Protein extraction from wheat bran is challenging due to its multi-layer and fiber-rich structure. Here, opening aleurone cells, via dry and wet milling, their combination and a novel ultrafine milling, and its effect on wheat bran’s protein recovery using the alkaline solubilization/isoelectric precipitation and protein structure, functionality, and phytate content were investigated. Wet milling and ultrafine milling improved protein recovery and purity but only ultrafine milling reduced bran particle size to the aleurone cells and exposed their structure. Despite this, ultrafine milling did not significantly increase protein yield compared to wet milling, which partially opened the aleurone cells, meaning that opening the cells per se is not enough for extracting their protein. Proteins extracted with the aid of ultrafine milling had smaller particle sizes with significantly better water solubility (>2-fold) and rheological properties. Both wet milling and ultrafine milling significantly improved the removal of phytate during the wet fractionation process. Altogether, optimizing milling techniques offers a promising path to enhance accessibility to wheat bran proteins and their quality if carefully fine-tuned but other assistant technologies are necessary for boosting the recovery of the released protein from aleurone cells. 

Background: This paper seeks to explore the roles of distribution system operators (DSOs) in future energy systems. Measures to combat climate change have led to a transition in the energy sector, where old system fundamentals are becoming obsolete, which results in changing rules for incumbent actors, such as DSOs. These actors must uphold heavily regulated operations within their distribution networks, while landscape trends are changing with a growing number of prosumers and distributed energy resources. To understand these future roles and increase the preparedness for future scenarios and facilitate thinking beyond current lock-ins, action-oriented workshops were held with two Swedish DSOs, departing from pre-developed future imaginaries, structured through transition theory. Researchers were actively involved in the workshops, to guide the participants in the discussions and to provide additional knowledge from transition processes. This was structured through transition theory, mainly in terms of linking transition management fundamentals to the topics in the workshops and basing the workshop discussions on an imagined future socio-technical system-wide approach using four focus areas. Results: Results included descriptions of roles within future energy systems and their connection to specified value logics from different target groups which would, from the DSO perspective, create value in a future energy system. Roles included sustainable developer, facilitator for increased collaboration, balancing actor, and communicator. In addition, competence requirements were outlined concerning the described roles. The future logic was also described in a conceptual value model for an active DSO in a prosumer-oriented energy system, creating value in all different value logics. Moreover, it provided the steps necessary to develop a pathway aimed at the transformation of DSOs. Conclusions: The study provided a constructive approach for DSOs to prepare for a future, more prosumer-oriented and flexible energy system, avoiding being locked in current system thinking and focusing on necessary roles and competencies suitable for a DSO. In addition, the utilization of the value logics approach helped place the prosumers in a differentiated manner, which can have implications for strategies among DSOs to create the necessary relations and collaborations for an efficient and value-creating future energy system. 

Bottlenecks can drastically reduce transport through porous materials. Previous work has concentrated on constriction-bottlenecks caused by variations in pore size. Here we study connectivity-bottlenecks, which are caused by many paths in the pore network passing through the same small part of the material. We develop three new connectivity descriptors, geodesic channel-strength, pore size-channels, and the closed pore-tortuosity that capture these effects. Five sets of computer-generated pore geometries with a wide variation in characteristics were used to evaluate the effect bottlenecks have on diffusive transport. We show that low connectivity as measured by the new bottleneck descriptors, can decrease diffusive transport drastically, but that in these data sets constriction-bottlenecks had a smaller effect. We also show that path-lengths and connectivity-bottlenecks can be highly correlated and adjustments using theoretical models of diffusive transport can help separate the effects. We provide a freely available software MIST that can be used to measure connectivity-bottleneck effects.

Lightweight materials with high strength are desirable for advanced applications in transportation, sports equipment, construction, automotive, and aerospace. Aspen is fast growing, has low flammability, and is renewable and readily available. In this study, we present a continuous, high-yielding, efficient, scalable, and sustainable approach for the fabrication of strong materials from aspen by synergistic selective chemical modification and continuous hot pressing. FTIR analysis revealed changes in the chemical composition of the wood polymers, including the introduction of anionic groups, while SEM images showed morphological and structural transformations such as smoother surfaces and a more compact wood structure. The proposed strategy achieved up to 258 MPa (530% increase) in tensile strength by combining enhanced ion-bonding and hydrogen-bonding with the alignment of cellulose nanofibrils and the solidification of softened, depolymerized lignin through cross-linking reactions. This work demonstrates the continuous large-scale production of lightweight, strong structural materials under energy-efficient and mild modification conditions, suitable for the green fabrication of next-generation advanced materials from wood. 

Nearly all meteorological agencies in the world, including SMHI, possesses troves of archived observations spanning decades in paper format. Dawsonia is a proof-of-concept application which combines accurate computer vision algorithms and machine learning models to handle different forms of tabular data, convert handwritten text and produce machine-readable files. This would aid and accelerate the digitization work from the paper archives into data, which is done manually as of now. As a result of the project, SMHI aims at digitizing numerous historical weather observations that will help a better understanding of the climate, especially of the occurrence of extreme weather events.

The method implemented in Dawsonia is presented along with the development process. We also describe how the machine learning models were trained on LUMI, an EuroHPC supercomputer with technical support from ENCCS.

Background and Aim: To address knowledge gaps in safe patient handling and mobility methods (SPHMM) among rehabilitation professionals in Sweden, a national knowledge center, HMC, provides training on SPHMM. The study’s aim was to report on outcomes at 3 months after training in terms of self-perceived competence in SPHMM and self-perceived utility of acquired competence in SPHMM. Methods: Training participants (occupational therapists and physiotherapists) completed a study-specific questionnaire, with 1065 doing so at 3 weeks before the training and 389 at 3 months after training. Linear mixed models were used for analyses. Results: Self-perceived competence improved significantly at 3 months after training (p < 0.001). Occupational therapists, specifically, and rehabilitation professionals generally with less clinical experience reported greater improvement compared to physiotherapists and those with longer experience (p < 0.001). Rehabilitation professionals overall with shorter clinical experience also reported higher self-perceived utility of the acquired SPHMM competence (p < 0.001), but occupational therapists and physiotherapists did not differ significantly (p = 0.369). Conclusion: Among rehabilitation professionals, greater self-perceived competence and self-perceived utility of the acquired competence in SPHMM is possible after HMC training. Improvements were greater for those with shorter clinical experience. By enhancing competence among rehabilitation professionals, HMC training has the potential to advance working person-centered and efficient transfer practices in interdisciplinary care settings.

