Publikasjoner

Ny forskning viser at duftvoks kan være helseskadelig

Håland, Alexander; Platt, Stephen Matthew (intervjuobjekter); Johansen, Emil (journalist)

Duftlys sammenlignes med gasskomfyrer: – Kan bli farlig

Håland, Alexander; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Olsen, Raymond (intervjuobjekter); Alfonzo, Sabrina (journalist)

A scalable framework for harmonizing, standardization, and correcting crowd-sourced low-cost sensor PM2.5 data across Europe

Hassani, Amirhossein; Salamalikis, Vasileios; Schneider, Philipp; Stebel, Kerstin; Castell, Nuria

Citizen-operated low-cost air quality sensors (LCSs) have expanded air quality monitoring through community engagement. However, still challenges related to lack of semantic standards, data quality, and interoperability hinder their integration into official air quality assessments, management, and research. Here, we introduce FILTER, a geospatially scalable framework designed to unify, correct, and enhance the reliability of crowd-sourced PM2.5 data across various LCS networks. FILTER assesses data quality through five steps: range check, constant value detection, outlier detection, spatial correlation, and spatial similarity. Using official data, we modeled PM2.5 spatial correlation and similarity (Euclidean distance) as functions of geographic distance as benchmarks for evaluating whether LCS measurements are sufficiently correlated/consistent with neighbors. Our study suggests a −10 to 10 Median Absolute Deviation threshold for outlier flagging (360 h). We find higher PM2.5 spatial correlation in DJF compared to JJA across Europe while lower PM2.5 similarity in DJF compared to JJA. We observe seasonal variability in the maximum possible distance between sensors and reference stations for in-situ (remote) PM2.5 data correction, with optimal thresholds of ∼11.5 km (DJF), ∼12.7 km (MAM), ∼20 km (JJA), and ∼17 km (SON). The values implicitly reflect the spatial representativeness of stations. ±15 km relaxation for each season remains feasible when data loss is a concern. We demonstrate and validate FILTER's effectiveness using European-scale data originating from the two community-based monitoring networks, sensor.community and PurpleAir with QC-ed/corrected output including 37,085 locations and 521,115,762 hourly timestamps. Results facilitate uptake and adoption of crowd-sourced LCS data in regulatory applications.

Elsevier

Examples of OC/EC data from: Parallel measurements of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1, Low loading polar locations, High loading urban locations

Yttri, Karl Espen

Unchanged PM2.5 levels over Europe during COVID-19 were buffered by ammonia

Evangeliou, Nikolaos; Tichý, Ondřej; Otervik, Marit Svendby; Eckhardt, Sabine; Balkanski, Yves; Hauglustaine, Didier A.

The coronavirus outbreak in 2020 had a devastating impact on human life, albeit a positive effect on the environment, reducing emissions of primary aerosols and trace gases and improving air quality. In this paper, we present inverse modelling estimates of ammonia emissions during the European lockdowns of 2020 based on satellite observations. Ammonia has a strong seasonal cycle and mainly originates from agriculture. We further show how changes in ammonia levels over Europe, in conjunction with decreases in traffic-related atmospheric constituents, modulated PM2.5. The key result of this study is a −9.8 % decrease in ammonia emissions in the period of 15 March–30 April 2020 (lockdown period) compared to the same period in 2016–2019, attributed to restrictions related to the global pandemic. We further calculate the delay in the evolution of the ammonia emissions in 2020 before, during, and after lockdowns, using a sophisticated comparison of the evolution of ammonia emissions during the same time periods for the reference years (2016–2019). Our analysis demonstrates a clear delay in the evolution of ammonia emissions of −77 kt, which was mainly observed in the countries that imposed the strictest travel, social, and working measures. Despite the general drop in emissions during the first half of 2020 and the delay in the evolution of the emissions during the lockdown period, satellite and ground-based observations showed that the European levels of ammonia increased. On one hand, this was due to the reductions in SO2 and NOx (precursors of the atmospheric acids with which ammonia reacts) that caused less binding and thus less chemical removal of ammonia (smaller loss – higher lifetime). On the other hand, the majority of the emissions persisted because ammonia mainly originates from agriculture, a primary production sector that was influenced very little by the lockdown restrictions. Despite the projected drop in various atmospheric aerosols and trace gases, PM2.5 levels stayed unchanged or even increased in Europe due to a number of reasons that were attributed to the complicated system. Higher water vapour during the European lockdowns favoured more sulfate production from SO2 and OH (gas phase) or O3 (aqueous phase). Ammonia first reacted with sulfuric acid, also producing sulfate. Then, the continuously accumulating free ammonia reacted with nitric acid, shifting the equilibrium reaction towards particulate nitrate. In high-free-ammonia atmospheric conditions such as those in Europe during the 2020 lockdowns, a small reduction in NOx levels drives faster oxidation toward nitrate and slower deposition of total inorganic nitrate, causing high secondary PM2.5 levels.

