Assessment of local food distribution

There is increasing interest in local food, as consumers feel confidence in such food. Local food has good opportunities to fulfil quality aspects/requirements of transparency and traceability in the supply chain due to the possibilities for direct interaction between producers and consumers. However, local food producers often face logistics challenges due to their small scale, decentralisation and integration difficulties with larger supply chains. This necessitates analysis of specific logistics systems in order to identify successful approaches for improving the local food supply chain. Important questions are whether local and small-scale food producers can transport their goods more efficiently and how they can improve distribution and its environmental impact. This thesis examined local food distribution systems to determine how cooperation, optimisation and integration in the supply chain can make the distribution systems of local and small-scale food producers more efficient and to estimate the environmental impact of the transport. The work comprised a producer survey examining marketing channels and impediments to development in local supply chains in Sweden, three case studies on distribution systems of different scales and an analysis of the environmental impact of local food distribution, based on quantification of emissions and energy use. The case studies involved small-scale producers integrating their marketing and distribution into a large retail chain using an electronic trading system; the distribution of local food in and around a city; and a distribution system for municipal units in four municipalities. Based on the results, distribution strategies for local and small-scale food producers and distributors were developed and refined. By mapping distribution systems and impediments to development, optimising routes and estimating emissions, potential improvements in the distribution system were identified. This revealed scope for local and small-scale food producers to improve their distribution and reduce their environmental impact. Cooperation, integration and route optimisation are suitable strategies for producers to adopt in order to make their transport more efficient

Optimisation and integration in local food distribution

Increased interest is being shown in local, regional and traditional food and confidence in such food is high among consumers. There is also more interest in the transparency of the food supply chain. Therefore places and modes of production and traceability as aspects of food quality have gained more and more importance in the recent decades. This necessitates the development of new knowledge of the specific logistics system to be able to identify successful approaches to improving the local food supply chain. Important questions may arise such as whether local and small-scale food producers can transport their goods more efficiently and how they can improve through cooperation and integration. The aim of this thesis was to study how cooperation, optimisation and integration in the supply chain for local and small-scale food producers can make distribution more efficient and to estimate the environmental impact from the transports. This work analyses, demonstrates and further develops distribution strategies for local and small-scale food producers and distributors, together with their environmental impacts. The work is based on three case studies in Sweden that have distribution systems on different scales. The distribution system in Paper I includes logistics with local food and transport companies in and around Uppsala. In Paper II, a group of small-scale producers in Halland was integrated into a bigger retail chain using an electronic trading system. In Paper III, a distribution system for municipal units in four municipalities in Dalarna was analysed. Data was collected by observations, questionnaires, interviews and from summaries of orders and public procurements. By mapping distribution networks, optimising routes and estimating emissions, possible improvements in the distribution system were ascertained. There is potential for local and small-scale food producers to improve their distribution and reduce their environmental impact. Cooperation, integration and route optimisation are strategies that are suitable for producers to adopt in order to make their transports more efficient

Comparative simulation and modeling of electric energy supply for future railways

In this thesis, the Train Power System Simulator (TPSS) has been compared and verified with the commercial simulator TracFeed® Simulation (TracFeed). The basis for the comparison was a given part of the Swedish railway system, with steel transportation trains. Primarily, emphasis was placed on running time and energy consumption in simulation results. Two transformer systems were analyzed, booster and auto transformers. The high voltage transmission line, parallel to the railroad track, was disconnected in some simulations. Inclination detail level, describing slope of the railway tracks, was different in the two simulators. Therefore, the inclination was set to zero in some simulations, to make the conditions more equal for comparison. In simulations with inclination, the running time was 17-22 minutes shorter in TPSS than in TracFeed. The energy consumption for one train in TPSS was 23 % lower than in TracFeed. Without inclination, the running time in TPSS was only about one minute longer than in TracFeed. The energy consumption, without inclination, was only 3 % lower than the TracFeed results. The change in active and reactive power of the trains was also studied. In addition, the power flow from the converter stations was analyzed. TPSS simulation times were nearly one minute, while the mean simulation time in TracFeed was four minutes. The simulations showed that there are possibilities of development of TPSS. A necessary development concerns the inclination. The possibility to simplify TracFeed was also tested. A couple of neural networks were built in order to test the feasibility of replacing some calculations with simulations

Comparative simulation and modeling of electric energy supply for future railways