Effective mass transport properties of porous materials, such as permeability, are heavily influenced by their three-dimensional microstructure. There are numerous models developed for the prediction of permeability from microstructural characteristics, ranging from straightforward analytical relationships to high-performing machine learning models based on neural networks. There is an inherent tradeoff between predictive performance and interpretability; analytical models do not provide the best predictive performance but are relatively simple to understand. Neural networks, on the other hand, provide better predictive performance but are harder to interpret. In this paper, we investigate a multitude of models on the performance-versus-interpretability spectrum. Specifically, we use a dataset of 90000 microstructures developed elsewhere and consider the prediction of permeability using the microstructural descriptors porosity, specific surface area, and geodesic tortuosity. At the respective ends of the spectrum, we study analytical, power-law-type models and fully connected neural networks. In between, we study neural networks that are either separable, monotonic, or both separable and monotonic. Establishing monotonic relationships is particularly interesting considering the potential for solving the inverse microstructure design problem using gradient-based methods. In addition, we study versions of these models that are consistent and inconsistent in terms of physical dimension.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous polymeric networks with unique characteristics. Nevertheless, these materials’ intrinsic fragility, powdery form, limited processibility, and delicate handling pose significant difficulties for commercial applications. Herein, we reported large-scale production and processing of nanocellulose/leaf-like zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-L), denoted as NanoCelloZIF-L, using Experimental Paper Machine (XPM). Four tanks (volume of 300 L for each tank) with a total volume of 1200 L were used to process the NanoCelloZIF-L sheet with varied weight percentages of the materials 0–30 wt%. The materials were processed with and without starch (0.3 wt%) to improve the properties of the final products. The procedure enabled a straightforward, highly efficient method that might be easily implemented for large-scale production of composite materials based on ZIFs. NanoCelloZIF-L sheets were used as an adsorbent to remove water pollutants, including heavy metals and organic dyes. They offered a 90 % adsorption efficiency for organic dyes. They can effectively remove heavy metals for single or mixed metal species, offering adsorption capacities of 460.5 mg/g with high selectivity toward Fe3+ ions.

We present a qualitative study with five healthcare experts specialised in different types of touch practice to gain insight in how caring touch can be enacted. Through our analysis we focus on how to transfer this learning into design considerations towards enacting caring touch from technologies. Despite the rapidly growing expectation for and design interest in touch from technologies intending to enhance care and well-being, the knowledge on how to design caring touch is still fragmented. How caring touch is enacted in inter-personal touch is under-explored and such expertise from healthcare practitioners has not been engaged from the perspective of HCI design research. We propose designers to consider caring as an experiential quality instead of a division between instrumental types of touch and caring types. We recommend when designing for a caring quality in technology-initiated touch that designers create a progression of touch with dynamic sensitivity and adapt the materiality of actuating devices to the plural dimensions of the body’s textures. 

Understanding the rheological properties of protein melts is critical in the design of meat analogues and the formation of texturised products from plant-based proteins. This study investigated the influence of temperature, moisture content (MC) and protein concentration on the rheological properties of pea protein isolate and pea fibre blends. The blends were chosen as an experimental space where it is possible to extrude fibrous meat analogues using high-moisture extrusion. Mechanical spectra by small amplitude oscillatory shear were determined using conventional rheometry and were compared to closed cavity rheometry (CCR) to extend the available temperature range. All blends behaved as polymer melts in the rubbery region with moduli increasing with frequency, and storage modulus larger than loss modulus for temperature 40-90°C, MC 54-63%, protein concentration 75-85%. Complex viscosity was strongly shear thinning. The relative influence of the parameters from additive and linear mixed models showed an influence of temperature > MC > concentration. The increase of modulus with concentration was quite weak and not statistically significant. The behaviour of the complex modulus was explained well with an Arrhenius-type log-linear mixed model. Conventional rheometry agreed well with CCR, showing an exponential decrease of moduli between 40 and 130°C. 

Introduction: Therapist-supported internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (ICBT) has strong scientific support, but all patients are not helped, and further improvements are needed. Personalized medicine could enhance ICBT. One promising approach uses a Machine learning (ML) based predictive decision support tool (DST) to help therapists identify patients at risk of treatment failure and adjust their treatments accordingly. ICBT is a suitable clinical context for developing and testing such predictive DST’s, since its delivery is quite flexible and can quickly be adapted for probable non-responders, for example by increasing the level and nature of therapist support, to avoid treatment failures and improve overall outcomes. This type of strategy has never been tested in a triple-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT) and has rarely been studied in ICBT. The aim of this protocol is to expand on previous registered protocols with more detailed descriptions of methods and analyses before analyses is being conducted. Methods and analysis: A triple blind RCT comparing ICBT with a DST (DST condition), to ICBT as usual (TAU condition). The primary objective is to evaluate if the DST condition is superior to the TAU condition in decreasing diagnose-specific symptoms among patients identified to be at risk of failure. Secondary objectives are to evaluate if the DST improves functioning, interaction, adherence, patient satisfaction, and therapist time efficiency and decreases the number of failed treatments. Additionally, we will investigate the therapists’ experience of using the DST. Patients and therapists have been recruited nationally. They were randomised and given a sham rationale for the trial to ensure allocation blindness. The total number of patients included was 401, and assessments were administered pre-treatment, weekly during treatment, at post-treatment and at 12-month follow-up. Primary outcome is one of the three diagnosis-specific symptom rating scales for respective treatment and primary analysis is difference in change from pre- to post-treatment for at-risk patients on these scales. Human ethics and consent to participate: Informed consent to participate in the study was obtained from all participants. Both therapists and patients are participants in this trial. For patients, informed consent to participate in the study was obtained when they registered interest for the study via the study’s secure web platform and carried out initial screening before the diagnostic and fit for treatment assessment, they first received the research subject information and were asked for consent by digitally signing that they had read and understood the information. For therapists who were part of the study, consent was requested after they had registered their interest. Therapists then received an email with a link to the study’s secure web platform with the research person’s information and were asked for consent by digitally signing that they had read and understood the information. All documents are stored in secure, locked filing cabinets on the clinic’s premises or on a secure digital consent database. Approval committee: Approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (SERA), record number 2020–05772.

