increased from 39 cents to $1.01 per pack. Methods. This study describes call volumes to 16 state quitlines, characteristics of callers and cessation outcomes before and after the tax. Results. Calls to the quitlines increased by 23.5% in 2009 and more whites, smokers ≥ 25 years of age, smokers of shorter duration, those with less education, and those who live with smokers called after (versus before) the tax. Quit rates at 7 months did not differ before versus after tax. Conclusions. Descriptive analyses revealed that the federal excise tax on cigarettes was associated with increased calls to quitlines but multivariate analyses revealed no difference in quit rates. However, more callers at the same quit rate indicates an increase in total number of successful quitters. If revenue obtained from increased taxation on cigarettes is put into cessation treatment, then it is likely future excise taxes would have an even greater effect

Animal health beyond the single disease approach – A role for veterinary herd health management in low-income countries?

In order to identify and evaluate health related constraints faced by Ugandan pig farmers, a veterinary herd health management approach (VHHM) was applied in 20 randomly selected pig farms in the Lira district, Uganda. Regular herd visits were conducted between July 2018 and June 2019, using e.g. interviews, observations, clinical examinations and laboratory analyzes to gather qualitative and quantitative data on relevant aspects of the production. The pig farmers kept on average 18.6 pigs, including 2.6 sows/year. The production figures varied considerably but were generally poor. The sows produced 1.6 litters/year and 8.2 piglets born alive per litter, the average daily gain was 101 g/day, and the mortality in growers was 9.7%. Four major constraints were identified; poor nutrition, infectious diseases, inferior biosecurity, and poor reproductive management. The quantity and quality of feed was suboptimal. Endo- and ectoparasites were very common, causing diarrhea, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin lesions and pruritus. Post-weaning diarrhea associated with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli was important in the two largest herds, and parvoviral antibodies were found in seven herds, two experiencing problems with mummified fetuses. Biosecurity practices were insufficient and inconsistent, with free-ranging pigs and the use of village boars being the major risks. Reproductive figures were affected by poor estrus detection and service management. Overall, farmers lacked important knowledge on good management practices. In conclusion, the VHHM identified several important constraints that should be addressed in order to increase the productivity of Ugandan pig herds

CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e-Fixing One-Carbon Metabolism in a Cellulose-Degrading Bacterium \u3cem\u3eClostridium thermocellum\u3c/em\u3e

Clostridium thermocellum can ferment cellulosic biomass to formate and other end products, including CO2. This organism lacks formate dehydrogenase (Fdh), which catalyzes the reduction of CO2 to formate. However, feeding the bacterium 13C-bicarbonate and cellobiose followed by NMR analysis showed the production of 13C-formate in C. thermocellum culture, indicating the presence of an uncharacterized pathway capable of converting CO2 to formate. Combining genomic and experimental data, we demonstrated that the conversion of CO2 to formate serves as a CO2 entry point into the reductive one-carbon (C1) metabolism, and internalizes CO2 via two biochemical reactions: the reversed pyruvate: ferredoxin oxidoreductase (rPFOR), which incorporates CO2 using acetyl-CoA as a substrate and generates pyruvate, and pyruvate- formate lyase (PFL) converting pyruvate to formate and acetyl-CoA. We analyzed the labeling patterns of proteinogenic amino acids in individual deletions of all five putative PFOR mutants and in a PFL deletion mutant. We identified two enzymes acting as rPFOR, confirmed the dual activities of rPFOR and PFL crucial for CO2 uptake, and provided physical evidence of a distinct in vivo “rPFOR-PFL shunt” to reduce CO2 to formate while circumventing the lack of Fdh. Such a pathway precedes CO2 fixation via the reductive C1 metabolic pathway in C. thermocellum. These findings demonstrated the metabolic versatility of C. thermocellum, which is thought of as primarily a cellulosic heterotroph but is shown here to be endowed with the ability to fix CO2 as well

Microlitter in Arctic marine benthic food chains and potential effects on sediment dwelling fauna

This report provides both field and impact data on microlitter pollution in the arctic marine environment of Svalbard and Greenland. Microlitter concentrations and characteristics were determined in marine sediments and biota in relation to local sources. Higher concentrations and diversities were found closer to human settlements and sites where lost/dumped fishing gear accumulated. Thus, local microlitter sources were found to be present in the Arctic. The experimental studies on effects of microlitter on feeding rate, microplastic ingestion, respiration and locomotion activity in an arctic amphipod, confirmed previous studies showing effects only at very high concentrations, not yet relevant in the arctic environment. The relatively low field concentrations of microlitter found in this study should be regarded as a ‘window of opportunity’ to act to at least reduce local pollution

Fiberströ till mjölkkor – effekt på djurvälfärd, djurhälsa, mjölkkvalitet och kostnaden för strömedel

Genom att separera gödseln får man gödselfiber (fiberströ) som kan användas som strömedel till mjölkkorna. I denna studie jämförde vi 17 gårdar som använde fiberströ med 17 gårdar som använde såg-/kutterspån som strömedel i liggbås till mjölkkor. Fiberströ jämfört med såg-/kutterspån påverkade inte mjölkmängd, celltal i tankmjölk, djurvälfärd eller djurhälsa förutom att klövhälsan var bättre eftersom totala anmärkningar, klöveksem och klövsulesår var lägre. Totalantalet bakterier var högre i oanvänt fiberströ och i fiberströ från liggbåsen än för såg-/kutterspån men i tankmjölken var det ingen skillnad. Kostnaden för fiberströ varierade för gårdarna beroende på hur mycket fiberströ som producerades

B Cell Depletion Reduces the Number of Autoreactive T Helper Cells and Prevents Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase-Induced Arthritis

The therapeutic benefit of B cell depletion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has provided proof of concept that B cells are relevant for the pathogenesis of arthritis. It remains unknown which B cell effector functions contribute to the induction or chronification of arthritis. We studied the clinical and immunological effects of B cell depletion in glucose-6-phosphate isomerase-induced arthritis. We targeted CD22 to deplete B cells. Mice were depleted of B cells before or after immunization with glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (G6PI). The clinical and histological effects were studied. G6PI-specific antibody responses were measured by ELISA. G6PI-specific T helper (Th) cell responses were assayed by polychromatic flow cytometry. B cell depletion prior to G6PI-immunization prevented arthritis. B cell depletion after immunization ameliorated arthritis, whereas B cell depletion in arthritic mice was ineffective. Transfer of antibodies from arthritic mice into B cell depleted recipients did not reconstitute arthritis. B cell depleted mice harbored much fewer G6PI-specific Th cells than control animals. B cell depletion prevents but does not cure G6PI-induced arthritis. Arthritis prevention upon B cell depletion is associated with a drastic reduction in the number of G6PI-specific effector Th cells