Calcareous fens constitute a specific habitat which is uncommon in Europe and protected by the EU habitat directive due to its importance to several threatened species. Hagebyhöga in Östergötland is a calcareous fen habitat included in the Natura 2000 Networking Programme. Adjacent to the existing fen, a degraded fen area is situated. The area has been used for agriculture for several years but is now going to be restored to its former state by the county administrative board of Östergötland.When working with restoration of degraded fen areas it is important to aquire knowledge about the chemical soil conditions. Plant growth limited by phosphorus and low fertility are characteristic conditions for calcareous fens, whilst arable land usually is highly fertile and limited by nitrogen.The purpose of this study is to bring forth useful knowledge for restoring the degraded calcareous fen of Hagebyhöga.

Background: Since1994, the EU NickelDirective is limiting the release of nickel from objects that are in prolongedcontact with skin. Despite this, nickel is still the most common cause of contactallergy in industrialized countries. This could implicate that other productswith short contact to the skin, which are not restricted by EU´s legislation inREACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicalsubstances), could be a source of nickel or cobalt exposure. There is no limitfor cobalt release within REACH. To determine if there is cobalt or nickelpresent on the surface of a material and if metal can be released in contactwith the skin, there are quantitative and qualitative methods, such as the DMG(dimethylglyoxime)-test, the cobalt spot-test and a method for releasedetermination according to EN1811.Objectives: Laptops are not included in the REACH legislation.

In order to avoid harmful substances ending up at the municipal sewage treatment plants, it is important to purify the wastewater at the source. One such source is the wheel washers available in many tire garages which are used to wash the wheels on our vehicles when we change between summer and winter tires. It is important to wash the wheels before storage, to extend the tires lifetime. The purpose of this study is to find a green innovative solution for reduction of emissions of heavy metals at the source, so that the sludge from the sewage treatment plants can be used as fertilizer. The target is to find a wheel wash method which leads to compliance with the guidelines for car washers, and that also provides a better washing result than with the existing method.

The present study discusses the metabolism of ethanol in the human body from the ingestion of ethanol to the excretion of its break down products water and carbon dioxide. Ethanol is a small molecule, soluble in water as well as in organic solutions. It is quickly distributed to every section in the body, where it exerts a direct toxic effect on the cells. Ethanol cannot directly leave the body efficiently so it needs other metabolic pathways. The molecule is metabolized by oxidation, predominately in the liver.

Cultivable land is a limited resource and agriculture contributes to some of the most serious environmental problems facing the planet like, global warming, eutrophication and loss of biodiversity. The specialized, industrial agriculture with monoculture and extensive input of external energy, commercial fertilizer, and chemical pesticides are all essentially unsustainable. An adaptation to other methods of production is necessary to preserve the environment for future generations. The aim of this study is to describe the factors that distinguish sustainable from unsustainable agriculture. The results will be used to examine if and how the European Union (EU) works in order to create a more sustainable agricultural industry and to analyze the preconditions for such development.

Flertalet studier har påvisat ett samband mellan koncentrationen av partiklar ? 10µm i luftföroreningar och cardiovaskulär- och pulmonell morbiditet och mortalitet. Vid resektion, koagulering/bränning med diatermipenna under operationer alstras rök. Denna rök innehåller bland annat mutagena och carcinogena partiklar i inhalerbar storlek (partiklar ? 10µm).Ett första syfte med denna studie var att kvantifiera den mängd ultra-fina partiklar (UFP) och partiklar ? 10µm som operationspersonal exponeras för i operationsrummet, vid användande av diatermi med mobilt rökutsug.

Commonly held dietary guidelines discourage full-fat dairy consumption due its to high levels of saturated fatty acids, which are believed to aversely influence cardiovascular disease risk. Cardiovascular diseases cause more than one third of deaths in the developed world. With dairy often providing a large part of energy and nutrients in Western diets, research into its effects on human health is warranted. Several recent studies have suggested a protective role of dairy in the development of cardiometabolic disease. However, many of these have used imprecise methods of dietary assessment, based on questionnaires or interviews. Biomarkers are emerging as a means of evaluating diet in a more objective way. Currently used dairy fat biomarkers are minor fatty acid constituents of dairy that preferably are unique to dairy and not influenced by endogenous metabolism.

All products will eventually end up as waste, which in a sustainable society has to be handled in an efficient and environment friendly way. This report focuses on waste fractions meant for combustion, often difficult to characterize. However, more homogeneous fractions that are treated biologically are also discussed.The study concerns the region of Borås, Sweden, where the waste plant Sobacken has provided a good starting point. On this site, fuel to the Energy-from-Waste plant of Borås Energi is prepared and the biological waste is treated through anaerobic digestion.One important part of the study has been to collect experience-based knowledge from the technical staff at Sobacken and Borås Energi. This information was compiled into an overview of wanted and unwanted fractions to the preparation plant and the boilers respectively.

