Sustainability in Swedish tomato production : with an outlook at the tomato production in the Netherlands and Spain

Tomater finns i dagligvaruhandeln året runt. I Sverige finns ingen produktion av tomater vintertid och då behöver de importeras från länder som har ett varmare klimat. Sverige har en egen produktion av tomater från april till november. Trots egen produktion kan inte efterfrågan på marknaden mötas, inte ens på sommaren. I Sverige har koldioxidsskatterna och diskussionerna om fortsatta höjda skatter i framtiden fått många odlare att byta uppvärmning från fossila bränslen till förnybar energi. Förnybar energi har en mindre påverkan på klimatet än fossilt bränsle. Nederländerna använder i huvudsak fossilt bränsle då landet har egen tillgång till naturgas medan spanska växthus oftast inte har någon uppvärmning och därför har låg klimatpåverkan. Dock har Spanien idag svårt att få bevattningsvattnet att räcka till och dessutom är bekämpning med kemiska bekämpningsmedel mot skadedjur vanligt. De vanligaste bekämpningsmetoderna i Sverige och Nederländerna är biologisk bekämpning. I framtiden förväntas klimatet att förändras på grund av växthuseffekten. Temperaturen förväntas öka både i Sverige och i södra Europa. I Sverige tros nederbörden öka men det förväntas samtidigt också bli torrare på vissa platser på grund av den förlängda vegetationsperioden. I Europa tros områden som redan har problem med vattenbrist få ännu större problem samtidigt som andra områden som redan idag har rikligt med regn tros få en ökad nederbörd. Idag finns det möjlighet att göra val i hur odlingen ska skötas, vilket substrat som ska användas, vilka näringsämnen som behövs och hur de ska tillföras, eller arbetsintensitet i produktionen. I framtiden kommer det kanske inte finnas något alternativ om miljön tar mindre skada av system som kostar mer och kräver mer arbetskraft. Vid produktion av tomater går det åt mycket vatten. När ett land producerar tomater för export är det därför till en fördel om produktionen ligger i ett land som har större tillgång till vatten än landet som tomaterna exporteras till. När ett land exporterar grönsaker exporteras även vatten som är bundet i grönsakerna. Det är därför inte hållbart att Spanien, som idag har större problem med att få bevattningsvattnet att räcka, ska producera och exportera till Sverige som har mindre problem med vattenbrist. Nederländerna använder fossilt bränsle för uppvärmning av sina växthus och här därför en större miljöpåverkan än den svenska produktionen som, till stor del, använder förnybar energi som uppvärmning. Att importera tomater från Nederländerna flyttar Sveriges klimatpåverkan utomlands och medför samtidigt att den ökar, eftersom klimatpåverkan från tomatproduktionen är större i Nederländerna än i Sverige. En framtida minskad tomatimport från andra länder leder till att svenska producenter måste börja producera mer för att kunna möta efterfrågan på marknaden. Samtidigt måste konsumenter bli medvetna om konsekvenserna av de val de gör när de väljer produkter. Att konsumera säsongsmässigt och bara äta tomater under sommarhalvåret skulle leda till minskade koldioxidutsläpp. Svenska producenter kommer inte bara behöva producera mer utan de kommer också bli tvungna att anpassa sig efter nya odlingsförutsättningar då klimatet förändras.Tomatoes are available in grocery stores all year around. In Sweden there is no production of tomatoes during winter and therefore they must be imported. Sweden produces tomatoes between April and November. Even during the high season, supply cannot reach the demand for tomatoes which means some importation is necessary. In Sweden the discussion on carbon tax and future increased taxes have made farmers change the fuel used for heating their greenhouses. Renewable energy is now promoted above conventional fossil fuels. Renewable energy has a lower impact on the global climate than fossil fuel. The Netherlands mainly uses fossil fuel because they have a lot of natural gas in their country. The Spanish production often does not use any heating at all and has therefore a small impact on the global climate. However, Spain has difficulty irrigating because of a lack of water to suffice its production and thus chemical controls are often used. The most widely used control in Sweden and the Netherlands is biological control. In the future a climate change is expected due to an increased greenhouse effect. The temperature is expected to increase in Sweden but also in the rest of Europe. The rainfall is believed to increase in some parts of Europe but at the same time it is also expected that there will be more dry periods. Countries that already have problems with water shortages will get bigger problems. Today farmers can choose how to run their cultivation, which substrate to use and which nutrients should be applied. In the future it may not be well justified to merely choose from the cheapest possible environment farming systems, it may be necessary that more environmentally sound systems be used despite the potential costly investments required. When a country produces tomatoes a lot of water is used for the production. It is not sustainable that countries that do not have enough local water themselves produce and export to other countries that may not share the same issues of water shortages. Spain is a country that already has problems with water shortages and will likely get bigger problems than Sweden in the future. Therefore it will not be possible to import tomatoes from Spain at the same volumes as it is done today. The Netherlands uses fossil fuels and therefore has a greater environmental impact than Sweden does who mostly uses renewable energy. By importing from the Netherlands, Sweden’s environmental impact is just moved abroad and at the same time its carbon footprint is increased because of the increased use of fossil. The less food Sweden imports, the more Swedish producers must increase their own production to meet the demand of the market. At the same time consumers have to be more aware of the consequences of their choices. To have a seasonal consumption and only eat tomatoes in the summer months would lead to decreased carbon emissions. The Swedish producers will not only have to produce more but also have to adapt to new farming conditions when climate changes

