Behavioral effects on European perch (Perca fluviatilis) after exposure to a psychoactive pharmaceutical under different temperatures and predation risks

Användandet av antidepressiva och ångestdämpande läkemedel, som ex. oxazepam, ökar i samhället vilket kan leda till höga halter i våra vattendrag. Tidigare studier har visat att abborrar som blir utsatta för miljörelevanta koncentrationer av oxazepam ändrar sitt beteende. Denna studie undersöker om två ekologiskt viktiga beteenden hos abborre, aktivitet och socialitet, påverkas av vattentemperatur, predationsrisk och det ångestdämpande läkemedlet oxazepam. Studien gjordes på vilda juvenila abborrar (Perca fluviatilis) som fångades och hölls i ett labb där de senare exponerades under 7 dygn för behandlingar med oxazepam (10μg/L), eller utan, kombinerat med två olika temperaturer (10°C och 18°C) och predationstryck (risk att bli uppäten). Predationstryck simulerades genom att använda vatten från en fisktank med Gädda (Esox lucius). Resultatet visade att temperaturskillnaden påverkade abborrarna signifikant och abborrarna blev mer aktiva och sociala vid en högre temperatur. Däremot visade behandlingarna med oxazepam och predationstryck ingen effekt på varken socialitet eller aktivitet. En förklaring kan vara att den starka korrelationen mellan temperatur och beteende hämmade effekterna från de andra behandlingar.The use of antidepressants has increased rapidly over the past decades. Antidepressants can, according to previous studies, influence animal behavior, not least among fish. The purpose of this study was to explore how a common antidepressant (oxazepam) affects social and active behavior of fish. Wild juvenile European perch (Perca fluviatilis) were for 7 days exposed to the antidepressant oxazepam (10μg/L), or not, in combination with two levels of water temperatures (10°C and 18°C) and predation pressures. Predation pressure was simulated by using water from a fish tank with Northern pike (Esox lucius). Perch behavior was affected significantly by water temperature which resulted in more social and active behaviors in the higher temperature. However, treatments with oxazepam and predation pressure did not show any response. An explanation might be that the strong correlation between temperature and behavior depressed other treatments results

CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of potato StDMR6-1 results in plants less affected by different stress conditions

Potato is the third most important food crop, but cultivation is challenged by numerous diseases and adverse abiotic conditions. To combat diseases, frequent fungicide application is common. Knocking out susceptibility genes by genome editing could be a durable option to increase resistance. DMR6 has been described as a susceptibility gene in several crops, based on data that indicates increased resistance upon interruption of the gene function. In potato, Stdmr6-1 mutants have been described to have increased resistance against the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans in controlled conditions. Here, we present field evaluations of CRISPR/Cas9 mutants, in a location with a complex population of P. infestans, during four consecutive years that indicate increased resistance to late blight without any trade-off in terms of yield penalty or tuber quality. Furthermore, studies of potato tubers from the field trials indicated increased resistance to common scab, and the mutant lines exhibit increased resistance to early blight pathogen Alternaria solani in controlled conditions. Early blight and common scab are problematic targets in potato resistance breeding, as resistance genes are very scarce. The described broad-spectrum resistance of Stdmr6-1 mutants may further extend to some abiotic stress conditions. In controlled experiments of either drought simulation or salinity, Stdmr6-1 mutant plants are less affected than the background cultivar. Together, these results demonstrate the prospect of the Stdmr6-1 mutants as a useful tool in future sustainable potato cultivation without any apparent trade-offs

Rural-Urban Policies : Changing Conceptions of the Human-Environment Relationship

Peer reviewedPostprin

Att äga rum : En undersökning av skogsägande och lokal utveckling i tre värmländska församlingar

