The thesis was intended to fill the information gap in the ecohydrology of the Pinus rotundata dominated peatbogs in the Třeboň Basin Biosphere Reserve, Czech Republic by studying various aspects of their water régime (i.e., transpiration of the dominant tree species, soil water chemistry, retention ability). The study is based on regular monitoring of the water table, water discharge, soil water chemistry and precipitation (during 1995-2000, study sites Červené blato and Žofinka peatbogs). Additionally, the transpiration of adult Pinus rotundata trees was measured in the field during 1999-2000 at the experimental plot in the Červené blato peatbog (330 ha, 465-475 m a.s.l.). Nowadays, the Pinus rotundata-dominated peatbogs represent almost natural (peaty) forests inside of otherwise human-made forest plantations. Long-term vegetation changes after natural disturbances such as windstorms, insect infestation and fire are only occasionally reported for the central European natural forests. Therefore the evaluation of vegetation changes after disturbances, typical of boreal forests, and their impact on peatbog hydrology has also been included in this thesis (study site Žofinka peatbog, 130 ha, 470-475 m a.s.l.). Transpiration of the central European endemic tree species, Pinus rotundata Link, was...

O uso crescente de irrigação na cafeicultura devido ao cultivo em áreas com maior deficiência hídrica exige conhecimento sobre o consumo de água da cultura. Para contribuir para esse conhecimento, a evapotranspiração global do cafezal (ETc) e sua partição nos fluxos componentes evapotranspiração das linhas de cafeeiros (ETlin), evapotranspiração das entrelinhas (ETel) e a transpiração dos cafeeiros (T) foram determinadas em um cafezal de Coffea arabica cv. Obatã IAC-1669-20, cultivado em Piracicaba, SP, em espaçamento de 3,50 m x 0,90 m, irrigado por gotejamento e idade entre 3 a 4 anos, com medidas de setembro/04 a maio/05 e em setembro e outubro de 2005. ETc foi determinada pelo método de balanço de energia-razão de Bowen, ETlin por lisímetros de células de carga, sendo estes usados em vários períodos com o solo coberto com plástico para determinação direta da transpiração e para calibrar o método da sonda de dissipação térmica, usado na determinação do fluxo de seiva (FS) dos cafeeiros. Em abril-maio/05, FS foi usado como uma estimativa de T diária. ETc e componentes foram relacionados com a evapotranspiração de referência estimada pelos métodos de Penman- Monteith (ETo 1) e do tanque classe A (ETo 2). O calor latente de vaporização (LE) representou a maior fração na partição da energia disponível (saldo de radiação menos fluxo de calor no solo), com variação de 73 a 80 % ao longo dos meses, não se podendo descartar a contribuição de calor advectivo para os valores encontrados nos meses secos. ETc cresceu a partir de setembro/04 a fevereiro/05 (2,75 a 4,58 mm d-1), refletindo principalmente o incremento de área foliar e diminuindo, posteriormente, até maio/05 (3,13 mm d-1) com a diminuição da demanda atmosférica. Em setembro-outubro/05 os valores foram maiores (2,93 e 4,29 mm d-1) do que os observados no mesmo período em 2004, sendo o aumento da área foliar uma das responsáveis pelo fato. A relação ETc/ETo ("Kc global da cultura") foi maior quando calculada com ETo 1 do que com ETo 2, sendo os valores crescentes até janeiro/05 (1,20 com ETo 1 e 1,21 com ETo 2) mas com o menor valor em setembro/04 (0,67 e 0,54) e com diminuição da tendência de acréscimo em fevereiro/05 (1,17 e 0,73), provavelmente pela regulação estomática dos cafeeiros devido à alta demanda atmosférica nesses meses. A contribuição de ETlin para a ETc variou pouco entre setembro/04 e fevereiro/05 (24 % a 31 %), aumentando em março e abril (35 % e 40 %), valores esses próximos da proporção