Ongoing NILU activities relevant for LSTM and CHIME

Schneider, Philipp; Stebel, Kerstin; Hassani, Amirhossein; Kylling, Arve

Geofiksing: Med kloden som prøvekanin

Muri, Helene

Utslipp til luft ved Miljø Norge AS. Målinger av PFAS og støv

Halvorsen, Helene Lunder; Celentano, Samuel; Hanssen, Linda; Hartz, William Frederik; Berglen, Tore Flatlandsmo

NILU

Protokoll: Krav til konsekvensutredning ved planlegging av vindkraftprosjekter for å hindre forurensning av drikkevann

Alexander, Jan; Kvalem, Helen Engelstad; Mariussen, Espen; Schlabach, Martin; Steffensen, Inger-Lise Karin; Hannisdal, Rita; Ruus, Anders; Amlund, Heidi; Lisbeth, Dahl; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Samdal, Ingunn Anita; Knutsen, Helle Katrine

VKM skal lage oversikt over hvilke krav som bør stilles til konsekvensutredninger ved planlegging av nye vindkraftprosjekter. Det er laget en protokoll som beskriver hvordan VKM vil gå frem for å løse oppdraget.

Bakgrunn for oppdraget
Et vindkraftverk kan forurense omgivelsene både under etablering, drift og avvikling. Dersom området ligger innenfor et vanntilsigsområde for drikkevann, kan det utgjøre en forurensningsfare for drikkevannet.

Mattilsynet er høringsinstans når vindkraftverk skal etableres, og de ønsker en oversikt over hvilke krav som bør stilles til konsekvensutredningene.

Dette er en bestilling fra Mattilsynet, som fører tilsyn med drikkevann.

Om protokollen
VKM har utarbeidet en protokoll for hvordan vi skal løse oppdraget som går på å utarbeide krav til informasjon om, og risikovurdering av farene ved søknad om etablering av vindkraftverk. Protokollen favner bruk av kjemiske stoffer og annen aktuell forurensing som kan utgjøre en risiko for drikkevann gjennom hele vindkraftverkets livsløpssyklus (anlegg, drift, vedlikehold og avvikling)

A pooled analysis of host factors that affect nucleotide excision repair in humans

Zheng, Congying; Shaposhnikov, Sergey; Collins, Andrew; Brunborg, Gunnar; Azqueta, Amaya; Langie, Sabine A.S.; Dusinska, Maria; Slyskova, Jana; Vodicka, Pavel; van Schooten, Frederik-Jan; Bonassi, Stefano ; Milic, Mirta; Orlow, Irene; Godschalk, Roger

Oxford University Press

Overview of methods for production of sterile salmonids, their applicability in aquaculture and possible implications to wild salmon populations and biodiversity in Norway

Hindar, Kjetil; Bodin, Johanna Eva; Dalen, Knut Tomas; Duale, Nur; Garseth, Åse Helen; Malmstrøm, Martin; Sipinen, Ville Erling; Thorstad, Eva Bonsak; Velle, Gaute; Berg, Paul Ragnar; Mo, Tor-Atle; Olesen, Ingrid; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Rimstad, Espen

VKM has assessed the positive and negative effects on biodiversity were sterile salmon to be used in Norwegian aquaculture. Triploidisation is assessed as the most effective method for sterilising fish, but it can affect the welfare and health of the fish.

