Un grand nombre d’espèces ont déjà subi des changements phénologiques ou des déplacements de leurs distributions en réponse aux changements anthropogéniques du climat. Comprendre comment les espèces vont réagir aux changements climatiques représente toutefois une tâche complexe puisqu’il existe une grande variabilité dans ces réponses. Cette variabilité peut être attribuée au fait que plusieurs facteurs influencent les réponses des espèces aux changements climatiques et que ces facteurs varient eux-mêmes spatialement. Dans ce mémoire, l’intensité d’interactions biotiques, soit la pollinisation et l’herbivorie, ainsi que la phénologie de la floraison sont comparées le long d’un gradient altitudinal menant à la limite de distribution altitudinale pour deux plantes de sous-étage, Erythronium americanum et Trillium erectum. Je teste en premier lieu si l’intensité de l’herbivorie et de la limitation pollinique augmentent à la limite de distribution altitudinale des espèces. Si cela est le cas, ces interactions peuvent limiter ces distributions et ainsi, le potentiel des espèces à déplacer leurs distributions face aux changements climatiques. Les résultats démontrent une augmentation de l’herbivorie et de la limitation pollinique à la limite de distribution altitudinale de T. erectum. Toutefois, la limitation pollinique devrait avoir un effet minime sur la limite de distribution altitudinale de cette espèce puisque le succès reproducteur des plantes est très peu diminué à cette limite. En se basant sur des études antérieures, la proportion d’herbivorie subie à proximité de la limite de distribution altitudinale devrait avoir des effets démographiques considérables et devrait ainsi affecter cette limite. Concernant E. americanum, l’herbivorie et la limitation pollinique sont restés constants et de faible intensité le long du gradient altitudinal. Ensuite, en disposant de quatre années de données de la phénologie de la floraison le long du gradient altitudinal étudié, je vérifie de façon préliminaire si le potentiel de flux génique est affecté par la date d’initiation du printemps, ce dernier se produisant plus hâtivement en réponse aux changements climatiques. Les résultats démontrent une diminution de l’écart temporel entre les pics de floraison des populations d’altitudes différentes lors d’années aux printemps plus hâtifs, ce qui indique une différence interpopulationnelle dans la réactivité phénologique. Toutefois, cette différence temporelle n’a pas entraîné une diminution du potentiel de flux génique. Je présente également une nouvelle méthode de mesure du potentiel de flux génique qui permet d’estimer plus efficacement ce dernier à partir de la phénologie comparativement aux méthodes actuellement utilisées.

Several expression systems for recombinant protein production, essentially cells or whole organisms are currently in use today. Recently, research into recombinant protein production revealed a more attractive expression system based on the microalgae, C. reinhardtii, for significant savings in cost and production of correctly folded recombinant proteins. However, protein yield in the microalgae remain very low, non-predictable and whether this was due to limitations in the system was unclear. Using the expression of E. coli β-glucuronidase (gus) in C. reinhardtii chloroplast, the overall aim of the project was to address if the low recombinant gus yield in C. reinhardtii was due to limitations that affect growth and protein production, and if the fluxes for recombinant gus production were suboptimal (limiting). The finding was used to implement a strategy for a more predictable recombinant protein yield in C. reinhardtii. The research involved a range of experiments, analysis, and Flux Balance Analysis (FBA) modelling. The growth of C. reinhardtii cultures were characterized in autotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic conditions to identify factors that limit growth and recombinant gus yields. These factors were availability of light, carbon and nitrogen substrates, pH changes, protein burden and energetic limitation (ATP). The highest biomass was obtained in autotrophic and mixotrophic cultures (>1 g/litre), the lowest biomass was in heterotrophic cultures (~0.4 g/litre). The recombinant gus yields on the basis of dry cell weight were: mixotrophic cultures (0.038%), autotrophic cultures (0.032%), heterotrophic cultures (0.026%). No detectable protein burden was observed for expression of recombinant gus in autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions, but protein burden was significant in heterotrophic condition (15 – 18% reduction in growth rate). A strategy that significantly increased growth and cell productivity (>3 fold) in heterotrophic condition was identified. FBA was used to identify suboptimal amino acid steady state fluxes (bottlenecks) that limited the gus yield. Using FBA modelling, model verifications and corrections, a strategy that significantly increased the yield of recombinant gus in each cell (~2 fold) was identified. Put together, the total increase represents a 6 fold increase in recombinant gus yield. Furthermore, this research presented a framework for identifying, analysing and understanding the effect of the uptake of individual amino acid towards recombinant protein yield.

