Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of environmentally harmful chemicals. The group consists of more than 4730 different substances including two of the most famous ones; PFOA and PFOS. PFAS consist of carbon backbones connected to fluorine. They are in general thermally stable and persistent to degradation due to their C-F bonds, which is one of the strongest bonds in chemistry. The use of PFAS is widespread and therefore they can be found in a variety of consumer products, which eventually end up as waste. Household waste and other waste streams are incinerated at waste incineration facilities at (at least) 850° C for two seconds. The aim of this study was to investigate if that temperature is high enough to, at least partly, break down PFAS and to study where in the outflows PFAS ends up. Three different facilities (B2, P4 and P6) for waste incineration where examined, including incoming fuels; household waste, industrial waste, return fuel and sewage sludge. The three facilities included in the study had two types of boilers (grated and circulating fluidized bed) with three different treatment facilities for the flue gas and condensate. Bottom ash, fly ash, end product and condensate were analysed after incineration. A mass balance based on the limited amount of data indicates that at least 86-98 % of the 11 examined PFAS substances are eliminated. The difference between the three facilities are probably due to a difference in temperature and a few problems during the sample week. Another reason might be the variations in PFAS concentrations in incoming fuels. The facility with the lowest elimination percentage also had the lowest PFAS-concentrations in incoming fuels, and some problems during the sample period. The facility with the highest elimination percentage had a more even and higher temperature.

Organic farming is gaining importance and acceptance worldwide due to its beneficial effects in agriculture and standing against losses caused by chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) plays an important role in organic farming by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, chelate iron, solubilizing phosphorous, producing and modulating phytohormones, providing antibiotics against pathogens. Understanding interaction mechanisms between PGPB and plant will be helpful in developing new formulations to form a strong symbiotic relationship between plant and bacteria. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens UCMB5113 is a red pigmented, rod shaped Gram positive bacteria which has been isolated from fields of the Ukraine. In the present study UCMB5113 and its interactions with the plant has been characterized. There was a significant promotion of plant root growth and protection against biotic stress with the application of 10 μl of 1x107/ml CFU UCMB5113 culture in Arabidopsis. The UCMB5113 can significantly withstand plant antimicrobial activity to stimulate plant root growth, but needs root hair defective RHD proteins to stimulate root hair elongation. UCMB5113 has significantly inhibited primary root elongation and developed number of lateral roots and root hairs in ethylene over expressed mutant, which suggests that it may be affecting ethylene signaling pathway in plants. UCMB5113 has a distinct red pigmentation which is a 38.5kDa water soluble protein with maximum absorbance at 422nm. These features are similar to the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) of Synechocystis PCC 6803. This red pigmented protein has no significant effect on plant root growth promotion. Further biochemical and molecular studies are required to characterize and confirm the mechanisms of interaction.

It has previously been demonstrated that lactic acid bacteria are able to influence the innate immune response of host cells. One way this can be achieved is through modulation of inflammatory cascades initiated by pattern recognition elements such as toll-like receptors. Micro RNA can also have an effect on innate immunity, and has been shown to have an influence in regulation of these pathways in immune responsive cells. However, it is yet to be determined if the interaction between lactic acid bacteria and host cells involves regulation of the RNA interference machinery involved in micro RNA biogenesis. Three of the key proteins responsible for miRNA production and activation are Argonaute 2, Dicer and Drosha. Together, these are responsible for the processing and activation of miRNA to enable post-transcriptional gene regulation. In this study we have used quantitative PCR to evaluate changes in gene expression of these enzymes in HT29 and VK2/E6E7 mucosal epithelial cells after treatment with Lactobacillus and uropathogenic bacteria. We have found that bacterial treatment downregulates gene expression of elements responsible for miRNA biogenesis, and our results showed different responses dependent on the cell line. In addition to this we have also determined stable reference genes for use in further studies involving this model. Our findings indicate that modulation of the RNAi machinery might be an important element of immune regulation by bacterial colonists.

No description available.

