| 1. |
- Kyllmar, Katarina, et al.
(författare)
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Small agricultural monitoring catchments in Sweden representing environmental impact
- 2014
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Ingår i: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-8809 .- 1873-2305. ; 198, s. 25-35
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nutrient losses to surface waters have been monitored at the small agricultural catchment scale (2-35 km2) for 20 years in Sweden. Eight of the 21 catchments have been more intensively monitored, with flow-proportional stream water sampling, analysis of groundwater quality, yearly crop management surveys and soilcharacterisation.Annual lossesof total nitrogen(N)atcatchmentstreamoutlet vary from6 to 32 kg ha 1, with the largest losses from sandy loam soils in south-west Sweden, where precipitation is high. Losses of total phosphorus (P) vary from 0.1 to 2.0 kg ha 1 year 1 and are largest in catchments with clay soils. Compared with surrounding agricultural areas, crop production is more intensive in most of the monitoring catchments, e.g. the production of annual crops for the market constitutes a larger share of arable land than production of ley in 15 out of 21 monitoring catchments. A more intensive crop production is a consequence of a preference for a high proportion of arable land in the monitoring area which coincides with more productive agricultural areas inthe regions. Knowing how the catchmentsrelate tootheragricultural areasis important when the catchments are used as indicators of agricultural impacts on surface waters. For detection of the success of implemented mitigation measures, small monitoring catchments are suitable since the response on stream water quality is faster than in larger river catchments where the contribution from other sources is larger and retention in streams and lakes occurs to a larger extent. The catchment information also enhances validation of models used for estimating losses of nutrients from other agricultural areas where information on crops, soils and climate exist but data on agricultural management and water quality is scarce.
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| 2. |
- Mårtensson, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Behovsutredning avseende lavinprognoser för svenska fjällkedjan : Råder det brist på relevant information om när och var det är lavinfarligt i Sverige?
- 2014
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- There is a shortage in Sweden of relevant information about where and when there is danger of avalanches, and advice on how an individuals or organizations can reduce the risk. In over 70 years, since 1943, different Swedish writers, organizations and government agencies have tried to reduce the number Swedes avalanche fatalities.Our research question can be formulated as follows: Is there in Sweden a real and distinct shortage of relevant information about the avalanche danger for those who are visitors to (users) or are informing about (informers) the Swedish mountains in wintertime? To answer the research question and to describe the lack of information, we have made three different studies; a literature review of Swedish avalanche knowledge, an epidemiological study of Swedish fatalities in avalanches, and a survey of the need for avalanche information.The literature, of about 30 different Swedish books, reports or scientific papers show the following points. A large body of literature, a publication about every two years, is addressing the need for more and better knowledge of avalanches and their impact on individuals and society. The literature describes three traditions; one autonomous in which individuals must fend for himself, an authoritarian where experts make assessments and provide advices, and a descriptive where avalanches are investigated as a phenomenon. The majority of the literature concerns the need to control avalanche danger for various public functions such as roads, railways or economic interests such as ski resorts and tourism businesses.The epidemiological compilation shows about 100 deaths since 1915, i.e. one dead per year on average. The data is somewhat incomplete, but shows a clear trend towards an increasing number of Swedes killed in avalanches. The data shows two periods with an unusually large number of deaths; 1940s, 50s and 60s, with 45 dead and 2000s and 10s with 35 dead. In the last ten years, 25 swedes have died in avalanche accidents.The survey was addressed to both professionals and individuals who reside regularly in the Swedish mountains in the winter. Almost half of respondents, 44 %, have "often" or "always" adapted their behaviour to avalanche danger. A majority, 79%, believe that the current information in Sweden is not consistent or uniform. Almost as many, 78 %, believe that it is difficult to find relevant and updated avalanche danger information. The information that is currently available in Sweden is thus both inaccessible and irrelevant to both professionals and individuals. This distrust leads to that the dubious autonomous knowledge tradition is maintained, in which where everyone tries to be his own avalanche success.The survey also showed that the lack of information in the community is great. Of the professionals a clear majority, 89 %, get regular questions about avalanches and avalanche danger from the public. It should be noted that professional in this survey means anyone with an occupation related to the Swedish Mountains, very few of those actually work with Avalanche issues. This percentage is important to note by two reasons. Firstly, it shows that the public is extensively seeking advice from authority figures and someone who is willing to tell will always fill this lack of information. Secondly the information that was originally autonomous and of uncertain quality and validity from individual professional, now turn into authoritarian information by the public and the media. The risk of false warnings and advices is great since this believed authoritative information does not originate from the quality controlled expert judgments.
