Current progress in high cell density yeast bioprocesses for bioethanol production

High capital costs and low reaction rates are major challenges for establishment of fermentation-based production systems in the bioeconomy. Using high cell density cultures is an efficient way to increase the volumetric productivity of fermentation processes, thereby enabling faster and more robust processes and use of smaller reactors. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the application of high cell density yeast bioprocesses for first and second generation bioethanol production. High biomass concentrations obtained by retention of yeast cells in the reactor enables easier cell reuse, simplified product recovery and higher dilution rates in continuous processes. High local cell density cultures, in the form of encapsulated or strongly flocculating yeast, furthermore obtain increased tolerance to convertible fermentation inhibitors and utilize glucose and other sugars simultaneously, thereby overcoming two additional hurdles for second generation bioethanol production. These effects are caused by local concentration gradients due to diffusion limitations and conversion of inhibitors and sugars by the cells, which lead to low local concentrations of inhibitors and glucose. Quorum sensing may also contribute to the increased stress tolerance. Recent developments indicate that high cell density methodology, with emphasis on high local cell density, offers significant advantages for sustainable second generation bioethanol production

Åkermarkspriser i Östergötland

Åkermarkspriserna i de allra bördigaste områdena i Sverige har under de senaste fem åren ökat med cirka 106 procent i genomsnitt. Jordbruket rationaliseras successivt och produktionsenheter blir större vilket kräver större brukningsarealer. I tidigare genomförda studier av vad som påverkar åkermarkspriser i Sverige har enbart förvärv som resulterat i att lagfart sökts inkluderats. I denna studie av åkermarkspriser i Östergötland inkluderas även förvärv via fastighetsreglering och detta för att få med så många rationaliseringsförvärv som möjligt. Med rationaliseringsförvärv menas förvärv av tillskottsmark som syftar till öka storleken på redan befintliga lantbruksföretag. Åkermark är en produktionsfaktor som är en förutsättning för att kunna bedriva jordbruk och inte minst ett omfattande tillgångsvärde för lantbruksföretag. Lantbrukare som vill expandera, inte minst arealmässigt, påverkas i stor grad av marknadens prissättning och värdering av marken. Med hjälp av framtagen prisstatistik på åkermark i Östergötland och en hedonisk prismodell söker denna studie svar på frågan; ”Hur påverkar produktions- och icke produktionsrelaterade faktorer priset på åkermark i Östergötland?”. Hur bördig och produktiv marken är mätt i avkastning per hektar i spannmålsproduktion är den variabel som i särklass påverkar åkermarkspriset mest i Östergötland. T.ex. ger en genomsnittlig skördeökning med 1000 kg vårkorn per hektar ett ökat åkermarkspris med 33 000 kr per hektar. Betalningsviljan för stora fastigheter med en hög andel åkermark är högre, dock visar denna studie inga signifikanta arealmässiga brytpunkter för betalningsviljan. Således kan ingen så kallad mängdrabatt för åkermark i Östergötland identifieras. Områden där lantbruket är storskaligt med många aktörer resulterar även det i högre priser. För varje ytterligare lantbrukare som brukar över 200 hektar inom en 5 km radie ökar åkermarkpriset med 3 861 kr per hektar. Av de inkluderade variablerna i kategorin Lokalisering och urbanisering, så som närhet till större städer, visar ingen en signifikant påverkan på åkermarkspriserna i Östergötland. Studier på andra regioner visar ett samband mellan närhet till städer och urbana attribut med högre åkermarkspriser. Att så inte är fallet i denna region är något förvånande men tyder onekligen på att denna typ av icke produktionsrelaterade variabler inte har någon större betydelse för åkermarkspriset i Östergötland utan att variabler relaterade till produktionsförmågan och hur jordbruksstrukturen ser ut överväger. Studien visar även att prisstegringen på åkermark, bortsett från 2010 då priserna backade något, varit relativt konstant i Östergötland mellan åren 2009 till 2012.Arable land prices have increased by 106 per cent on average during the past five years in the most productive areas in Sweden. The agriculture gradually rationalizes and the production units increases in size, which requires larger acreage. In previous studies of factors influencing agricultural land prices in Sweden numerous of land purchases aiming to increase the size of existing farms are excluded due to the difficulties finding price statistics. In this thesis regarding arable land conditions in Östergötland this type of purchases are included. Arable land is a factor of production which is a requirement for farming and not the least a comprehensive asset value for the agricultural business. Farmers who want to expand, especially in terms of cultivated area, are greatly affected by the markets pricing and valuation of the land. Using qualitative price statistics on farmland in Östergötland and a hedonic pricing model this thesis aims to answer the question; “How does production- and non-production related factors affect the price of arable land in Östergötland?”. The factor that by far has the greatest effect on farmland prices in Östergötland is how productive the land is in grain production. An average yield increase of 1000 kg barley per hectare increases the price of arable land by 33 000 SEK per hectare. The willingness to pay for large properties with a high proportion of arable land is higher; however, this study shows no significant acreage-related breakpoint for WTP. Areas with large scale agriculture with many actors also result in higher prices. For each additional company who cultivates more than 200 hectares within a 5 km radius from the property the farmland price increase with 3 861 SEK per hectare. Of the variables included in the category Localization and urbanization, such as proximity to cities, shows no significant impact on arable land prices in Östergötland. Studies of other regions indicate a relationship between proximity to cities and urban attributes with higher land prices. That this is not the case in this region is somewhat surprising, but certainly suggests that this type of non-production related variables do not have any major impact of farmland prices in Östergötland. Variables related to production capacity and the local agricultural structure contemplates. The study also shows that the rise in prices on agricultural land, apart from 2010 when prices fell slightly, remained relatively constant in Östergötland between the years 2009 to 2012