Molten salt supported catalytic depolymerisation of lignin is an attractive option for the production of sustainable aviation fuel, exploring lignin’s high content of aromatic hydrocarbons. The European project ‘ABC-Salt’ developed a concept involving in-situ hydropyrolysis in salts and catalytic hydrodeoxygenation to obtain middle distillates from Kraft pulp mill lignin. This study evaluates the technical, economic and ecological viability of the proposed power-and-biomass-to-liquid process and its integration into the lignin providing pulp mill via a comprehensive techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). The process analysis indicates a very high carbon efficiency of 78 % and an energy efficiency of 52.5 %LHV. The net production cost amounts to 1.66 €2020/lFuel with lignin as the highest cost contributor. Lignin is also the biggest contributor to a majority of environmental impacts, which increases the importance of the selected allocation method for lignin extraction at the pulp mill. In dependence of the allocation method, global warming potential savings range between 72 and 89 %, while major impact increases compared to fossil jet fuel occur in categories like water use, land use, minerals and metals resource depletion or freshwater eutrophication. Since hydrogen is essential for deoxygenation of the fuel, recovery of unused hydrogen is a key parameter for TEA and LCA results. The lowest cost and environmental impacts can be found for hydrogen recovery rates between 95 and 98 %. Finally, based on both TEA and LCA, currently a CO2 price of around 500 €/tCO₂-eq. would be necessary in order to produce cost competitive jet fuel. 

Increasing use of new digital services offers tremendous opportunities for modern society, but also entails new risks. One tool for managing cyber risk is cyber insurance. While cyber insurance has attracted much attention and optimism, interdependent cyber risks and lack of actuarial data have prompted some insurers to adopt a more proactive role, not only insuring losses but also assisting clients with preventive work such as managed detection and response solutions, i.e., investments in their own cybersecurity. The purpose of this paper is to propose and theoretically investigate yet a further extension of this role, where insurers facilitate security investments between interdependent firms, which get the opportunity to invest a share of their insurance premiums to improve the security of each other. It is demonstrated that if insurers can facilitate such investments, then under common theoretical assumptions this can make a positive contribution to overall welfare. The paper is concluded by a discussion of the relevance and applicability of this theoretical contribution in practice. 

Swedish multifamily housing is dominated by warm-rent apartments, where heating is included in the rent. This, together with low inequality and an extensive social security system, has been argued to protect a large part of the Swedish population from energy poverty. However, during the energy crisis of 2021–2023, energy poverty quickly rose on the public agenda. In this paper, we challenge the dominating “high-cost”-“low-income” understanding of energy poverty, and trace underlying causes rather than descriptions of what characterizes energy poor households in an attempt to learn from, and not just about, energy poverty. Based on a deductive analysis of oral histories of heating, we show that the absence of heating costs does not necessarily protect from energy poverty and that energy poverty can exist even when heating is provided through non-market institutions. Moreover, we use the Swedish case to argue for a new conceptualization of energy poverty, where rather than seeing energy poverty as being caused by high energy costs or needs, low incomes, or poor housing standards, it is a consequence of capital inequality. Thus, energy poverty should be seen as caused by the power households have over their indoor environment, and the mechanisms that distribute this power. 

Three β-lactam resistant bacterial strains isolated from gut samples of wild Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) collected from the northern North Sea were characterized by polyphasic analyses. The strains were determined to belong to the genus Pseudomonas but could not be assigned to a known species. The nearly-complete 16S rRNA gene sequence showed the highest similarity (99.9%) to four different species, although partial rpoD sequence exhibited relatively low similarities to Pseudomonas proteolytica (93.4%) and other Pseudomonas spp. Genome sequencing and subsequent digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH), average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis and core genome analysis confirmed that these strains represent a novel species within the genus Pseudomonas. The three strains demonstrated ANIb values >99.5% with each other, confirming that all three strains (CCUG 74779T = CECT 30571T, CCUG 74780 and CCUG 74781) belong to the same genomospecies. Phylogenomic analysis confirmed that the strains form a distinct genomic clade, representing a novel taxonomic species, for which the name Pseudomonas imrae sp. nov., is proposed, with strain CCUG 74779T (=CECT 30571T) designated as the type strain. We report the complete genome sequence of the type strain of P. imrae sp. nov. and show that it carries a gene encoding a novel variant of a chromosomally-encoded class C β-lactamase, which has been designated as PFL-7. 

From plot to commercial - collaboration for an upscaling of Swedish protein crops To address the challenges of climate change and global population growth, we are exploring sustainable alternatives to current protein production systems. One such alternative is to increase the production of alternative protein crops such as lentils, sweet lupins, and chickpeas. Currently, the cultivation of these crops for food purposes is mostly small-scale in Sweden, and there is a need to expand both cultivation and processing at a larger scale. This project examined the measures required to establish full-scale production of alternative protein crops in Sweden, with the goal of meeting the growing demand for Swedish plant-based proteins. The project delivered recommendations for cultivation and drying to support the scaling up of lentils, sweet lupins, and chickpeas. A group of researchers, farmers, advisors, and food producers collaborated to develop several parts of the value chain.