Den europeiska ålen (Anguilla anguilla) har en katadrom livscykel som innebär att den under sin livstid kommer att ned- och uppströmsmigrera genom älvar till sina tillväxt- och reproduktionsområden. I samband med att människan bygger vattenkraftverk för utvinning av energi skapas migrationshinder för den rödlistade ålen. Åtgärder har gjorts till att lösa det växande problemet som inkluderar, till exempel utsättning av klättringsramper vid vandringshinder. För att undersöka om den europeiska ålens val påverkas av vilket substrat den klättrar på byggdes sex testramper som vardera var indelade i 3 banor innehållandes vandringssubstraten EF16, Fishpass samt Enkamat. EF16 används vid anläggning av gröna tak som hjälper till att hålla kvar växtlighet, vatten och jordmassor på lutande underlag. Fishpass kan liknas en konstgjord gräsmatta som återskapar en våt gräsig vandringsmiljö för ålen. Enkamat har en hård trådstruktur och används i huvudsak som erosionsmattor. Studien visade att större delen av individerna i ålgrupperna föredrog substratet EF16 att klättra på, samt att importerade individer vandrar i större utsträckning än vad de vilda individerna gör. Att fastslå varför ålen föredrar vandringssubstratet EF16 samt varför de importerade individerna vandrar i större utsträckning är svårt. Faktorer som substratskillnader, eventuell exponering för vandringssubstraten innan undersökningen och olika tillväxtförhållanden innan studien kan påverka substratvalet. Dock tycks det substrat med både nedåt- och uppåtgående knoppar vara den mest effektiva åtgärden till det ökande vandringsproblemet, då 40,5 % av det totala individantalet valde att klättra på banor beklädda med substratet EF16.

SammanfattningBinäringen i Sverige kan tyckas vara ett smalt område, men trots detta så är kommunikationenmellan de olika aktörerna inom området bristfällig. Detta orsakar i sig att det är svårt att bildasig en uppfattning om Apis Mellifera skall betraktas som skyddsvärd. Syftet med denna studieär främst att undersöka om A. Mellifera drabbas av massdöd och konsekvenser av detta.Studien undersöker även de hotbilder som kan leda till eventuell massdöd och hur dessa kanbekämpas både preventivt och progressivt.De metoder som används i studien är sekundäranalys och semistrukturerade kvalitativaintervjuer. Metoderna valdes ut för att tydligt sammanställa och redovisa vad tidigareforskning genererat för resultat och sedan jämföra resultaten med intervjusvaren från experterinom den svenska binäringen och forskningssamhället för att utfinna vilka eventuella likheteroch skiljaktigheter. Materialet i metoddelen har främst analyserats med hjälp av AlanBrymans (2011) bok om kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder.Resultaten visar att det finns en viss samstämmighet i somliga statiska variabler som monetäraförluster och vinster av A. Melliferas och andra pollinatörers ekosystemtjänster och att derasvikt för biologisk mångfald samt att det finns ett antal hot och försvårande omständigheter närdet gäller bevarandet av honungsbin. Resultaten visar också en stor skepticism från bådeforskare och andra experter, både inom litteraturen och aktuell forskning. För att uppnå enkonsensus för hållbar utveckling inom detta område som gynnar miljön, A. Mellifera och sistmen inte minst jordbrukarna rent ekonomisk behövs ett tydligare ramverk och lagar samtincitament för att kompensera jordbrukare som övergår till ekologisk odling.Nyckelord: Apis Mellifera, bin, massdöd, jordbruk, monokulturer, varroa destructor,pesticider, insekticider, Imidakloprid, neonikotinoider / AbstractThe Swedish bee-industry may seem like a small field, but despite of that the communicationbetween the different actors in the industry is inadequate. This makes it difficult to form anopinion wheter A. Mellifera should be considered to be in need of protection or not. Thepurpose of this study has primarily been to examine if A. Mellifera is suffering frommassdeath and eventual consequenses of this. This study also examines the threats that couldcause massdeath and how they aret o be managed in a preventive and progressive way.The study was conducted as a mix of a secondary analysis and semistructuredqualitative interviews, this to compile and present what results have come out of recentresearch and then compare that reserach with the answers from a mix of experts in theswedish bee-industry and the scientific society to try to find the out what eventual similaritiesand differences there are. The material in the methodpart has mainly been analyzed with thehelp of Alan Brymans (2011) book on qualitative and quantitative methods.The results show that there is some consistency in some static variables that monetarylosses and gains by A. Melliferas and other pollinators ecosystem services and theirimportance for biological diversity and that there are a number of threats and aggravatingcircumstances in the conservation of honeybees. At the same time, the results show a greatskepticism from scientists and other experts, both in literature and current research in relationto each other. In order to achieve a consensus for sustainable development in this area thatbenefit the environment, A. mellifera and last both not least the farmers in an economic waythere is a need for a clearer framework and laws and incentives to compensate farmers makingan ecological transition.Keywords: Apis Mellifera, bees, massdeath, agriculture, monocultures, varroa destructor,pesticides, insecticides, neonicotinoids

Interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) is a protein with different functions including theactivation of genes that encode different cytokines. Overexpression of IRF5 has been observedto lead to different types of stress in the cells, including an overproduction of cytokines, whichis referred to as a cytokine storm. Clinical states in which dysregulated cytokine release in theform of a cytokine storm can be referred to with an umbrella term: Cytokine storm syndrome.The aim of this study was to test for inhibitors for IRF5 that could be developed and used as apharmaceutical drug to treat Cytokine Storm Syndromes including autoimmune diseases andCOVID-19. The method for this screeing consisted of finding possible inhibitors usingcomputer based drug design which resulted in the selection of 21 possible inhibitors. Thesesubstances were then tested on induced macrophages that are cytokine producing. The abilityfor inhibition is based on the amount of cytokines present in the sample after exposure. Thiswas tested using an ELISA based assay which measures the amount of cytokines in the sample..A handful of substances was found to be effective and substances 11 and 17 stood out asespecially effective. This indicates the possibitily for a drug to be developed that would inhibitIRF5, which could be used for treatment of cytokine storm syndromes.Keywords: IRF5,

No description available.

