Global modeling of gross primary production (GPP) is a critical component of climate change research. On local scales, GPP can be assessed from measuring CO₂ exchange above the plant canopy using tower-based eddy covariance (EC) systems. The limited footprint inherent to this method however, restricts observations to relatively few discrete areas making continuous predictions of global CO₂ fluxes difficult. Recently, the advent of high resolution optical remote sensing devices has offered new possibilities to address some of the scaling issues related to GPP using remote sensing. One key component for inferring GPP spectrally is the efficiency (ε) with which plants can use absorbed photosynthetically active radiation to produce biomass. While recent years have seen progress in measuring ε using the photochemical reflectance index (PRI), little is known about the temporal and spatial requirements for up-scaling these findings continuously throughout the landscape. Satellite observations of canopy reflectance are subject to view and illumination effects induced by the bi-directional reflectance distribution function(BRDF) which can confound the desired PRI signal. Further uncertainties include dependencies of PRI on canopy structure, understorey, species composition and leaf pigment concentration. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of these factors on PRI to facilitate the modeling of GPP in a continuous fashion. Canopy spectra were sampled over a one-year period using an automated tower-based, multi-angular spectroradiometer platform (AMSPEC), designed to sample high spectral resolution data. The wide range of illumination and viewing geometries seen by the instrument permitted comprehensive modeling of the BRDF. Isolation of physiologically induced changes in PRI yielded a high correlation (r²=0.82, p<0.05) to EC-measured ε, thereby demonstrating the capability of PRI to model ε throughout the year. The results were extrapolated to the landscape scale using airborne laser-scanning (light detection and ranging, LiDAR) and high correlations were found between remotely-sensed and EC-measured GPP (r²>0.79, p<0.05). Permanently established tower-based canopy reflectance measurements are helpful for ongoing research aimed at up-scaling ε to landscape and global scales and facilitate a better understanding of physiological cycles of vegetation and serve as a calibration tool for broader band satellite observations.

Global modeling of gross primary production (GPP) is a critical component of climate change research. On local scales, GPP can be assessed from measuring CO₂ exchange above the plant canopy using tower-based eddy covariance (EC) systems. The limited footprint inherent to this method however, restricts observations to relatively few discrete areas making continuous predictions of global CO₂ fluxes difficult. Recently, the advent of high resolution optical remote sensing devices has offered new possibilities to address some of the scaling issues related to GPP using remote sensing. One key component for inferring GPP spectrally is the efficiency (ε) with which plants can use absorbed photosynthetically active radiation to produce biomass. While recent years have seen progress in measuring ε using the photochemical reflectance index (PRI), little is known about the temporal and spatial requirements for up-scaling these findings continuously throughout the landscape. Satellite observations of canopy reflectance are subject to view and illumination effects induced by the bi-directional reflectance distribution function(BRDF) which can confound the desired PRI signal. Further uncertainties include dependencies of PRI on canopy structure, understorey, species composition and leaf pigment concentration. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of these factors on PRI to facilitate the modeling of GPP in a continuous fashion. Canopy spectra were sampled over a one-year period using an automated tower-based, multi-angular spectroradiometer platform (AMSPEC), designed to sample high spectral resolution data. The wide range of illumination and viewing geometries seen by the instrument permitted comprehensive modeling of the BRDF. Isolation of physiologically induced changes in PRI yielded a high correlation (r²=0.82, p<0.05) to EC-measured ε, thereby demonstrating the capability of PRI to model ε throughout the year. The results were extrapolated to the landscape scale using airborne laser-scanning (light detection and ranging, LiDAR) and high correlations were found between remotely-sensed and EC-measured GPP (r²>0.79, p<0.05). Permanently established tower-based canopy reflectance measurements are helpful for ongoing research aimed at up-scaling ε to landscape and global scales and facilitate a better understanding of physiological cycles of vegetation and serve as a calibration tool for broader band satellite observations.

