Overview and identification of Neonectria ditissima, Neofabraea spp. and Colletotrichum spp. on apple fruit

Äppelodling upptar huvuddelen av Sveriges fruktodlingsareal, men den svenska produktionen är fortfarande liten i jämförelse med andra länder i Europa. Om Sveriges produktion ska ha möjlighet att konkurrera med andra länder måste odlingen bli mer effektiv och ett viktigt steg på vägen är att öka kunskapen om skador på äpple under lagring. Svampar kan orsaka sjukdomar vilket kan leda till stora skador i lagring och detta arbete tar upp tre av dessa: Neonectria ditissima, Neofabraea spp. och Colletotrichum spp.. Dessa svampar orsakar idag stora ekonomiska förluster för svenska odlare. Arbetet kombinerar en litteraturstudie med laborationer med mål att få större översikt över svamparnas sjukdomsbild samt utbredning i Sverige. Litteraturstudien berör hur tidigare diagnostisering har sett ut samt vilken utbredning svamparna har i odling och lagring. Därtill fokuserar laborationerna på identifiering och diagnostisering av svamparna genom olika metoder. Ytterligare kunskap om svamparnas utbredning och symptombild är nödvändig för att vidareutveckla förebyggande åtgärder och minska förluster. Till viss del är det möjligt att använda sig av kolonimorfologi för att artbestämma svampangrepp. Vidare, mer precis, diagnostisering är möjlig med hjälp av qPCR för Neofabraea spp. medan metoden måste utvecklas för att användas till diagnostisering av Colletotrichum spp..Apple orchards are the main part of the fruit-growing orchards in Sweden, but Swedish production is still small compared to other European countries. If Swedish production is supposed to be able to compete with other countries, the cultivation must be more efficient and a step towards that is a bigger knowledge about storage injuries on apples. Fungal diseases can cause big losses during storage and this report mentions three fungi: Neonectria ditissima, Neofabraea spp., and Colletotrichum spp.. These fungi cause big economical losses for Swedish growers. This report combines a literature study and laborations with the goal of getting a bigger overview of the disease and distribution of fungi in Sweden. The literature study refers to how previous diagnosis has been made and the spread of fungi in cultivation and storage. In addition, the laboratories focus on the identification and diagnosis of fungi through different methods. Additional knowledge of the fungi distribution and symptoms is necessary to further develop preventive measures and reduce losses. It is possible to use colonial morphology to identify fungi to some extent. Further, more precise, diagnosis is possible by qPCR for Neofabraea spp. while the method needs further development to function for the diagnosis of Colletotrichum spp.

De närboendes besöksvanor och attityder till naturområdet Stadsliden i centrala Umeå

