| 1. |
- Berndtsson, Emilia
(författare)
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Content of dietary fibre and phenolic compounds in broccoli side streams
- 2020
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Shortage of food is an alarming problem today, with up to 821 million people that are undernourished world-wide. At the same time, enough edible foodstuff to feed 1.9 billion people are wasted or lost in the food supply chain that for aesthetic reasons, handling and transportation inadequacies in the food supply chain and lack of market. In 2014, this wasted or lost food (including only commonly consumed plant parts) corresponded to 3.49 GT CO2 equivalents globally, which was more than half the total amount of emissions in the USA that year. This means that there is much biomass that could be valorised into nutritional food ingredients or used for extraction of health beneficial compounds, e.g. dietary fibre. Many consumers currently eat too little dietary fibre and phenolic compounds, which can lead to increased risk of developing some forms of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In this thesis, the content of dietary fibre and phenolic compounds in the broccoli leaves and stems was determined. The relationship between the dietary fibre and phenolic compounds in broccoli leaves was also analysed, since recent research indicates that interactions between these plant components may have an impact on the uptake in the human gastrointestinal tract. The results revealed that broccoli leaves contain similar levels of dietary fibre (26-32 % of dry weight (DW)) to cabbage, broccoli florets and kale leaves, which are regarded as beneficial to human health. The content of phenolic compounds (6.3-15.2 mg/g DW) in broccoli leaves was similar to that in kale leaves and much higher than that in broccoli florets. Some phenolic acids showed positive correlations with soluble dietary fibre in the broccoli leaves, but no correlation was found between the insoluble dietary fibre and phenolic compounds. A pilot study on field waste showed that leaves and stems of broccoli plants make up 43-87 % of total plant weight, indicating that substantial amounts of biomass are left in the field at harvest. Overall, the analysis of this thesis showed that the broccoli leaves are interesting from a food ingredient perspective. Possible uses could be to add broccoli leaf powder to everyday food products, such as pasta or bread, or into gluten-free products to increase the nutritional and technical properties.
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| 2. |
- Ekerljung, Marie
(författare)
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Candidate gene effects on beef quality
- 2012
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The contribution of five candidate genes to the variation in meat tenderness, pH, colour, marbling and water holding capacity (WHC) was analysed in muscle samples from 243 young bulls of Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, or Simmental breed, raised in Swedish commercial herds. The animals were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding calpain 1 (CAPN1:c.947G>C), calpastatin, (CAST:c.155C>T), diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), leptin (UASMS2C>T) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1). The CAPN1:c.947G>C SNP showed associations with marbling and meat colour, and to some extent also tenderness. The CAST:c.155C>T T allele, which was the most common allele, showed a favourable association with Warner Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and compression tests. The K232A polymorphism at the DGAT1 gene was associated with level of beef marbling. An association was observed between UASMS2C>T and compression tests and meat colour. The SCD1 SNP was associated with variation in meat colour traits after 6 days with access to oxygen. There was no association of the tested SNPs with WHC traits and pH value. Our results show that gene effects are of importance for quality of meat from Swedish young bull of beef breed and Swedish beef can therefore be improved by including beef quality and DNA-tests in the breeding program. The CAST:c.155C>T SNP proved to be a good marker for tenderness in Swedish beef.