In this thesis, the Train Power System Simulator (TPSS) has been compared and verified with the commercial simulator TracFeed® Simulation (TracFeed). The basis for the comparison was a given part of the Swedish railway system, with steel transportation trains. Primarily, emphasis was placed on running time and energy consumption in simulation results. Two transformer systems were analyzed, booster and auto transformers. The high voltage transmission line, parallel to the railroad track, was disconnected in some simulations. Inclination detail level, describing slope of the railway tracks, was different in the two simulators. Therefore, the inclination was set to zero in some simulations, to make the conditions more equal for comparison. In simulations with inclination, the running time was 17-22 minutes shorter in TPSS than in TracFeed. The energy consumption for one train in TPSS was 23 % lower than in TracFeed. Without inclination, the running time in TPSS was only about one minute longer than in TracFeed. The energy consumption, without inclination, was only 3 % lower than the TracFeed results. The change in active and reactive power of the trains was also studied. In addition, the power flow from the converter stations was analyzed. TPSS simulation times were nearly one minute, while the mean simulation time in TracFeed was four minutes. The simulations showed that there are possibilities of development of TPSS. A necessary development concerns the inclination. The possibility to simplify TracFeed was also tested. A couple of neural networks were built in order to test the feasibility of replacing some calculations with simulations

Lokal matlogistik

Intresset för mat med en uttalad identitet är stort idag. Konsumenter vill veta var maten producerats och uppskattar mat med ursprung i till exempel den egna hembygden. Det finns också ett ökande utbud av lokala matprodukter i butiker och restaurangmenyer, på marknader och via andra försäljningskanaler. Det växande intresset för lokal mat gäller även andra aktörer i livsmedelskedjan, myndigheter och forskare. Många producenter stöter på problem som handlar om logistik och transporter. Det finns därför ett behov av att öka förståelsen för den lokala maten och dess försäljningskanaler och utveckla metoderna för att distribuera den till marknaden på ett sätt som är effektivt, hållbart och anpassat till de lokala producenternas förhållanden. Denna rapport diskuterar hur lokal mat och närliggande begrepp kan definieras, logistikens roll i form av utmaningar och möjligheter, presenterar fallstudier och analyser för att belysa olika lösningar i olika sammanhang, samt introducerar en konceptuell modell för producenternas strategiska logistikutveckling. Syftet med projektet var att utveckla kostnadseffektiva alternativa strategier för logistik och flödeskedjor hos småskaliga producenter och distributörer av lokal mat genom samordning och integration inom sektorn, samt genom att undersöka möjligheterna att integrera små- och storskaliga aktörer i livsmedelskedjan. Projektet baserades på en övergripande kartläggning och tre fallstudier med kompletterande analyser. Projektet har använt deltagande aktionsforskning som utgångspunkt, och fallstudierna har involverat slutanvändarna för att säkerställa att projektets resultat skall komma till användning. Den övergripande kartläggningen baserades på litteratur, intervjuer med nyckelpersoner inom handelssektorn och inom olika producentnätverk, samt en producentenkät. För varje fallstudie har sedan datainsamlingen kompletterats, genom intervjuer med de aktuella producenterna, insamling av dokumentation från transportföretag och beställare, samt egna observationer och mätningar. Med hjälp av programvaror och kartdatabaser för geografiska informationssystem och ruttoptimering, samt statistisk bearbetning, har den insamlade informationen från de studerade systemen analyserats. I en avslutande del av rapporten beskrivs hur erfarenheterna från de olika fallstudierna använts till att skapa en syntes i form av en konceptuell modell för strategisk analys av de småskaliga producenternas logistikfrågor, samt identifieras behov av fortsatt forskning och utveckling. Projektet har ökat kunskapen om logistiksystemen för lokalproducerad mat och skapat ny kunskap som är viktig för att utveckla dem. Studien har visat att logistiken ses som ett viktigt problemområde för många av producenterna. Fördelen med korta transporter väger inte upp de nackdelar som småskaliga flöden och geografisk spridning och variation bland producenterna innebär för logistiken och transporterna. Samordning, optimering och integration kan ändå skapa möjligheter till att förbättra logistiken, vilket har demonstrerats i projektets fallstudier. En konceptuell modell för strategisk analys av logistiklösningar för producenter av lokal mat har utvecklats, som visar på att det finns behov av olika logistiklösningar för olika grupper av producenter, och att det måste finnas en stor flexibilitet i de lösningar som utvecklas.   • Modellen använder två parametrar för att dela in producenterna i fyra grupper, med olika behov av stöd för strategisk logistikutveckling och val av försäljningskanaler: o avståndet till den huvudsakliga marknaden o verksamhetens omsättning • Samordning kan initieras med små medel baserat på personliga kontakter, men betydligt fler möjligheter skulle kunna identifieras genom en systematisk kartläggning. En analys av geografiska kluster bland producenterna visade på stora möjligheter till samordning, där det dessutom finns större logistikcentraler för livsmedel i närheten av de flesta av dessa kluster. • Optimering kräver programvara, planeringsresurser och kompetens, men kan vara en viktig möjlighet, med stor potential för transporteffektivisering. Det krävs dock att producentnätverk, handelsaktörer, myndigheter eller andra organisationer kan stötta producenterna. Optimeringsanalyserna visade på möjligheter att minska körsträckorna med upp till 78% om flera rutter kunde optimeras tillsammans och leveranstiderna kunde göras flexibla. • Integrerade logistiklösningar blir allt viktigare för att framgångsrikt utveckla även mindre företag inom livsmedelssektorn, vilket innebär både utmaningar och möjligheter. Personlig kommunikation är fortfarande mest ändamålsenlig för de allra minsta företagen, men för något större företag som vill expandera och leverera till livsmedelskedjorna är det nödvändigt med en fortsatt utveckling av kostnadseffektiva, användarvänliga system där marknadsföring, orderhantering och fakturering såväl som transportplanering kan integreras med elektronisk kommunikation

