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This thesis is an investigation of several aspects of diapause in the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer). After developing methodology for induction and quantification of diapause entry in the laboratory, heritability of diapause entry was assessed for sibling larvae reared under diapause-inducing conditions. The diapause-quantification technique was efficient, but diapause frequencies were highly variable across studies employing similar diapause-inducing conditions. The diapause entry trait may be weakly heritable. A field study was conducted on diapause entry and emergence patterns. Diapause frequency was inversely correlated with photoperiod and absolute maximum air temperature. Photoperiod did not influence emergence timing. Two emergence phenotypes were observed before mid-July and a third minor emergence phenotype may exist in mid-to-late August. Approximately one third of emergence in the field was attributed to larvae in diapause for two or more years. Avenues of future research on diapause regulation in both the laboratory and field are discussed. / Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (CGS-M), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (University of Guelph Sustainable Production Program)

Swedes are extremely common as a root vegetable in Europe, USA, and Canada but are affected by the occasional presence of Brown Heart (BH) disorder affecting the marketable swede root. The incidence of BH has been reported worldwide however it is very difficult to breed resistance due to its sporadic occurrence with no external symptoms to select for. BH has been attributed to boron availability but attempts to link BH appearance definitively with boron deficiency have been difficult. Anecdotal evidence from breeders and growers highlighted the recent co-appearance of BH and frost injury in the field and it was postulated that if an association (physiological or genetic) can be determined between BH appearance and another more easily assessed trait such as frost susceptibility, then a frost tolerance screen may be developed as a useful surrogate method to screen for BH resistance. Frost hardiness assessment of 12 swede genotypes including some F1 hybrids was carried out. Results showed that some genotypes (like Ag31, Me77c and Or13) were more susceptible to frost (EL50 circa -7 ˚C) whilst others (like Gr19 and Ly01) were classified as more tolerant. Breeder trials data from the UK and Germany over a 10 year period showed that 85% of the BH incidence was associated with genotypes that had the frost susceptible lines Ag31, Or13 or Me77c in their parentage. To investigate this association further, frost susceptible and tolerant genotypes, together with a number of their F1 hybrids, were evaluated in a field trial for their response to boron treatments (0.00, 1.35, 1.80 and 2.70 kg B ha-1). At maturity, BH incidence and its severity was predominantly affected by genotype but could be ameliorated by boron application. Ag31 was confirmed to be the most susceptible to BH, and Or13 and Me77c were intermediate in their susceptibility. F1 hybrids between any two susceptible parents were also susceptible to BH. In contrast, genotypes Gr19 and Ly01 were confirmed to be highly resistant to BH and did not show any BH symptoms even at zero boron applied. F1 hybrids between resistant and susceptible lines demonstrated the BH resistant phenotype. Resistance to BH was therefore confirmed as a dominant trait with either a BHBH or BHbh genotype, whilst susceptibility was recessive bhbh. A degree of quantitative variation existed in the severity of the BH suggesting that BH resistance was not a single gene effect. BH severity was significantly negatively correlated (r = - 0.632) with root boron content in susceptible genotypes. The genotypes which were BH resistant in this trial were also more tolerant to frost in screening tests and this association was investigated further at a molecular level. Cold acclimation (CA) for 14 days at 4 ˚C positively affected the response of swede to frost, lowering the EL50 by -1.5˚C, and boron reduced the EL50 by -2.2˚C under non-acclimating conditions and by -1.2˚C under CA. Both boron and CA increased the catalase (CAT) and super oxidase dismutase (SOD) concentrations in swede leaves. Molecular analysis clearly demonstrated the presence of the B.napus cold response gene in swede, BN115, and was shown to be up-regulated due to both CA and boron application but differed between the two genotypes tested. The more frost resistant Gr19 showed a better response than the susceptible Ag31. Boron application reduced EL50 by -2.3˚C for Ag31 and -3.1˚C for Gr19. Given the association between frost tolerance and BH resistance it is suggested that a frost test screen could be used as a useful surrogate method to screen for BH resistance in swede breeding programmes.

Swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii, Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a small invasive fly that is currently threatening Brassica vegetable and oilseed production in the Northeastern U.S. and Canada. Larvae feed on plant meristems, resulting in deformed leaves, stems, and heads. Extremely low damage thresholds for heading Brassica vegetables, multiple overlapping generations, and lack of effective organic insecticide options present serious challenges for managing this pest. Pheromone mating disruption (PMD), which involves confusing male insects with unnaturally large doses of sex pheromones, is particularly promising for swede midge management because it prevents mating and subsequent oviposition. One major challenge to PMD for swede midge management is that the chiral female pheromone blend, a 1:2:0.02 blend of (2S, 9S)-diacetoxyundecane, (2S, 10S)-diacetoxyundecane and (S)-2-acetoxyundecane, is expensive to synthesize due to the structural complexity of the compounds. Here, we explored three ways to reduce the cost of swede midge PMD: the use of lower-cost racemic pheromones containing all possible stereoisomers, single-component blends, and the possibility of using timed pheromone dispensers by testing for diel patterns of midge reproductive behavior. Although we found that males were not attracted to blends containing the racemic stereoisomers of the main pheromone component, (2S, 10S)-diacetoxyundecane, racemic blends functioned equally as well as chiral blends in confusing males and altering female behavior in PMD systems. We observed 95% and 87% reductions in males caught in monitoring traps in three-component chiral and racemic PMD plots of broccoli, respectively. In addition to confusing males, we also found that females altered their reproductive behavior in response to both chiral and racemic pheromones. Females released pheromones more frequently when exposed to three-component chiral and racemic blends, and were less likely to mate afterward. Single-pheromone treatments containing either chiral or racemic 2,10-diacetoxyundecane neither confused males nor influenced female behavior. We identified a total of eight hours during the day and night when midges do not exhibit mate-seeking behavior, during which programmable PMD dispensers could be turned off to save pheromone inputs. We found that up to 81% of females released pheromones to attract males for mating in the early morning shortly after dawn. Most females emerged in the morning as well, releasing pheromones soon after eclosing. Because midges are receptive to mates shortly after emergence, they may mate at their emergence site. Overall, we found relatively high levels of crop damage in our pheromone-treated plots, likely due to the migration of mated females into our plots. If midges mate at emergence sites, rotation of Brassica vegetable crops may result in overwintered midges emerging in fields where host plants are not currently grown. Further research is needed to determine where midges mate in order to determine where to install PMD dispensers.

The following study deals with politeness and the degree to which it is employed by Swedes and native Spanish speakers, or Hispanos, when speaking Spanish. Also dealt with are the perceptions these speakers have regarding their personal proficiencies in Spanish as well as others’ and the extent to which politeness is utilised during discourse in Spanish between the people claiming these ethnic identities. The ethnic identities studied are Swedes and Hispanos living in Sweden, speaking both Spanish and Swedish fluently. The study serves to investigate the probability of one ethnic group being more polite than the other and seeks to determine which one it is. The use of a questionnaire was made to gather information to be used to resolve the research questions in addition to proving the various hypotheses. A total of 60 questionnaires were handed out, with each one containing 54 questions encompassing a number of subjects. Out of these 60 questionnaires, 45 were returned. Additionally, the respondents were grouped into two sets. The first included persons perceived by the author to be Hispanos, the second included persons perceived to be Swedish. The questionnaires were divided equally among these two groups. The resulting information was then applied to the hypotheses and used to respond to the research questions. The results of this investigation showed that both Swedes and Hispanos were more polite when speaking Spanish with Swedes, although the Hispanos are shown to generally be more polite. Although answering every research question, the results proved only the final hipothesis, effectively rendering the first two hypotheses incorrect.