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| 3. |
- Mårtensson, Stefan
(författare)
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Lavinprognoser för svenska fjällen : Utvärdering av ett utvecklingsprojekt vintern 2011 och 2012
- 2012
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This report describes an evaluation of a two-year development project with the overall aim to clarify the conditions for establishing a cost-effective, long-term and sustainable avalanche forecasting service for the entire Swedish mountains based on international guidelines and collaborations.The goal of the evaluation was to answer whether and how the development project three main tasks had been completed. The main tasks were: 1. Develop regional avalanche forecasts for the Swedish mountains 2. Develop communication of avalanche forecasts to end-users3. Develop international collaborationsThe project team has used a formative method to conduct the evaluation. This work has included formal evaluation meetings, methodological studies, participation in research conferences, compilation and analysis of existing work, internal and external interviews and comparisons with international research and experience. The report has also been submitted to all organizations in the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's Mountain Safety Council as a final quality control.The results of the evaluation shows that the development project has had a high task completion. This report presents a quality-assured method to produce credible and clearly communicated avalanche forecasts based on international guidelines and collaborations. The report stresses that it is both possible and relevant with governmental avalanche forecasts for the whole of the Swedish mountains.The evaluation has also found that the quality of avalanche forecasts was high and most likely has reflect the actual avalanche danger during the forecast periods. The report also highlights the great interest from the public, community and media in avalanche safety. Moreover, it is shown that the development project's avalanche forecasts has been costeffective in an international comparison.In the evaluation project, two important conclusions were drawn. First, it is highly relevant and economically viable with avalanche forecasting in order to alert and educate the public in avalanche safety. Second, it must be decided which authority should be responsible, to be able to established a long term avalanche forecasting service.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Mårtensson, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Smartphones as support for out-of-bounds skier decisions : a pilot study of how information about terrain and avalanche danger in a mobile application affects behaviour in off-piste terrain
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a smartphone, a skier can access avalanche information on the go. This paper shows a new app for making decisions, which combines ATES classification with danger ratings and then present- ing this in the form of Avaluator recommendations directly on a GPS-positioned map. We have examined how actual skier behaviour in the terrain is affected by the use of a smartphone as a decision tool. Previ- ous studies on behaviour have mainly focused on surveys or on human factors; it is only now with smartphones with GPS and apps for logging location data that we can study actual movement in the ter- rain. During 10 weeks, 20 skiers used a GPS-based map app in which they answered questions before and after the day's skiing. The app also logged their actual movements during the day. The questions surveyed the subjective approach to risk and skiing. The experiment was conducted in two phases, first a control phase when the app only showed the current avalanche danger and a GPS-map, secondly an effect phase when the app also showed the combination of terrain and avalanche danger using Avaluator colours (Normal Caution, Extra Caution, Not Recommended) projected directly on map as a layer. Our results show that a mobile application can be a successful way to communicate avalanche information in the future. The results also imply it is better to communicate where to ski than to warn where not to ski. At the individual level, we could also see changes in skier's behaviour when they were given access to ava- lanche danger and avalanche terrain in a single map view.
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| 6. |
- Mårtensson, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Snowmobiling in Sweden 2014 : trends, attitudes to risk and knowledge about avalanches
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In spring 2014 a web survey aimed towards Swedish snowmobilers were conducted. The aim was to identify riding habits, attitudes to risk, knowledge of avalanches and the use of safety equip- ment. In total 2917 snowmobilers responded. The results provide new and important knowledge about behavior and attitudes to risk and general knowledge about avalanches and avalanche awareness. 34 % of the snowmobilers state that they are sometimes or often in contact with avalanche terrain. Of those, 19 % has been involved in at least on avalanche related incident. In the same group, only 14 % are regularly equipped with avalanche transmitter and probe. Among those who are using avalanche safety equipment, 33 % states that they rarely or never practice to use it.In Sweden the use of snowmobile has greatly increased the past 20 years and so has the popularity re- garding freeriding with snowmobiles in steep terrain. The total number of snowmobiles is now more than 280,000. Between 2005 and 2014, 102 snowmobilers in Sweden where killed in snowmobile related acci- dents in total but very few accidents during this period has officially been avalanche related which is surprisingly. Do Swedish snowmobilers uses the terrain differently than in North America and in Norway where there is much more accidents recorded or is there a difference in their attitudes to risk, or is the relatively few ava- lanche accidents just a coincidence? Is the relatively few accidents connected with the development of stronger and faster snowmobiles? Will Sweden also see a growing number of accidents with more vic- tims? Are there other factors? The final results will be used in the Swedish Mountain Safety Councils efforts to develop future avalanche education programs for snowmobilers and as a way to support research and development in the area.