entre a área de solo coberta pelos cafeeiros e a área total (linhas+entrelinhas). A relação ETlin/ETo variou entre 0,20 (uso de ETo 1) e 0,16 (com ETo 2) em setembro/04 a 0,36-0,47 (com ETo 1) e 0,25-0,49 nos outros meses. A T dos cafeeiros por unidade de área foliar diminuiu com o aumento da área foliar. A relação T/ETlin variou de 72 % em fevereiro a 46 % em abril, sendo o valor de T/ETo ("Kc basal") variável entre 0,13 (com ETo 1) e 0,10 (com ETo 2) em setembro a 0,30 (independente do método de estimativa de ETo) em abril e maio/04, provavelmente refletindo a menor atividade fisiológica. / The increasing use of irrigation in coffee plantations in Brazil, due to the deplacement of the crop to areas where water deficit occurs, requires knowledge about crop water consumption. Aiming to know more about coffee plantation water consumption, daily crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and its partition in row evapotranspiration (ETrow), interrows evapotanspiration (ETint) and coffee plants transpiration (T) were determined in a drip-irrigated coffee plantation (cv. Obatã IAC-1669-20), cultivated at 3.5 m between rows and 0.9m between plants, in Piracicaba, São Paulo State, Brazil. The ET and wheater variables measurements were carried out from September 2004 to May 2005 and from September to October 2005. ETc was determined by he Bowen ratio-energy balance method, ETrow by load cell lysimeters and T with lysimeters with soil surface covered with plastic or by sap flow determined with the thermal dissipation probe method (TDP). Lysimeters were also used to calibrate the TDP method. So, sap flow was adopted as representative of coffee plants transpiration for 24-h period. ET and its components were related to the reference evapotranspiration, determined by Penman-Monteith (ETo 1) and Class-A pan (ETo 2) methods. Latent heat of vaporization (LE) represented the major fraction (73 a 80 %) of the available energy (net radiation less soil heat flux) along the months, but a contribution of advective heat flux in dry months must be considered for the observed values. ETc increased from September 2004 to February 2005 (from 2.75 to 4.58 mm d-1), which is reflecting the increase of coffee plants leaf area. From March to May 2005, ETc decreased according to the decrease of the atmospheric demand. In September and October 2005, ETc were greater, respectively, 2.93 and 4.29 mm d-1, than those observed in the same months of 2004 and, again the increase of leaf area was the responsable for these differences. ETc/ETo, defined as a "global Kc", was greater when determined with ETo 1 than when determined with ETo 2, increasing with the leaf area.from September 2004 (0.67 with ETo 1 and 0.54 with ETo 2) to January 2005 (1,20 and 1,21). In February Kc decreased to 1.17 (with ETo 1) and 0.73 (with ETo 2), probably as a consequence of the coffee plants stomatal control due to the high atmospheric demand. The contribution of ETrow to ETc varied between 25 % and 31 % for the period September 2004- February 2005, increasing in March and April 2005 (35 % and 40 %). These values were close to those observed for the ratio between the area of soil covered by coffee plants and the total area (rows+interrows). ETlin/ETo changed from 0.20 or 0.16 (using ETo 1 and ETo 2, respectively) in September 2004 to 0.36-0.47 (with ETo 1) or 0.25- 0.49 (with ETo 2) in the other months. Coffee plant transpiration per leaf area unit decresead with the increase of leaf area. T/ETrow changed from 0.72 (February) to 0.46 (April). T/ETo ("basal Kc") ranged from 0.13 (with ETo 1) or 0.10 (with ETo 2) in September 2004 to 0.30 (for both ETo 1 or ETo 2) in February, but decreased in April and May 2005, probably reflecting the decrease in the physiological activity of coffee plants.