Interdisciplinary pedagogy in higher education : Proceedings from Lund University's Teaching and Learning Conference 2019

This is the proceedings volume from the 7th biannual Teaching and Learning Conference at Lund University. The conference theme, Interdisciplinary pedagogy in higher education, is very timely as we see a steady increase, not only in interdisciplinary research and full teaching programmes, but also in new interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary courses and components in more traditional disciplinary education at Lund University. The conference highlighted some of the many challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary education where educators meet students with different disciplinary, cultural and geographical profiles. In this volume, the authors share the thoughts, experiences and learning they presented at the conference

Lifetime Cannabis Use Is Not Associated With Negative Beliefs About Medication in Patients With First Treatment Psychosis

Objective: Cannabis use is common among patients with psychosis, and along with negative beliefs about medication, it has been found to predict poor adherence to antipsychotic drug treatment. Such lack of adherence to antipsychotic drug treatment increases the risk of poor clinical outcomes and relapse in patients with first treatment for psychosis (FTP). However, to date, it is unclear whether cannabis use may be related to negative perceptions about antipsychotic drug treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 265 FTP patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder underwent extensive clinical assessments. Three measures of cannabis use were obtained: lifetime, current and meeting diagnostic criteria for abuse or addiction. For the primary analyses we focused on lifetime cannabis use. The Beliefs about Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) was employed to assess the patients' specific concerns and perceptions of antipsychotic medications, as well as general beliefs about pharmacotherapy. The relationship between lifetime cannabis use and BMQ scores was investigated with general linear model (GLM) analyses, controlling for age and sex. Results: Patients with lifetime use of cannabis ≥10 times were more likely to be male, younger at the age of onset of psychosis and with higher levels of alcohol use and daily tobacco smoking, as compared to the non-users (p < 0.05). Neither lifetime use of cannabis, current use nor a cannabis abuse diagnosis was associated with negative beliefs about medicines as measured by the BMQ questionnaire. Conclusion: Use of cannabis is not linked to negative perceptions about antipsychotic medicines in patients with FTP. Other reasons for poor compliance to antipsychotic drug treatment in cannabis users need to be further investigated.publishedVersio

Polygenic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in relation to cardiovascular biomarkers

Individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and a range of biomarkers related to CVD risk have been found to be abnormal in these patients. Common genetic factors are a putative underlying mechanism, alongside lifestyle factors and antipsychotic medication. However, the extent to which the altered CVD biomarkers are related to genetic factors involved in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is unknown. In a sample including 699 patients with schizophrenia, 391 with bipolar disorder, and 822 healthy controls, we evaluated 8 CVD risk biomarkers, including BMI, and fasting plasma levels of CVD biomarkers from a subsample. Polygenic risk scores (PGRS) were obtained from genome-wide associations studies (GWAS) of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. The CVD biomarkers were used as outcome variables in linear regression models including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder PGRS as predictors, age, sex, diagnostic category, batch and 10 principal components as covariates, controlling for multiple testing by Bonferroni correction for the number of independent tests. Bipolar disorder PGRS was significantly (p = 0.03) negatively associated with BMI after multiple testing correction, and schizophrenia PGRS was nominally negatively associated with BMI. There were no other significant associations between bipolar or schizophrenia PGRS, and other investigated CVD biomarkers. Despite a range of abnormal CVD risk biomarkers in psychotic disorders, we only found a significant negative association between bipolar disorder PGRS and BMI. This has previously been shown for schizophrenia PGRS and BMI, and warrants further exploration