Råvaruoptionshandel inom lantbruk

Denna uppsats behandlar råvaruoptioner ur en spannmålsodlande lantbrukares perspektiv. Optionsinstrumentet grundar sig på finansiella terminer och syftar till att hantera råvarurisken som lantbrukare möts av till följd av svängningar på spannmålsmarknaden. Då dessa svängningar har blivit allt kraftigare de senaste åren motiveras ett instrument som möjliggör en säkring av värdet på lantbrukarens råvara allt mer. Optionsinstrumentet introducerades år 2007 av Handelsbanken, som idag är den enda aktören som erbjuder tjänsten på marknaden. Målet med denna uppsats är att tydliggöra begrepp gällande råvaruoptionshandel samt att lägga en kunskapsgrund för implementering av denna handel inom svenskt lantbruk. Utöver detta ämnar uppsatsen att tydliggöra hur optionshandel kan öka lönsamheten i det spannmålsodlande lantbruksföretaget. Därav innehåller följande uppsats intervjuer med bland annat ansvariga på Handelsbanken samt andra verksamma aktörer i branschen. Intervjuerna ger på så sett flera infallsvinklar och perspektiv till optionshandeln. Det finns totalt fyra olika typer av optioner, som alla skiljer sig i innebörd och funktion. Därmed skiljer sig även situationerna när dessa är intressanta för olika lantbrukare. För den spannmålsodlande lantbrukaren tydliggörs, via denna uppsats, att en av optionstyperna är mest intressant. I dagens marknadssituation fungerar denna option som en försäkring som kan öka lönsamheten i det spannmålsodlande företaget. Detta görs genom att lantbrukaren köper sig rätten att undgå en eventuell framtida katastrof till följd av ett prisras på spannmål. En grundförutsättning för att lantbrukaren ska ha möjligheten att öka sin lönsamhet via råvaruoptionshandel är dock en god kunskap om såväl optioner som ekonomiskt instrumentet, optionshandelns funktion i praktiken samt kunskap om hur den finansiella spannmåls-marknaden fungerar. Vår förhoppning är att föreliggande uppsats ska bidra med detta.This thesis treats commodity options trading from a grain-growing farmers' perspective. The option instrument is based on financial futures and seeks to manage commodity risk that farmers face as a result of fluctuations in the grain market. Since these fluctuations have increased over the past years, an instrument that enables a hedge of the value of the farmer's raw material are motivated. The option instrument was introduced in 2007 by Handelsbanken, which is currently the only provider of the service on the market. The aim of this paper is to clarify terms relating to commodity options trading and to lay a foundation of knowledge for the implementation of this trade in Swedish agricultural companies. In addition, the paper intends to clarify how options trading can increase the profit of the grain-growing agricultural company. Therefore does the following thesis contain interviews with conductive persons at Handelsbanken, and to provide various angles and perspectives to the option trade instrument have also other active players in the agricultural sector been interviewed. In total there are four different types of options, all of which differ in meaning and function. Since this differs, the situations where the option types are interesting for different farmers also differ. This thesis clarifies that, only one of the option types is interesting for the grain-growing farmer. In today's market situation, this option works as an insurance policy that can increase the profit of the grain-growing company. The farmer does this by purchasing the right to avoid a possible future disaster, as a result of a fall in prices of cereals. A basic premise for the farmer to have the opportunity to increase their profit through commodity options trading is a good knowledge of both options as a financial instrument, the function of options trading in practice and knowledge of how the financial grain market works. We hope that this thesis will contribute with this

Inhibitor tolerance and flocculation of a yeast strain suitable for second generation bioethanol production

