This thesis deals with individuals buried at Smörkullen, Västra Tollstad parish, Östergötland, Sweden. The aim is to reconstruct the diet of the individuals through stable isotope analyses and then try to identify if social hierarchy correlates with the diet. To do this, 35 individuals were divided into different groups (males, females, high status graves, low status graves, young adults, adults, seniors and trepanned individuals) and then subjected to stable isotope analyses of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur. The results show that all individuals lived mainly on freshwater fish with a few exceptions that had a more mixed diet of terrestrial protein and freshwater fish. The sulphur analyses showed that one female (possibly two) has moved to the area sometime after the age of seven. Because of the homogenous diet of freshwater fish no social hierarchy based on diet could be established.

Release of different nitrogen compounds can cause eutrophication in lakes and rivers whichcan lead to oxygen-free environments in bottom water and in the sediment and can in turnlead to fish-deaths. Ammonium can be toxic to biota and nitrate can in high concentrationeven be toxic to humans. WHO has released a limit for nitrate concentration in drinking waterof 10mg/l. The LKAB mine in Kiruna is the largest underground iron mine in the world and isprospecting, mining and refining iron ore, with an annual production of around 28 milliontons. Release of different nitrogen compounds as a result of the explosives used during themining operations has been a known problem for some time; however the processes affectingnitrogen during the water transport have never been fully investigated. The main objective of this MSc thesis is to determine if changes in nitrogen and oxygenisotope composition can be used as a tracer for nitrogen transformation processes in the minewater at LKABs underground mine in Kiruna. Water samples were collected at key points in the water transport system and were analyzedfor isotopic composition. Isotopic and chemical data revealed two different sources of nitrateand ammonium, undetonated explosives and leachate from waste rocks. Three differentnitrogen changing processes affecting concentration of nitrate and ammonium were found:ammonium volatilization, nitrification and sorption. It was not possible to quantify theseprocesses individually. No processes which decrease the nitrate concentration were found.

Increasing atmospheric reactive nitrogen (Nr), as consequence of human activities, has generated accumulation of nitrate (NO3-) in Arctic regions. The Arctic has fragile nitrogen limited ecosystems that can be altered by increases of dry or wet deposition of Nr. Ice cores have shown increments of twofold in nitrogen deposition over Greenland and Svalbard during the 20th century. Ice core NO3- stable isotopes, (δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-), have the potential to serve as proxy of nitrogen oxides (NOx) sources and atmospheric oxidation pathways. NO3- is difficult to interpret in ice since it has several sources and experiences post-depositional processes, e.g. photolysis, relocation, evaporation and diffusion. The present work shows the results of NO3- and NO3- stable isotopes analyses of ice cores, snow and precipitation from Svalbard, in order to obtain records of natural and anthropogenic sources of NO3-. In addition, meltwater percolation effects on the snowpack ion content were also studied. A comparison between NO3- records from different Svalbard ice cores and NOx and SOx emission profiles from different regions shows that the major source regions affecting Svalbard are Western Europe and North America, followed by Central Europe and former USSR. Post-1950s δ15N-NO3- measured at Lomonosovfonna is influenced mainly by fossil fuel combustion, soil emissions, and forest fires. There is an east-west gradient in snow NO3- stable isotopes during 2010/2011, with lower δ15N-NO3- and higher δ18O-NO3- values at eastern sites; the results evidence differences in the origin of air masses arriving at Svalbard sites, mainly Eurasia, to the eastern sites, and Northern Europe to the western sites. The effects of post-depositional change on the ice core chemistry were studied, finding that 45% of annual snowpack suffers melt at Lomonosovfonna during the last 60 years. Percolation lengths were estimated as ≈1 m for most of ions; therefore, it is expected that the atmospheric ionic signal is preserved at annual or bi-annual resolution within the last 60 years at the Lomonosovfonna summit. The results presented here suggest that NO3- stable isotopes from Svalbard ice cores are useful to describe different sources and source regions of NOx, contributing to the assessment of nitrogen enrichment for this region. / Halten av reaktivt kväve (Nr) har ökat i atmosfären som en följd av mänskliga aktiviteter och har lett till en anrikning av nitrat (NO3-) nedfallet i Arktis. Ekosystemen i de Arktiska områdena är mycket sköra och extremt anpassade till den låga tillgången på tillgängligt kväve, ett förhållande som drastiskt kan ändras genom en ökad våt och torr deposition av Nr. Studier av iskärnor från både Grönland och Svalbard har visat på en fördubbling av kvävenedfallet under de senaste hundra åren. Potentiellt så kan analyser av kvävets och syrets stabila isotoper (δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-) i nitrat från iskärnor ge information om de kväveoxidkällor, oxidations- och transportvägar som påverkar nitrat halten i Arktis. Dock är nitrat sammansättningen i is svårtolkat eftersom det nitrat som återfinns i isen kan härstamma från flera olika källor och där även flera post-depositionsprocesser har beskrivits, t.ex. fotolys, evaporation, diffusion och omlokalisering som följd av snösmältning. Denna doktorsavhandling använder såväl nitrat halter som des stabila isotoper från iskärnor, snö- och nederbördsprover från Svalbard, för att fastställa de naturliga och antropogena källor av nitrat som influerar denna del av Arktis. I tillägg till detta så har även snösmältningsförsök gjorts för att undersöka hur nitratet påverkas av perkolationsprocesser. En jämförelse av nitratkompositionen mellan iskärnor och snöprofiler från olika delar av Svalbard visar att de huvudsakliga källregionerna för Nr till denna del av Arktis är Västeuropa och Nordamerika, följt av Centraleuropa och forna Sovjetunionen. För perioden 1950 och fram till i dag så påvisar δ15N-NO3- värden mätt från en Lomonosovfonna (centrala Svalbard) iskärna en stark influens från förbränning av fossila bränslen följt av utsläpp från åkermarker samt för de sista tio åren en influens av Ryska skogsbränder. Generellt så finns det även en öst-västlig gradient bland de stabila isotoperna av nitrat, med lägre δ15N-NO3- och högre δ18O-NO3- värden på Svalbards östsida i 2010/2011. Resultaten visar på en skillnad i ursprungskällan av luftmassor, där östra Svalbard påverkas mest av luft från Eurasien medan västra Svalbard påverkas med av Nordeuropa. När det gäller perkolationens effekt på jonkoncentrationen, så påvisar 60 års iskärnedata att 45% av den årliga vinterackumulationen smälts bort under sommaren på Lomonosovfonna. Detta medför en förflyttning av de flesta joner nedåt i snön, med en perkolationslängd på ca 1 m, och den ursprungliga nitrat sammansättningen förväntas därför bevaras på årlig eller vartannat års basis. Resultaten som presenteras här tyder på att iskärnedata, vad gäller nitrat och dess stabila isotoper, från Svalbard är representativa för att beskriva de olika källor och regioner som bidrar till kvävetillförseln i denna del av Arktis.

