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A co-ordinated series of field experiments were conducted to consider the effects of elevated UV-B radiation applied directly to decomposing plant litter. Betula pubescens was decomposed under ambient and elevated UV-B (simulating a 15% ozone depletion) using outdoor irradiation facilities at Adventdalen, Norway (78° N), Abisko, Sweden (68° N), Amsterdam, The Netherlands (52° N,) and Patras, Greec

The EPR and thermodynamic properties of semiquinone (SQ) species stabilized by mammalian succinate:quinone reductase (SQR) in situ in the mitochondrial membrane and in the isolated enzyme have been well documented. The equivalent semiquinones in bacterial membranes have not yet been characterized, either in SQR or quinol:fumarate reductase (QFR) in situ. In this work, we describe an EPR-detectable

Nitric oxide (NO) can modulate both tumor growth and antitumor immune responses. In order to elucidate the mechanism of curative therapeutic immunization with IFNgamma-producing glioma cells, we examined the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in tissue sections from immunized animals. There was a significantly enhanced iNOS expression both intratumorally and at the immunization s

Leukotriene ( LT) A(4) hydrolase is a bifunctional zinc metalloenzyme, which converts LTA(4) into the neutrophil chemoattractant LTB4 and also exhibits an anion-dependent aminopeptidase activity. In the x-ray crystal structure of LTA(4) hydrolase, Arg(563) and Lys(565) are found at the entrance of the active center. Here we report that replacement of Arg(563), but not Lys(565), leads to complete a

Only 40% of the total CO2 emitted by human activities and natural sources remain in the atmosphere, since the rest is taken up by plants and oceans. In particular temperate and boreal forests are usually significant sinks of carbon, even if they are very susceptible ecosystems and they might turn into sources in consequence of the predicted temperature increase. That is one of the reasons why a ne

Designing and developing a software product is a difficult process. The product must be usable and solve the correct problem. At the same time, the underlying code must be well written. Many projects fail to deliver or exceed their budget. This thesis explores a practical approach to software design and development that tries to adhere to both user centered design and agile development. The proces

Pentaklorfenol (PCP) är en klorerad aromatisk förening som användes flitigt för att behandla trä mot mikrobiell nedbrytning innan den blev förbjuden på 70-talet. På grund av dess höga löslighet förekommer PCP som en grundvattenförorening kring äldre sågverk. Hjortsberga i södra Sverige är ett exempel på denna typ av förorening och är det område som undersöks i arbetet. Förorenat grundvatten spridsPentachlorophenol (PCP) is a chlorinated aromatic compound that was commonly used for treatment of wood against microbial degradation before it got banned in the 1970s. Due to its solubility in water, PCP is a common groundwater contaminant around old sawmills, for example near Hjortsberga in southern Sweden where this study was performed.. The contaminated groundwater is spreading and leaking int

Although the accounts confirming that we are in the midst of an ecological crisis are undeniable, the transformative action necessary to address climate change remains elusive. Capitalist norms of economic growth, self-interest and denialism obstructs paths towards sustainability. This research illustrates how embodied engagements with the ecological crisis through artistic practices can foster mo

Understanding how sympatric species partition resources is critical for biodiversity conservation, particularly in vulnerable ecosystems. As Arctic ecosystems undergo rapid climate change, understanding how animals use space and select habitats becomes essential for effective conservation planning. Advances in technologies can now provide high-resolution data on species movements and habitat use,

Drought is projected to increase in frequency and intensity and impacts trees with increased water stress and increased mortality rate. Water stresses can cause hydraulic failure-related mortality or carbon starvation due to tree species having different strategies to deal with water stresses. LPJ-GUESS-HYD (Hydraulic implementation of a new plant hydraulics scheme in LPJ-GUESS) was developed to i

The maximum light use efficiency (LUE = gross primary production (GPP)/absorbed photosynthetic photon flux density (aPPFD)) of plant canopies has been reported to vary spatially and some of this variation has previously been attributed to plant species differences. The canopy nitrogen concentration [N] can potentially explain some of this spatial variation. However, the current paradigm of the N-e

Popular summary Estuarine eutrophication, the systemic limitation of oxygen in a body of water, has been increasingly monitored and scrutinized as an environmental concern needing acute and long term remediation efforts. The roots of eutrophication are largely attributed to anthropic sources within the watershed, sources that are products of modern civilization; such as agricultural and urban poll

During mechanical defibration of wood, a minor fraction of the wood mass is dissolved in the process water. These dissolved substances represent an extra energy demand when they are treated in the mill’s wastewater treatment plant. Galactoglucomannan, the main hemicellulose in spruce, can be recovered from thermomechanical pulp mill process water by a process based on microfiltration (MF) and ultr

Permafrost soils and arctic wetlands methane emissions represent an important challenge for modeling the future climate. Here we present a process-based model designed to correctly represent the main thermal, hydrological, and biogeochemical processes related to these emissions for general land surface modeling. We propose a new multilayer soil carbon and gas module within the Interaction Soil-Bio