Aluminium alloys with Si as the major alloying element form a class of material providing the most significant part of all casting manufactured materials. These alloys have a wide range of applications in the automotive and aerospace industries due to an excellent combination of castability and mechanical properties, as well as good corrosion resistance and wear resistivity. Additions of minor alloying elements such as Cu and Mg improve the mechanical properties and make the alloy responsive to heat treatment. The aim of this work is studying the role of size and morphology of microstructural constituents (e.g SDAS, Si-particles and intermetalics) on mechanical properties of Al-Si based casting alloy at room temperatures up to 500 ºC. The cooling rate controls the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS), size and distribution of secondary phases. As SDAS becomes smaller, porosity and second phase constituents are dispersed more finely and evenly. This refinement of the microstructure leads to substantial improvement in tensile properties (e.g. Rm and εF). Addition of about 280 ppm Sr to EN AC- 46000 alloy yields fully modified Si-particles (from coarse plates to fine fibres) regardless of the cooling conditions. Depression in eutectic growth temperature as a result of Sr addition was found to be strongly correlated to the level of modification irrespective of coarseness of microstructure. Modification treatment can improve elongation to failure to a great extent as long as the intermetallic compounds are refined in size. Above 300 ºC, tensile strength, Rp0.2 and Rm, of EN AC-46000 alloys are dramatically degraded while the ductility was increased. The fine microstructure (SDAS 10 μm) has superior Rm and ductility compared to the coarse microstructure (SDAS 25 μm) at all test temperature (from room to 500 ºC). Concentration of solutes (e.g. Cu and Mg) in the dendrites increases at 300 ºC and above where Rp0.2 monotonically decreased. The brittleness of the alloy below 300 ºC was related to accumulation of a high volume fraction damaged particles such as Cu- Fe-bearing phases and Si-particles. The initiation rate of damage in the coarse particles was significantly higher, which enhances the probability of failure and decreasing both Rm and εF compared to the fine microstructure. A physically-based model was adapted, improved and validated in order to predict the flow stress behaviour of EN AC- 46000 cast alloys at room temperature up to 400 ºC for various microstructures. The temperature dependant variables of the model were quite well correlated to the underlying physics of the material

The Ertsberg-Grasberg Mining District of Papua, Indonesia (Western New Guinea) hosts the Ertsberg Cu-Au Skarn, the giant Grasberg Porphyry Cu-Au deposit, and several other orebodies. Two 1700-meter-long cores beneath the Kucing Liar ore skarn (KL98-10-22) and the Grasberg Igneous Complex (KL98-10-21) contain high concentrations of vein and disseminated molybdenite. KL98-10-22, the focus of this study, intersects two previously unencountered intrusions, the “Tertiary intrusion Kucing Liar” (Tikl) and “Tertiary Pliocene intrusion” (Tpi). An intense dilatational quartz vein stockwork cuts Tikl and Ekmai Sandstone (Kkes) units, predating Tpi intrusion. Prior to these ultradeep cores, which extend almost 3 km below pre-mining surface, molybdenite was rarely observed in the district. Geochemistry and isotopic data indicate that Tikl and Tpi intrusions originated from the same large magmatic system that emplaced other ore-forming Ertsberg-Grasberg district intrusions. Magma in a lower crustal chamber was recharged at least twice, according to Sr-Nd data. Laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry of magmatic zircons yields 238U-206Pb ages between 3.40 ± 0.12 Ma (Dalam Andesite) and 2.77 ± 0.15 Ma (Ertsberg intrusion), revealing a shorter period of igneous activity than previously measured by K-Ar and Ar-Ar dating. Analyses include composite ages of 3.28 ± 0.08 Ma for Tikl and 3.18 ± 0.11 Ma for Tpi. Inherited zircon cores indicate Precambrian (mostly Proterozoic) basement. Molybdenite veining beneath the Kucing Liar Skarn and Grasberg Igneous Complex postdates stockwork veining and occurred before the 2.99 ± 0.11 Ma Kali dikes. Only one molybdenite vein was observed cutting Tpi. Molybdenites yielded ~3 Ma Re-Os ages and anomalous >4 Ma and <0.5 Ma ages; anomalous ages were not reproducible in follow-up analyses (this study). Smearing deformation of molybdenite (through fault activity) causes crystal strain, likely leading to annealing recrystallization. Recrystallization possibly redistributes daughter-product Os, resulting in anomalous ages from annealed material. Fluids with high Mo/Cu ratios (which were likely supercritical) precipitated late-stage molybdenite deep in the system. These fluids developed through magma chamber crystallization, which concentrated molybdenum in the melt as an incompatible element, and stripping of Cu from the magma chamber during hydrothermal activity. / text