A dendrocronologia constitui-se no estudo dos anéis de crescimento e sua sequencia cronológica, que pode trazer importantes informações a respeito do crescimento dos vegetais lenhosos e seu ambiente. No presente trabalho foram analisados os anéis de crescimento de Podocarpus lambertii em uma população situada em sua zona limite de distribuição, no município de Morro do Chapéu, estado da Bahia. O local apresenta condições diferenciadas, sendo uma elevação em meio a caatinga com afloramentos rochosos que formam estreitos corredores onde os exemplares da espécie se distribuem. Através da dendrocronologia foi construída uma cronologia de 73 anos com 19 indivíduos e 43 raios da população, comprovando a anualidade dos anéis da espécie e sua capacidade de intercorrelação e boa sensitividade, embora a presença de anéis confluentes e falsos tenha ocasionado dificuldades na datação. Essa cronologia é a primeira realizada com P. lambertii. Os resultados mostraram um lento desenvolvimento da espécie no local, como no exemplo de um indivíduo de apenas 12 cm de diâmetro de tronco e 104 anos de idade. Com relação ao clima, os anéis apresentaram grande influência deste fator, com o crescimento sendo negativamente influenciado pela temperatura e precipitação na estação de crescimento (novembro a abril) e positivamente pela insolação. Na avaliação das reservas presentes no xilema de P. lambertii, os resultados mostraram uma distribuição aparentemente homogênea por todo o lenho, não permitindo relacioná-las diretamente com a formação dos anéis de crescimento, sugerindo grande capacidade de acúmulo de reservas pela árvore. A análise da condução de seiva pelo xilema ativo permitiu identificar que os anéis de crescimento mais jovens (próximos ao câmbio) são os maiores responsáveis pela condução, em um possível alburno, já que esta diferenciação não é obtida visualmente. / The Dendrochronology is the science that studies of annual growth rings present in the xylem. It allows to access information stored during the life tree. One of its basic requirements is the annual nature of growth ring formation, a feature usually present in conifers. In Brazil there are two genus of conifers, Araucaria and Podocarpus, but just the first was studied dendrochronology. Podocarpus lambertii, target species of this study was analyzed in a growing population living at Morro do Chapeu, Bahia State, Brazil, located at the Northern limit of species distribution. A total of 19 individuals were sampled, they were polished and this growth rings were measured. Missing and confluent rings difficulted to determine precise ages but after dendrochronological analysis it was possible to built good chronology, with significative intercorrelation and sensivity. A series of 73 years (1935-2008), confirmed the annual nature of growth rings of this species by dendrochronology. The history of local weather informations was compared with the chronology and allowed a good understanding the species growth, which respond negatively to higher temperatures (December and January) and also negatively to higher solar radiation (January), that suggests that heatstroke is an important point of activation and formation of the ring\'s growth.

This thesis examines dynamic relationships between inflation and monetary policy in a sample of African economies using quarterly data over the period 1980:01 to 2012:04. The literature on inflation dynamics and monetary policy focuses on developed economies, with little attention devoted to the African economies, which is potentially explained by the fact that in the past monetary policy played second fiddle because of fiscal policy dominance following episodes of high inflation and stabilization policies that occurred in the 1980's. This thesis fills an important gap in assessing African's monetary policy. The thesis predominantly uses the Vector-Autoregression (VAR) framework to examine the monetary policy frameworks of the African economies. The thesis finds that an interest rate shock on average explain a more significant proportion of the variance in the output gap and inflation than the exchange rate, in terms of analysing the decomposition of shocks to the economy. This shows a shift in the monetary policy focus away from exchange rate management to interest rate targeting as the African economies have become more market oriented. The monetary policy reveal strong asymmetric responses with respect to the macroeconomic variables when inflation exceeds its threshold value. The analysis suggests that monetary policy in the African economies is regime-dependent, propagated through the inflation thresholds, such that the authorities strongly implement policy changes when inflation goes beyond a certain threshold. The thesis reveals that by taking into account the prior belief of the monetary authorities, it helps produce better estimates of the performance of the monetary policy transmission mechanism, as it combines prior information with the sampling information which is contained in the data. The overall novelty of the thesis is that some African economies are adopting inflation targeting policies instead of exchange rate management. It is imperative that the subsequent inflation targeting frameworks will achieve monetary policy objectives for the African economies and the use of interest rate management should be continued.