Många exempel finns på industriell automation, där en arbetsuppgift utförs med robotar som samverkar med andra robotar. Människan har dock regelmässigt hållits på avstånd, genom att omgärda robotar med staket, ljusbommar etc. Med senare års utveckling, har tekniska lösningar möjliggjort att människa och robot kan arbeta sida vid sida utan någon bur emellan, eller i direkt samverkan, för att lösa en arbetsuppgift. Detta brukar betecknas kollaborativa eller samverkande robotar, den senare beteckningen används i denna rapport. Generellt berör samverkan mellan människa och maskin ett mycket brett kunskapsoch kompetensområde. Att bara fråga sig vilka områden som bör utvecklas för att åstadkomma säker och kostnadseffektiv samverkan mellan människa och maskin är en utmaning i sig och denna rapport ger framförallt en beskrivning av viktiga utvecklingsområden som identifierats, med en ytlig redogörelse för forskningsfronten inom varje enskilt område. Vissa områden är relevanta att beakta för alla typer av produktionsinstallationer och har redan utvecklats långt medan andra områden är specifikt relevanta för samverkansinstallationer, där behov av vidare utveckling är tydligt för att samverkande robotinstallationer skall få maximal kommersiell framgång. Denna rapport ger en guidning i hur man kan identifiera områden som bör beaktas för att samverkande robotar skall kunna utvärderas på ett relevant sätt i jämförelse med alternativa industriella produktionsåtgärder, installeras och nyttjas kostnadseffektivt och säkert. Då operatörssäkerheten vid samverkansinstallationer både är beroende av operatörens agerande och av att tekniska styrsystem fungerar fullt ut är det av helt avgörande vikt att säkerhetsutmaningarna hanteras. Ett utvecklingsområde av stor betydelse för säkerheten likväl som för produktiviteten för samverkande robotar, är framtagande av bra lösningar för parallella och därmed potentiellt konfliktande styrinstruktioner. Detta omfattar både programmerade instruktioner och flera olika typer av fysiska instruktioner från operatör till robot. Små samverkande robotar har redan visat sig kommersiellt framgångrika då deinstalleras i ett existerande produktionsflöde, framförallt för enklare monteringsuppgifter. Små samverkande robotar har redan visat sig kommersiellt framgångrika då de installeras i ett existerande produktionsflöde, framförallt för enklare monteringsuppgifter. Med utveckling av framförallt effektivare säkerhetslösningar och metoder för optimerad design av layout för samverkande produktionsceller kan man anta att allt större samverkande robotar kommer kunna användas kommersiellt framgångsrikt inom en relativt snar framtid. Kunskap behövs, för att bygga både produktiva och ergonomiskt genomtänkta installationer. Ett viktigt utvecklingsområde är framtagande av modeller för hur man skall hantera det faktum, att: • Den tekniska utvecklingen kontinuerligt ökar möjligheten för produktiva installationer av samverkande robotar • Den tekniska utvecklingen minskar behovet av sådana installationer, eftersom fronten för vad som är tekniskt och ekonomiskt möjligt att automatisera till 100 % kontinuerligt flyttas framåt. En särskild utmaning med ökad grad av automatiserad tillverkning är att de människor som behövs för att driva, ställa om och underhålla utrustningen, blir allt viktigare nyckelpersoner, med allt högre krav avseende kompetens och tillgänglighet. Här kan stöd som effektiv distanskommunikation och digitala hjälpmedel få ökad betydelse.

We investigated which demographic groups in Sweden are lagging in battery-electric vehicle (BEV) adoption and whether the deployed public charging infrastructure has contributed to reducing these gaps. Using high-resolution national registry data, we analyzed vehicle-age-adjusted BEV and PHEV ownership patterns across income levels, housing types, and access to charging. We found that low income and living in apartments are the strongest barriers to adoption, and that public charging availability has not significantly increased BEV uptake among apartment residents. Based on these findings, we recommend policies that lower public charging costs, strengthen incentives linked to vehicle use, improve charging access quality for apartment dwellers, and support retention of used BEVs in Sweden.

This report aims to provide knowledge on how to decrease the environmental impact of electric vehicles by optimizing the size of the battery carried by the vehicle. Two different sizes of batteries, permanently installed in a fictional car, has been compared using life cycle assessment. A third alternative, swapping between two sizes of batteries in a swapping station has also been evaluated. All alternatives have been investigated with two charging regimes: charging availability at home or at work, or no such possibilities (thus having to rely on fast charging), has been investigated. The system boundary includes the full life cycle of batteries and charging infrastructure, but excludes the rest of the vehicle. Some results are however extended to a complete vehicle scenario to enable comparison with other studies. The use phase is modelled by the electricity required to drive the vehicle including charging losses.

The results indicate the following conclusions: • The large (70 kWh) permanently installed battery gives the largest climate impact in (almost) all investigated scenarios. • The climate impact for the swapping alternative ends up in between the small (35 kWh) and the large (70 kWh) battery cases, under most conditions. Only when the number of cars per swapping station are reduced by a factor of 10 will the swapping alternative give the largest climate impact. However, the data currently obtained and used for swapping stations is incomplete and therefore any related conclusion is insecure. • Home charging with low voltage alternating current (AC) electricity and on-board charger, gives a bit more climate impact than direct current (DC) fast charging due to higher losses, both during distribution and charging. Possibilities for home charging to charge during non-peak hours with assumingly lower carbon footprint as well as potential to provide grid services, could change this around, i.e. making AC-charging the preferred option from a climate impact point of view. • The charging infrastructure contributes with 1.2-3.5% to the total climate impact per vehicle kilometre. The charging losses could amount to 3.2-5.7% of the total climate impact per vehicle kilometre. These percentages would be smaller in a complete vehicle scenario. • Sodium ion chemistry (compared to NMC chemistry) could provide 15-25% less total climate impacts and 32-42% less resource depletion. Also LPF chemistry perform better than NMC chemistry, both in terms of climate impact and resource depletion, but less so than sodium ion chemistry. These percentages would be smaller in a complete vehicle scenario. • When average Chinese electricity mix is used for charging, the total carbon impact is 3-4 times higher than with the assumed base case global 2030 mix. The use phase dominates the total carbon impact. With Chinese electricity, but otherwise base case conditions, the 70 kWh vehicle scores 255 grams CO2-eq/km, which is the highest total climate impact calculated. This figure would be 333 grams CO2-eq/km in a complete vehicle scenario. • When average Swedish electricity is used for charging, the use phase carbon impact is 4-5 times lower than with the assumed base case 2030 mix. The battery production phase dominates the total carbon impact. With Swedish electricity, but otherwise base case conditions, the 35 kWh vehicle scores 27 grams CO2-eq/km, which is the lowest total climate impact calculated. This figure would be 65 grams CO2-eq/km in a complete vehicle scenario.