<p>The Pitted Ware Culture site Korsnäs in Södermanland, Sweden presents a, for the region, unique amount of preserved organic material suitable for chemical analyses. Human and faunal skeletal material has been subjected to stable isotope analysis with the aim of examining whether the diet of the Korsnäs people correlates with the seal-based subsistence of Pitted Ware Culture groups on the Baltic islands. Further, the relationship between the faunal assemblage and the human diet has been studied, and the debated question of whether the Pitted Ware people kept domestic pigs has been addressed. Ten new radiocarbon dates are presented, which place the excavated area of the site in Middle Neolithic A, with a continuity of several hundred years. The results show that the diet of the Korsnäs people was predominantly based on seal, and seal hunting was probably an essential part of the Pitted Ware Culture identity. Based on the dietary pattern of the species, it is argued that the pigs were not domestic. The faunal assemblage, dominated by seal and pig bones, does not correlate with the dietary pattern, and it is suggested that wild boar might have been hunted and sacrificed and/or ritually eaten on certain occasions.</p>

The Pitted Ware Culture site Korsnäs in Södermanland, Sweden presents a, for the region, unique amount of preserved organic material suitable for chemical analyses. Human and faunal skeletal material has been subjected to stable isotope analysis with the aim of examining whether the diet of the Korsnäs people correlates with the seal-based subsistence of Pitted Ware Culture groups on the Baltic islands. Further, the relationship between the faunal assemblage and the human diet has been studied, and the debated question of whether the Pitted Ware people kept domestic pigs has been addressed. Ten new radiocarbon dates are presented, which place the excavated area of the site in Middle Neolithic A, with a continuity of several hundred years. The results show that the diet of the Korsnäs people was predominantly based on seal, and seal hunting was probably an essential part of the Pitted Ware Culture identity. Based on the dietary pattern of the species, it is argued that the pigs were not domestic. The faunal assemblage, dominated by seal and pig bones, does not correlate with the dietary pattern, and it is suggested that wild boar might have been hunted and sacrificed and/or ritually eaten on certain occasions.

