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Growth conditions on acid soils may be hampered by low nutrient availability and phytotoxic Al (aluminium) concentrations. In this thesis I present my studies on adaptation mechanisms of wild plants to acid soils in the close root environment, the rhizosphere. The studies showed that plants have developed several mechanisms that may work simultaneously to face the complex soil chemistry. A first g
Fuel cells are promising for future energy systems, since they are energy efficient and, when hydrogen is used as fuel, there are no emissions of greenhouse gases. Fuel cells have during recent years various improvements, however the technology is still in the early phases of development, this can be noted by the lack of dominant design both for singe fuel cells, stacks and for entire fuel cell sy
Popular Abstract in Swedish Vårt behov av att öka matproduktionen för en växande global befolkning, har sedan mitten av nittonhundratalet drivit jordbrukets utveckling. Det traditionella, småskaliga jordbrukslandskapet med sitt lapptäcke av betesmarker, ängar och åkrar, har över tid ersatts av ett mer produktionsinriktat landskap. Åkrar har slagits ihop för att skapa större odlingsenheter, där nyaThe intensification of agriculture during the second half of the twentieth century, has caused sever declines of farmland biodiversity, where loss of semi-natural habitats is one of the major drivers. To halt further loss of habitat and biodiversity, agri-environmental schemes (AES) are used to compensate farmers to use methods less harmful to the environment. In this thesis, I have investigated t
Most known starfish species possess a compound eye at the tip of each arm, which, except for the lack of true optics, resembles an arthropod compound eye. Although these compound eyes have been known for about two centuries, no visually guided behaviour has ever been directly associated with their presence. There are indications that they are involved in negative phototaxis but this may also be go
Histidine (His) residues in proteins can attain three different protonation states at normal pH. This constitutes a prominent problem when adding protons to a protein crystal structure, e.g. in order to perform molecular simulations. Typically, the His protonation is deduced from the hydrogen-bond pattern in crystal structures. Here, we study whether it is possible to detect erroneous His protonat
Background: The human genome comprises numerous human endogenous retroviruses ( HERVs) that formed millions of years ago in ancestral species. A number of loci of the HERV-K(HML-2) family are evolutionarily much younger. A recent study suggested an infectious HERV-K(HML-2) variant in humans and other primates. Isolating such a varian t from human individuals would be a significant finding for huma
The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between coping and health problems in the context of gender and level in the organization. Questionnaire data were collected from 279 women and men (100 managers and 179 non-managers) at a sales department in a Swedish telecom company in which men and women worked at similar tasks. It was hypothesized that, if gender and level in the organiz
This study gives an outlook on the carbon balance of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by presenting a summary of currently available results from the project CarboAfrica (namely net ecosystem productivity and emissions from fires, deforestation and forest degradation, by field and model estimates) supplemented by bibliographic data and compared with a new synthesis of the data from national communications
Background: It is well known that severe mental illness (SMI) with concurrent substance use disorders (SUD) commonly occurs. This comorbidity has distressing social, psychological, psychiatric and somatic consequences. Aim: To gain greater understanding of how individuals with SMI and SUD experience the roles of alcohol and other drugs for their health and in their life situation. Method: Eight in
Elevated levels of CO2 and O-3 affect plant growth and phytochemistry, which in turn can alter physiological performance of associated herbivores. Little is known, however, about how generalist insect herbivores respond behaviorally to CO2- and O-3-mediated changes in their host plants. This research examined the effects of elevated CO2 and O-3 levels on host plant preferences and consumption of f
BACKGROUND: In assisting the nurse's counselling on lifestyle changes in hypertension care a behaviour model can be used. AIM: To analyse the effects of nurses' training on the use of the stages of change model when counselling hypertensive patients to perform lifestyle changes. METHODS: As part of a randomised, controlled trial, 19 nurses belonging to the intervention group took part in video-rec
Aim To implement plant hydraulic architecture within the Lund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ-DGVM), and to test the model against a set of observational data. If the model can reproduce major patterns in vegetation and ecosystem processes, we consider this to be an important linkage between plant physiology and larger-scale ecosystem dynamics. Location The location is global, ge
We studied long-term trends and the yearly variation in mean spring passage time in 36 passerine bird species trapped at Ottenby Bird Observatory in south-eastern Sweden. Between the years 1952-2002, data were available for 22-45 years depending on species. Most long-distance migrant species passed progressively earlier over the study period (range: 2.5 days earlier to 0.7 days later per 10 years,
Hydrodynamic drag forces generated by liquid flow above a supported lipid bilayer (SLB) can be used to induce lateral movement of molecules protruding from the SLB. Since the velocity of the individual molecules depends on their size and coupling to the lipid bilayer, these forces can also be used to enrich and separate different types of membrane-bound molecules. To improve and better quantify hy
Drainage networks are the basis for segmentation of watersheds, an essential component in hydrological modelling, biogeochemical applications, and resource management plans. With the rapidly increasing availability of topographic information as digital elevation models (DEMs), there have been many studies on DEM-based drainage network extraction algorithms. Most of traditional drainage network ext
This paper reports on studies of multiple-injection strategies of gaseous fuel in a model combustion chamber and the role of jet-jet interactions on the mixing processes in the chamber using large-eddy simulation (LES). A high-pressure non-reacting gas flow injected through a jet with a nozzle diameter of 1.35 mm into a quiescent inert air environment is considered. First, we validate the method a
The building permission process is to a large extent an analogue process where much information is handled in paper format or as pdf files. With the ongoing digitalisation in society, there is a potential to automate this process by integrating Building Information Models (BIM) of planned buildings and geospatial data to check if a building conforms to the building permission regulations. In this
We use Gaia-ESO (GES) Survey iDR4 data to explore the Mg-Al anti-correlation in globular clusters that were observed as calibrators, as a demonstration of the quality of Gaia-ESO Survey data and analysis. The results compare well with the available literature, within 0.1 dex or less, after a small (compared to the internal spreads) offset between the UVES and GIRAFFE data of 0.10-0.15 dex was take
ABSTRACT: Victims of homicide and attempted homicide are not uncommon in Sweden. We therefore aimed to study these victims to understand their injuries, their cause of death, and their relationship to the offender. All cases during five years in a district court in Sweden, where an offender had been convicted for homicide or attempted homicide, were identified and the court documents reviewed. Nin
Objectives: This study illuminated the meanings of existential loneliness (EL) as narrated by frail older people. Method: Data were collected through individual narrative interviews with 23 people 76–101 years old receiving long-term care and services. A phenomenological hermeneutical analysis was performed, including a naïve reading and two structural analyses as a basis for a comprehensive under