Previous research shows that people with disabilities have less opportunities to participate and exercise in physical activities than the rest of the population. The purpose of this study has therefore been to investigate experiences of opportunities for exercising physical activities within sports associations, among members in sport clubs that are aimed towards people with disabilities. The purpose has also been to investigate how these members perceive the importance of the physical activities in the sports association. In this study, a qualitative approach has been selected and it has been done semi-structured interviews with eight members from two different sport clubs in Southern Sweden. The analysis has been done using content analysis. The analysis of the results showed that there are various factors that affect the members' ability to exercise physical activities in sports clubs. In the analysis, it emerged that these factors could both facilitate or complicate the opportunities for participation. For this reason, the majority of interviewees appreciated their opportunities as both good and bad. Finally, the analysis of the results showed that all interviewees felt that participation in the physical activities had positive effects on their physical and mental health, but also that it increased their social network.

Global warming leads to an increased browning of lakes across the northern hemisphere. This browning can due to benthic light-limitation cause hypoxic bottom conditions which can have negative impact on the fish production in the northern lakes. In this study, I obtained data from a large-scale experiment to test if the removal of anoxic bottom conditions in the hypolimnion affects Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) populations. This was done with a Before-After, Control-Impact design in two adjacent lakes by altering the oxygen conditions in the hypolimnion in one lake while the other remained as control. To analyse if experimental oxygenation of an anoxic hypolimnion altered perch performance, I analysed samples of individual growth (based on back-calculated growth from operculum bone readings), condition, diets and stomach fullness in perch before and after oxygenation from the control and impact lake. The results showed that growth, condition, and stomach fullness increased in the treatment lake but not in the control lake, suggesting that resource availability increased for perch with the removal of anoxic hypolimnion conditions. However, a decline in population abundances was also observed over time within both lakes, which may provide at least an alternative explanation of the observed responses. Still, I hypothesize that the oxygenation at least partially increased the resource abundance in brown lakes, thus increasing fish growth and size.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Headache disorders constitute a public-health problem which impacts on individuals and society. The functional limitation and psychosocial restriction, caused by chronic headache, may be a more reliable indication of the severity of the disorder than the pain intensity and temporal headache pattern itself. Evaluation of all these parameters may improve health care for individuals suffering from chronic headache. The ultimate purpose of this study was to develop and validate a multidimensional questionnaire to assess the severity and impact of headache in individuals suffering from chronic headache. The study was carried out in six phases, each stage building on the previous ones. A quantitative retrospective review of 450 patients' clinical files was executed to identify the elements of complaint of these patients. This was followed by a literature review of existing headache-related health measures and construction of a theoretical framework for the study. A questionnaire was developed based on these findings. This questionnaire was then tested for face and content validity in a chronic headache population sample (n=60) and physiotherapists working with these patients (n=18). The questionnaire was further refined by a small qualitative study, making use of small group discussions (n=10). After the suggested modifications were made, the Multidimensional Chronic Headache Questionnaire (MCHQ) was tested for stability in a group of chronic headache patients (n=21), who completed the questionnaire twice with a one-week intervening period with no intervention. It was then tested for responsiveness, where patients completed the questionnaire prior to, and after, an episode of treatment. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum Test was used to detect significant differences (and hence responsiveness). Lastly, all the MCHQ's (n=148) that were completed during the course of the study were analised to establish the homogeneity of item content (Chronbach alpha values), and the construct validity of the instrument in terms of item structure (exploratory factor analysis). The retrospective review of patients' perceptions of the severity and impact of their chronic headache indicated that many of the patients experienced moderate to severe limitation of function and psychosocial restriction. Although many domains of headache-related health were represented in published questionnaires reviewed for this study, no instrument that assesses both the perceived severity and a wide range of impact was found. The MCHQ was developed from this study to measure these parameters. The items in the questionnaire were based on the retrospective study and existing questionnaires utilised in the chronic headache population. The face and content validity of the first draft of the instrument was found to be good. The stability of the questionnaire was very good, with Pearson's correlation coefficients of greater than 0.9334 for all repeated items. Responsiveness was very good, with all items found to be responsive to change (with probability values of p<O.OOOI for all but 3 items; these being effect of analgesics, triggering factors and impact on relationships). Homogeneity of item content was good (alpha values all >0.6647), and preliminary construct validity was suggested by demonstration of eight distinct factors that were clearly interpretable (one in the severity and seven in the impact domain). These suggested that severity is unidimensional, and that seven dimensions of impact are assessed in the MCHQ (functional limitations, two emotional dimensions, relationship restrictions, and three headache trigger dimensions). Positive linear correlations between severity and impact suggested that the higher the severity, the more severe the impact on the individual's quality of life (r=0.5183; p<.OOOI). These tests suggested preliminary construct validity for the questionnaire. The researcher concluded that severe and frequent headache has a considerable impact on the individual and that the multiple facets of headache-related health can be measured appropriately using this instrument. The Multidimensional Chronic Headache Questionnaire is a new instrument to assess headache-related health in terms of both severity and multidimensional impact on individuals, which can be utilised in a once-off health assessment as well as an outcome measure for therapy.