The main aim was to investigate the provenance of Viking age antler material findings of moose and red deer from Sigtuna and from three sites on the island of Gotland in the Baltic sea. This was done by analysis of the stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur. Thre were never any living population of these mammals on Gotland during the Viking age. δ34S-values of sulphur from this study was compared with earlier research and by studying maps of the Swedish bedrock. The δ34S-values were more like the δ34S-value for bedrock other than European granite. These bedrocks are found in the south-east of Sweden along the coast towards Gotland. The provenance of the Sigtuna antlers could be three different areas and the material from Gotnald could come from two differente regions. A student-t test between Fröjel and Sigtuna showed no significant correlation between the two populations. A comparison within the Sigtuna material showed a possible difference between two different dated phases. This could mean that an import of antlers from other areas was made when antlers in the Sigtuna region was less available.

Uppsalas dricksvattenförsörjning baseras på konstgjord grundvattenbildning som innebär att vatten från Fyrisån får rinna ned till grundvattnet från infiltrationsbassänger. Detta examensarbete syftar till att undersöka vad som händer med naturligt organiskt material (NOM) i Uppsalaåsen vid konstgjord grundvattenbildning. De viktigaste processerna för minskning av NOM är biologisk avskiljning genom nedbrytning, fysikalisk-kemisk avskiljning genom sorption till metalloxider samt utspädning genom inblandning av naturligt grundvatten. Arbetet bestod av tre delar: 1) analys av vattenkemidata från grundvattenprover, 2) analys av extraktion av TOC, Al och Fe från jordprover för att undersöka utfällning av NOM med metalloxider samt 3) ett inkuberingsexperiment för att utvärdera potentialen för biologisk nedbrytning i löst organiskt material (DOC). Jordproverna hämtades från borrkärnor som tagits på fem platser längs åsen under sommaren 2014. Grundvattenprover togs i 19 brunnar minst en gång per månad från november 2014 fram till april 2015. TOC-halten i grundvattnet är som högst vid infiltrationsbassängerna, ca 15 mg/l. TOC- minskar med 30 % de första 200 metrarna i flödesriktningen men minskningen avtar under grundvattentransporten. I den omättade zonen avskiljs mindre än 10 %. Vattnet i Fyrisån har en varierande sammansättning över ett år, vilket också observerades i provtagningspunkter som ligger närmast infiltrationsanläggningarna. Analys av uran och stabila isotoper visar att dispersion i åsen utjämnar dessa variationer. Analys av UV-absorbans och fluorescens tyder på att det organiska materialet i grundvattnet byter karaktär i den mättade zonen och blir hydrofilt. Resultaten från extraktionerna i jordprover visar på god korrelation mellan Fe och TOC. Bidning till järnoxider antas därför vara den viktigaste avskiljningsmekanismen i åsen. Resultaten indikerar på anrikningar av humuskomplex i de ytligaste jordlagren under sandfiltren samt precis under grundvattenytan i närheten av bassängerna. Inkuberingsexperimentet utfördes genom att grundvatten från fem olika provpunkter sterilfiltrerades. 15 vattenprover tillsattes med inockulat innehållande mikroorganismer och övriga 15 sterila prover användes som referenser. TOC undersöktes varannan vecka på samtliga vattenprover under 1,5 månader. Efter två veckor minskade halten TOC i samtliga prover och referenser med cirka 25 % och var därefter relativt konstant. Sammanfattningsvis sker en snabb minskning av NOM i grundvattnet nära infiltrationsbassängerna. Det antas bero på adsorption till metalloxider och fasta partiklar och biologisk nedbrytning. Minskningstakten av NOM avtar med transportsträckan. Längre bort antas inblandning av naturligt grundvatten vara den viktigaste orsaken till att halten NOM minskar. / The drinking water supply in Uppsala is based on this technique which involves surface water from Fyrisån percolating to the ground water through an infiltration basin. This master thesis aims to evaluate the fate of natural organic matter (NOM) in the Uppsala esker during artificial groundwater recharge. The most important processes for the removal of NOM are biological degradation, physical-chemical sorption to metal complexes and dilution by mixing with natural ground water. The work consisted of three parts: 1) analysis of water chemistry data from groundwater samples, 2) analysis of extractions of TOC, Al and Fe from soil samples to evaluate deposition of NOM with metal oxides, and 3) an incubation test to evaluate the potential for biological degradation in dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Soil samples were collected from drill cores taken from five locations along the Uppsala esker in the summer of 2014. Ground water was sampled in 19 wells at least once every month from November 2014 to April 2015. The levels of TOC in ground water are highest at the infiltration basins, about 15 mg/l. The TOC levels drop by 30 % the first 200 meters in the flow direction, but the removal rate decreases during the ground water transport. Less than 10 % is removed in the unsaturated zone. The water in Fyrisån has a variation in composition during a year, which is also observered in sampling points close to the infiltration basins. Analysis of uranium and stable isotopes shows that dispersion in the esker evens these variations. The analysis of absorbance and fluorescence shows that the NOM changes character in the saturated zone and becomes less humificated and becomes hydrophilic. The results from the extractions in the soil samples show a good correlation between Fe and TOC. Complexes of NOM and iron oxides are thought to be the most important complex in the Uppsala esker. The extractions also indicate that enrichments of humus complexes in the uppermost soil of the infiltration basins and right below the ground water table in several locations near the basins. The incubation test was done by sterilization filtering of ground water from five different locations. Inoculate with microorganisms was added to 15 of these samples, while 15 without inoculate was used as reference samples. Analysis of TOC was done every two weeks during 1,5 months. The levels of TOC decreased by 25 % after two weeks in all samples and reference samples, and were stable afterwards. In summary, a quick decrease of NOM occurs in the groundwater close to the infiltration basins. This is mainly caused by sorption and biological degradation. The removal rate of NOM decreases with distance. Further away from the basins, the most important process for decrease of NOM is mixing with local ground water.

