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Sustainable development has been in focus since late 1980’s and the Brundtland report Our Common Future. But the lack of a detailed common definition of sustainability makes the work for a sustainable urban development difficult. This literature review examines how Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS) and Decision Support Systems (DSS) can be used as tools to help achieve sustainable urban development with focus on the environmental aspect of sustainability. By reviewing former research within the subjects of GIS, RS, DSS and sustainable urban development, the wide potential of how to use GIS, RS and DSS in urban planning are presented. GIS and RS can be used to plan for water usage, actions to decrease air pollution and climate change adaption, and combined with a DSS, the software can help decision makers in the process of planning. Suggestion made are to implement the GIS and DSS early in the planning process, and to base action plan goals on what is realistic, in areas that are in greatest need of sustainability initiatives. There are vast amounts of research made within the subject of DSS and sustainable development, but there is a lack of consensus among the DSS developed, and many stays on the prototype level due to e.g. lack of data and hard to use software. Similar implications are experienced within the subject of GIS and sustainable development, but there are great potential of succeed, when the knowledge of GIS and DSS are spreading among planners and sustainability workers. One of the most important tasks of GIS users today is to inform and develop GIS to be more user friendly and easy to access data.

Yes / The concept of smart city is emerging as a key strategy to tackle the problems generated by the urban population growth and rapid development. It is widely recognised that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) play a key role in addressing some of the urban societal challenges such as improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. Although there are various ICT tools providing intelligence and services relating to energy consumption and monitoring processes, they mostly tend to work in isolation. Therefore, this paper presents the outcomes and impacts of the concept of DAREED which aims to deliver an integrated ICT service platform to drive energy efficiency and low carbon activities at neighbourhood, city and district levels. Furthermore, the research highlights the need for ICT-driven policy making using platforms such as DAREED in the context of e-Government. This paper contributes to the current understandings of e-Government literature in terms of how ICT can help public authorities and stakeholders such as policy makers to achieve and drive energy efficiency. From a practical stance, the paper offers valuable insights to public administrations on how ICT can be used to address pressing societal challenges such as efficient energy use and facilitate better policy making.

This report presents a quantitative investigation into the impact of shearing velocity variation on the obtained shear strength from DSS tests on varved clays originating from the Uppsala region, particulary within the planned reconstruction route of road 55 between Örsundsbro and Kvarnbolund in eastern Sweden. Varved clays are prevalent in this region, and understanding their mechanical properties are crucial for infrastructure projects such as road improvements.The study employs a comprehensive quantitative approach, involving the development and analysis of extensive data and statistics derived from various field and laboratory methods, such as vane tests, CPT tests, undisturbed routine analyses and DSS tests. These tests are supplemented with disturbed routine analyses, CRS tests and ground water measurments specific to the road 55 area.The results demonstrate that the shearing velocity does not correlate with the obtained shear strength. The shear strength remains independent of the shearing velocity.Consequently, the conclusion drawn is that increasing the shearing velocity during DSS tests for varved clays ias advisable, as it does not significantly affect the test results. This finding suggests the potential for improving testing efficency without compromising accuracy in geotechnical assessments for road construction projects with similar geotechnical conditions such as the road 55 reconstruction project.

Les patients atteints de maladies inflammatoires de l'intestin (MII) ont un risque accru de développer un cancer colorectal dû aux lésions épithéliales secondaires à l’inflammation chronique. La vitamine D (vD) régule NOD2, gène impliqué dans la réponse inflammatoire et dans la susceptibilité aux MII, et induit son expression dans les monocytes et dans l’épithélium intestinal. Dans ce projet, nous avons d’abord induit le cancer colorectal associé à la colite ulcéreuse (CAC) en administrant un traitement combiné d’azoxyméthane (AOM) et de dextran de sulfate de sodium (DSS) aux souris C57BL/6J. Par la suite, nous avons étudié l'effet d’une carence en vD3 sur le développement du CAC et évalué la capacité préventive d’une supplémentation en vD3 sur la tumorigenèse, et vérifié si cet effet est médié par NOD2, en utilisant les souris Nod2-/-. Les C57BL/6J et les Nod2-/-, ayant reçu une diète déficiente en vD3, étaient moins résistantes au CAC par rapport aux souris supplémentées. Le pourcentage de perte de poids, l’indice d’activation de la maladie (DAI), le taux de mortalité et le poids relatif du côlon (mg/cm) chez les souris déficientes en vD3 étaient plus élevés en comparaison avec celles supplémentées en vD3. Une augmentation du score d'inflammation et de la multiplicité tumorale corrélait avec une expression accentuée de l’Il6 dans les colonocytes des souris déficientes en vD3. La vD3 régulait l’expression génétique de Cyp24, Vdr et de gènes pro-inflammatoires chez les C57BL/6, comme chez les Nod2-/-. En conclusion, la supplémentation en vD3 peut prévenir le développement du CAC indépendamment de NOD2. / Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer due to continuing epithelial cell injury from the chronic inflammatory process. Vitamin D (vD) regulates NOD2, a gene involved in the inflammatory response and in IBD susceptibility, and induces its expression in monocytes and intestinal epithelial cells. In this project, we first established an azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) murine model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) using C57Bl/6J. We then investigated the effect of vD3 deficiency on CAC development, and evaluated the ability of vD3 supplementation to prevent tumorigenesis. Lastly, we assessed whether the preventive benefits of vD3 on colon carcinogenesis are mediated via NOD2 using Nod2 knockout mice (Nod2-/-). vD3 deficient C57Bl/6J and Nod2-/- mice displayed increased severity of AOM/DSS-induced CAC compared to mice given vD3 supplemented diets. In vD3 deficient mice, body weight loss, Disease Activity Index (DAI), mortality rate and the colon weight/length ratio were higher compared to vD3-supplemented mice. An increased inflammation score was observed in the mucosa of vD3 deficient mice along with augmentation in the expression level of IL-6. Higher tumour multiplicity was also observed in vD3 deficient groups compared to vD3-supplemented groups. In both C57Bl/6J and Nod2-/- mice, vD3 regulated Cyp24, Vdr and pro-inflammatory genes. In conclusion, vD3 supplementation can prevent CAC independently of NOD2.