O uso crescente de irrigação na cafeicultura devido ao cultivo em áreas com maior deficiência hídrica exige conhecimento sobre o consumo de água da cultura. Para contribuir para esse conhecimento, a evapotranspiração global do cafezal (ETc) e sua partição nos fluxos componentes evapotranspiração das linhas de cafeeiros (ETlin), evapotranspiração das entrelinhas (ETel) e a transpiração dos cafeeiros (T) foram determinadas em um cafezal de Coffea arabica cv. Obatã IAC-1669-20, cultivado em Piracicaba, SP, em espaçamento de 3,50 m x 0,90 m, irrigado por gotejamento e idade entre 3 a 4 anos, com medidas de setembro/04 a maio/05 e em setembro e outubro de 2005. ETc foi determinada pelo método de balanço de energia-razão de Bowen, ETlin por lisímetros de células de carga, sendo estes usados em vários períodos com o solo coberto com plástico para determinação direta da transpiração e para calibrar o método da sonda de dissipação térmica, usado na determinação do fluxo de seiva (FS) dos cafeeiros. Em abril-maio/05, FS foi usado como uma estimativa de T diária. ETc e componentes foram relacionados com a evapotranspiração de referência estimada pelos métodos de Penman- Monteith (ETo 1) e do tanque classe A (ETo 2). O calor latente de vaporização (LE) representou a maior fração na partição da energia disponível (saldo de radiação menos fluxo de calor no solo), com variação de 73 a 80 % ao longo dos meses, não se podendo descartar a contribuição de calor advectivo para os valores encontrados nos meses secos. ETc cresceu a partir de setembro/04 a fevereiro/05 (2,75 a 4,58 mm d-1), refletindo principalmente o incremento de área foliar e diminuindo, posteriormente, até maio/05 (3,13 mm d-1) com a diminuição da demanda atmosférica. Em setembro-outubro/05 os valores foram maiores (2,93 e 4,29 mm d-1) do que os observados no mesmo período em 2004, sendo o aumento da área foliar uma das responsáveis pelo fato. A relação ETc/ETo (“Kc global da cultura”) foi maior quando calculada com ETo 1 do que com ETo 2, sendo os valores crescentes até janeiro/05 (1,20 com ETo 1 e 1,21 com ETo 2) mas com o menor valor em setembro/04 (0,67 e 0,54) e com diminuição da tendência de acréscimo em fevereiro/05 (1,17 e 0,73), provavelmente pela regulação estomática dos cafeeiros devido à alta demanda atmosférica nesses meses. A contribuição de ETlin para a ETc variou pouco entre setembro/04 e fevereiro/05 (24 % a 31 %), aumentando em março e abril (35 % e 40 %), valores esses próximos da proporção entre a área de solo coberta pelos cafeeiros e a área total (linhas+entrelinhas). A relação ETlin/ETo variou entre 0,20 (uso de ETo 1) e 0,16 (com ETo 2) em setembro/04 a 0,36-0,47 (com ETo 1) e 0,25-0,49 nos outros meses. A T dos cafeeiros por unidade de área foliar diminuiu com o aumento da área foliar. A relação T/ETlin variou de 72 % em fevereiro a 46 % em abril, sendo o valor de T/ETo (“Kc basal”) variável entre 0,13 (com ETo 1) e 0,10 (com ETo 2) em setembro a 0,30 (independente do método de estimativa de ETo) em abril e maio/04, provavelmente refletindo a menor atividade fisiológica. / The increasing use of irrigation in coffee plantations in Brazil, due to the deplacement of the crop to areas where water deficit occurs, requires knowledge about crop water consumption. Aiming to know more about coffee plantation water consumption, daily crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and its partition in row evapotranspiration (ETrow), interrows evapotanspiration (ETint) and coffee plants transpiration (T) were determined in a drip-irrigated coffee plantation (cv. Obatã IAC-1669-20), cultivated at 3.5 m between rows and 0.9m between plants, in Piracicaba, São Paulo State, Brazil. The ET and wheater variables measurements were carried out from September 2004 to May 2005 and from September to October 2005. ETc was determined by he Bowen ratio-energy balance method, ETrow by load cell lysimeters and T with lysimeters with soil surface covered with plastic or by sap flow determined with the thermal dissipation probe method (TDP). Lysimeters were also used to calibrate the TDP method. So, sap flow was adopted as representative of coffee plants transpiration for 24-h period. ET and its components were related to the reference evapotranspiration, determined by Penman-Monteith (ETo 1) and Class-A pan (ETo 2) methods. Latent heat of vaporization (LE) represented the major fraction (73 a 80 %) of the available energy (net radiation less soil heat flux) along the months, but a contribution of advective heat flux in dry months must be considered for the observed values. ETc increased from September 2004 to February 2005 (from 2.75 to 4.58 mm d-1), which is reflecting the increase of coffee plants leaf area. From March to May 2005, ETc decreased according to the decrease of the atmospheric demand. In September and October 2005, ETc were greater, respectively, 2.93 and 4.29 mm d-1, than those observed in the same months of 2004 and, again the increase of leaf area was the responsable for these differences. ETc/ETo, defined as a “global Kc”, was greater when determined with ETo 1 than when determined with ETo 2, increasing with the leaf area.from September 2004 (0.67 with ETo 1 and 0.54 with ETo 2) to January 2005 (1,20 and 1,21). In February Kc decreased to 1.17 (with ETo 1) and 0.73 (with ETo 2), probably as a consequence of the coffee plants stomatal control due to the high atmospheric demand. The contribution of ETrow to ETc varied between 25 % and 31 % for the period September 2004- February 2005, increasing in March and April 2005 (35 % and 40 %). These values were close to those observed for the ratio between the area of soil covered by coffee plants and the total area (rows+interrows). ETlin/ETo changed from 0.20 or 0.16 (using ETo 1 and ETo 2, respectively) in September 2004 to 0.36-0.47 (with ETo 1) or 0.25- 0.49 (with ETo 2) in the other months. Coffee plant transpiration per leaf area unit decresead with the increase of leaf area. T/ETrow changed from 0.72 (February) to 0.46 (April). T/ETo (“basal Kc”) ranged from 0.13 (with ETo 1) or 0.10 (with ETo 2) in September 2004 to 0.30 (for both ETo 1 or ETo 2) in February, but decreased in April and May 2005, probably reflecting the decrease in the physiological activity of coffee plants.

Swedish political parties are characterized by their markedly different support across geographical space. In most cases, the sources of these regional variations date back to the time of the founding of the parties. Moreover, the regional strongholds and the areas of weak support for the parties have survived major societal changes such as the transition from the agrarian to the industrial society, emigration, and urbanization. Why is it that a certain area evolves a political tradition that sets it apart from neighboring areas? This study addresses itself to this and similar topics with empirical emphasis on the Swedish Social Democratic Party (the SAP).The study is based on the conviction that the regional imbalance in the SAP vote originates in the interaction/competition between various social and political movements in the local environment. The initial model used to explain these imbalances comprises three different factors that influence the party's vote: the socio-economic structure, the local organizational environment and the effect of local party organizational efforts.In order to test the importance of these factors three different areas were selected; one strong, one weak, and one unstable in terms of the Social Democratic vote.The findings show that no single factor alone accounts for the variance in the regional support of the SAP. Rather, what is decisive are the interactions within the structural and social properties of a context.By way of conclusion, this study lends support to the following conclusions of the prospects for the SAP to mobilize the electorate: to establish itself in the local setting the party needs an organizational culture, a local party organization and the absence of strong local opinion against the party's activities and organizational efforts. The party also seems to be favored by a high level of political mobilization (participation), whereas there is nothing to suggest that the SAP's prospects of becoming successful are hampered by competition from the left-wing parties. / digitalisering@umu