Global modeling of gross primary production (GPP) is a critical component of climate change research. On local scales, GPP can be assessed from measuring CO₂ exchange above the plant canopy using tower-based eddy covariance (EC) systems. The limited footprint inherent to this method however, restricts observations to relatively few discrete areas making continuous predictions of global CO₂ fluxes difficult. Recently, the advent of high resolution optical remote sensing devices has offered new possibilities to address some of the scaling issues related to GPP using remote sensing. One key component for inferring GPP spectrally is the efficiency (ε) with which plants can use absorbed photosynthetically active radiation to produce biomass. While recent years have seen progress in measuring ε using the photochemical reflectance index (PRI), little is known about the temporal and spatial requirements for up-scaling these findings continuously throughout the landscape. Satellite observations of canopy reflectance are subject to view and illumination effects induced by the bi-directional reflectance distribution function(BRDF) which can confound the desired PRI signal. Further uncertainties include dependencies of PRI on canopy structure, understorey, species composition and leaf pigment concentration. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of these factors on PRI to facilitate the modeling of GPP in a continuous fashion. Canopy spectra were sampled over a one-year period using an automated tower-based, multi-angular spectroradiometer platform (AMSPEC), designed to sample high spectral resolution data. The wide range of illumination and viewing geometries seen by the instrument permitted comprehensive modeling of the BRDF. Isolation of physiologically induced changes in PRI yielded a high correlation (r²=0.82, p<0.05) to EC-measured ε, thereby demonstrating the capability of PRI to model ε throughout the year. The results were extrapolated to the landscape scale using airborne laser-scanning (light detection and ranging, LiDAR) and high correlations were found between remotely-sensed and EC-measured GPP (r²>0.79, p<0.05). Permanently established tower-based canopy reflectance measurements are helpful for ongoing research aimed at up-scaling ε to landscape and global scales and facilitate a better understanding of physiological cycles of vegetation and serve as a calibration tool for broader band satellite observations. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

O aumento constante da demanda por sistemas computacionais cada vez mais eficientes tem motivado a busca por sistemas híbridos customizados compostos por GPP (General Purpose Processor), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Array) e GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). Quando utilizados em conjunto possibilitam otimizar a relação entre desempenho e consumo de energia. Tais sistemas dependem de técnicas que façam o mapeamento mais adequado considerando o perfil do código fonte. Nesse sentido, este projeto propõe uma técnica para realizar o mapeamento entre GPP e FPGA. Para isso, utilizou-se como base uma abordagem de mineração de dados que avalia a similaridade entre código fonte. A técnica aqui desenvolvida obteve taxas de acertos de 65,67% para códigos sintetizados para FPGA com a ferramenta LegUP e 59,19% para Impulse C, considerando que para GPP o código foi compilado com o GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) utilizando o suporte a OpenMP. Os resultados demonstraram que esta abordagem pode ser empregada como um ponto de decisão inicial no processo de mapeamento em sistemas híbridos, somente analisando o perfil do código fonte sem que haja a necessidade de execução do mesmo para a tomada de decisão. / The steady increasing on demand for efficient computer systems has been motivated the search for customized hybrid systems composed by GPP (general purpose processors), FPGAs (Field- Programmable Gate Array) and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). When they are used together allow to exploit their computing resources to optimize performance and power consumption. Such systems rely on techniques make the most appropriate mapping considering the profile of source code. Thus, this project proposes a technique to perform the mapping between GPP and FPGA. For this, it is applied a technique based on a data mining approach that evaluates the similarity between source code. The proposed method obtained hit rate 65.67% for codes synthesized in FPGA using LegUP tool and 59.19% for Impulse C tool, whereas for GPP, the source code was compiled on GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) using OpenMP. The results demonstrated that this approach can be used as an initial decision point on the mapping process in hybrid systems, only analyzing the profile of the source code without the need for implementing it for decision-making.

O aumento constante da demanda por sistemas computacionais cada vez mais eficientes tem motivado a busca por sistemas híbridos customizados compostos por GPP (General Purpose Processor), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Array) e GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). Quando utilizados em conjunto possibilitam otimizar a relação entre desempenho e consumo de energia. Tais sistemas dependem de técnicas que façam o mapeamento mais adequado considerando o perfil do código fonte. Nesse sentido, este projeto propõe uma técnica para realizar o mapeamento entre GPP e FPGA. Para isso, utilizou-se como base uma abordagem de mineração de dados que avalia a similaridade entre código fonte. A técnica aqui desenvolvida obteve taxas de acertos de 65,67% para códigos sintetizados para FPGA com a ferramenta LegUP e 59,19% para Impulse C, considerando que para GPP o código foi compilado com o GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) utilizando o suporte a OpenMP. Os resultados demonstraram que esta abordagem pode ser empregada como um ponto de decisão inicial no processo de mapeamento em sistemas híbridos, somente analisando o perfil do código fonte sem que haja a necessidade de execução do mesmo para a tomada de decisão. / The steady increasing on demand for efficient computer systems has been motivated the search for customized hybrid systems composed by GPP (general purpose processors), FPGAs (Field- Programmable Gate Array) and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). When they are used together allow to exploit their computing resources to optimize performance and power consumption. Such systems rely on techniques make the most appropriate mapping considering the profile of source code. Thus, this project proposes a technique to perform the mapping between GPP and FPGA. For this, it is applied a technique based on a data mining approach that evaluates the similarity between source code. The proposed method obtained hit rate 65.67% for codes synthesized in FPGA using LegUP tool and 59.19% for Impulse C tool, whereas for GPP, the source code was compiled on GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) using OpenMP. The results demonstrated that this approach can be used as an initial decision point on the mapping process in hybrid systems, only analyzing the profile of the source code without the need for implementing it for decision-making.