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| 3. |
- Garrido, Pablo
(författare)
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Cultural oak landscapes as green infrastructure for human well-being
- 2014
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Human and nature interactions have been the ancestral normative model to provide and secure livelihoods worldwide. Hence, humans have been coevolving in an intrinsic relation with the natural system until medieval times. The mentioned interactions has formed the so-called cultural landscapes as a result of human gradual re-organization and adaptation of the biophysical system to adapt its use and spatial structure better to changing societal demands. Concerned to balance sustainable development of landscapes among its social, economic and environmental dimensions, as well as aware of the important role of landscapes as key elements for individual and social well-being through their protection, management and planning, the Council of Europe agreed to develop the European Landscape Convention. We review first methods and tools to fully capture the extent of cultural ecosystem services (ES) (Paper I), to focus thereafter on the diagnosis of the cultural oak landscape in Östergötland (Sweden) (Paper II). We identified and analyzed the diversity of ES important for stakeholders at local and regional levels that represent different societal sectors. The private sector locally emphasized provisioning ES, whereas the civil and public sectors highlighted the importance of cultural services in terms of recreational values and landscape beauty. Supporting services were considered only in relation to biodiversity, especially species and habitats linked to old oaks. Hotspot of ES were found and discussed in terms of green infrastructures for human well-being. Traditional farming practices are in a steady regression which entails greater uncertainty for the long term survival of such systems and associated diversity of delivered services and values. Solutions, including adaptations of modern farming techniques to better mimic the traditional use of oak landscapes are urgently needed, as well as systematic comparative studies with reference systems, and the generation of additional income through alternative rural development initiatives such as tourism and recreation. Complex realities demand multi-disciplinary methods and approaches to find viable ground-based solutions. We suggest holistic research methods, hands on with stakeholders, i.e. transdisciplinary research, to satisfy the increasingly complex needs, improved understanding of conservation objectives and demands of a changing society
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| 4. |
- Bergkvist, Johan
(författare)
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Landskapsarkitektur i järnvägslandskap : platsernas förändring i historiskt perspektiv
- 2013
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Järnvägens organisation för skötsel av den yttre miljön avvecklades redan i början av 1970-talet. Järnvägsparker och andra planteringar togs bort eller förenklades för att minska skötselbehovet. Banverket bildades1988 med uppgift att förvalta och utveckla statens spåranläggningar. Det nya verket övertog då också en stor mängd tidigare välvårdad park- och trädgårdskultur, med redan då tämligen eftersatt skötsel. Den svenska järnvägssektorn har därefter, liksom många andra europeiska järnvägsorganisationer, genomfört omfattande förändringar för att göra verksamheten effektivare och mer ekonomiskt bärkraftig. Detta har skett genom teknisk utveckling, fortsatta rationaliseringar och avregleringar. Samtidigt som allt detta skett har järnvägens fysiska miljöer, med sin tidigare så förebildliga arkitektur och trädgårdskonst, hamnat i skymundan. Avhandlingen huvudfrågor är hur den pågående fysiska omvandlingen av järnvägsmiljöerna kan beskrivas och kategoriseras och hur värden i arkitektur och trädgårdskonst kan tillvaratas. En stor mängd av järnvägens stationer och andra järnvägsmiljöer har besökts och dokumenterats under denna tid. Ett snävare urval har sedan legat till grund för en flerfallstudie där de fysiska förändringsprocesserna studerats på ett systematiskt sätt. Förändringen av de undersökta miljöerna följer med små variationer samma mönster överallt. De karakteriseras av förskjutningar i olika riktningar, även vertikala när spårens höjdläge förändras. Tillkommande eller utbytta funktioner och strukturer överlagrar ofta de gamla. Samtliga studerade järnvägsmiljöer har också reducerats i förhållande till sin ursprungliga utbredning. Spår och fragment från olika generationers anläggningar är ofta synliga i den omgivande miljön; igenväxande och ibland i rent förfall. Olika teoretiska perspektiv har använts för att diskutera hur järnvägsmiljöernas förändring kan beskrivas och tolkas. Slutligen diskuteras vilket värde järnvägens kulturarv har i den förnyelse- och omvandlingsprocess som pågår och om det är möjligt att se den historiska järnvägens materiella och immateriella kulturarv inte bara som en kostnad och ett problem utan också som resurs i ett hållbarhetsperspektiv. Avhandlingen vill fästa uppmärksamheten på dessa materiella och immateriella värden och de argument som finns för att integrera och återbruka dem i den pågående fysiska omvandlingen av järnvägssystemet.