Ost är ett näringsrikt livsmedel som är rikt på högkvalitativa proteiner, vitaminer (t.ex. vitamin A och B12) och mineraler (t.ex. kalcium och fosfor). Ost innehåller dock också relativt höga halter av mättade fettsyror och salt, som generellt förknippats med ökade nivåer av LDL-kolesterol respektive högt blodtryck. Både LDL-kolesterol och högt blodtryck utgör riskfaktorer för hjärt-kärlsjukdom. Trots innehållet av mättade fettsyror och salt har konsumtion av ost visat sig var förknippat med minskad risk för hjärt-kärlsjukdom. Ostkonsumtion har inte heller visat sig leda till förväntad ökning av LDL-kolesterol eller blodtryck. För att förklara dessa oväntade hälsoeffekter av ost hänvisas ofta till betydelsen av ostmatrixen, dvs. den samlade effekten av alla näringsämnen och icke näringsämnen, hur de är organiserade i olika strukturer och även av den fysiska oststrukturen. Effekter av ostmatrixen kan även bidra till positiva effekter relaterat till muskel-, ben- och tandhälsa.

Parallellt med ökad kunskap om ostmatrixens betydelse för hälsoeffekter finns det ett växande intresse av att förstå vilka hälsoeffekter som kan förväntas vid utbyte av ost mot växtbaserade alternativ, och betydelsen av deras matrix. Med det övergripande syftet att summera kunskapen om ostmatrixens betydelse för hälsoeffekter av ost, jämfört med livsmedelsmatrisen för växtbaserade ostalternativ, bidrar denna rapport till ett sakligt underlag för denna diskussion.

Flera hälsofrämjande faktorer relaterade till ostmatrixen har föreslagits, inkl. förekomsten av specifika fettsyror, protein av hög kvalitet, bioaktiva peptider, biotillgängligt kalcium, och fördelaktig kvot mellan kalcium och fosfor. En central faktor är också organiseringen av fett i globulära fettstrukturer (eng. ”milk fat globules”), som omges av ett unikt membran innehållande många bioaktiva ämnen. Även organiseringen av proteinet kasein i micelliknande strukturer antas spela en viktig roll.

Hittills saknas studier som specifikt undersökt betydelsen av matrixen hos växtbaserade ostalternativ för hälsoeffekter. De flesta av de föreslagna fördelaktiga ”ostmatrixfaktorerna” kan dock antas inte förekomma naturligt i växtbaserade ostalternativ. För växtbaserade mejerialternativ diskuteras i stället andra faktorer, såsom högre bearbetningsgrad, berikning, antinutritionella faktorer, liksom innehåll och kvalitet av fiber, kolhydrater, fett och protein, i förhållande till mejeriprodukter.

Hälsoeffekterna av ost och mekanismerna bakom dessa är ännu inte helt klarlagda, men tillgänglig kunskap tyder på att ostmatrixen kan ge hälsofördelar som inte uppenbart kan erhållas från växtbaserade alternativ. Det ska dock inte uteslutas att oväntade matrixeffekter hos växtbaserade ostalternativ kan komma att klarläggas i framtida forskning, på samma sätt som förståelsen av ostmatrixen och dess möjliga inverkan på hälsan har växt fram över tid. Speciellt intressant kan det vara att undersöka möjligheterna med fermentering, avseende såväl struktur som näringsinnehåll hos växtbaserade ostalternativ. Fortsatta framsteg inom detta område är viktiga för att bättre förstå de möjliga hälsoeffekterna av att ersätta mejeriprodukter, som ost, med växtbaserade alternativ.

Cheese is nutritious, rich in high quality proteins, vitamins (e.g., A, B12), and minerals (e.g., calcium, phosphorus) but also relatively high in saturated fats och salt. However, despite the high levels of saturated fats och salt, cheese consumption has been linked to reduced cardiovascular disease risk and shown not to increase LDL cholesterol or blood pressure. These unexpected findings are often attributed to the cheese matrix, which includes the combined effect of all nutrients and non-nutrients in cheese, how they are organized in different structures and the physical cheese structure.

With increased knowledge on the role of the cheese matrix on health, there is growing interest in understanding expected health effects when replacing cheese with plant-based alternatives, and the role of their matrix. The aim of this report is to summarize the current knowledge on the role of the cheese matrix in the health effects of cheese, in comparison with plant-based cheese alternatives.

Several matrix factors may contribute to positive cardiometabolic effects of cheese, e.g., unique fatty acids, fat globule organization, casein micelle like structures, bioactive peptides and amino acids, the bioaccessibility of calcium, and vitamin K. Several cheese matrix factors are also suggested to benefit muscle- and bone health, e.g., the content of high-quality protein, favourable calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and content of vitamin K. The favourable ratio of calcium to phosphorus is also positive for dental health. Other positive effects of cheese on dental health are attributed to casein, low carbohydrate content (lactose which is less caries-inducing than other carbohydrates) and the saliva-stimulating effect of chewing cheese.

No study has analyzed the food matrix effect on plant-based cheese alternatives. Therefore, the comparisons to cheese can so far only be inferred from differences in nutrient composition, processing, and raw materials between plant-based and dairy cheese. Specific components in plant-based alternatives, such as anti-nutrients and the fortification of vitamins and minerals may potentially impact their health effect.

In conclusion, current evidence indicates that cheese, due to its unique matrix, may confer health benefits superior to those of plant-based alternatives, particularly with respect to cardiometabolic, dental, and musculoskeletal health outcomes. However, it remains uncertain whether assumptions derived from current knowledge of individual nutrients and ingredients accurately reflect the true health effects of plant-based cheese alternatives. Future research may further develop our understanding of how certain processes, such as fermentation, affect the cheese matrix and reveal unexpected health properties and matrix effects of plant-based cheese alternatives.