Association between leptin levels and severity of suicidal behaviour in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Objective: Associations between suicidality and lipid dysregulation are documented in mental illness, but the potential role of leptin remains unclear. We examined the association between leptin and suicidal behaviour in schizophrenia, together with the influence of other clinical and biological indices. Method: We recruited a sample of 270 participants with schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses. Blood samples were analysed for leptin, while symptom severity was assessed by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS ) and Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS ‐C). Patients' history of suicidal behaviour was categorized into three subgroups based on IDS ‐C suicide subscale: No suicidal behaviour, mild/moderate suicidal behaviour and severe suicidal behaviour with/without attempts. Results: Mild/moderate suicidal behaviour was present in 17.4% and severe suicidal behaviour in 34.8%. Both groups were significantly associated with female gender (OR = 6.0, P = 0.004; OR = 5.9, P = 0.001), lower leptin levels (OR = 0.4, P = 0.008; OR = 0.5, P = 0.008) and more severe depression (OR = 1.2, P < 0.001; OR = 1.1, P < 0.001) respectively. Smoking (OR = 2.6, P = 0.004), younger age of onset (OR = 0.9, P = 0.003) and less use of leptin‐increasing medications (OR = 0.5, P = 0.031) were associated with severe/attempts group, while higher C‐reactive protein CRP (OR = 1.3, P = 0.008) was associated with mild/moderate group. Conclusion: Lower leptin levels were associated with higher severity of suicidal behaviour in schizophrenia.publishedVersio

Variable domain N-linked glycosylation and negative surface charge are key features of monoclonal ACPA: implications for B-cell selection

Autoreactive B cells have a central role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and recent findings have proposed that anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPA) may be directly pathogenic. Herein, we demonstrate the frequency of variable-region glycosylation in single-cell cloned mAbs. A total of 14 ACPA mAbs were evaluated for predicted N-linked glycosylation motifs in silico and compared to 452 highly-mutated mAbs from RA patients and controls. Variable region N-linked motifs (N-X-S/T) were strikingly prevalent within ACPA (100%) compared to somatically hypermutated (SHM) RA bone marrow plasma cells (21%), and synovial plasma cells from seropositive (39%) and seronegative RA (7%). When normalized for SHM, ACPA still had significantly higher frequency of N-linked motifs compared to all studied mAbs including highly-mutated HIV broadly-neutralizing and malaria-associated mAbs. The Fab glycans of ACPA-mAbs were highly sialylated, contributed to altered charge, but did not influence antigen binding. The analysis revealed evidence of unusual B-cell selection pressure and SHM-mediated decreased in surface charge and isoelectric point in ACPA. It is still unknown how these distinct features of anti-citrulline immunity may have an impact on pathogenesis. However, it is evident that they offer selective advantages for ACPA+ B cells, possibly also through non-antigen driven mechanisms

A scaffold replacement approach towards new sirtuin 2 inhibitors

Sirtuins (SIRT1-SIRT7) are an evolutionary conserved family of NAD(+)-dependent protein deacylases regulating the acylation state of epsilon-N-lysine residues of proteins thereby controlling key biological processes. Numerous studies have found association of the aberrant enzymatic activity of SIRTs with various diseases like diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Previously, we have shown that substituted 2-alkyl-chroman-4-one/chromone derivatives can serve as selective inhibitors of SIRT2 possessing an antiproliferative effect in two human cancer cell lines. In this study, we have explored the bioisosteric replacement of the chroman-4-one/chromone core structure with different less lipophilic bicyclic scaffolds to overcome problems associated to poor physiochemical properties due to a highly lipophilic substitution pattern required for achieve a good inhibitory effect. Various new derivatives based on the quinolin-4(1H)-one scaffold, bicyclic secondary sulfonamides or saccharins were synthesized and evaluated for their SIRT inhibitory effect. Among the evaluated scaffolds, the benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide-based compounds showed the highest SIRT2 inhibitory activity. Molecular modeling studies gave insight into the binding mode of the new scaffold-replacement analogues.Peer reviewe

Severe or critical hypotension during post cardiac arrest care is associated with factors available on admission - a post hoc analysis of the TTH48 trial

Purpose: We explored whether severe or critical hypotension can be predicted, based on patient and resuscitation characteristics in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. We also explored the association of hypotension with mortality and neurological outcome. Materials and methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of the TTH48 study (NCT01689077), where 355 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients were randomized to targeted temperature management (TTM) treatment at 33 degrees C for either 24 or 48 h. We recorded hypotension, according to four severity categories, within four days from admission. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to test association of admission data with severe or critical hypotension. Results: Diabetes mellitus (OR 3.715, 95% CI 1.180-11.692), longer ROSC delay (OR 1.064, 95% CI 1.022-1.108), admission MAP (OR 0.960, 95% CI 0.929-0.991) and non-shockable rhythm (OR 5.307, 95% CI 1.604-17.557) were associated with severe or critical hypotension. Severe or critical hypotension was associated with increased mortality and poor neurological outcome at 6 months. Conclusions: Diabetes, non-shockable rhythm, longer delay to ROSC and lower admission MAP were predictors of severe or critical hypotension. Severe or critical hypotension was associated with poor outcome. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Inc.Peer reviewe