Detta examensarbete handlar om det tätortsnära skogsområdet Stadsliden, en knapp kilometer från Umeå stadskärna. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka attityder och besöksmönster som är kopplade till Stadsliden och hur området kan anpassas bättre till besökarnas önskemål med lämpliga förvaltningsåtgärder så som skogsskötsel, planering och information. Studien utfördes genom en enkätdel riktad till de närboende samt kompletterande kvalitativa intervjuer med olika intressenter. Totalt har 206 respondenter i åldrarna 17 till 85 år deltagit i enkätstudien och dessutom har åtta kompletterande intervjuer utförts. I de kompletterande intervjuerna deltog en idrottslärare för låg- och mellanstadiet, en idrottslärare för högstadiet, en förskollärare, en lärare i svenska för invandrare, en medlem i den lokala orienteringsklubben Umeå OK, ungdomsskidtränare för Täfteå IF, en medlem i gruppen ’Hundparken 2200’ och en rullstolsburen medlem i föreningen Delaktighet, Handlingskraft, Rörelsefrihet - Förbundet för ett samhälle utan rörelsehinder (DHR). Resultatet av denna studie visar att Stadsliden är ett omtyckt och välkänt område bland studiedeltagarna. Hur området används skiljer sig mellan åldrar och kön, men några generella drag går att se. Till exempel har området ett fåtal stamgäster, medan de flesta besöker området mer sällan. De vanligaste aktiviteterna är motion och promenad i rekreationssyfte. Motionerandet har ökat sedan den äldre studien från området som utfördes i början av 1990-talet (Kardell och Lindhagen, 1995). Stadsliden är i grunden ett lättillgängligt område, men blir mer svårframkomligt vintertid. De som inte kan eller vill åka skidor känner sig inte välkomnade vintertid och önskar därför egna spår med belysning. Framförallt äldre känner att de inte kan använda området vintertid. Efterfrågan av belysning framkommer också då det finns en del kvinnor som känner sig otrygga i området. Det gör att de inte vill besöka området ensamma, framför allt när det är mörkt. Det visade sig även att informationen om området är bristfällig. Många av studiens deltagare efterfrågade bättre skyltning och mer information till nyinflyttade. För att möta allmänhetens behov behövs det därför arbetas med belysning och slyröjning för ökad trygghetskänsla. De nybreddade SM-skidspåren kan även det nyttjas för en belyst och lättframkomlig promenadslinga vintertid där bredden på spåret gör att både skidåkare och fotgängare får plats. Dessutom bör informationsspridning om området förbättras. Detta genom att förbättra skyltningen på plats, men även på Umeå kommuns hemsida samt komplettera med information till nyinflyttade. Cykelförbudet i området bör behållas för att tillgodose så många intressen som möjligt. De som vill cykla kan ledas bort till ett annat bättre lämpat naturområde i närheten. Ett annat förslag som framkom under studien är en anläggning av en naturstig lämpad för rörelsehindrade och som ett pedagogiskt verktyg i anslutning till huvudentrén. Detta är en bra idé som många intressenter kan ha nytta av. Förutom det skulle skapandet av ꞌmålpunkterꞌ, som syftar på platser i skogen som är till för längre stopp, vara önskvärt för att Stadsliden inte enbart ska fungera som ett genomfartsområde. Detta skulle resultera i att området får ännu fler kvalitéer än de som finns i dagsläget.The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes and visitor patterns that are linked to Stadsliden and how these patterns can be addressed with appropriate management measures. The study was conducted by means of a questionnaire addressed to local residents and additional qualitative interviews with various stakeholders. A total of 206 people between ages 17-85 took part in the online-telephone questionnaire. As well as the questionnaire a series of interviews were conducted. Eight different professionals and representatives of social groups were interviewed to achieve even further results. The result of this study shows that Stadsliden is a popular and well-known area among the study participants. How the area is used varies across ages and genders, but some general patters are visible. The most common activities are exercise and walks for recreational purposes. More people are exercising now compared to the earlier study of the area by Kardell and Lindhagen (1995). Stadsliden is usually an easily accessible area, but becomes more difficult to traverse during winter. Those who cannot or do not want to ski feel excluded during wintertime and wish for illuminated trails. Especially elderly people feel that they cannot use the area during winter. The demand of lighting also emerges because some women feel unsafe in the area. The lack of proper lighting means that they avoid visiting the area alone, especially after dark. Information about the area is deficient and needs to be improved. Many of the study participants requested better signage and more information to new residents of the city. Several things can be improved in order to meet the needs of the public; improved lighting and clearing of undergrowth for increased sense of security, usage of the Swedish championship- (SM) track for a well-lit and easily accessible walking trail during winter and working with different ways to spread information. By improving the signage on site and on the municipal website, as well as providing information to newcomers the deficiency of information could be solved. The ban on riding bicycles in the area should be maintained to keep the majority of the visitors satisfied. Those who want to ride their bikes can be diverted to a better-suited natural area nearby. Another proposal that emerged from the study is the construction of a nature trail suitable for disabled people that could function as an educational tool as well. In order for Stadsliden to become more than a transit area a suggestion would be to work with ꞌdestination pointsꞌ (areas in the forest that are meant to be areas for longer visits). This would add to the qualities of the area and make it much more desirable

Benefits with birch admixture in Norway spruce stands on purpose to increase the pH-value of the soil

The soil acidification and the pH-value of the soil have been discussed for many years. Many observations of the tree species effects on the soil pH have been done. We have discussed the effects on the soil surface pH-value with a birch (Betula spp. L.) admixture in Norway spruce stands (Picea abies L.).We have used data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory. We have also discussed how the wood production and the biodiversity can be increased in mixed stands, in according to the Swedish forestry act Skogsvårdslagen. Our sampling areas are located in Norrland, Sweden. The results show a significant correlation between an increased birch admixture and an increased pH-value of the soil. Our literature studies suggest an increased biodiversity. An alternative forest management with a birch shield gives a higher production and economic yield. We think that this can be a good alternative for the private forest owner who wants to increase the pH-value of the soil and the biodiversity, and maintain a rational forest management and a high economic yield.Markens försurning och dess pH-värde har länge diskuterats, och det har gjorts många försök på de olika trädslagens inverkan på markens pH-värde. Genom riksskogstaxeringens data har vi försökt visa på huruvida en ökad björkinblandning (Betula spp. L.) i granbestånd (Picea abies L.) kunnat höja markytans pH-värde. Vi har även tittat på hur skogsproduktionen kan höjas i blandbestånd och på hur den biologiska mångfalden påverkas av en ökad björkinblandning. Syftet är att försöka kombinera skogsvårdslagens krav på att bibehålla en biologisk mångfald samtidigt som skogsproduktionen kan hållas hög på bästa sätt. Vi har avgränsat våra beräkningar till riksskogstaxeringens provytor i Norrland. Våra resultat visar på att det finns ett signifikant samband mellan en ökad björkinblandning och ett ökat mark-pH. Våra litteraturstudier visar även på att den biologiska mångfalden gynnas med ett ökat björkinslag. Genom en alternativ skogsskötsel med björkskärm ger blandbestånd en ökad produktion och en god ekonomi. Detta kan vara ett bra alternativ för den enskilde skogsägaren som vill förbättra markkemin, höja pH-värdet och öka den biologiska mångfalden, samtidigt som man kan sköta skogen rationellt och få en god ekonomisk avkastning