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| 5. |
- Drury O'Neill, Elizabeth, 1988-
(författare)
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Small-Scale Fisheries Governance : Broadening Perspectives on Markets, Relationships and Benefits in Seafood Trade
- 2016
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This licentiate adresses the relative ambiguity surounding benefit flows from small-scale fisheries seafood trade with a specific focus on how they may be impacted by market and social stuctures. Small-scale fishery governenace has previously taken a narrowly approach to sustainability. Focused on managing fishing activities, economic-led market interventions and overlooking the embededness of the fishers within a broader social structure. Also failing to address fisheries as interlinked social-ecological systems where feedbacks between the two can impact future sustainability. The larger PhD project takes a step towards combining these two out-of-focus areas by taking a systems perspective, through a Value Chain approach, to fisheries governance, associated market influences and the consequent benefit flows from marine ecosystem services. This licentiate begins by unpacking dynamics within the social realm that may impact benefit flows and ultimately resource extraction decisions, potentially contributing to feedbacks from the marine ecosystem. Research uses mixed-methods and is case-orientated with sites across two tropical marine small-scale fisheries in Zanzibar and the Philippines. Results present two market environments with distinct structures, conduct, reciprocity systems and notably, gender roles. However both systems experience economic transactions underlain by broader social relations and binds. These various features manifest themselves in different, yet often unexpected, ways through income equalities, distributions and reciprocal networks of fishers and trading actors. Once a broadened and diversified view of the SSF trading environment is appropriated, it is clear that benefit flows are impacted by various contextual features (e.g. gender, transaction forms and buyer types). Governance-related research or interventions should incorporate undervalued local attributes such as cultural characteristics, social relationships and market participation as they play a role in who benefits from seafood trade. Thus If governance is to be improved for sustainably increasing food and livelihood security it is necessary to unpack these benefit flow mechanisms and, in particular, the local social dynamics that mediate fishers’ everyday interplay with the marine ecosystem. Future steps include the aim to identify potential social-ecological feedbacks between the disentangled market environments and the local marine ecosystems as a result of interactions in SSF trade.
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| 6. |
- Edlund, Jeanette
(författare)
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Harvesting in the boreal forest on soft ground : ways to reduce ground damage
- 2012
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of the studies underlying this thesis has been to acquire knowledge relating to potential methods of reducing both the amount and severity of ground damage caused by forest machinery used in the boreal forest. The work focused on technical solutions applied to the forwarders that had the potential to reduce ground damage such as rutting and soil compaction. Additionally, the work focused on detecting areas that had a weak bearing capacity, using terrain indices based on digital elevation models and pre-existing forestry register data. In paper I, it was shown that by combining forestry register data and terrain indices to find the Rammsonde pressure on till soil, 73% of the measurements correctly classified low or high bearing capacity ground. In paper II, a forwarder with individually steerable wheels was described that, compared to a conventional forwarder, formed shallower ruts when driving in a straight line on forest land and made narrower ruts when turning on both forested land and arable land. When driving in a straight line on soft soil with or without load, the ruts from the conventional forwarder were shallower. In paper III, simulations showed that the new Long Track Bogie (LTB), with a bearing capacity dependent contact area, negotiates low obstacles more smoothly than a conventional bogie and can handle wider ditches. The soil displacement from the LTB is also smaller when turning. In live tests on firm ground, the mean towing force for the LTB was 62% higher than for the conventional bogie and the rolling resistance was higher for the conventional bogie compared to the LTB (paper IV). The results indicate that it is possible to reduce ground damage when harvesting by developing forest machines with steering and transmission drive systems that minimize damage on both soft and firm ground and by developing planning tools that predict the soil bearing capacity at the stand level. This might allow a classification of the ground without visiting the forest site and thus facilitate the choice of appropriate forest machines.
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| 7. |
- Freitas, Flavio L. M., 1986-
(författare)
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Brazilian land use policies and the development of ecosystem services
- 2017