Wildland–urban interface (WUI) fires are an increasing global challenge, and local knowledge is essential for efficient mitigation. In Norway, as for the rest of Northern Europe, wildfires are expected to increase in frequency and severity, which will also increase WUI vulnerabilities. This study analyzes all registered vegetation fires damaging buildings in Norway from January 2016 to April 2023 (74 fires damaging 102 structures), with a case-by-case review of 18 fires impacting two or more structures. We have identified that spring season fires and direct flame contact are the primary contributors to vegetation fires that damage buildings in Norway. We also provide insights from three wildfire exercises with prescribed burns and a post-fire evaluation, providing fire dynamics data on fires in low vegetation while identifying a need to focus on hazards related to juniper vegetation and unmanaged cultural landscapes. This new knowledge is vital for developing effective and targeted prevention measures for Norwegian communities in WUI areas.

Existing research highlights a gap between consumers’ stated preferences for circular products and their actual purchasing decisions. While much existing consumer-oriented research aims implicitly or explicitly to transform consumers’ attitudes and beliefs, this paper adopts a social practice framework in which consumer attitudes and beliefs play a relatively small role explaining behavior like purchasing decisions. The study focuses specifically on the practice of shopping for jeans, taking advantage of focus groups with adults in the United Kingdom to elicit detailed explanations of their preferences for new, recycled, or used jeans. Whereas much existing research on consumer preferences for circular or non-circular clothing assumes a direct or near-direct causal connection between preferences and behavior, we find that shopping for these different categories of jeans involves distinct social practices composed of variable meanings, materials, and competencies that are accessible to some individuals and inaccessible to others. Consequently, one avenue to increasing the relative frequency of jeans reuse becomes a matter of improving consumers’ access to the practice of shopping for used jeans rather than attempting to transform their attitudes or beliefs. 

För livsmedelsföretag som arbetar med mejeriprodukter ligger en stor utmaning i att minska de växthusgasutsläpp som sker på mjölkgårdarna och särskilt metan från fodersmältningen. Denna studie syftar till att kvantifiera effekten av metanreducerande fodertillskott till mjölkkor och dess effekt på klimatavtrycket för en specifik mejeriprodukt.

Klimatavtrycken beräknas enligt metodiken livscykelanalys (LCA) för att kvantifiera effekten av det metanreducerande fodertillskottet Bovaer till mjölkkor på en mjölkgård och dess effekt på klimatavtrycket på ost från Gäsene mejeri. I denna studie har vi inte tagit hänsyn till att mjölken från gården blandas med mjölk från andra gårdar på Gäsene Mejeri utan fokuserar bara på vilket avtryck osten skulle få om all mjölk i osten kom från denna gård. Resultaten redovisas per kg hushållsost Mild 17% fetthalt och hushållsost Mild, 26% fetthalt men även som en procentuell minskning mellan före och efter införande av åtgärd. Resultaten visar ett avtryck före introduktion av klimatreducerande åtgärder på 7,3-8,2 kg CO2e/kg ost (inklusive mulljordar) för hushållsost 17 % fetthalt respektive hushållsost 26 % fetthalt. Utsläppen från gården vid produktion av mjölken är den del som har störst påverkan. Produktion av mjölken (exl mulljordar) utgör cirka 71 % av utsläppen, utsläppen från mulljordar utgör cirka 27% medan transport, förädling vid mejeri och förpackning tillsammans utgör cirka 2% av de totala utsläppen. Klimatavtrycket för 1 kg ost efter introduktion av metanreducerande fodertillskott är 7,0-7,8 kg CO2e/kg ost (inklusive mulljordar) för hushållsost 17% fetthalt respektive hushållsost 26% fetthalt.

Om utsläppen från mulljordar inte inkluderas i beräkningarna blir avtrycket före introduktion av klimatreducerande åtgärder 5,4-6,0 kg CO2e/kg ost för hushållsost 17 % fetthalt respektive hushållsost 26 % fetthalt. Klimatavtrycket för 1 kg ost efter introduktion av metanreducerande fodertillskott är 5,0-5 kg CO2e/kg ost för hushållsost 17 % fetthalt respektive hushållsost 26 % fetthalt.

Genom att tillsätta Bovaer kan utsläppen vid primärproduktionen minskas. Den totala minskningen för ostens klimatpåverkan per kg ost är cirka 4,4% om utsläppen från mulljordarna är med. Utan utsläppen från mulljordar är minskningen 6%.

Pyrolysis oil (PO) derived from biomass has the potential to serve as a renewable feedstock for future carbon black (CB) production. However, its composition is significantly different from the fossil feedstocks currently used for CB manufacturing, as it contains higher concentrations of oxygen and water that might influence the yield and nanostructure of CB. In this article, we examine how the water content in PO affects the production of CB at high-temperature pyrolysis (1400-1600 °C) in an electrically heated entrained flow reactor. The main objective was to investigate the influence of water content on the yield and quality of the CB produced from upgraded PO with varying inherent water contents (0-20 wt %). The experiments in this work were performed with model compounds to simulate an upgraded PO. The produced CB was characterized by using several analytical techniques, including elemental composition, powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen physisorption. The results show a clear correlation between the water content in the PO feedstock and the output of CB, showing a reduced yield of CB as the water content increases. These results highlight the crucial role of feedstock composition in making PO a viable renewable feedstock for CB production.

The purpose of this data brief is to compile existing data on the size, contribution, and distribution of the Swedish Blue Economy within the national economy, addressing internal knowledge gaps and informing future work of the Living Labs in C2B2.

Solvent co-intercalation is a process in which ions and solvents jointly intercalate into a layered electrode material during battery charging/discharging. It typically leads to rapid electrode degradation, but new findings show that it can be highly reversible, lasting several thousand cycles. Solvent co-intercalation has two important characteristics: (1) the charge transfer resistance is minimized as stripping of the solvation shell is eliminated and (2) the fact that solvents become part of the electrode reaction provides another means of designing electrode materials. The concept of solvent co-intercalation is chemically very diverse, as a single electrode material can host different types and numbers of solvents and ions. It is likely that many undiscovered combinations of electrode materials, solvents, and ions capable of solvent co-intercalation reactions exist, offering a largely unexplored chemical space for new materials. Co-intercalation can expand the crystal lattice (>1 nm) to the extent that free solvents are present in the structure, forming a layered, “porous” material. This indicates that the concept has a much broader impact and relates to other research fields such as supercapacitors, layered nanostructures, and nanocatalysis. This Review covers the concept and current understanding of solvent co-intercalation reactions, characterization methods, advantages, limitations, and future research directions.