Vented gas explosions

Explosion venting technology is widely accepted as the effective constructional protection measures against gas and dust explosions.The key problem in venting is the appropriate design of the vent area necessary for an effective release of the material i.e. the pressure developed during explosion did not cause any damage to the plant protected.Current gas explosion vent design standards in the USA (NFPA68, 2002) and European (2007) rely on the vent correlation first published by Bartknecht in 1993 (Siwek, 1996).N FPA 68 also recommends the correlation of Swift (Swift,1983)at low overpressures. For a vent to give no increase in overpressure other than that due to the pressure difference created by the mass flow of unburnt gases through the vent, the vent mass flow rate is assumed to be equal to the maximum mass burning rate of the flame and this consideration should be used as the design mass flow through the vent. Two different methods ( Method I and Method 2) have been proposed based on the Sμ and Sμ (E-1) to describe the maximum mass burning rate given as, mb = ASμpμ=CdeA(2pPμred)o.5 mb =ASgPm =AgSμ(E-I)P μ=Cde4,(2pu Pred)0,5 (2) The equation given in (2) is slightly different from (1) as is about 6.5 times the mass flow of the first method as it takes the effect of (E-1) where E is the expansion ratio. A critical review were carried out for the applicability, validity and limitation on the venting correlations adopted in NFPA 68 and European Standard with 470 literature experimental data, covering a wide range of values for vessel volume and geometries, bursting vent pressure, Pv L/D ratio, maximum reduced pressure, Pred and ignition location. The fuels involved are methane, propane, hydrogen, town gas, ethylene, acetone/air mixtures with the most hazardous near-stoichiornetric fuel-air concentration. Besides, Molkov's equation (Molkov, 2001) which is regarded as alternative venting design offered in NFPA 68 and Bradley and Mitcheson's equation for safe venting design were also analysed on the experimental data for their validity and limitation as well as the proposed methods. From the results, it is clear that Bartknecht's equation gave a satisfactory result with experimental data for K <-5 and Swift's equation (Swift, 1983) can be extended to wider range for Pred> 200 mbar, providing the parameter PV is added into the equation. Method 2 gave a good agreement to most of the experimental data as it followed assumptions applied for correlations given by Bradley and Mitcheson for safe venting design (Bradley and Mitcheson, 1978a,B radley and Mitcheson, 1978b). It is also proven that the vent coefficient, K is confident to be used in quantifying the vessel's geometry for cubic vessel and the use of As/Av term is more favourable for non-cubic vessels. To justify the validity and applicability of the proposed methods, series of simply vented experiments were carried out, involving two different cylindrical volumes i.e. 0.2 and 0.0065 M3. It is found that self acceleration plays important role in bigger vessel in determining the final Pmax inside the vessel. Method 2 gave closer prediction on Pmax in respect with other studied correlations. The investigation of vented gas explosion is explored further with the relief pipe been connected to the vessel at different fuel/air equivalence ratios, ignition position and Pv. The results demonstrate that the magnitude of Pmax was increased corresponding to the increase of Pv- From the experiments,it is found that peak pressure with strong acoustic behaviour is observed related to increase in Pv and in some cases,significant detonation spike was also observed particularly in high burning velocity mixtures. It is found that substantial amount of unburnt gases left inside the vessel after the vent burst is the leading factor in increase of Pmax for high burning velocity mixtures at centrally ignited. The associate gas velocities ahead of the flame create high unburnt gas flows conditions at entry to the vent and this give rise to high back pressures which lead to the severity in final Pmax inside the vessel. It was observed that end ignition leads to a higher explosion severity than central ignition in most cases, implying that central ignition is not a worst-case scenario in gas vented explosions as reported previously.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Evolutionary genetics of canine respiratory coronavirus and recent introduction into Swedish dogs

Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) has been identified as a causative agent of canine infectious respiratory disease, an upper respiratory infection affecting dogs. The epidemiology is currently opaque, with an unclear understanding of global prevalence, pathology, and genetic characteristics. In this study, Swedish privatelyowned dogs with characteristic signs of canine infectious respiratory disease (n = 88) were screened for CRCoV and 13 positive samples (14.7%, 8.4–23.7% [95% confidence interval (CI)]) were further sequenced. Sequenced Swedish CRCoV isolates were highly similar despite being isolated from dogs living in geographically distant locations and sampled across 3 years (2013–2015). This is due to a single introduction into Swedish dogs in approximately 2010, as inferred by time structured phylogeny. Unlike other CRCoVs, there was no evidence of recombination in Swedish CRCoV isolates, further supporting a single introduction. Finally, there were low levels of polymorphisms, in the spike genes. Overall, we demonstrate that there is little diversity of CRCoV which is endemic in Swedish dogs

Determining the impact of 5G-technology on manufacturing performance using a modified TOPSIS method

A digital transformation is currently taking place in society, where people and things are connected to each other and the Internet. The number of connected devices is projected to be 28 Billion in 2025, and our expectations on digitalization set new requirements of mobile communication technology. To handle the increased amount of connected devices and data generated, the next generation of mobile communication technology is under deployment: 5G-technology.The manufacturing industry follows the digital transformation, aiming for digitalized manufacturing with competitive and sustainable production systems.5G-technology meets the connectivity requirements in digitalized manufacturing, with low latency, high data rates, and high reliability. Despite these technological benefits, the question remains: Why should the manufacturing industry invest in 5G-technology? This study aims to determine the impact of 5G-technology on manufacturing performance; based on a mixed-methods approach including a modified TOPSIS method to ensure robustness of the results. The results show that 5 G-technology will mainly impact productivity, maintenance performance, and flexibility. By linking 5G-technology to the performance of the manufacturing system, instead of focusing on network performance, the benefits of using 5G-technology in manufacturing become clear, and can thus facilitate investment and deployment of 5G-technology in the manufacturing industry

Visualization of causation in social-ecological systems

In social-ecological systems (SES), where social and ecological processes are intertwined, phenomena are usually complex and involve multiple interdependent causes. Figuring out causal relationships is thus challenging but needed to better understand and then affect or manage such systems. One important and widely used tool to identify and communicate causal relationships is visualization. Here, we present several common visualization types: diagrams of objects and arrows, X-Y plots, and X-Y-Z plots, and discuss them in view of the particular challenges of visualizing causation in complex systems such as SES. We use a simple demonstration model to create and compare exemplary visualizations and add more elaborate examples from the literature. This highlights implicit strengths and limitations of widely used visualization types and facilitates adequate choices when visualizing causation in SES. Thereupon, we recommend further suitable ways to account for complex causation, such as figures with multiple panels, or merging different visualization types in one figure. This provides caveats against oversimplifications. Yet, any single figure can rarely capture all relevant causal relationships in an SES. We therefore need to focus on specific questions, phenomena, or subsystems, and often also on specific causes and effects that shall be visualized. Our recommendations allow for selecting and combining visualizations such that they complement each other, support comprehensive understanding, and do justice to the existing complexity in SES. This lets visualizations realize their potential and play an important role in identifying and communicating causation.Peer reviewe

Factory Radio Design of a 5G Network in Offline Mode

The manufacturing industry is connecting people and equipment with new digital technologies, enabling a more continuous stream of data to represent processes. With more things connected, the interest in a connectivity solution that can support communication with high reliability and availability will increase. The fifth generation of telecommunication, i.e., 5G has promising features to deliver this, but the factory environment introduces new challenges to ensure reliable radio coverage. This will require efficient ways to plan the Factory Radio Design prior to installation. 3D laser scanning is used at an ever-increasing rate for capturing the spatial geometry in a virtual representation to perform layout planning of factories. This paper presents how to combine 3D laser scanning and physical optics (PO) for planning the Factory Radio Design of a cellular Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network (5G) in a virtual environment. 3D laser scanning is applied to obtain the spatial data of the factory and the virtual representation serves as the environment where PO computation techniques can be performed. The simulation result is validated in this paper by comparison to measurements of the installed network and empirical propagation models. The results of the study show promising opportunities to simulate the radio coverage in a virtual representation of a factory environment