Rapid climate change in Arctic regions is of concern due to important feedbacks between the Arctic land surface and the global climate system. A large amount of organic carbon (C) is currently stored in Arctic soils; if decomposition is stimulated under warmer conditions additional release of CO2 could result in an accelerating feedback on global climate. The strength and direction of Arctic C cycle - climate feedbacks will depend on the growth response of vegetation; if plant growth increases some or all of the extra CO2 emissions may be offset. Currently the Arctic is thought to be a small net sink for CO2, the expected balance of terrestrial C sinks and sources in the future is unknown. In this thesis I explore some of the critical unknowns in current understanding of C cycle dynamics in Arctic vegetation. Quantifying gross primary productivity (GPP) over regional scales is complicated by large spatial heterogeneity in plant functional type (PFT) in Arctic vegetation. I use data from five Arctic sites to test the generality of a relationship between leaf area index (LAI) and canopy total foliar nitrogen (TFN). LAI and TFN are key drivers of GPP and are tightly constrained across PFTs in Low Arctic Alaska and Sweden, therefore greatly simplifying the task of up-scaling. I use data from Greenland, Barrow and Svalbard to asses the generality of the LAI-TFN relationship in predicting GPP at higher Arctic latitudes. Arctic ecosystems are unique among biomes in the large relative contribution of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) to plant biomass. The contribution of bryophytes to ecosystem function has been relatively understudied and they are poorly represented in terrestrial C models. I use ground based measurements in Northern Sweden to fill an existing data gap by quantifying CO2 fluxes from bryophytes patches in early spring and summer, and develop a simple model of bryophyte GPP. Using the model I compare bryophyte GPP to that of vascular plants before, during and after the summer growing season, finding that productive bryophyte patches can contribute up to 90 % of modelled annual GPP for typical vascular plant communities at the same site, and that the relative magnitude of bryophyte GPP is greatest in spring whilst the vascular plant canopy is still developing. Understanding how GPP relates to plant growth is important in relating remotely sensed increases in Arctic ‘greenness’ to changes in plant C stocks. I use a 13C pulselabelling techniques to follow the fate of recently fixed C in mixed vascular and bryophyte vegetation, with a focus on quantifying the contribution of bryophytes to ecosystem carbon use efficiency (CUE). I show that bryophytes contribute significantly to GPP in mixed vegetation, and act to increase ecosystem CUE. I highlight the importance of including bryophytes, which do not have roots, in aboveground: belowground partitioning schemes in C models. To further explore C turnover in bryophytes, I use the results of a second 13C labelling experiment to develop a model of C turnover in two contrasting Arctic mosses (Polytrichum piliferum and Sphagnum fuscum). I find significant differences in C turnover between Polytrichum piliferum which respires or translocates about 80 % of GPP, while Sphagnum fuscum respires 60 %. This analysis is the first to explicitly model differences in C partitioning between Arctic bryophyte species. Finally, I discuss the implications of each chapter for our understanding of Arctic C dynamics, and suggest areas for further research.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The net exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and the ecosystem (NEE), represent the balance of the ecosystem respiration (Reco) and gross primary production (GPP), which are directly related to temperature and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) respectively. Studies related to the exchange of CO2 between ecosystems and atmosphere has been conducted in different ecosystems, with the objective of finding the contribution of different ecosystems to the atmospheric CO2. For this it is important to have a continuous data series. However, these series may fail causing gaps in time series data. Here, were studied gapfilling techniques( multiple linear regression , nonlinear regressions , Look-up Tables, Mean diurnal variation and Neural networks) and the technique of non-linear regressions excel the other, it is indicated to fill the gaps when available variables weather temperature and radiation, not available when these forcings , advise the use of Mean Diurnal variation . Three years of CO2 fluxes over irrigated rice were used to compare the techniques: two years at the Cachoeira do Sul site and one year at Paraiso do Sul site, both located at Rio Grande do Sul. As a result of gapfilling by nonlinear regression, NEE was estimated to be -92 ± 80gC / m² (2010/2011) and 429 ± 188gC / m² (2011/2012), for Cachoeira do Sul and -43 ± 72gC / m² (2003/2004), for Paraíso do Sul. / As trocas líquidas de CO2 