The nuclear envelope forms the interface between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The nuclear envelope consists of the two concentric lipid membranes, the nuclear pores and the nuclear lamina. The inner nuclear membrane contains hundreds of unique transmembrane proteins showing high tissue diversity. Mutations of some proteins in the nuclear envelope give rise to a broad spectrum of diseases called envelopathies or laminopathies. In this thesis, I aimed to study the functional organization of the nuclear envelope by identifying and characterizing interactions between the nuclear envelope proteins. For this, we developed a novel method called the Membrane Protein Crosslink Immuno-Precipitation, which enable identification of protein-protein interactions in the nuclear envelope in live cells. We identified several novel interactions of the inner nuclear membrane protein, Samp1, and studied the interaction between the Samp1 and the nuclear GTPase, Ran in detail. Samp1 can bind to Ran and is thus the first known transmembrane Ran binding protein and Samp1 might provide a local binding site for Ran in the inner nuclear membrane. We found that Samp1 also binds to the inner nuclear membrane protein, Emerin and Ran can regulate the Samp1-Emerin interaction in the nuclear envelope. During mitosis, Samp1 distributes in the mitotic spindle. Therefore, we investigated a possible functional role of Samp1 in the mitotic machinery. Samp1 depletion resulted in aneuploid phenotypes, metaphase prolongation and decreased distribution of γ-tubulin and β-tubulin in the mitotic spindle. We found that Samp1 can bind to γ-tubulin, which is essential for the microtubule nucleation and hence for the spindle stability. The new interesting features of Samp1 provide insights on the unforeseen functions of the nuclear envelope proteins. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

New and more efficient magnetic materials for energy applications are a big necessity for sustainable future. Whether the application is energy conversion or refrigeration, materials based on sustainable elements should be used, which discards all rare earth elements. For energy conversion, permanent magnets with high magnetisation and working temperature are needed whereas for refrigeration, the entropy difference between the non-magnetised and magnetised states should be large. For this reason, magnetic materials have been synthesised with high temperature methods and structurally and magnetically characterised with the aim of making a material with potential for large scale applications. To really determine the cause of the physical properties the connections between structure (crystalline and magnetic) and, mainly, the magnetic properties have been studied thoroughly. The materials that have been studied have all been iron based and exhibit properties with potential for the applications in mind. The first system, for permanent magnet applications, was Fe5SiB2. It was found to be unsuitable for a permanent magnet, however, an interesting magnetic behaviour was studied at low temperatures. The magnetic behaviour arose from a change in the magnetic structure which was solved by using neutron diffraction. Substitutions with phosphorus (Fe5Si1-xPxB2) and cobalt (Fe1-xCox)5PB2 were then performed to improve the permanent magnet potential. While the permanent magnetic potential was not improved with cobalt substitutions the magnetic transition temperature could be greatly controlled, a real benefit for magnetic refrigeration. For this purpose AlFe2B2 was also studied, and there it was found, conclusively, that the material undergoes a second order transition, making it unsuitable for magnetic cooling. However, the magnetic structure was solved with two different methods and was found to be ferromagnetic with all magnetic moments aligned along the crystallographic a-direction. Lastly, the origin of magnetic cooling was studied in Fe2P, and can be linked to the interactions between the magnetic and atomic vibrations.

This thesis discusses methods for the comparatively mild covalent functionalization of graphene. Several graphene models were investigated: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-graphene on SiO2/Si substrate, graphite foil, graphite flakes, kish graphite and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. The PAHs were viewed as graphene edge analogs with the following molecules representing different edge motifs: pyrene, perylene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[e]pyrene, triphenylene, acenapthylene, and anthracene. Ozone was used in combination with different solvents to functionalize PAHs, graphite, and CVD-graphene on SiO2/Si. Ozonation in water or methanol resulted in trapping of the carbonyl oxide intermediate that was formed in the reaction, producing a variety of functional groups. Ozonation in hydrogen peroxide solution with sonication promoted radical formation, possibly resulting in edge-oxidation of graphite. The regioselectivity for addition reactions (ozonolysis) and electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions with graphene edges is discussed. To achieve functionalization of the basal plane of graphite or graphene, white light irradiation was used in combination with several transfer hydrogenation reagents. Formic acid treatment under irradiation resulted in the expected hydrogenation, whereas iso-propanol treatment resulted in iso-propanol attachment to the graphene. The developed methods provide opportunities for graphene functionalization without the need for metal based reagents or harsh conditions.