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| 7. |
- Mårtensson, Stefan
(författare)
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Svenska offpistskidåkares förutsättningar att hantera lavinfara : Individuella och kontextuella faktorers påverkan på risktagandet
- 2014
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Every winter die statistically, two to three Swedes in avalanche accidents. Approximately eight out of ten are killed abroad even though only one out of eight Swedes skis outside Sweden. Swedes seem to die in a greater extent than other nationalities abroad. It is not possible to find similar trends in other nationalities mortality in avalanche accidents in skiing abroad.Why do Swedes die in a greater extent than other nationalities when skiing abroad? The overarching question is broken down into two parts. Firstly which are the Swedish off-piste skier’s individual abilities to handle avalanche risk? Secondly how does the domestic knowledge and communication environment look like with respect to avalanche risk?No previous studies have addressed the relationship between individual and contextual factors on management of avalanche risk in a foreign environment. Possible causes of avalanche accidents are described in the literature, with a focus on individual factors.Four studies were conducted to describe the Swedish off-piste skier's individual and contextual factors associated with the handling avalanche risk. The first study was a web-based questionnaire about the experience, knowledge, attitude to risk, and more. The second study was a statistical analysis of the Swedish public avalanche danger ratings during ten years. The third study was a literature review of Swedish avalanche literature from 1943 onwards. The last and fourth study was an online survey with questions about access, quality and relevance, and more with regard to Swedish avalanche communication.The various studies were triangulated with respect to data and methodology in relation to a number of research questions, formulated on the basis of the relationship between perception and preparation on one hand and the experience and trust on the other. The results showed a consistent picture of both individual, and contextual variables. The studies describe Swedish off-piste skiers as experienced, trained, prepared and risk aware. The contextual study showed that the Swedish public avalanche communication is of autonomous nature, hard to find, mostly irrelevant and of uncertain quality and origin.Overall, this work has revealed a possible explanation model that needs to be explored in more detail with respect to how the Swedish off-piste skier's mental models can be described and how Swedish public communication about avalanches should be changed to reduce future mortality abroad among Swedish off-piste skiers.
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| 8. |
- Mårtensson, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Swedish skiers knowledge, experience and attitudes towards off-piste skiing and avalanches
- 2013
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The winter of 2012/2013 was the most accident-prone season in the Swedish avalanche history with a total of seven dead Swedes. In April 2013 the Swedish Mountain Safety Council initiated a web-based survey aimed towards Swedish skiers. The aim was to identify the target group's knowledge, experience and attitudes towards off-piste skiing and avalanches. Respondents were asked to answer a total of 28 questions. 1047 Swedish off-piste skiers answered, and we analysed them in more detail. The Swedish off-piste skier is apparently a seasoned skier who skis a lot every year. About 80 % ski at least two weeks per year and over 90 % have skied for at least 10 years. He or she is well trained and equipped for avalanche accidents. About 90 % possess avalanche equip- ment and about 60 % use it regularly. About 80 % believe they have good avalanche knowledge and 50 % have taken an avalanche course. About 35 % have themselves been caught in an avalanche, and 60 % knows someone who has. Although experience, education and the recent tragic deaths, off- piste and ski touring are increasing, approximately 80 % ski, as much or more, than three years ago. Approximately 50 % are unaffected by the recent accidents and about 75 % are still willing to take risks to go off-piste. The results show no indications of a more restrictive behaviour. The respondents seem often to overestimate their skills when skiing in avalanche terrain. Swedish avalanche education and communication is clearly missing an important piece.
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| 9. |
- Mårtensson, Stefan
(författare)
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The Ski Resorts Who Cried Wolf : Swedish Historical Public Avalanche Information and the Impact of Different Generations of Danger Scales
- 2013
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Are Swedes overrepresented in avalanche accidents due to inflation in public avalanche danger? According to preliminary statistics the Swedish skiers are overrepresented as nationality in avalanche accidents in the Alps. A Swedish skier is almost 40 times more likely to die in an avalanche in the Alps than at home in Sweden. What lies behind this phenomenon? Do the Swedes take greater risks than other nationalities? The author presents a hypothesis that the Swedes accident statistics might be traced back to a disturbance in risk understanding due to faulty public avalanche danger rat- ings. In the mid 90's, the first generation avalanche danger scale was introduced and used in Sweden. Unfortunately it contained large errors, and was based solely on weather conditions. Weather as the only criteria led to danger levels rarely below 3 during a winter regardless of actual avalanche danger. This made the Swedish skiers accustomed to a false high avalanche danger for nearly ten years. The author's hypothesis is that this danger inflation has caused that Swedes to have an offset scale per- ception and therefore more often than other nationalities suffer from avalanche accidents. The paper shows how the published avalanche danger ratings at a couple of larger ski resorts in Sweden are correlated to how the danger scale in use is formulated in two generations of scale design. The author presents an explanation of the importance of correct avalanche information to create an accurate un- derstanding of danger in the population. It also presents theories of how collective risk understanding affect risk behaviour.