The diet of the Stone Age cultures is a strong indicator to the social group, thus farmers and hunters can be distinguished through their diet. There is well-preserved and well excavated Polish skeletal material available for such a study but the material has not previously been subject to stable isotopes analyses and therefore the questions of diets has not been answered. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the cultures in the Kichary Nowe 2 area in the Lesser Poland district in southern Poland. Through analysis of the stable isotopes of Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulphur in the collagen of teeth and skeletal bones from the humans in the Kichary Nowe 2 grave-field and from bones from the fauna, coeval and from the same area, the study will establish whether there were any sharp changes of diets. The material from the grave-field comes from cultures with an established agricultural economy, where their cultural belonging has been anticipated from the burial context. The results from my study of stable isotopes from the bone material will be grouped by various parameters, culture, attribution to sex and age. The groups will then be compared to each other to investigate patterns within and between the groups.

Mass spectroscopy imaging (MSI) has become a vital tool in modern research due to its ability to visualize the spatial distribution of molecules within tissue samples. The collaboration between researchers at AZ, the University of Gothenburg, and Chalmers University of Technology using the NanoSIMS instrument and MSI-SIMS technology has opened up new avenues of exploration in pharmaceutical development, particularly in examining drugs and metabolites at sub-cellular levels. This groundbreaking research has the potential to significantly improve the efficacy and safety of future pharmaceutical products. NanoSIMS possesses a unique imaging and processing technique that enables high-resolution imaging of cellular structures and subcellular compartments. This powerful tool allows for the visualization and measurement of elements and isotopes at the subcellular level. The technique involves bombarding a sample with a focused primary ion beam, which causes the emission of secondary ions. These secondary ions are then analyzed to determine the elemental and isotopic composition of the sample. NanoSIMS is particularly useful for analyzing biomolecules since traditional Mass spectrometry methods cannot provide information about how molecules behave at the cellular level. Given that many of the drugs used today have intra-cellular targets, hence understanding the drug's cellular pathways is extremely important, especially in cases where the risk for organ toxicity is high due to the high dosage of the drugs.  Our data from the image analysis indicated the presence of amiodarone inside the lysosomes; however, the lack of enrichment from the 13C portion of the dual-labeled molecule made it difficult to reach a variation below the LOD. Since our LOD is relatively high when working with 13C12C, we focused on the fact that accuracy, precision, and sensitivity would be the most crucial factors in our study. After adjusting these parameters, we obtained an image that made the measurement possible. This project aims to utilize a dual-labeled drug (13C and 127I) to bridge the absolute quantification ability of the 13C labeling scheme to the more sensitive labeling scheme. The focus of this study lies therefore on optimization and the relationship between Spatial resolution, Sensitivity, Mass Resolution, Accuracy, and Precision. This technique is extremely promising, but the limit of detection is relatively high mainly due to the high percentage of carbon in the sample. Despite this fact, we were able to present some valuable data.  Our analysis showed that the sensitivity of the 127I is much better than 13C, however, we produced an image where the ratio between the labels was above the detection limit. Using this data, a Relative sensitivity factor (RSF) value was measured, and the concentration of the drug could be estimated by applying the quantification equation.