Several other techniques for producing sterile salmon are being tested, but it is too early to determine whether they can be used in large-scale farming.

This is the key message in a knowledge summary VKM has prepared for the Norwegian Environment Agency.

Background
Escaped farmed salmon poses a major threat to wild salmon in Norway. hey can interbreed with wild salmon, genetically alter them, and make the populations less adaptable and more vulnerable to disease and environmental changes. A possible solution to the problem may be to use sterile salmon in farming.

To date, only triploidisation has been tested. Newly fertilised eggs are given a hydrostatic pressure shock, thereby retaining an extra set of chromosomes which render the fish sterile. This method is currently the only one tested on a large scale. Triploidisation is effective but can also pose health and welfare challenges to fish.

Methods
VKM has reviewed available scientific literature regarding methods that can be used to produce sterile salmon. VKM has assessed whether these methods work as well, or better, than triploidy and whether they are likely to have fewer negative effects on fish welfare. Assessments have also been made of whether farmed fish treated with other sterilisation methods pose a greater or lesser threat to wild salmon than traditional farmed salmon.

VKM has looked at the possibilities for further development of the triploidisation technique and has also assessed various methods currently being tested for producing sterile fish. Some of these are still at the laboratory-testing stage, while others are approaching trials with release into sea-pens. VKM has grouped the different methods based on whether they cause permanent changes in the genome (so-called "knock-out" of important genes) or whether the changes only result in temporary blocking or downregulation of gene expression (so-called "knock-down").

Results
VKM concludes that triploidisation remains the most effective method and that there are possibilities to further develop this methodology through targeted breeding and adjustments in how the fish are kept. These measures can potentially solve the challenges for fish health and welfare. Using pure triploid female lines can also reduce some of the other challenges by preventing spawning interactions in rivers and reducing disease transmission to wild salmon.

Alternative sterilisation methods, such as gene editing, vaccination, and temporary downregulation of proteins for gonad development using antisense oligomers and egg immersion, are promising but still under development.

VKM assesses that methods causing permanent changes in the genome of diploid fish have a higher inherent risk than methods that only affect gene expression.

Hope in egg-bathing
Perhaps the most promising technique for safe production of sterile salmon is to add synthetic oligonucleotides to the eggs at an early stage, thereby preventing germ cell development without causing any inheritable changes. Such oligonucleotides can be injected into the eggs or absorbed by the eggs through bathing (immersion) in a special solution.

"Especially the method involving targeted 'tools,' such as oligonucleotides that prevent germ cell development and can be added to the eggs in a water bath, seems promising," says Johanna Bodin, member of the Panel for Genetically Modified organisms and spokesperson for the report.

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Sovereignty in Automated Stroke Prediction and Recommendation System with Explanations and Semantic Reasoning

Chatterjee, Ayan

Personalized approaches are required for stroke management due to the variability in symptoms, triggers, and patient characteristics. An innovative stroke recommendation system that integrates automatic predictive analysis with semantic knowledge to provide personalized recommendations for stroke management is proposed by this paper. Stroke exacerbation are predicted and the recommendations are enhanced by the system, which leverages automatic Tree-based Pipeline Optimization Tool (TPOT) and semantic knowledge represented in an OWL Ontology (StrokeOnto). Digital sovereignty is addressed by ensuring the secure and autonomous control over patient data, supporting data sovereignty and compliance with jurisdictional data privacy laws. Furthermore, classifications are explained with Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) to identify feature importance. Tailored interventions based on individual patient profiles are provided by this conceptual model, aiming to improve stroke management. The proposed model has been verified using public stroke dataset, and the same dataset has been utilized to support ontology development and verification. In TPOT, the best Variance Threshold + DecisionTree Classifier pipeline has outperformed other supervised machine learning models with an accuracy of 95.2%, for the used datasets. The Variance Threshold method reduces feature dimensionality with variance below a specified threshold of 0.1 to enhance predictive accuracy. To implement and evaluate the proposed model in clinical settings, further development and validation with more diverse and robust datasets are required.

Elsevier