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| 10. |
- Sandén, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor 1 (GPER1)/GPR30 Localizes in the Plasma Membrane and Trafficks Intracellularly on Cytokeratin Intermediate Filaments.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Molecular Pharmacology. - : American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). - 1521-0111 .- 0026-895X. ; 79:3, s. 400-410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- GPR30, or G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1), was recently introduced as a membrane estrogen receptor and a candidate cancer biomarker and therapeutic target. However, several questions surround the subcellular localization and signaling of this receptor. In native cells, including mouse myoblast C(2)C(12) cells, Madine-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells, and human ductal breast epithelial tumor T47-D cells, G-1, a GPER1 agonist, and 17β-estradiol (E2) stimulated GPER1-dependent cAMP production, a defined plasma membrane (PM) event, and recruitment of β-arrestin2 to the PM. Staining of fixed and live cells showed that GPER1 was localized both in the PM and on intracellular structures. One such intracellular structure was identified as cytokeratin (CK) intermediate filaments, including those composed of CK7 and CK8, but apparently not endoplasmatic reticulum (ER), Golgi, or microtubules. Reciprocal co-immunoprecipitation of GPER1 and CKs confirmed an association of these proteins. Live staining also showed that the PM receptors constitutively internalize apparently to reach CK filaments. Receptor localization was supported using FLAG- and HA-tagged GPER1. We conclude that GPER1-mediated stimulation of cAMP production and β-arrestin2 recruitment occur in the PM. Furthermore, the PM receptors constitutively internalize and localize intracellularly on CK. This is the first observation that a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) is capable of associating with intermediate filaments, which may be important for GPER1 regulation in epithelial cells and the relationship of this receptor to cancer.
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| 11. |
- Söderström, Patrik, et al.
(författare)
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Snow grooming using machine guidance for piste management processes : Case study: Ormberget ski piste
- 2013
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The snow is an increasingly precious commodity to the ski industry's production of pistes. To preserve this commodity is the basis for economic production. The wear on the groomed snow consists primarily of two reasons: skiers and melting. A slope that is optimally processed will last longer and require less maintenance. In addition to this obvious that maintenance must be planned based on where wear has taken place there is an additional planning variable, namely time. Timing is of utmost importance when it comes to snow as a material. A process model will be presented covering a systematic approaches how road construction technologies can be adapted to the snow grooming process. The expected results are a process model which can be used in order to optimize the snow grooming management in order to extend the skiing season. There is possibly two ways of doing this. Firstly to optimize the snow mass haul management process during the skiing season. Secondly re-build the different piste off season to create better environmental conditions during season. This study consists of four kinds of data. Laser scanned data for 3D terrain modeling of ski piste (ground) and collected data by snow groomer for 3D terrain modeling of ski piste during the objective period of investigation. The differences between 3D terrain models by laser scanning and snow groomer is representative of snow depth for corresponding day. Furthermore, in order to verify the method, snow depth and snow surface are measured by group of students from Luleå University of Technology.
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| 12. |
- Wennerstrand, Patricia, et al.
(författare)
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Methotrexate binds to recombinant thiopurine S-methyltransferase and inhibits enzyme activity after high-dose infusions in childhood leukaemia
- 2013
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Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. - : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 0031-6970 .- 1432-1041. ; 69:9, s. 1641-1649
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeImportant drugs in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and methotrexate (MTX). Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is a polymorphic enzyme causing variability in 6-MP response and toxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the fluctuation in TPMT enzyme activity over time and the effect of high-dose MTX infusions on TPMT enzyme activity and 6-MP metabolites in paediatric ALL patients.MethodsFifty-three children with ALL treated according to the NOPHO-ALL 2000 protocol were included in the study. TPMT enzyme activity was measured at six different times starting from diagnosis until after the end of maintenance treatment. TPMT and 6-MP metabolites were measured before the initiation of high-dose MTX (HD-MTX) infusions and at 66 h post-infusion. The interaction between MTX and TPMT was investigated in vitro using recombinant TPMT protein and a leukaemic cell line.ResultsForty percent of TPMT wild-type individuals had deceptively low TPMT enzyme activity according to genotype at the time of diagnosis. TPMT activity had decreased significantly 66 h after the start of HD-MTX infusions (−9.2 %; p = 0.013). MTX bound to recombinant TPMT protein severely inhibiting TPMT enzyme activity (remaining activity 16 %).ConclusionsOur results show that TPMT genotyping should be performed in children with ALL, since 40 % of the children in our study who carried the wild-type TPMT gene were at risk of initial underdosing of 6-MP in cases where only TPMT enzyme activity was determined. MTX inhibits the TPMT enzyme activity after HD-MTX infusions due to protein binding.
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