The overarching purpose of the study was to examine the effects of infant massage and to put these effects incontext with mother ? child attachment. The intention was also to study whether these effects have any relevancefor social work. This was accomplished by studying earlier research, theory and laws but also through interviewswith mothers who have followed through a course in infant massage. The main questions of the study was: Afterthe completion of the course and after using the massage technique at home, does the mother experience that thebond with their child is influenced by the technique and are the mothers more apprehensive of their child?ssignals? Has the mothers observed any signals from their infants during the massage and if so what has beentheir reaction? Does the mothers experience that the massage has provided any physiological effects? Has thecompletion of the course provided the mothers with knowledge that?s had an effect in their ways of parenting? Inwhat way does the earlier research, reports and laws deal with the benefits and risks of a secure or insecureattachment, and can the quality of the attachment have any meaning in the social work? A qualitative approachwas chosen with respondent-interviews.

This study aims to assess the normal inflow of extraterrestrial chromite to Earth. The results from the investigationare compared to earlier studies of middle Ordovician Orthoceratite Limestone in which 1 - 3 extraterrestrial chromitegrains ( >63 ?Êm ) per kilogram limestone were found. These values have been interpreted as evidence of a twoorders of magnitude increase in the flux of extraterrestrial matter to Earth during a part of middle Ordovician.From an early Paleocene marine sedimentary sequence with known sedimentation rate in Zumaia, northernSpain, 90,5 kilogram of condensed limestone, dated to about 63 Ma, was sampled. The limestone was dissolved inhydrochloric- and hydrofluoric acid and the residue was sieved and searched for opaque minerals under the binocularmicroscope.

In this study potential health risks for employees in connection with handling of bottom ash and bottom ash water at a Municipal Waste Incineration (MWI) plant have been investigated. Air surrounding the bottom ash and the bottom ash water has been examined. MWI is one of the primary ways to manage solid household waste, and bottom ash is the main solid residue produced by the incineration process. Bottom ash constitutes about 15-20% of the original waste. The bottom ash is extinguished in a water bath (bottom ash water).The study was carried out in a MWI plant in Karlstad, Sweden.

AbstractThis degree thesis was made in cooperation with Chematur Engineering in Karlskoga.Many of the environmental issues of today are a result of the motor traffic. Consumption of fossil fuels harms our environmental through formation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. To get under control with our environmental issues it?s important to find substitutes for oil that are both cheap and environmentally friendly. Ethanol has a long history as a motor fuel and is both enviromentally friendly has a high efficiency.According to the EU commissions directives for motor fuels, 5, 75 % of all the fuels in Sweden should be renewable in 2010.

Jönköping Small Animal Hospital is today the only clinic in Sweden to offer radiation therapy as a treatment of tumours. The body contains of billions of cells that all have to obey the regulations that are established. If a cell is exposed to a harmful substance, for example a chemical, it can be transformed into a tumourcell. Normally the body has a good defence but the tumourcell can survive and start to divide unrestrained. A tumour is starting to develop.

Reducing the CO2-pollution, resulting from the combustion of fossil coal for energyproduction, is important to affect environmental changes. One way to achieve a reductionis to use the oxy-fuel technology. The technology uses O2 and re-circulated flue gasduring the combustion which results in a flue gas mainly consisting of CO2. The flue gascould then be compressed and stored without environmental effects. A problem thatfollows from the compression is the risk of acidification in sensitive parts of the process.Acidification can occur because of reactions following from the contact of condensedwater and sulphur- and nitrogen-oxides which are also present in the flue gas.This report compiles and evaluates the basis of a scientific unit with the purpose ofexploring the possibilities of extracting impurities of SOx and NOx from the flue gases.The dimensions of the unit are based on basic conditions, defined for an existing oxy-fuelprocess at Chalmers, and on the results of computer modelling.

As a member of the EU, Sweden has, in some cases, transferred the controlling rights to the Union. This means that the rules defined by the EU must be followed in all member countries, including Sweden. The European Agricultural policy constitutes the largest part of the EU's annual budget and is in contrast to many other areas fully funded at EU level. The last decade, many new regulations on chemicals and pesticides have been introduced which brought great changes and a lot of work throughout the Union, including Sweden. Sweden has always had a strict policy on chemicals and has been at the forefront when it comes to sustainable agriculture and environmental management.