1. |
- Clason, Caroline C., et al.
(author)
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Dye tracing to determine flow properties of hydrocarbon-polluted Rabots glaciar, Kebnekaise, Sweden
- 2015
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In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1027-5606 .- 1607-7938. ; 19:6, s. 2701-2715
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Over 11 000 L of kerosene was deposited on the surface of Rabots glaciar on the Kebnekaise Massif, northern Sweden, following the crash of a Royal Norwegian Air Force aircraft in March 2012. An environmental monitoring programme was subsequently commissioned, including a series of dye tracing experiments during the 2013 melt season, conducted to investigate the transport of pollutants through the glacier hydrological system. This experimental set-up provided a basis from which we could gain new insight into the internal hydrological system of Rabots glaciar. Results of dye tracing experiments reveal a degree of homogeneity in the topology of the drainage system throughout July and August, with an increase in efficiency as the season progresses, as reflected by decreasing temporary storage and dispersivity. Early onset of melting likely led to formation of an efficient, discrete drainage system early in the melt season, subject to decreasing sinuosity and braiding as the season progressed. Four distinct meltwater flow regimes are identified to summarize the temporal and spatial evolution of the system. Analysis of turbidity-discharge hysteresis further supports the formation of discrete, efficient drainage, with clockwise diurnal hysteresis suggesting easy mobilization of readily available sediments in channels. Dye injection immediately downstream of the pollution source zone reveals prolonged storage of dye followed by fast, efficient release. Twinned with a low dye recovery, and supported by sporadic detection of hydrocarbons in the proglacial river, we suggest that meltwater, and thus pollutants in solution, may be released periodically through an efficient, and likely pressurized, hydrological system within the upper reaches of the glacier.
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2. |
- Hiselius, Lena Winslott, et al.
(author)
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Investigating the Link between Transport Sustainability and the Representation of Women in Swedish Local Committees
- 2019
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In: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 11:17
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There are large discrepancies in the transport sector along gender lines in travel patterns and means of transportation used, but also in attitudes and norms among citizens, planners and decision-makers, with women generally more positive towards measures involving the lowering CO2 emissions. At the same time, the number of women involved in transport-related decisions is low. This is a problem for gender equality but possibly also for sustainability. A careful review of previous studies indicated a lack of analyses on the subject based on quantitative data at the local level. We investigated a possible link between women’s presence in local policymaking and more sustainable transport policies, and whether it is possible to capture such an effect. The main contribution of this paper is a methodological approach in which, besides generating unique data on representation in municipalities (confirming men’s dominance, specifically in transport policymaking), possibilities for quantitatively measuring gender and the level of sustainability in transport planning are discussed and tested. Challenges in collecting relevant data and analyzing possible covariances in the data set are discussed and presented as well as suggestions for further investigations into the possible link between gender and sustainable transport performance.
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3. |
- Leder, Lena, et al.
(author)
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Effects of a healthy Nordic diet on gene expression changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to an oral glucose tolerance test in subjects with metabolic syndrome : A SYSDIET sub-study
- 2016
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In: Genes & Nutrition. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1555-8932 .- 1865-3499. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Diet has a great impact on the risk of developing features of metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We evaluated whether a long-term healthy Nordic diet (ND) can modify the expression of inflammation and lipid metabolism-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) during a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in individuals with MetS. Methods: A Nordic multicenter randomized dietary study included subjects (n = 213) with MetS, randomized to a ND group or a control diet (CD) group applying an isocaloric study protocol. In this sub-study, we included subjects (n = 89) from three Nordic centers: Kuopio (n =26), Lund (n = 30), and Oulu (n = 33) with a maximum weight change of ±4 kg, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentration ≤10 mg L-1, and baseline body mass index -2. PBMCs were isolated, and the mRNA gene expression analysis was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). We analyzed the mRNA expression changes of 44 genes before and after a 2hOGTT at the beginning and the end of the intervention. Results: The healthy ND significantly down-regulated the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), interleukin 18 (IL18), and thrombospondin receptor (CD36) mRNA transcripts and significantly up-regulated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD) mRNA transcript after the 2hOGTT compared to the CD. Conclusions: A healthy ND is able to modify the gene expression in PBMCs after a 2hOGTT. However, more studies are needed to clarify the biological and clinical relevance of these findings.
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4. |
- Lumetzberger, M., et al.
(author)
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Predicting the fate of chlorinated aliphatics by hydrogeological modelling and DCIP data - Färgaren case study
- 2019
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a local flow model approach for the transport and the decay of a roughly 50 year old perchloroethylene contamination at a former dry cleaning facility at Kv. Färgaren in Kristianstad that sits above the largest aquifer in Sweden. The study demonstrates an efficient workflow integrating ERT for conceptualising and calibrating a three dimensional transient, multi aquifer groundwater transport problem with a sequential first-order decay contamination where only limited sample data is available for calibration - i.e. non-ideal, real world conditions. The 3D hydraulic model geometry is based on information from ERT data. It was possible to map resistivity signatures correlated with boreholes to geological features with a high degree of accuracy. On the Färgaren site itself, a 3D IP inversion model displayed some IP effects that correlated with historical perchloroethylene source terms. The simulations provide new information regarding the vulnerability of a critical groundwater resource, filling in knowledge gaps left by traditional sampling methods. It is concluded that there is potential for long term contamination of the regional sandstone aquifer, and that the plume front may already have reached its upper layers.