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Concerns related to global environmental changes due to land use changes have been driving international communities towards more sustainable land use systems. Brazil is a country of global strategic importance in this matter considering that it is the nation with the largest extension of preserved tropical native vegetation, recognised for its ecosystem services and high and unique biodiversity. Expansion of forestry and agriculture is taking place rapidly in Brazil, partly over degraded pastureland, but also over native vegetation. Regulating policies to govern and limit this expansion is crucial to ensure the preservation of the ecosystems services provided by native vegetation. This thesis aims at improving the understanding of the potential impacts of prevailing public and private policies in the conservation of nature in Brazil. For this end, the Land Use Policy Assessment (LUPA) model was employed to evaluate potential pathways of implementation of the land use policies. Paper 1 evaluated the effects of current private and public command and control regulations in the protection of above-ground carbon stocks, identifying the most relevant stakeholders holding carbon stocks. The findings suggest that about 10% of carbon stocks are unprotected, where other policy instruments based on the market will be mostly required. Paper 2 performed an assessment of the mechanism for offsetting the legal deficit of native vegetation among landholders, evaluating the different offsetting implementation practices and their impacts on nature protection and socio-economic development. The results indicate that the offsetting mechanism may have little or no additional effects on protection of native vegetation and its ecosystem services because most of the offsetting is likely to take place where native vegetation is already protected by current legislations. However, it is viable to maximise environmental and socio-economic returns from the offsetting mechanism.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Granholm, Ann-Helen
(författare)
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Segmentation of forest patches and estimation of canopy cover using 3D information from stereo photogrammetry
- 2016
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- 3D information extracted by image matching of aerial images, so called image-based point clouds, have been found to provide accurate vegetation height measurements. This has led to an increased interest from the vegetation mapping community, since aerial images are an affordable alternative to airborne laser scanner (ALS) data. In Sweden, this is especially interesting due to the National Mapping Agency’s decision to derive 3D information from annually acquired aerial imagery, starting in 2016. Previous studies have shown that image-based point cloud data derived from standard stereo aerial images is of potential use for forest inventory and change detection. In this thesis, the focus is on exploring the utility of image-based point clouds, and surface models, for vegetation mapping; more specifically, it explores segmentation of vegetation patches based on height above ground, estimation of tree height, and estimation of vertical canopy cover. The studies were conducted in a study area located in the hemi-boreal zone of southern Sweden. Segmentation based on canopy height models (CHMs) derived by image matching combined with a digital elevation model (DEM) from ALS data was found to deliver polygons within which tree height varied with a few meters. Tree height was estimated using height percentiles derived from the CHM and the results were similar to previous studies using image-based point clouds. Estimation of vertical canopy cover resulted in low accuracy due to underestimation when the canopy cover was sparse, and overestimation when the canopy cover was dense, while behaving linearly at approximately 15 – 85 % canopy cover. Dominant tree species influenced the results of estimation of tree height, as well as vertical canopy cover. Vegetation mapping using image-based point cloud data holds great potential and further research is needed to gain knowledge of appropriate methods and limitations.
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| 10. |
- Guedes, Benard
(författare)
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Impacts of pine and eucalyptus plantations on carbon and nutrients stocks and fluxes in miombo forests ecosystems
- 2016
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Knowledge of how commercial pine and eucalyptus plantations affect soil carbon and nutrient status is important in Mozambique, where incentives are available to increase the area of forest plantations and also to conserve mature miombo forests. Tree species growing on similar sites may affect ecosystem carbon differently if they allocate carbon to aboveground and belowground parts at different rates. Moreover, changes in ecosystem carbon and nutrient status are closely correlated. This thesis examined the effects of first-rotation (around 34 years old) commercial plantation of Pinus taeda L. (Loblolly pine), Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex. Maiden and Eucalyptus cloeziana F. Muell in Mozambique on carbon and nutrient stocks, carbon fluxes (CF) and net primary production (NPP) compared with adjacent miombo forests. At three study sites (Penhalonga, Inhamacari, Rotanda) in the Western Highlands of Manica Province, Mozambique, plots of Pinus taeda, Eucalyptus grandis and mixed-deciduous miombo species were delineated to investigate soil carbon and nutrient status (0-10, 10-30, 30-50 cm depth). Additional plots with these three stand types were established at Inhamacari to determine aboveground and belowground carbon stocks, CF and NPP. Aboveground carbon stocks were estimated using allometric biomass equations (ABEs) developed in this thesis, while belowground biomass was estimated using root-shoot ratio values from the literature. Tree carbon stocks, net annual rate of carbon accumulation by trees, carbon allocation to litterfall and to fine root production and NPP were all significantly higher in Pinus taeda and Eucalyptus cloeziana plantations than in Miombo forest. Total (0-50 cm) soil carbon stocks, but not total soil nitrogen stocks, increased significantly following Pinus taeda and Eucalyptus grandis plantation. However, soil nitrogen stocks were higher in the top 10-cm layer of plantation soil than Miombo forest soil. Plantation of Pinus taeda had no effect on soil acidity, but Eucalyptus grandis increased soil pH (10-50 cm) and reduced total stock of extractable soil phosphorus (0-50 cm). Thus overall, after around 34 years, tree carbon stocks, aboveground and belowground carbon fluxes, total carbon stocks and NPP were higher in commercial plantations than in natural Miombo forest. The commercial plantations affected soil acidity and soil nutrient status differently, apart from total soil N stocks. Another novel contribution of the present work was development of ABEs for high-altitude Miombo forests and commercial plantations of Pinus taeda, Eucalyptus cloeziana and E. grandis in Mozambique.
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