Spännbalksystem är ett stomsystem helt i betong, där en platsgjuten platta samverkar med prefabricerade förspända balkar. Systemet används bland annat vid olika parkeringshusbyggnationer som gynnas av stora spännvidder och få pelare. Metoden genererar ett mer hållbart stomsystem på grund av mindre materialåtgång och längre livslängd. Slutprognoser från parkeringshusbyggnationer visar att det är svårt att uppnå de kalkylerade enhetstiderna för valvbyggnation där spännbalksystem har använts. Prognoserna visar att byggtiderna har blivit längre och att kostnaderna har ökat på grund av rörligakostnader så som till exempel mark- och maskinhyra. Formhyran vid valvbyggnation upptar en stor del av kostnaden för entreprenören. Det ligger i både entreprenörens och beställarens intresse att minska osäkerheten och avvikelserna från kalkylen i projektet. Därför har en fallstudie genomförts. Två olika studieobjekt har undersökts som benämns Ö1 och V1; Östergötland 1 och Västmanland 1. Fallstudieföretaget är verksamt inom både hus- och anläggningsprojekt i norden. Fallstudieföretaget har en lång erfarenhet från parkeringshusbyggnationer med spännbalkssystem. En processkartläggning har genomförts av de två studieobjekten som båda har haft en projektsumma på strax över 100 miljoner kronor och har genererat över 400 parkeringsplatser. En separat gjutetapp för valv har studerats för Ö1 och V1 där arbetsmomenten vid valvbyggnation har specialstuderats. Vid arbetsmomenten har begränsning, slöseri och beslutsfattande kartlagts och analyserats med litteratur avseende Lean Construction och flakhalsteori. En logistiker på fallstudieföretaget intervjuades för att validera metoden och resultaten i detta arbete. Förbättringsförslag framtogs med avseende på kostnadsbesparingar och produktivitetsökningar. Förslagen avser främst personalförsörjning och produktionsplanering.  En ny tankemodell har framtagits. Den visar hur produktionsstrategin och beslutsfattande från tidigare processer påverkar varandra och kan generera flaskhalsar och slöserier i produktionen. Om oönskade slöserier och flaskhalsar uppstår måste nya beslut fattas vilket innebär att produktionsstrategin måste förändras. Flaskhals, slöseri och beslutsfattande är ömsesidigt beroende av varandra och är svåra att isolera var och för sig. Begränsningen i studien är att det endast har gjorts observationer hos ett fallstudieföretag. Processkartläggningen är därmed inte representativ för alla valvbyggnationer med spännbalkssystem i nya parkeringshus. Det kan finnas andra aktörer på marknaden som använder sig av andra processer som inte är kartlagda i detta examensarbete.      Min hypotes med att implementera Lean Construction inom byggnation av parkeringshus med spännbalksystem har visat sig användbar för att minimera kostnader och öka effektiviteten.

This study investigates the experiences of a minority group regarding the fulfilment and implementation of their minority rights within a local context. It explores the impact of this implementation on the affected minority group's trust in the political institution responsible for its execution. The research specifically focuses on examining the minority rights of Swede-Finns residing in Örebro municipality, which is an administrative area with extended minority rights for this group. The study employed qualitative interviews conducted with Swede-Finns living in Örebro municipality, followed by transcription and thematic text analysis of the interview data. In terms of theoretical perspectives, an institutional micro-perspective was adopted to interpret and analyze the results related to trust. Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy and Lundqvist's theory of implementation were utilized to interpret and analyze the minority group's experiences with implementation. The findings reveal significant deficiencies in the implementation of minority rights across various areas as perceived by the minority group. Furthermore, the results suggest that the group's trust in the political institution responsible for implementation has been undermined due to the perceived long-standing failure to deliver and the perception that minority rights are not taken seriously within the local context. / <p>2023-06-01</p>

High pressure processing is a food preservation technique which can be an alternative to heat treatment. Pressurization, in theory, produces changes in organoleptic properties and antioxidant compounds to a lesser extent. The objective of the present dissertation has been to study the effect of high pressure processing on oxidative processes and their relation to the organoleptic qualities of diced swede and packaged sliced ham. The results have pointed to pressurization at 600 MPa, and produce an effective decontamination is that which causes less loss of compounds or antioxidant properties. For swede, this pressure level also caused a minor modification of the organoleptic qualities. This dissertation has also shown that depending on feed composition, the effect of pressurization on the organoleptic qualities can be diametrically opposite. / La aplicación de altas presiones hidrostáticas es una técnica de conservación de alimentos que puede ser una alternativa al tratamiento térmico. La presurización, en teoría, produce una menor modificación de las propiedades organolépticas y de los compuestos antioxidantes. En el presente trabajo se ha estudiado el efecto de las altas presiones hidrostáticas en los procesos oxidativos y su relación con las cualidades organolépticas del nabo troceado y del jamón curado empaquetado loncheado. Los resultados obtenidos han apuntado a que la presurización a 600 MPa, además de producir una descontaminación efectiva, es la que causa una menor pérdida de compuestos o propiedades antioxidantes. En el caso del nabo, esta presión también es la que ocasiona una menor modificación de las cualidades organolépticas. En el presente trabajo también se ha observado que en función de la composición del alimento, el efecto de la presurización en las cualidades organolépticas puede ser diametralmente opuesto.