Due to limited geographic ranges, island populations, in general, are expected to have smaller population sizes and a limited influx of migrants compared to populations inhabiting continental mainlands. Therefore, island populations are expected to be influenced by genetic drift and natural selection differently from mainland populations. In this study, I aimed at investigating potential island effects in cryptic wood white (Leptidea juvernica), and the main hypothesis of this study was that island populations will show less efficient purifying selection than mainland populations. I used whole-genome re-sequencing data from three cryptic wood white butterfly populations sampled in Ireland, Kazakhstan and Sweden and applied population genomics to assess levels of genetic diversity and quantify potential variation in the efficiency of natural selection by estimating site frequency spectra, assessing population structure, and applying various types of neutrality tests. The results show that the L. juvernica population in Ireland has comparatively low nucleotide diversity and increased genetic differentiation as compared to the mainland populations. Multiple types of neutrality / selection analyses revealed that purifying selection in Ireland has been less efficient than on the mainland. These findings contribute in several ways to the understanding of how selections act in island populations and provide insights into how evolutionary genetics / genomics can be informative for conservation efforts in isolated and declining island populations and other populations with limited distribution ranges.

Flodpärlmusslan (Margaritifiera margaritifiera) är en stormussla och en effektiv filtrerare som skapar en viktig ekosystemtjänst i vattendraget. Flodpärlmusslan räknas som starkt hotad och är skyddad enligt direktiv och förordningar i Sverige. De största hoten mot arten är bland annat hög turbiditet, åkermark, kalhyggen samt brist på ekologiska kantzoner kring bestånden. Syftet med denna studie var att ta reda på vilka av nämnda hot som kan ha påverkat artens föryngring i tio utvalda vattendrag. Syftet var dessutom att ta reda på om hög turbiditet, åkermark och kalhygge påverkar föryngringen av arten i kombination med varandra vid användning av indexuträkningar och statistiska tester. Resultatet visade att medelvärdena för ett kombinerat indexresultat hadeen signifikant skillnad i kantzonerna. Detta kan innebär att hög turbiditet i kombination med höga andelar åkermark och kalhyggen har signifikant negativ påverkan på flodpärlmusslornas föryngring, främst i beståndens närområden. En övergripande analys gjordes också av varje enskilt vattendrag i studien som inkluderade markavvattning, vandringshinder samt brist på värdfisk, vilket också anses vara hot mot arten. Den övergripande analysen visade att samtliga vattendrag hade ett medelvärde av turbiditet som översteg det rekommenderade gränsvärdet.Flertalet vattendrag hade också blivit utsatta för markavvattning i åkermark och kalhygge medan andra hade brist på lövskog samt höga andelar åkermark och kalhygge i kantzonerna och delavrinningsområdena. Många vattendrag hade dessutom brist på värdfisk samt förekomst av vandringshinder uppströms från populationerna. Alla dessa faktorer kan ha haft stor påverkan på varför samtliga vattendrag i studien inte hade någon livskraftig föryngring, vilket överensstämmer med tidigare studier. / The freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is an aquatic bivalve mollusc and an effective water filterer that establishes important ecosystem services in the streams. The species is considered endangered and is protected by several directives and regulations in Sweden. Some of the most substantial threats against the species are high turbidity, lack of ecological buffer zones in areas close to the populations, along with agricultural land and areas with high deforestation. The aim of the study was to investigate which of these threats affects the reproduction of the species in ten chosen streams. The aim of the study was also to investigate if high turbidity, agricultural lands and deforestation affect the reproduction in combination with each other. Results concluded that the aforementioned combination had a significantly negative effect on the reproduction of the species in the buffer zones when performing index calculations and statistical tests. An overall analysis of each specific water stream was also conducted that included artificial drainage of water, lack of host fish and migration barriers, all additional threats to the freshwater pearl mussel. The overall analysis concluded that all water streams in the study had higher average turbidity than the recommended limit. Some streams had also been affected by artificial water drainage, while other streams had a higher proportion of deforestations or a lack of ecological buffer zones and host fish. All these factors can have an impact on the lack of viable reproduction in each stream, corresponding to earlier studies.