entre a atmosfera e o ecossistema (NEE) representam o balanço entre a respiração do ecossistema (Reco) e a produção primaria bruta (GPP), que estão diretamente relacionados à temperatura e a radiação fotossinteticamente ativa (PAR), respectivamente. Estudos relacionados às trocas de CO2 entre ecossistemas e a atmosfera têm sido realizados em diferentes sítios experimentais com o objetivo de conhecer quanto cada ecossistema contribui para o CO2 atmosférico. Para tanto, é importante ter uma série de dados contínuos. Conquanto, estas séries podem apresentar falhas, gerando lacunas nas séries temporais dos dados, que devem ser preenchidas. Neste trabalho, foram estudas técnicas de preenchimento de dados (Regressões lineares múltiplas, Regressões não lineares, Look-up Tables, Mean diurnal variation), Redes neurais para estimativa do NEE anual sobre culturas de arroz irrigado no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Foram utilizados três anos de dados de NEE coletados em dois anos para o sítio de Cachoeira do Sul e um ano para Paraíso do Sul. As diferentes técnicas foram avaliadas através da incerteza e do calculo do erro na estimativa do NEE para lacunas artificiais de cada técnica. A técnica de regressões não lineares mostrou-se mais adequada, sendo indicada para o preenchimento das falhas quando disponíveis as variáveis meteorológicas de temperatura e radiação. Quando não disponíveis, o uso da Mean diurnal variation é aconselhada. Como resultado do preenchimento de dados por meio da técnica de Regressão não linear, foram estimados os seguintes valores acumulados de carbono: -92 ± 80gC / m² (2010/2011) e 429 ± 188gC / m² (2011/2012), para Cachoeira do Sul e -43 ± 72gC / m² (2003/2004), para Paraíso do Sul.

Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) are one of the most fascinating, but least understood ecosystems in the world, and the interest in the carbon (C) cycle of TMCFs with regard to carbon sequestration and storage practices has increased rapidly in recent years. One feature that prevails in all TMCFs is a decrease in aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and standing biomass and leaf area index (LAI) with increasing altitude, together with the stunted growth form of the trees. This thesis focuses on the input part of the TMCF C-cycle, and investigates the controlling factors on photosynthesis on a leaf, canopy, and ecosystem level in the Kosñipata valley in south east Peru, on the eastern slope of the Andes (13º11’28’’S / 71º35’24’’W). Leaf traits are known to relate to foliar C-exchange, and compared with other altitudinal transect studies of TMCFs, the studied sites had similar altitudinal trends for foliar nitrogen (N) content (though not for phosphorus) and leaf mass per area (LMA), with N content decreasing and LMA increasing with altitude. N concentrations were relatively high and LMA values relatively low, but this observed relationship was consistent with those found in global leaf trait surveys. Examining plant stoichiometry (i.e. N:P ratios), the data suggests that unlike the general hypothesis, the Kosñipata forests are not N limited, except for the study site at 2990 m a.s.l. At the 2990 m a.s.l. site, which is the focal study site of the thesis, photosynthetic parameters Vcmax (the carboxylation efficiency of the Rubisco protein) and Jmax (the electron transport efficiency) proved to be similar to those found in lowland tropical rainforest leaves when expressed on an area basis and standardised to 25 °C (55.6 ± 2.6 and 106.5 ± 5.2 mmol m-2 s-1, for Vcmax and Jmax, respectively). However, when standardised to the mean ambient TMCF temperature of 12.5 °C, both photosynthetic parameters were much lower than ambient tropical rainforest Vcmax and Jmax values. The TMCF Jmax -Vcmax relationships were steeper than found in other tropical biomes, indicating a possible adaptation to the lower light availability in TMCFs because of frequent cloud cover, or a consequence of little atmospheric evaporative demand, which is also due to the humid conditions in this forest type. Although N-Vcmax relationships were significant (P<0.05), the fit was not very strong and the relationship between nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and Vcmax indicates that TMCF species can be regarded as a different plant functional type compared with other tropical forest types. Diurnal measurements of net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf water potential (Yleaf) showed that different TMCF species experienced non-contrasting diurnal patterns of Yleaf and gs in the dry season. The observed patterns suggest that some TMCF species can be classified as isohydric species, while others behave anisohydrically. Additionally, in situ gs was not very responsive to these to the range of experienced photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), vapour pressure deficit (VPD) or soil water content (SWC), leading to the conclusion that in the studied TMCF, drought stress does not play a role in C-uptake. When using the