Background: Robust second generation bioethanol processes require microorganisms able to ferment inhibitory lignocellullosic hydrolysates. In this study, the inhibitor tolerance and flocculation characteristics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CCUG53310 were evaluated in comparison with S. cerevisiae CBS8066. Results: The flocculating strain CCUG53310 could rapidly ferment all hexoses in dilute acid spruce hydrolysate, while CBS8066 was strongly inhibited in this medium. In synthetic inhibitory media, CCUG53310 was more tolerant to carboxylic acids and furan aldehydes, but more sensitive than CBS8066 to phenolic compounds. Despite the higher tolerance, the increase in expression of the YAP1, ATR1 and FLR1 genes, known to confer resistance to lignocellulose-derived inhibitors, was generally smaller in CCUG53310 than in CBS8066 in inhibitory media. The flocculation of CCUG53310 was linked to the expression of FLO8, FLO10 and one or more of FLO1, FLO5 or FLO9. Flocculation depended on cell wall proteins and Ca2+ ions, but was almost unaffected by other compounds and pH values typical for lignocellulosic media. Conclusions: S. cerevisiae CCUG53310 can be characterised as being very robust, with great potential for industrial fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates relatively low in phenolic inhibitors

Mortality in adult children of parents with alcohol use disorder: a nationwide register study

Research suggests that adult children of parents with harmful alcohol use are at increased risk for premature death. This national cohort study investigated mortality in adult children of parents with alcohol use disorder (AUD), adjusting for sociodemographic variables. The study used 1973 to 2018 data from Swedish national registers to compare mortality risk in children who had >= 1 parent with AUD (ICD-10 code F10 and its ICD-8 and ICD-9 equivalents) (n = 122,947) and those who did not (n = 2,298,532). A Cox regression model adjusted for year of birth, sex, parental education, and childhood loss of a parent was used. Before the age of 18 years, about 5% of children born in Sweden lived with >= 1 parent who had a clinical diagnosis of AUD. Overall mortality was higher in adult children of parents with AUD: hazard ratio (HR) 1.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.71-1.82. Mortality remained elevated after adjustments for sociodemographic factors (HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.40-1.50). Children of parents with AUD had increased mortality from all investigated causes. The highest excess risk was for death from drug-related causes (excluding accidental poisonings) (HR 3.08, 95% CI 2.74-3.46). For most causes, mortality was higher if the mother had AUD than if the father had AUD. Patterns of mortality were similar in both sexes. This study provides evidence that parental AUD raises the risk of offspring mortality from preventable causes such as drug use, suicide (HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.98-2.36), accident (HR 2.00, 95% CI 1.87-2.13), and assault (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.38-2.24).</p

Associations between the 17q21 region and allergic rhinitis in 5 birth cohorts

Non peer reviewe

Prostaglandin E2 Synthesizing Enzymes in Rheumatoid Arthritis B Cells and the Effects of B Cell Depleting Therapy on Enzyme Expression

Introduction: B cells may play an important role in promoting immune activation in the rheumatoid synovium and can produce prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) when activated. In its turn, PGE(2) formed by cyclooxygenase (COX) and microsomal prostaglandin E-2 synthase 1 (MPGES1) contributes to the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathological process. Therapeutic depletion of B cells results in important improvement in controlling disease activity in rheumatoid patients. Therefore we investigated the expression of PGE(2) pathway enzymes in RA B cells and evaluated the effects of B cell depleting therapy on their expression in RA tissue. Methods: B cells expressing MPGES1 and COX-2 were identified by flow cytometry in in vitro stimulated and control mononuclear cells isolated from synovial fluid and peripheral blood of RA patients. Synovial biopsies were obtained from 24 RA patients before and at two consecutive time points after rituximab therapy. Expression of MPGES1, COX-1 and COX-2, as well as interleukin (IL)-1 beta and IL-6, known inducers of MPGES1, was quantified in immunostained biopsy sections using computerized image analysis. Results: Expression of MPGES1 or COX-2 was significantly upregulated upon stimulation of B cells from blood and synovial fluid while control cells displayed no detectable enzymes. In synovial biopsy sections, the expression of MPGES1, COX-1 or COX-2 was resistant to rituximab therapy at 8 or 16 weeks after start of treatment. Furthermore expression of IL-1 beta in the synovial tissue remained unchanged, while IL-6 tended to decrease after therapy. Conclusions: Therapy with B cell depleting agents, although efficient in achieving good clinical and radiographic response in RA patients, leaves important inflammatory pathways in the rheumatoid synovium essentially unaffecte

Not on the edge: the syntax and pragmatics of clause-initial negation in Swedish

The possibility of topicalizing sentential negation is severely restricted in the Germanic V2-languages. In this paper, we show that negative preposing was more frequent and less restricted in earlier stages of Swedish: approx. 8 % of all occurrences of negation are clause initial in Old Swedish, compared to less than 0.5 % in present day Swedish. We propose that this change in frequency can be traced to the syntactic status of the negative element. More specifically, we argue that Old Swedish eigh 'not' may function as a syntactic head and cliticize to the finite verb in [C-0]. This possibility is not open to the XP inte 'not' in Modern Swedish. In Modern Swedish, we argue that the restrictions on negative preposing instead are related to more general pragmatic restrictions on the information expressed in [Spec,CP]: according to our hypothesis, negative preposing is licensed by contrast