The dynamic characterization of structures using discrete models, as well as the application of modal superposition to compute their dynamic response, has been rarely explored in the literature. This is at odds with the international relevance of discrete models in structural assessment, and the multiple fields of application of modal analysis and superposition, from structural health monitoring to seismic engineering. This paper introduces a 2D discrete formulation, developed within a finite element framework, to address this gap. Initially conceived for nonlinear static analyses as HybriDFEM (Hybrid Discrete-Finite Element Method), it is now augmented with a procedure to compute the mass matrix, natural frequencies, mode shapes, and response-related quantities such as modal and dynamic contribution factors or effective modal mass. Moreover, using the structural tangent stiffness matrix in the eigenvalue problem allows tracking the evolution of natural frequencies and modes in structures loaded into their nonlinear material and geometric range. The formulation is validated through several examples, where it compares well with results from engineering beam theories, refined finite element models, and numerical time-integration methods. In an application example studying the evolution of modal properties of a progressively damaged frame, HybriDFEM is coupled with finite elements, highlighting its novel approach to integrating discrete and finite elements for enhanced structural modal analysis and superposition.

I en samtid präglad av snabb förändring och komplexa samhällsutmaningar står skolan inför nya utmaningar och ett växande behov av förnyelse. Behovet av ledare som kan leda den förnyelsen och anpassa verksamheten till samtiden har aldrig varit större. Den här rapporten beskriver hur forskningsinstitutet RISE, tillsammans med Lidingö stad och AcadeMedia, med hjälp av etablerade modeller för innovation utforskat behovet av stöd samt utvecklat ett unikt ledarprogram som adresserar frågeställningar kring ledarskapet i en tid av stark samhällsförändring.

Arbetet i projektet har utgått från design thinking där den första fasen handlat om att förstå vilka utmaningar som skola och utbildningsväsendet står inför samt ta fram insikter som bidrar till att projektet kan stötta skolans ledarskap. I den andra fasen sattes fokus på att utifrån insikterna utveckla lösningar, som i detta fall föll ut som ett skolledarprogram; FutureReady by RISE.

Programmet genomfördes och utvärderades första gången under våren 2024, och har mottagits övervägande positivt från deltagarna. I utvärderingarna bedöms såväl innehåll som design av programmet som ”mycket tillfredsställande”. Många av deltagarna beskriver innehållet som nytt och till viss del även utmanande. Deltagarna lyfter att det har varit värdefullt att sätta fokus på framtidsfrågor tillsammans med kollegor och forskare som ett komplement till och påbyggnad av det statliga rektorsprogrammet. I utvärderingarna av programmet kopplas deltagarnas ökade vilja och förmåga att initiera förnyelse i sina respektive verksamheter till programmet.

Programmet som utvecklades och döptes till FutureReady by RISE riktar sig till skolhuvudmän som ser behov att rusta sina skolledare för framtiden och utveckla sin förståelse av och förmåga att leda verksamheten under de nya förutsättningarna som ett samhälle i stark transformation kräver.

Denna rapport presenterar RISE utvecklingsstrategi för att driva träindustrin mot en mer hållbar och cirkulär framtid. Trä, som ett förnybart och koldioxidlagrande material, har stor potential att spela en central roll i omställningen till ett klimatpositivt samhälle.

Strategin bygger på framtidsbilder för tio utvecklingsområden som beskriver hur träindustrin kan utvecklas för att möta samhällets ökande krav på hållbarhet, resurseffektivitet och klimatpåverkan. De tio framtidsbilderna täcker in olika aspekter av träindustrins potential, från klimatneutralt byggande till ökad biologisk mångfald och långlivade produkter. För att uppnå dessa framtidsbilder har vi identifierat 30 strategiska aktiviteter inom trävärdekedjans olika delar.

The adoption rate of zero tailpipe emission road vehicles (ZEVs) is insufficient in Sweden and the EU for the 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets to be met. The average life length of internal combustion engines vehicles (ICEVs) is 10-17 years and there is a higher export rate of used EVs than ICEVs, two factors that essentially lock in a large portion of emissions for nearly two decades.

This pre-study explores the potentials and challenges of retrofitting of ICEVs with electric powertrains (E-retrofit), a complementary path to fleet decarbonization. It focuses on determining vehicle types and applications where conversion is cost-effective, environmentally beneficial, and technically feasible.

Today, E-retrofitting is a niche industry, foremost focused on special-purpose vehicles with costly bodywork or equipment, such as off-road machinery, city buses, fire trucks, and last-mile delivery vans. Classic cars with high affection values that have been e-retrofitted illustrate that E-retrofit is technically feasible, though these enthusiast conversions are typically performed at high economic cost per vehicle and with negligible impact on overall fleet emissions.

The E-retrofit process includes selecting a donor vehicle, calculating energy needs, assessing total cost of ownership, designing and installing an electric drivetrain, and re-certifying the vehicle for road use. Various stakeholders are involved in this process, including E-retrofit kit developers who can develop and sell generic or vehicle model specific solutions. However, there are significant technical and cost barriers, including the integration of proprietary OEM vehicle control units (VCUs), often requiring manual adjustments and software modifications. Existing ICEV architectures also complicate battery placement, potentially affecting range, weight distribution, and needs for reinforcements, making re- certification and homologation more complex.

Even with these challenges, E-retrofitting presents a significant opportunity. In addition to the potential to achieve a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions payback within just a few years, it helps conserve valuable materials and resources from donor vehicles, creates local jobs, and can accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels, contributing to improved energy independence and Europe’s trade balance, even if batteries are imported.

Results from this pre-study indicate that vehicle applications with a high utilization rate, including city buses, light commercial delivery vans and off-road machinery, show strong potential for economic, technical and environmental viability for E-retrofit, compared to continued ICEV use or new BEVs. Cars, which represent the bulk of EU road transport emissions, are at present challenging to E-retrofit economically.