This thesis deals with the copper-catalyzed substitution of allylic substrates. In the first part of this thesis, the synthesis of a series of metallocenethiolates is described. The thiolates were examined as ligands in the enantioselective copper(I)-catalyzed γ-substitution of allylic acetates. The second part describes a study on copper-catalyzed α-substitution of enantiomerically pure secondary allylic esters. It was observed that the degree of chirality transfer is strongly dependent on the reaction temperature. The loss of chiral information is consistent with an equilibration of the allylCu(III) intermediates prior to product formation, which is essential in order to realize a copper-catalyzed dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation process. The third part describes a study on copper-catalyzed stereoselective α-substitution of enantiopure acyclic allylic esters. This method, when combined, with ruthenium and enzyme catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution of allylic alcohols, provides a straightforward route to pharmaceutically important α-methyl carboxylic acids. The fourth part is a mechanistic study on the reaction of perfluoroallyl iodide with organocuprates. Experimental studies as well as theoretical calculations were used to explain the contrasting reactivity of perfluoroallyl iodide vs. allyl iodide in cuprate allylation reactions. In the fifth part, the development of a practical and useful method for the preparation of pentasubstituted acylferrocenes is presented.

This thesis deals with the impact of hydrogen bonding on the properties of phenols. The possibility for tyrosine to form hydrogen bonds to other amino acids has been found to be important for its function as an electron transfer mediator in a number of important redox enzymes. This study has focused on modeling the function of tyrosine in Photosystem II, a crucial enzyme in the photosynthetic pathway of green plants. Hydrogen bonds between phenol and amines in both inter- and intramolecular systems have been studied with quantum chemical calculations and also in some solid-state structures involving phenol and imidazole. Different phenols linked to amines have been synthesized and their possibilities of forming intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds have been studied as well as the thermodynamics and kinetics of the generation of phenoxyl radicals via oxidation reactions. Since carboxylates may in principle act as hydrogen bond acceptors in a manner similar to imidazole, proton coupled electron transfer has also been studied for a few phenols intramolecularly hydrogen bonded to carboxylates with the aim to elucidate the mechanism for oxidation. Electron transfer in a new linked phenol—ruthenium(II)trisbipyridine complex was studied as well. The knowledge is important for the ultimate goal of the project, which is to transform solar energy into a fuel by an artificial mimic of the natural photosynthetic apparatus

Syftet med studien var att tillsammans med några förskolepedagoger utveckla en verksamhets fysik- och kemiundervisning, för att på så sätt kunna bidra med en metod för hur fysik- och kemiundervisningen i förskolan skulle kunna bedrivas. Studien hade en aktionsforskningsinspirerad ansats och för att få svar på studiens frågeställningar användes semistrukturerade gruppintervjuer. Tre frågeställningar skapades för att på så sätt kunna svara på studiens syfte: Vilket utvecklingsområde identifierar vi tillsammans med förskolepedagogerna i verksamhetens fysik- och kemiundervisning, Hur kan vi tillsammans med förskolepedagogerna planera och genomföra aktionen samt Hur beskriver förskolepedagogerna sina upplevelser från aktionens process. För att kunna analysera studiens resultat har resultatet satts i förhållande till utvecklingspedagogiken och pragmatismen. Studiens resultat visade att förskolepedagogerna önskade att fortsätta det naturvetenskapliga arbetet i verksamheten med hjälp av experiment. För att kunna utveckla fysik- och kemiundervisningen skapades därför ett experimenthäfte, Förskolans lilla experimenthandbok, för att kunna ge förskolepedagogerna stöd i det fortsatta arbetet. Experimenthäftet utvecklades från förskolepedagogernas önskemål samt tidigare forskning. Efter att aktionen genomförts beskrev förskolepedagogerna att de upplevde experiment som en givande metod i fysik- och kemiundervisningen. Förskolepedagogerna upplevde att det var till hjälp att få ett färdigt material att utgå från och att förskolebarnen utvecklade en begreppsuppfattning, vilket sågs som betydelsefullt inför framtiden. Förskolepedagogerna upplevde dock att en stor barngrupp och tidsbrist försvårade arbetet med fysik och kemi under aktionen. Studiens utgång blev därmed att trots förskolepedagogerna hade flera positiva upplevelser från aktionen blev det ändå slutligen verksamhetens förutsättningar som fick avgöra om arbetet utfördes eller ej.