measured photosynthetic parameters for up-scaling C-uptake to stand scale with a Soil-Plant-Atmosphere model, simulated annual gross primary productivity (GPP) was 16.24 ±1.6 T C ha-1 yr-1, which is about half the GPP observed in neotropical lowland rainforests. Analyses of the modelled results showed that GPP in this TMCF is mostly controlled by temperature, PAR and leaf area index (LAI) and when increasing these three factors to values found in tropical lowland forest, GPP increased up to 75%. In addition, the modelled results indicate that hydraulic limitations on TMCF C-uptake are very unlikely under current climatic conditions. The modelled results also showed that increases in radiation as a result of less cloud cover do not translate to straightforward increases of GPP. The cloudy conditions of TMCFs, which reduced incident PAR in TMCFs, should therefore not be regarded simply as a negative control on TMCF GPP. Instead, the increase in fraction of diffuse radiation partially offsets the decrease in GPP following the reduction in PAR. Overall, the results of this study show that leaves of Andean TMCF forests have similar C-uptake capacity to tropical lowland rainforests when standardized to similar temperatures, but that for in situ C-uptake temperature, radiation and LAI are the key controls.

As the demands of communication systems have become more complex and varied, software defined radios (SDR) have become increasingly popular. With behavior that can be modified in software, SDR's provide a highly flexible and configurable development environment. Despite its programmable behavior, the maximum performance of an SDR is still rooted in its hardware. This limitation and the desire for the use of SDRs in different applications have led to the rise of various pieces of hardware to serve as SDR platforms. These platforms vary in aspects such as their performance limitations, implementation details, and cost. In this way the choice of SDR platform is not solely based on the cost of the hardware and should be closely examined before making a final decision. This thesis examines the various SDR platform families available on the market today and compares the advantages and disadvantages present for each during development. As many different types of hardware can be considered an option to successfully implement an SDR, this thesis specifically focuses on general purpose processors, system on chip, and field-programmable gate array implementations. When examining these SDR families, the Freescale BSC9131 is chosen to represent the system on chip implementation, while the Nutaq PicoSDR 2x2 Embedded with Virtex6 SX315 is used for the remaining two options. In order to test each of these platforms, a Viterbi algorithm is implemented on each and the performance measured. This performance measurement considers both how quickly the platform is able to perform the decoding, as well as its bit error rate performance in order to ascertain the implementations' accuracy. Other factors considered when comparing each platform are its flexibility and the amount of options available for development. After testing, the details of each implementation are discussed and guidelines for choosing a platform are suggested.

Grön offentlig upphandling är enligt studier och statliga rapporter ett kraftfullt bidragande verktyg i arbetet för en bättre miljö och hållbar framtid. Då det har möjligheten att direkt påverka en stor del av det aktiva flödet av miljövänliga produkter på marknaden. Trots dess betydelse så går arbetet långsamt. Flera studier undersöker de bakomliggande orsakerna till detta och lyfter fram flera barriärer och lösningar. Denna studie ämnar undersöka hur dessa barriärer ser ut hos sex kommunala upphandlare i fem olika Svenska kommuner, samt ställa det i förhållande till tidigare forskning. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med en intervjuguide som baseras på föregående studier. Utifrån svaren från respondenterna kunde det noterades skiftningar mellan barriärerna idag och de tidigare studierna. I denna studie diskuteras sju olika barriärer där kunskap spelar en central roll. Green public procurement is according to studies and official reports a powerful tool in the work for a better environment and sustainable future. This is because it has the ability to influence a big part of the flow of environmentally friendly products on the market. But the work goes slow despite its importance. Several studies have been done on the subject, where they present several barriers and solutions. This study will take a look at how these barriers is perceived by six different municipality procurement workers in five different Swedish municipalities today, as well as put this in perspective to previous studies. Qualitative interviews were performed with an interview guide based on previous studies. From the answers of the respondents a shift between barriers today and previous studies could be identified. This study discusses seven different barriers where knowledge play a central role.