Finally, we recommend further investigation into the inclusion of both used EVs and E-retrofitted vehicles in the upcoming Swedish EV incentive for 2026, along with legislative changes that would allow OEMs to account for E-retrofitted vehicles in their GHG reporting within the EU. Combined with more streamlined re-certification processes, these measures could help scale up E-retrofitting as a growing industry segment in Sweden.

BETCRETE 3.0 - Alternative binders: development, verification and application

This report provides an overview of the development, verification, and potential application of alternative binders for concrete within the BETCRETE 3.0 framework. A range of natural and industrial by-products have been investigated, focusing on their ability to replace Portland cement clinker and reduce the environmental impact of concrete production. Heidelberg Materials Cement Sverige AB evaluated a volcanic pozzolan with high amorphous content. SCHWENK Sverige AB explored the use of a natural sedimentary pozzolan (Opoka) from Lithuania, characterized by high reactivity (high SiO2 content) and local availability. Strängbetong AB (Consolis) tested bio-ashes derived from rice husks. Ragn-Sells contributed with residual ash from waste processing (Ash2Salt), showing latent hydraulic or pozzolanic properties. Boliden AB investigated an industrial by-product from mining and metallurgical processes as potential low-carbon pozzolanic cement constituent. Swecem AB continued the implementation and testing of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). The findings demonstrate promising fresh and hardened concrete properties, satisfactory durability performance regarding chloride resistance and alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and highlight the need for careful curing when using pozzolanic materials. The work also identifies future challenges in ensuring material availability, standardization, and optimization for broader industrial adoption.

Digitization of the Drying Process: A Study in Data Collection, Analysis, and Visualization for Improved Production Profitability in Sawmills

There are a variety of measurement systems, equipment, and digital tools in today’s sawmills developed to create conditions for a more profitable production process. However, to fully benefit from all the metrics available, it is important to be able to link the different data streams and have access to historical data. The project reported in the following report aimed to exemplify potential benefits related to the drying process that can be achieved by collecting, linking, and analyzing data from before, during, and after the drying process. The data consisted of package data from the wet sorting, electricity and energy data from the drying process, and various quality parameters from the adjustment plant where mainly moisture content and cut-offs were used in the further analysis.

After processing the data, the following could be visualized among other things: • the utilization rate of the dryers. • the difference in wet and dry dimensions for each dryer batch or product. • the energy consumption per dryer batch or product. • the cut-off per dryer batch or product.

It can also be noted that the journey towards setting up systems that automatically analyze and visualize process data can be extensive before actual results can be achieved. This is because you need to communicate with a range of equipment that has been procured without actual requirements on what the communication protocols should look like and then ensure that data from these is of usable quality.

Detta projekt kretsade kring två huvudspår för automatisk timmermätning. Den första delen handlade om att använda AI för automatisk objektdetektion vid stockmätning i sågverk. Bilder erhölls från två kameravinklar i sågverket Bygdsiljum, en vy som visar ändytor och en annan som visar mantelytor på stockarna. Dessa bilder hade sedan tidigare annoterats med märkningar som anger träslag (t.ex. gran eller tall), och även ett mycket litet antal andra typer av egenskaper (såsom vissa sällanfel). Målet var att förbättra en befintlig AI-baserad objektdeteksionsmodell (YOLOv7) genom att anpassa den bättre till sågverkets specifika miljö. Genom att experimentera med bland annat utökad träningstid och så kallad ” mosaic-augmentering” förbättrades modellens precision avsevärt relativt de experiment som tidigare gjorts inom ramen för detta ändamål, särskilt när det kommer till att skilja mellan gran och tall. Även tester med varierande mängder träningsdata visade att mer data kan förbättra resultaten, men att effekten avtar efter en viss punkt. Projektet testade också en unifierad modell som kan hantera båda kameravinklar samtidigt. Denna modell presterade stabilt och visade att det är möjligt att effektivt kombinera data från olika perspektiv. Modellen visade sig främst fungera i sågverksmiljön, men presterade sämre i en mer generell “skogsmiljö” (utomhus), vilket inte är förvånande. En av de huvudsakliga slutsatserna utifrån resultaten är att AI kan användas som ett hjälpmedel för att underlätta och snabba upp ytterligare annoteringsarbete i framtiden, vilket i sin tur kan ge upphov till modeller som presterar tillräckligt bra för sökta ändamål.

Den andra delen handlade om att undersöka användningen av hyperspektral avbildning med NIR för att upptäcka defekter (skogsröta och blånad) och klassificera träslag. Modeller utvecklades för att förutsäga olika typer av defekter. Gran- och tallprover, med olika grader av skogsröta samt blånad, samlades in från sågverk för att skannas och analyseras.

Proverna skannades med två kamerasystem, SWIR och VIS-NIR, men det är ännu oklart om de resulterande modellerna är tillräckligt bra för att implementeras i sågverksmiljö. SWIR-kameran har sannolikt mycket goda möjligheter att detektera träslag och barkförekomst. Även detektion av defekt respektive frisk ved kan sannolikt genomföras, men möjligheten att klassa defekterna som skogsröta och blånad är sämre.

De flesta testerna har genomförts på en renkapad yta, vilket är en brist. Hur bra systemet fungerar på smutsiga ytor behöver utredas ytterligare. De prediktioner som gjorts på smutsiga ytor är i nuläget inte tillräckligt bra, vilket till viss del är naturligt. Om stockänden är täckt med ett lager jord/lera så är det svårt att hitta defekterna. Man kan ev göra det om inträngningsdjupet är tillräckligt, men det är tveksamt om det är det.

Om resultaten är tillräckligt bra för att gå vidare och implementera en pilotuppställning beror också på kraven på systemet. Om det räcker med att defekter hittas utan att behöva klassificera dem i skogsröta och blånad, samt att kraven på hur stor del av ytan som är angripen är rimliga, så är det troligen fullt möjligt att ta ett steg till och skapa ytterligare ett projekt där systemet praktiskt testas i sågverksmiljö. I ett sådant projekt kan man dels få svar på praktiska svårigheter med mätmiljön, men det ger också en plattform för att samla mer data och bygga robustare modeller. I så fall måste det finnas enkla och effektiva stöd för annotering av defekter. På så sätt kan mer data samlas in, praktiska omständigheter testas och det kan eventuellt leda till ett fungerande system.