Dynamic molecular interactions between the microbiota and the intestinal mucosa play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of mucosal homeostasis. Aberrant host- microbiota interaction could lead to many diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the commensal and probiotic bacteria activities and their ability to induce pathological or exert beneficial effects. The most important trigger for immune system development is an exposure to microbial components. Here, we show that there is a time window at about three weeks of age, which enables the artificial colonization of germ free mice by a single oral dose of cecal content. The delayed colonization by either inoculation or co-housing causes permanent changes in immune system reactivity, which may downgrade the results of experiments performed on first generation of colonized animals. In this thesis we report that even non-living commensal bacteria such as Parabacteroides distasonis (mPd) or well known probiotics such as L. casei DN-114 001 (Lc) possess anti-inflammatory effects in experimental model of colitis. The mechanisms that this effect is achieved by the lysate of L. casei DN-114 001 comprise: a) improvement in the gut barrier function, b) correction of the dysbiosis, and c) modulation of the...

The thesis is focused on the use of the test Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure at eight years old children. The theoretical part contains a description of the development of cognitive functions. Further presentation of Rey-Osterrieth and Taylor Complex Figures, the possibility of administration, scoring and interpretation. A significant part presents Developmental Scoring System (DSS - ROCF). Empirical part introduces new tentative standards for children aged eight years, comparison of Rey-Osterrieth and Taylor complex figure, analysis of each phase of the test and elements, and comparison of Osterrieth's scoring system with Developmental Scoring System (DSS - ROCF). Our study revealed the following findings. Flynn effect has not been demonstrated in the Rey- Osterrieth complex figure, while the opposite trend was observed. There were found significant differences between Rey-Osterrieth and Taylor Complex Figures at eight years old children in recall trial, in copy trial can be both figures regarded as equivalent. Analysis of the various phases of the test gives guide for interpretation. A comparison of the two approaches provides an overview of the Development scoring system (DSS - ROCF). KEY WORDS Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, Taylor Complex Figure, Flynn effect, Developmental Scoring Systém for the...

Although strong protective immune response is essential for preventing invasion by pathogens, equivalent responses against antigens originating from commensal bacteria can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Manipulating the mucosal immune responses with microbial antigens might be an excellent tool to IBD therapy or prevention. Our aim was to gain some insight into the regulation of the intestinal inflammation and to isolate bacterial immunomodulatory components that could be used in intestinal inflammation therapy and prevention. One particular mechanism of how healthy colon tissue regulates the inflammation during acute experimental colitis is through modulation of bioavailability of glucocorticoids (GCs) in gut mucosa. Here, we show that intestinal inflammation changes the local GC metabolism, which ultimately leads to decrease in inflammatory readiness of cells in the gut mucosa and in mesenteric lymph nodes. This pre-receptor regulation of GC function could represent an important homeostatic function of the gut mucosa. The actual triggers of intestinal inflammation in IBD seem to be either microbial dysbiosis or microbes with special "pathogenic" abilities, which both could be rectified by feeding with probiotics. Here, we report that oral feeding with live...

Although strong protective immune response is essential for preventing invasion by pathogens, equivalent responses against antigens originating from commensal bacteria can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Manipulating the mucosal immune responses with microbial antigens might be an excellent tool to IBD therapy or prevention. Our aim was to gain some insight into the regulation of the intestinal inflammation and to isolate bacterial immunomodulatory components that could be used in intestinal inflammation therapy and prevention. One particular mechanism of how healthy colon tissue regulates the inflammation during acute experimental colitis is through modulation of bioavailability of glucocorticoids (GCs) in gut mucosa. Here, we show that intestinal inflammation changes the local GC metabolism, which ultimately leads to decrease in inflammatory readiness of cells in the gut mucosa and in mesenteric lymph nodes. This pre-receptor regulation of GC function could represent an important homeostatic function of the gut mucosa. The actual triggers of intestinal inflammation in IBD seem to be either microbial dysbiosis or microbes with special "pathogenic" abilities, which both could be rectified by feeding with probiotics. Here, we report that oral feeding with live...