The Ertsberg-Grasberg Mining District of Papua, Indonesia (Western New Guinea) hosts the Ertsberg Cu-Au Skarn, the giant Grasberg Porphyry Cu-Au deposit, and several other orebodies. Two 1700-meter-long cores beneath the Kucing Liar ore skarn (KL98-10-22) and the Grasberg Igneous Complex (KL98-10-21) contain high concentrations of vein and disseminated molybdenite. KL98-10-22, the focus of this study, intersects two previously unencountered intrusions, the “Tertiary intrusion Kucing Liar” (Tikl) and “Tertiary Pliocene intrusion” (Tpi). An intense dilatational quartz vein stockwork cuts Tikl and Ekmai Sandstone (Kkes) units, predating Tpi intrusion. Prior to these ultradeep cores, which extend almost 3 km below pre-mining surface, molybdenite was rarely observed in the district. Geochemistry and isotopic data indicate that Tikl and Tpi intrusions originated from the same large magmatic system that emplaced other ore-forming Ertsberg-Grasberg district intrusions. Magma in a lower crustal chamber was recharged at least twice, according to Sr-Nd data. Laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry of magmatic zircons yields 238U-206Pb ages between 3.40 ± 0.12 Ma (Dalam Andesite) and 2.77 ± 0.15 Ma (Ertsberg intrusion), revealing a shorter period of igneous activity than previously measured by K-Ar and Ar-Ar dating. Analyses include composite ages of 3.28 ± 0.08 Ma for Tikl and 3.18 ± 0.11 Ma for Tpi. Inherited zircon cores indicate Precambrian (mostly Proterozoic) basement. Molybdenite veining beneath the Kucing Liar Skarn and Grasberg Igneous Complex postdates stockwork veining and occurred before the 2.99 ± 0.11 Ma Kali dikes. Only one molybdenite vein was observed cutting Tpi. Molybdenites yielded ~3 Ma Re-Os ages and anomalous >4 Ma and <0.5 Ma ages; anomalous ages were not reproducible in follow-up analyses (this study). Smearing deformation of molybdenite (through fault activity) causes crystal strain, likely leading to annealing recrystallization. Recrystallization possibly redistributes daughter-product Os, resulting in anomalous ages from annealed material. Fluids with high Mo/Cu ratios (which were likely supercritical) precipitated late-stage molybdenite deep in the system. These fluids developed through magma chamber crystallization, which concentrated molybdenum in the melt as an incompatible element, and stripping of Cu from the magma chamber during hydrothermal activity. / text

The Ertsberg-Grasberg Mining District of Papua, Indonesia (Western New Guinea) hosts the Ertsberg Cu-Au Skarn, the giant Grasberg Porphyry Cu-Au deposit, and several other orebodies. Two 1700-meter-long cores beneath the Kucing Liar ore skarn (KL98-10-22) and the Grasberg Igneous Complex (KL98-10-21) contain high concentrations of vein and disseminated molybdenite. KL98-10-22, the focus of this study, intersects two previously unencountered intrusions, the “Tertiary intrusion Kucing Liar” (Tikl) and “Tertiary Pliocene intrusion” (Tpi). An intense dilatational quartz vein stockwork cuts Tikl and Ekmai Sandstone (Kkes) units, predating Tpi intrusion. Prior to these ultradeep cores, which extend almost 3 km below pre-mining surface, molybdenite was rarely observed in the district. Geochemistry and isotopic data indicate that Tikl and Tpi intrusions originated from the same large magmatic system that emplaced other ore-forming Ertsberg-Grasberg district intrusions. Magma in a lower crustal chamber was recharged at least twice, according to Sr-Nd data. Laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry of magmatic zircons yields 238U-206Pb ages between 3.40 ± 0.12 Ma (Dalam Andesite) and 2.77 ± 0.15 Ma (Ertsberg intrusion), revealing a shorter period of igneous activity than previously measured by K-Ar and Ar-Ar dating. Analyses include composite ages of 3.28 ± 0.08 Ma for Tikl and 3.18 ± 0.11 Ma for Tpi. Inherited zircon cores indicate Precambrian (mostly Proterozoic) basement. Molybdenite veining beneath the Kucing Liar Skarn and Grasberg Igneous Complex postdates stockwork veining and occurred before the 2.99 ± 0.11 Ma Kali dikes. Only one molybdenite vein was observed cutting Tpi. Molybdenites yielded ~3 Ma Re-Os ages and anomalous >4 Ma and <0.5 Ma ages; anomalous ages were not reproducible in follow-up analyses (this study). Smearing deformation of molybdenite (through fault activity) causes crystal strain, likely leading to annealing recrystallization. Recrystallization possibly redistributes daughter-product Os, resulting in anomalous ages from annealed material. Fluids with high Mo/Cu ratios (which were likely supercritical) precipitated late-stage molybdenite deep in the system. These fluids developed through magma chamber crystallization, which concentrated molybdenum in the melt as an incompatible element, and stripping of Cu from the magma chamber during hydrothermal activity. / text