Karlsson, S. 2007: Att äga rum. En undersökning av skogsägande och lokal utveckling i tre värmländska församlingar. (Ruling Spaces. An Investigation of Forest Ownership and Local Development in Three Parishes in Värmland) This thesis explores the present ownership structure of forest estates in the province of Värmland, and in particular three parishes in Värmland and attempts to explain how the ownership structure has evolved to its present state. The purpose is to reveal the importance of this ownership structure for the development potential, expressed as the local population’s prospects of earning a living in forest regions. The empirical material is based on registers/databases from the tax authorities, Swedish Forest Agency and the County Administration Board. The thesis includes a survey among forest owners (landowners) in the region in focus for the thesis as well as living outside this region. Finally, interviews have been the basis for the work. The survey and the interviews were based on theories of property rights and institutional economy. The primary theoretical framework was based on local development theories. The ownership structure of forest estates in the province of Värmland is characterized by variation within the region. In the Western parts, small scale private ownership is dominant, where a majority of owners live near the estate/property, while in the Eastern parts, that historically has been a base for significant industrialized processing of natural resources, a very large share of the forest land is owned by a single corporation, Bergvik Skog AB. The Northern parts of Värmland are a mosaic of different owners where a large portion of the owners live in cities or regions far away. Another noteworthy actor is the Svenska Kyrkan (Church of Sweden) that locally has a dominant position in Värmland. The evolution of the ownership structure to its present state can be explained in terms of market economy that has nurtured rationalization acquisitions with the purpose of reducing the number of estates to instead arrive at a small number of larges estates. It is concluded that the number of forest owners that does not live near the estate/property has increased in the post-war era. This relationship relates to the urbanization caused by, among other factors, well developed rationalization within the agricultural and forestry sectors in the region. It is also pointed out that the legislation around acquisition of land has influenced the development. The survey together with the interviews conclude that the ownership structure does not have a significant impact on the local population’s development strategies. Nor does the locally high share of owners not living near the estate seem to be an important factor. The thesis is concluded by raising questions around the aspect of obligations when forests are owned by others than the local population. KEY WORDS: Forest owners, property rights, rural development, the province of Värmland, Swede

Power Transformer Monitoring and Diagnosis using Transformer Explorer

Power transformers are one of the most expensive and vital components in the power system. A sudden failure could be a very costly process for both the transformer owner and the society. Several monitoring and diagnostic techniques have been developed over the last decades to detect incipient transformer problems at an early stage, so that planned outages for maintenance and reparation can be carried out in time. However, the majority of these methods are only secondary indicators which do not address the transformers fundamental function: to transfer electric energy between different voltage levels with turn ratio, short-circuit impedance and power loss within acceptable limits. Transformer Explorer is a concept developed by ABB which utilizes ordinary current and voltage signals available in the substation to extract transformer fundamental parameters such as: turn ratio, magnetizing current, impedance and power loss, which has significant diagnostic value. By estimating these parameters the method should be able to detect a number of problems related to the windings and the magnetic circuit of the transformer. Transformer Explorer is expected to find it's application in two different versions, either as an permanent on-line monitoring and diagnostic tool or as a short-time version for temporary measurements. The thesis could be divided into three main parts. The first one focusing on a quantitative study trying to answer questions regarding the concepts feasibility when the temporary version is used. The second part is about optimizing and improving the procedure by which the fundamental parameters are estimated. In the last part, a new method for reducing the impact of errors introduced by the acquisition system on the estimated power loss is proposed. All the investigations related to the three topics covered in this thesis showed interesting and promising results

Power Transformer Monitoring and Diagnosis using Transformer Explorer

Power transformers are one of the most expensive and vital components in the power system. A sudden failure could be a very costly process for both the transformer owner and the society. Several monitoring and diagnostic techniques have been developed over the last decades to detect incipient transformer problems at an early stage, so that planned outages for maintenance and reparation can be carried out in time. However, the majority of these methods are only secondary indicators which do not address the transformers fundamental function: to transfer electric energy between different voltage levels with turn ratio, short-circuit impedance and power loss within acceptable limits. Transformer Explorer is a concept developed by ABB which utilizes ordinary current and voltage signals available in the substation to extract transformer fundamental parameters such as: turn ratio, magnetizing current, impedance and power loss, which has significant diagnostic value. By estimating these parameters the method should be able to detect a number of problems related to the windings and the magnetic circuit of the transformer. Transformer Explorer is expected to find it's application in two different versions, either as an permanent on-line monitoring and diagnostic tool or as a short-time version for temporary measurements. The thesis could be divided into three main parts. The first one focusing on a quantitative study trying to answer questions regarding the concepts feasibility when the temporary version is used. The second part is about optimizing and improving the procedure by which the fundamental parameters are estimated. In the last part, a new method for reducing the impact of errors introduced by the acquisition system on the estimated power loss is proposed. All the investigations related to the three topics covered in this thesis showed interesting and promising results