The aim of this licentiate thesis is to contribute to understanding of upper secondary teaching and learning of protein synthesis with a focus on domain-specific language. It is based on two studies, designated Studies I and II. Study I addressed upper secondary students’ understanding of protein synthesis through their usage of domain-specific concepts. Data collected through semi-structured group interviews show that students can better reason about core concepts than peripheral concepts, and they compartmentalise the concepts into five clusters. Study II focused on chemistry and biology textbooks’ presentation of protein synthesis through domain-specific concept usage and effects of context on these presentations. The textbooks were analysed using a content analysis approach involving data mining techniques implemented by a computer-generated algorithm. The results reveal that chemistry textbooks focus more on peripheral concepts and generally tend to identify fewer relationships among more concepts than biology textbooks, which emphasise core concepts and tend to highlight more relationships among fewer concepts. Jointly, Studies I and II reveal four facets of teaching and learning protein synthesis: ‘mechanistic or conceptual descriptions’, ‘compartmentalisation’, ‘mRNA as a core concept’ and ‘canonical representation’. By acknowledging the results reported herein, teaching can improve the facilitation and reduce the hindrance in learning protein synthesis through the awareness of the domain-specific language usage. / Proteins are crucial to life: no proteins – no life. Every picosecond, thousands of proteins are constructed in each cell in what is referred to as protein synthesis. Due to its importance for understanding the mechanism for life, protein synthesis is globally regarded as a cornerstone of molecular life sciences and education in the field. Like any area of expertise, the molecular life sciences share a domain-specific language. However, research on teaching and learning protein synthesis through this domain-specific language is scarce. The aim of this licentiate thesis is thereby to contribute to understanding of upper secondary teaching and learning of protein synthesis with a focus on domain-specific language. The thesis is based on two studies: Study I addressed students’ understanding where the results show that students can better reason about core concepts than peripheral concepts, and they compartmentalise the concepts into five clusters. Study II focused on chemistry and biology textbooks’ presentation and effects of context on these presentations. The results reveal that chemistry textbooks focus more on peripheral concepts and generally tend to identify fewer relationships among more concepts than biology textbooks, which emphasise core concepts and tend to highlight more relationships among fewer concepts. Jointly, Studies I and II reveal four facets of teaching and learning protein synthesis. By acknowledging the results reported herein, teaching can improve the facilitation and reduce the hindrance in learning protein synthesis through the awareness of the domain-specific language usage.

Microplastic is a widespread pollutant in marine and fresh water systems. A major pathway by which microplastics end up in these systems is via storm water. Storm water is generated as precipitation drain off of impenetrable surfaces like paving. Microplastic analysis of storm water make up a good foundation for better understanding what sources and factors contribute to microplastic pollution in marine and fresh water systems. This study puts emphasis on characterization and quantification of microplastics through visual characterization. As visual characterization is a subjective form of analysis, the characterization was performed based on guidelines in order to minimize the risk of identifying false positives. The concentration of microplastic was found to be higher in the current study than in comparison to larger water bodies and storm water streams in less urban areas. Fragments, i.e. irregular shaped particles with the appearance of being broken from a larger piece of litter, were found to be the most abundant type of microplastics, pointing at littering as a major source of microplastics in storm water.

There is an alarming increase of explosions with devastating consequences, the ultimate being loss of life. Furthermore, these kinds of substances have a toxic effect on animals, nature and humans if they are incorrectly disposed. In order to counteract the rising trend and increase the feeling of security within the society, the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) has started a new project which in the future might be used by the police in order to prevent possible terrorist attacks. The aim with this new project is to perform trace analysis of explosives in wastewater in order to receive an indication of where illegal production of explosives takes place. This method has the potential to be used for other matrixes, such as soil instead of wastewater or other water matrixes, thereby exposing possible harmful and contaminated places.   The aim with this thesis was to develop a method for an Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) instrument in order to perform trace analysis of explosives in wastewater. Furthermore, the aim was also to develop a method for an automated solid phase extraction (SPE) instrument for sample clean-up. Lastly mass spectrometry was performed with a triple-quadrupole. A performance analysis was made for the developed UHPLC-method which resulted in a good repeatability. Furthermore, several experiments were conducted on the SPE-instrument in order to receive a yield close to 100%. The different experiments included comparison between the most beneficial eluent, volume of eluent and evaporation step. The highest yield was received with 3 ml acetonitrile without any evaporation step. A performance analysis was made of the developed method for the SPE-robot, which resulted in a good accuracy and precision. In hopes of lowering the detection limit, mass spectrometry was conducted by a preciously validated instrument based at FOI. A lower detection limit was received for all substances; R-salt 0,025 µg/ml, TNT 0,094 µg/ml and PETN 0,103 µg/ml.

This project aims to investigate whether it is possible to detect consentrations down to 0,3 µg/L of oseltamirir in waste water by Quartz Crystal Microbalance. The risks linked to this contaminant could be not only environmental, scientists have found that infuence recistence can propagate due to contaminats of this kind. Cases similar to the bird- and swine-flu could occure if the drug spreads through animals and mutate.   Four systems of different character was synthesised. As a result it was found that MAA functional monomer systems probably was interfering with charges within it’s own nanowires. Reference systems could not detect 0,01 mg/mL and HEMA polymer surfaces was the only reliable system, pH of 5,1. Lowest limit of detection (LOD) was found in Molecular Imprinted Polymer nanowires (MIP Nw) at 0,01 mg/mL and could be scaled down to 0,1 mg/L with increased loop size (injection at 10x that of 0,01 mg/mL at about 500 µL and a halved flow rate.)   An alternative could be nano structuring such as ”polystyrene balls” that possibly could be able to achieve surfaces with even more binding sites needed to detect the lowest limit at 0,3 µg/L.