Core samples were collected in September 1995 from live coral heads of Montastraea annularis at Bird Key reef in the Dry Tortugas, Florida (24 degrees 55 minutes N, 82 degrees 92 minutes W). Four 4 mm-thick coral slabs from two cores were continuously sampled at 12 samples per year (0.025 cm per sample for Core 31, 0.023 cm per sample for Core 35). Visual inspection of X-radiographs indicates an average skeletal extension rate of about 3 mm per year in Bird Key corals. The goal of this study was to perform a replication test in Montastraea annularis by using elemental and stable isotopes from four coral slabs from two different coral heads to address the following questions: 1) how well do geochemical signals replicate within a single coral head, 2) how well do geochemical signals replicate from two different cores from the same coral head, 3) how well do geochemical signals replicate from two coral heads from the same general area, and 4) do growth effects influence the geochemistry of slow-growing corals at the Dry Tortugas? Geochemical variations versus depth and time of all coral records show strong seasonal cyclicity. Variations in d18O in the suite of Bird Key coral records replicate the best; d13C and Sr/Ca variations replicate less well. For example, differences in the mean Sr/Ca record from two different coral heads are large (0.179 mmol/mol for BK31B-BK35CC; 0.196 mmol/mol for BK31C-BK35CC; ~4 degrees C) and nearly 4 times greater than analytical precision. Therefore, caution must be exercised in interpreting Sr/Ca-SST records in Montastraea annularis. Mean differences in coral d18O for all records, on the other hand, are within analytical precision and translate to temperature differences of less than 0.5 degrees C. Robust d18O values among cores that co-vary with a significant level of agreement further point to this proxy being more reliable than Sr/Ca. Because of its skeletal complexity, drilling difficulty, and large bio-geological error for Sr/Ca, Montastraea annularis seems poorly suited for coral-based Sr/Ca-SST studies. However, the species must be studied to understand tropical Atlantic interannual-decadal scale variability, so further assessment is warranted.

Coral-based climate reconstructions typically have not used multiple cores from a region to capture and replicate a climate signal largely because of concerns focused on coral conservation, analytical expense, and time constraints. Coral Sr/Ca reproducibility through the 20th century was investigated using three intra-colony and three inter-colony coral records, from the reefs offshore of Amédée Island, New Caledonia. Different sampling resolutions were examined in coral Sr/Ca (fortnightly and monthly) and delta 18O (fortnightly, monthly, and seasonally) as well as similar scale subsampling of the daily in situ SST record. The mean coral Sr/Ca, delta 18O, and daily SST values do not change as a function of sampling resolution. The coral Sr/Ca signal is highly reproducible; the average absolute offset between coeval Sr/Ca determinations between any two coral Sr/Ca time series is 0.036 mmol/mol (approximately 0.65°C), which is less than twice the analytical precision of the coral Sr/Ca measurements. The stack average of the monthly coral Sr/Ca variations and monthly anomalies are significantly correlated with monthly in situ SST (r equals -0.95, -0.56, respectively) for the period 1967 to 1992 and monthly 1-degree gridded SST data product (r equals -0.95, -0.53, respectively) for the period 1900 to 1999. The coral Sr/Ca-SST reconstruction exhibits decadal-scale fluctuations that exceed those observed in the gridded SST time series, which may reflect true differences between the SST at a shallow reef site and those averaged over a 1-degree grid box or they may reflect inadequacies in the methodology used to create the gridded SST product when few observations are available. A warming trend of approximately 0.6°C is observed in the coral Sr/Ca-SST record. Monthly coral Sr/Ca records and seasonally resolved coral delta 18O record from this site share variance in the latter half of the 20th century, but not in the early 20th century, suggestive of a change in seawater delta 18O.