Bakgrund: Hemodialys är en behandling som är aktuell vid kronisk njursvikt då njurarnas renande funktion ej längre fungerar och behöver ersättas. Behandlingen är tidskrävande och påverkar patienten både fysiskt och psykiskt. Patienten kan upplevda någon form av lidande och det är sjuksköterskans ansvar att främja hälsa och välbefinnande genom att förmedla kunskap och information samt att främja delaktighet och ta patientens autonomi i beaktande. Syfte: Beskriva patienters erfarenheter av sin vardag när de behandlas med hemodialys. Metod: Litteraturbaserad med grund i analys av kvalitativ forskning. Resultat: Ur analysen framkom två huvudkategorier; Hemodialysen styr vardagen och Anpassar till ett förändrat liv med sju tillhörande underkategorier. Slutsats: Restriktioner bidrog till svårigheter att hantera sin vardag. Behov av kunskap för att hantera vardagen var viktigt och sjuksköterskans bemötande påverkar patienten både positivt och negativt. Patienter erfar sin vardag olika och vissa hanterar den bra, upplever hälsa och meningsfullhet medan andra känner lidande och har ingen motivation för att kunna hantera vardagen. / Background: Haemodialysis can replace the filtration function of the kidneys when needed at end-stage renal disease. It is a treatment that causes suffering of different types and consumes a lot of time and has a physical and psychological effect. Knowledge, information, autonomy and participation are of importance for patients perceptions of wellbeing and the nurse has a supporting role. Aim: To describe patient’s experiences of their daily life when on haemodialysis. Method: Literature based with analysis of qualitative studies. Result: From the analysis two main categories emerged; Haemodialysis control daily life and Adapting to a different life, with seven subcategories. Conclusion: Restrictions in daily life was difficult to manage and the patients needed knowledge to be able to go through the day. The behaviour of the nurse had an influence on the patient, both positive and negative. Every patient experience their daily live different when on haemodialysis and some manage well and felt healthy while some suffered and felt illness and had no motivation.

Repeated polyploidization events are thought to be among the most important causes of sympatric speciation throughout evolutionary time. Changes in phenology and trait expressions that arise in polyploids have been shown to affect plant interactions with insect herbivores and pollinators. If these interactions are changed, selection subsequent to the polyploidization event could contribute to further divergence, or increased similarity, of cytotypes. This study was conducted to investigate plant interactions with insect herbivores and pollinators and patterns of selection in tetraploid and octoploid Cardamine pratensis L. (Brassicaceae), and to answer the following questions: i) Is there phenotypic selection on flowering phenology and number of flowers? ii) Is pollen limitation or herbivory most important for variation in reproductive output? iii) During what stages of ovary and ovule development do variation in fitness mainly arise? iv) Can the intensity of interactions be linked to phenology and number of flowers, suggesting that selection is mediated by pollen limitation or herbivory? v) Do intensity of interactions, and of interaction-mediated selection, differ between ploidy levels? From a combination of an observational study of herbivory and a hand pollination experiment, selection was found for earlier flowering in both subspecies. Intensity of herbivory was an important determinant of plant reproductive success, while hand pollination had little effect. Positive effects of flowering time on intensity of herbivory suggest that selection for earlier flowering was mediated by herbivores. Tetraploids initiated flowering later and suffered from more intense herbivory than did octoploids. The direction of selection was similar in both subspecies. However, differences strength of selection and intensity of herbivory suggest that there is a possibility of selection for their further divergence. / Polyploidisering anses vara en av de viktigaste orsakerna till artbildning inom populationer. Skillnader i blomningskaraktärer, såsom fenologi och blomantal, som uppstår i och med polyploidiseringen har visat sig påverka växters interaktioner med såväl pollinatörer som herbivorer. Förändringar i växt-insektsinteraktioner till följd av polyploidiseringen kan leda till selektion för ökade skillnader, eller likheter, mellan cytotyper. Studiens syfte var att undersöka växters interaktioner med insekter i form av pollinatörer och herbivorer, samt att undersöka selektionsmönster hos tetraploida och oktoploida Cardamine pratensis L. (Brassicaceae). Jag ville även besvara följande frågor: i) Sker selektion på blomningstid och blomantal? ii) Vilken växt-insektsinteraktion är viktigast för variation i reproduktionsframgång? iii) Under vilka utvecklingsstadier uppstår den största variationen i fitness? iv) Kan intensiteten av interaktionerna kopplas till blomningsfenologi och blomantal, vilket skulle indikera att selektion förmedlas genom pollenbegränsning eller herbivori? v) Skiljer sig styrkan av interaktionerna, och av interaktionsförmedlad selektion, mellan ploidinivåer? Studien utformades som en kombination av en observationsstudie av herbivori och ett handpollineringsexperiment, och jag fann selektion för tidigare blomning hos de två underarterna. Reproduktionsframgång styrdes av herbivori snarare än pollenbegränsing. Förlust av potentiell fitness genom att fröämnen inte utvecklades till frön var den faktor som starkast påverkade variation i fitness, och detta var också den fas i utvecklingen som bidrog i störst utsträckning till kvantitativ förlust av fitness. Ett positivt samband mellan blomningsfenologi och herbivoriintensitet indikerar att selektion för blomningstid var förmedlad av herbivorer. Tetraploider blommade senare och utsattes för mer intensiva herbivorattacker än oktoploider. Detta, samt skillnader i selektionsstyrka, indikerar att selektion skulle kunna leda till ökad divergens av underarterna.