Function of multiple sclerosis-protective HLA class I alleles revealed by genome-wide protein-quantitative trait loci mapping of interferon signalling

Interferons (IFNs) are cytokines that are central to the host defence against viruses and other microorganisms. If not properly regulated, IFNs may contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory autoimmune, or infectious diseases. To identify genetic polymorphisms regulating the IFN system we performed an unbiased genome-wide protein-quantitative trait loci (pQTL) mapping of cell-type specific type I and type II IFN receptor levels and their responses in immune cells from 303 healthy individuals. Seven genome-wide significant (p < 5.0E-8) pQTLs were identified. Two independent SNPs that tagged the multiple sclerosis (MS)-protective HLA class I alleles A*02/A*68 and B*44, respectively, were associated with increased levels of IFNAR2 in B and T cells, with the most prominent effect in IgD–CD27+ memory B cells. The increased IFNAR2 levels in B cells were replicated in cells from an independent set of healthy individuals and in MS patients. Despite increased IFNAR2 levels, B and T cells carrying the MS-protective alleles displayed a reduced response to type I IFN stimulation. Expression and methylation-QTL analysis demonstrated increased mRNA expression of the pseudogene HLA-J in B cells carrying the MS-protective class I alleles, possibly driven via methylation-dependent transcriptional regulation. Together these data suggest that the MS-protective effects of HLA class I alleles are unrelated to their antigen-presenting function, and propose a previously unappreciated function of type I IFN signalling in B and T cells in MS immune-pathogenesis. Author summary Genetic association studies have been very successful in identifying disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), but it has been challenging to define the molecular mechanisms underlying these associations. As interferons (IFNs) have a central role in the immune system, we hypothesized that some of the SNPs associated to immune-mediated diseases would affect the IFN system. By combining genetic data with characterization of interferon receptor levels and their responses on the protein level in immune cells from 303 genotyped healthy individuals, we show that two SNPs tagging the HLA class I alleles A*02/A*68 and B*44 are associated with a decreased response to type I IFN stimulation in B cells and T cells. Notably, both HLA-A*02 and HLA-B*44 confer protection from developing multiple sclerosis (MS), which is a chronic inflammatory neurologic disease. In addition to suggesting a pathogenic role of enhanced type I interferon signalling in B cells and T cells in MS, our data emphasize the fact that genetic associations in the HLA locus can affect functions not directly associated to antigen presentation, which conceptually may be important for other diseases genetically associated to the HLA locus

Cigarette smoking patterns preceding primary Sjögren's syndrome

Background: Cigarette smoking is a well-established risk factor for several autoimmune diseases, but its role in primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) remains unclear. Here, we investigated the association between cigarette smoking and subsequent development of pSS. Methods: Information on smoking habits was collected from lifestyle habit questionnaires of patients with pSS (n=815) and a matched control group (n=4425) for a case-control study. Differences in smoking exposure were analysed by conditional logistic regression. Potential interactions between smoking and risk-associated human leucocyte antigens (HLA) were assessed by multivariate regression. Results: The fraction of patients with pSS having ever smoked prior to diagnosis was lower than in controls (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.81). Current smoking at diagnosis was also less prevalent in cases (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.53). However, period prevalence of smoking during early adulthood was not statistically different from controls (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.22) but markedly decreased over time. This was partly due to patients being more prone to stop smoking, starting already 30 years prior to diagnosis (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.22 to 3.30). Smoking patterns were also stratified by autoantibody status, yielding similar estimates. No interaction effects between HLA-DRB1 haplotypes and smoking were observed. Conclusion: The observed smoking patterns indicate that individuals who develop pSS smoke equally much as the general population during early life but are then more prone to stop. The data can be interpreted as smoking conferring protective effects, or reflecting early symptoms of pSS that affect smoking habits, emphasising the slow, progressive development of the disease