Le thymus est un organe permettant le développement des lymphocytes T, partie intégrante du système immunitaire. Ces cellules sont communément associées au système immunitaire adaptatif, bien que certaines populations, dont les lymphocytes iNKT et Tγδ, soient associées au système immunitaire inné. De manière générale, ces lymphocytes " innés " sont capables de répondre très rapidement à différents signaux d'activation, par la production rapide et massive d'IL-4, d'IFN-γ et d'IL-17. Notre laboratoire a mis en évidence l'existence de deux sous-populations de lymphocytes iNKT, iNKT conventionnels et iNKT17, ayant deux voies de différenciation thymique bien distinctes, mais dont les mécanismes de détermination sont encore inconnus. Il a été montré que " SLAM-associated protein " (SAP) est indispensable au développement des lymphocytes iNKT, puisqu'ils sont absents chez les souris déficientes en SAP. D'autre part, ces mêmes souris montrent également une déficience de la réponse Th2. Nous avons alors émis l'hypothèse que SAP pourrait être impliqué dans la production d'IL-4 par les lymphocytes iNKT, et dans la détermination des deux sous-populations de lymphocytes iNKT conventionnel ou producteur d'IL-17. Dans une première partie, nous avons utilisé des souris triple mutantes Sap-/- Vα14Tg-ROR(γt)-Egfp, permettant l'étude des sous-populations de lymphocytes iNKT malgré la déficience en SAP. Nous avons ainsi montré que SAP est indispensable à l'acquisition thymique de la capacité de production d'IL-4 par les lymphocytes iNKT conventionnels. Chez ces souris déficientes en SAP, nous avons observé une augmentation de la fréquence des lymphocytes iNKT17 RORγtpos producteurs d'IL-17, ce qui montre clairement que SAP n'est pas nécessaire pour l'acquisition des propriétés fonctionnelles des lymphocytes iNKT17. Nous avons ainsi mis en évidence une nouvelle fonction de SAP dans le développement thymique des cellules iNKT productrices d'IL-4. De plus, nos résultats montrent que SAP est un point de contrôle obligatoire déterminant l'orientation de la différenciation thymique des cellules iNKT vers les cellules iNKT17 ou vers les cellules iNKT conventionnelles. En parallèle des lymphocytes iNKT17 présents dans le thymus, nous avons également analysé une autre population T particulière : des thymocytes TCRαβposCD4pos matures et producteurs d'IL-17, les lymphocytes Th17 naturels. Nous avons mis en évidence que ces lymphocytes expriment le facteur de transcription RORγt. Ces lymphocytes T CD4posCD8negCD44hiRORγtpos sont capables de produire rapidement et massivement de l'IL-17, mais requièrent l'IL-23 pour co-produire l'IL-22. De plus, ils se distinguent des lymphocytes Th17 induits, ou conventionnels, par l'expression du facteur de transcription PLZF et par leur capacité à répondre très rapidement à des stimuli pro-inflammatoires, nommément l'IL-23 associé à l'IL-1β et un agoniste TLR4. Les résultats obtenus durant cette thèse ouvrent donc de nombreuses perspectives de recherches fondamentale et thérapeutique, domaine dans lequel l'IL-17 est devenu une cible privilégiée pour le traitement des maladies auto-immunes.

Bigleaf maple tapping has become increasingly popular on Vancouver Island and additional information is needed to assist in the sustainable development of this non-timber forest product. This research is an exploratory study that investigates sap flow in the 2006/2007 season on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Sap flow was highly variable throughout the season. Fluctuations in air temperature, above and below zero, were shown to trigger sap flow. This study characterizes the dissolved solid components of the sap and syrup collected during the 2006/2007 season. The carbohydrate content of the bigleaf maple sap is mainly sucrose with a minor component of fructose and glucose. The concentration of carbohydrates varied throughout the season. The main cations in the bigleaf maple sap and syrup are calcium, potassium and magnesium.

Zugl.: München, Techn. Universiẗat, Diss.

Bigleaf maple tapping has become increasingly popular on Vancouver Island and additional information is needed to assist in the sustainable development of this non-timber forest product. This research is an exploratory study that investigates sap flow in the 2006/2007 season on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Sap flow was highly variable throughout the season. Fluctuations in air temperature, above and below zero, were shown to trigger sap flow. This study characterizes the dissolved solid components of the sap and syrup collected during the 2006/2007 season. The carbohydrate content of the bigleaf maple sap is mainly sucrose with a minor component of fructose and glucose. The concentration of carbohydrates varied throughout the season. The main cations in the bigleaf maple sap and syrup are calcium, potassium and magnesium.