I banksektorn är ekonomiska frågor betydligt mer institutionaliserade än miljöfrågor som bara varit aktuella i tiotalet år. Det leder till en viss osäkerhet att hantera miljöfrågor. Banksektorn försöker via legitimitetssökande standarder, ofta med start i bankkontorens direkta miljöpåverkan, att hantera miljöfrågorna. Bankers överlägset största miljöpåverkan ligger dock i den indirekta miljöpåverkan via kreditgivning och investeringar till kunder. Banker kan inte ta hela ansvaret utan det måste delas med kunderna som måste ställa krav på bankerna att erbjuda miljöansvarstagande tjänster. Bankernas ansvar ligger i att erbjuda miljöansvarstagande tjänster och aktivt presentera och förklara dem för kunderna. Enligt omvärldsanalysen har Marginalen goda förutsättningar för att initiera ett aktivt miljöarbete. Det är stor vikt att Marginalen inte bara hanterar den direkta miljöpåverkan utan även den mer miljöbelastande indirekta påverkan. / The world´s economic development during the past 100 years has led to improvements for millions of people. But it has also led to enormous environmental problems like global warming, species extinction and loss of biodiversity. Every human being and every sector in society are responsible to solve these grave environmental problems. One of those sectors is the banking sector. At first glance, the banking sector may look like an environmentally clean sector, especially when you compare the banking sector´s direct environmental impact with for example manufacturing industries. But when you look at the banking sector´s indirect environmental impact through loans and investments, you can envision the sectors potential to steer the society towards a sustainable development. This thesis has shown this a complex matter though, since banks and their customers share responsibility to elevate environmental issues. Customers need to understand that banks indirect environmental impact is big and then put pressure on banks to provide environmental responsible services and products. Banks, on the other hand, offer quite complex services and products which mean that banks have a responsibility to explain services and products different environmental effects. Banks have handled environmental risks for a long time in credit grants, but banks are now starting to feel that customers demand for environmental products and services is on a rise. The thesis has also found out that different types of environmental standards are very important for a credible environmental work in the banking sector.

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Dsk1 is the Schizosaccharomyces pombe functional homolog of human SRPK1, an SR protein kinase that regulates localization and function of SR protein splicing factors involved in transcription, alternative splicing, and mRNA export. It has been shown that a Dsk1 deletion strain of S. pombe is sensitive to exposure to butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a phenol derivative commonly used as a food preservative. Little is known about how BHA interacts with cells on a functional level, although it has been shown to be cytotoxic and tumorigenic. The aims of this thesis are to study the effect of BHA on eukaryotic cells and the possible involvement of Dsk1 protein kinase in the cellular response network to BHA through the use of fluorescence microscopy. The results showed that in BHA-treated cells, Dsk1 exhibits reduced nuclear localization and increased incidence of cytoplasmic clusters as well as a series of changes in cellular morphology. These observations imply that the function of Dsk1 is altered in response to BHA, consistent with genomic data collected by the Tang Lab. Thus, this study provides a basis for a series of future studies that will reveal in more detail how BHA affects fission yeast cells, and potentially gene or protein functional homologs in human cells.

Protein kinases comprise a fundamental class of cell function regulators that modify proteins by transferring phosphate groups from a nucleoside triphosphate such as ATP to specific amino acid residues on target proteins, altering protein conformation, function, and activity. As such, protein kinases are major regulators of many biological processes, including gene expression, which consists of the transfer of hereditary information in two major processing steps, transcription of DNA into a complementary precursor RNA transcript (pre-mRNA) and its subsequent translated into protein by the ribosome, where it can then go on to perform various processes in the cell. One particular family of protein kinases, otherwise known as serine/arginine protein-specific protein kinases (SRPKs), is conserved throughout eukaryotes and has been shown to be important in regulating gene expression, yet their roles in the gene expression pathway have yet to be elucidated. SRPK are known to phosphorylate serine/arginine (SR) splicing factor proteins, which are involved in mRNA splice site recognition and recruitment of splicing machinery. Members of the LAMMER kinase subfamily of SRPKs have also been shown to be required for efficient pre-mRNA splicing and important for mediating cellular progression through the cell cycle. To determine what other roles SRPKs play in mRNA processing, it is of use to study the homologous SRPK and LAMMER kinases in fission yeast, S. pombe, Dsk1 and Kic1, respectively. S. pombe provides a genetically valuable model for studying kinase function in RNA processing as both RNA processing machinery and SRPKs are conserved through higher eukaryotes. Using a novel green fluorescent protein tagging system based on properties of the MS2 bacteriophage genome, we are able to label specific mRNA transcripts of interest and visualize their locations in the cell using fluorescence microscopy. By visualizing the mRNA trafficking patterns of intron-containing and intronless mRNA transcripts, we show for the first time that deletions of the Dsk1 and Kic1 genes result in the nuclear retention of mRNA, such that Dsk1 and Kic1 are distinctly involved in mRNA export out of the nucleus.