The biological process of the carbon cycle in the Antarctic Ocean is controlled by the photosynthetic activity of the primary producers. The amount of fixed carbon does not only depend on the photosynthetic activity but also on the carbon losses due to respiration. Thus, the ratio photosynthesis to respiration (rP/R) is an important parameter to predict the effect of climate change on the Antarctic ecosystem. Indeed, the ongoing changes in climate change are influencing the dynamics of environmental conditions, which has tremendous effects on the phytoplankton community. Therefore, two ecologically relevant species from the Southern Ocean were here investigated: the diatom Chaetoceros sp. and the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, studying the changes in the rP/R under global climate change conditions. Three main parameters were examined i.e temperature, salinity and iron limitation. The P/R ratio was significantly affected by temperature, while salinity had only a secondary importance, although with species-specific differences. More specifically, the values were ranging from 12.3 to 7.5 for Chaetoceros sp. and from 12.4 to 2.5 for P. antarctica. The changes in this ratio were principally due to variations in respiration, rather than in photosynthesis. Chaetoceros sp. appears to be less flexible in the regulation of the extent of photoprotective mechanisms (non-photochemical quenching and alternative electrons), but its photoprotective level was generally higher than in P. antarctica. Regarding iron limitation, data were successfully collected only for Chaetoceros sp.. The P/R ratio, equal to 2.8, did not change under iron limitation, with iron limited cells showing a very efficient acclimation to the lowered assimilatory metabolism by decreasing their respiratory losses.

Corporate income tax deductibility of interest after the implementation of ATAD Over the past few years, the media and the general public have focused heavily on tax avoidance of large corporations such as Apple and Google. OECD (2012) issued BEPS report in which it described tax base erosion and profit shifting methods. The tools described therein include also excessive use of foreign capital and the associated tax shield. The regulations and recommendations as set out in the BEPS report were implemented in the European ATAD Directive in 2016. This thesis focuses on the limitation of deductibility of interest, especially from the perspective of the analysis of the Czech implementation with regard to the regulation set out in the BEPS report and the ATAD Directive and fulfillment of their objectives. The main goal of the thesis is to assess the fulfillment of the objectives set out in the BEPS report and in the ATAD Directive within their Czech transposition, to analyze the Czech regulation and to point out possible shortcomings of the Czech regulation and problems related to the implementation of new rules limiting the deductibility of borrowing costs. The thesis is divided into four chapters. The first chapter focuses on the problematics of interest and other borrowing costs deductibility,...

Statute of limitations of a plea concerning the voidability of a will as part of inheritance proceedings Abstract This thesis deals with the possible statute of limitations of a plea concerning the voidability of a will as part of inheritance proceedings or, as the case may be, identification of the conditions under which such statute of limitations is possible, since this becomes a current issue in a situation when there is an increase in the number of drawn up wills and length of inheritance proceedings. The thesis describes related legal institutions, including an analysis of related case law, and is applied to a specific case, whereas the author concludes that the statute of limitations of a plea concerning the voidability of a will as part of inheritance proceedings is possible, when the limitation period commences on the day that a disinherited descendant provably learned of the existence of a will and not the drawing up of a will or death of the testate. The author's conclusion, to a considerable extent, contradicts the very latest judgement of the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic which is also analysed in the thesis. From the author's point of view, this judgement is a strongly law-making decision which is not entirely consistent with the previous decision-making of the Supreme Court of the Czech...