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5. |
- Myhrstad, Mari C. W., et al.
(author)
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Healthy Nordic Diet Modulates the Expression of Genes Related to Mitochondrial Function and Immune Response in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome-A SYSDIET Sub-Study
- 2019
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In: Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1613-4125 .- 1613-4133. ; 63:13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Scope To explore the effect of a healthy Nordic diet on the global transcriptome profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of subjects with metabolic syndrome. Methods and results Subjects with metabolic syndrome undergo a 18/24 week randomized intervention study comparing an isocaloric healthy Nordic diet with an average habitual Nordic diet served as control (SYSDIET study). Altogether, 68 participants are included. PBMCs are obtained before and after intervention and total RNA is subjected to global transcriptome analysis. 1302 probe sets are differentially expressed between the diet groups (p-value < 0.05). Twenty-five of these are significantly regulated (FDR q-value < 0.25) and are mainly involved in mitochondrial function, cell growth, and cell adhesion. The list of 1302 regulated probe sets is subjected to functional analyses. Pathways and processes involved in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, immune response, and cell cycle are downregulated in the healthy Nordic diet group. In addition, gene transcripts with common motifs for 42 transcription factors, including NFR1, NFR2, and NF-kappa B, are downregulated in the healthy Nordic diet group. Conclusion These results suggest that benefits of a healthy diet may be mediated by improved mitochondrial function and reduced inflammation.
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6. |
- Stroeven, Arjen P., et al.
(author)
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Deglaciation of Fennoscandia
- 2016
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 147:SI, s. 91-121
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To provide a new reconstruction of the deglaciation of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, in the form of calendar-year time-slices, which are particularly useful for ice sheet modelling, we have compiled and synthesized published geomorphological data for eskers, ice-marginal formations, lineations, marginal meltwater channels, striae, ice-dammed lakes, and geochronological data from radiocarbon, varve, optically-stimulated luminescence, and cosmogenic nuclide dating. This is summarized as a deglaciation map of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet with isochrons marking every 1000 years between 22 and 13 cal kyr BP and every hundred years between 11.6 and final ice decay after 9.7 cal kyr BP. Deglaciation patterns vary across the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet domain, reflecting differences in climatic and geomorphic settings as well as ice sheet basal thermal conditions and terrestrial versus marine margins. For example, the ice sheet margin in the high-precipitation coastal setting of the western sector responded sensitively to climatic variations leaving a detailed record of prominent moraines and other ice-marginal deposits in many fjords and coastal valleys. Retreat rates across the southern sector differed between slow retreat of the terrestrial margin in western and southern Sweden and rapid retreat of the calving ice margin in the Baltic Basin. Our reconstruction is consistent with much of the published research. However, the synthesis of a large amount of existing and new data support refined reconstructions in some areas. For example, the LGM extent of the ice sheet in northwestern Russia was located far east and it occurred at a later time than the rest of the ice sheet, at around 17-15 cal kyr BP. We also propose a slightly different chronology of moraine formation over southern Sweden based on improved correlations of moraine segments using new LiDAR data and tying the timing of moraine formation to Greenland ice core cold stages. Retreat rates vary by as much as an order of magnitude in different sectors of the ice sheet, with the lowest rates on the high-elevation and maritime Norwegian margin. Retreat rates compared to the climatic information provided by the Greenland ice core record show a general correspondence between retreat rate and climatic forcing, although a close match between retreat rate and climate is unlikely because of other controls, such as topography and marine versus terrestrial margins. Overall, the time slice reconstructions of Fennoscandian Ice Sheet deglaciation from 22 to 9.7 cal kyr BP provide an important dataset for understanding the contexts that underpin spatial and temporal patterns in retreat of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, and are an important resource for testing and refining ice sheet models.
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7. |
- Ulven, Stine M., et al.
(author)
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An isocaloric nordic diet modulates rela and tnfrsf1a gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in individuals with metabolic syndrome—a sysdiet sub-study
- 2019
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In: Nutrients. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6643. ; 11:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A healthy dietary pattern is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and reduced inflammation. To explore this at the molecular level, we investigated the effect of a Nordic diet (ND) on changes in the gene expression profiles of inflammatory and lipid-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of individuals with MetS. We hypothesized that the intake of an ND compared to a control diet (CD) would alter the expression of inflammatory genes and genes involved in lipid metabolism. The individuals with MetS underwent an 18/24-week randomized intervention to compare a ND with a CD. Eighty-eight participants (66% women) were included in this sub-study of the larger SYSDIET study. Fasting PBMCs were collected before and after the intervention and changes in gene expression levels were measured using TaqMan Array Micro Fluidic Cards. Forty-eight pre-determined inflammatory and lipid related gene transcripts were analyzed. The expression level of the gene tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily member 1A (TNFRSF1A) was down-regulated (p = 0.004), whereas the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) subunit, RELA proto-oncogene, was up-regulated (p = 0.016) in the ND group compared to the CD group. In conclusion, intake of an ND in individuals with the MetS may affect immune function.
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