Glutathione (GSH) is a molecule that consists of three amino acids: glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine. GSH has several important functions: to protect cells from free radicals, reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. GSH exists in a reduced form, GSH, and in an oxidized dimeric form, glutationdisulfid, GSSG. The enzymes glutathionereductase (GR) catalyses the reduction of GSSG back to GSH. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) is required as a coenzyme in the reaction.

Storm water causes a number of problems in our country, particularly in city environment with its surfaces of non-absorbing ground materials. At heavy rain falls there are floods due to lack of capacity in the drain system when meeting heavy water masses over a short time. When the drain system is overloaded huge water masses reach the recipient untreated and there causing disturbances in the aquatic ecosystem. Due to emissions from mainly traffic, industries and other human activities the storm water is polluted. Earlier the problem used to be solved technically, by increasing the capacity of the tubes and by construction of reservoirs to delay the floods peaks.

Eutrophication of lakes and streams are nowadays a well known environmental problem and implies an enrichment of the nutrients phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). Phosphorus is considered to be the most important component for the growth of aquatic plants and leads in too large quantities to an intensification of growth. Phosphate (PO4) is the fraction of phosphorus that can easiest be taken up by plants and thus have the greatest impact on eutrophication. Increased plant growth in lakes and unfavorable conditions for aquatic animals are two examples of negative consequences. A significant portion of the increased nutrient supply to nearby water can be derived to phosphate leaching from agricultural areas, where private sewers and agriculture is two main sources.

There is a need for correct and adequate pain assessment in horses. Methadone is used in pain management in horses but the full pharmacokinetic picture of methadone is not yet known. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a behaviour protocol and suggest a reliable recording method for use in a larger research project with an aim to potentially correlate behaviours to concentration of methadone in blood. In this study two coldblooded trotters were given methadone intravenously with doses of 0.1 mg/kg for horse 1 and 0.2 mg/kg for horse 2. The horses were videotaped pre and post methadone administration.

With increased deployment ofintermittent renewable energy, such aswind and solar power, energy storagebecomes necessary to help reduceproduction peaks. Thermoelectric EnergyStorage is a method still in researchphase, which stores electricity in hotwater at a temperature of 120 ° C. Thisthesis aims to examine whether theThermoelectric Energy Storage would bepossible to integrate into existingpower generation such as a combined heatand power plant, and how the technologypotentially could function in theelectricity market. ThermoelectricEnergy Storage consists of a chargingprocess and a discharging process, bothoperating by the working fluid CO2. Toincrease the efficiency of theThermoelectric Energy Storage, wasteheat from the district heating networkis integrated.A model of the Thermoelectric EnergyStorage has been developed and it wascalculated by thermodynamic propertiesof the working fluid, CO2, in thevarious process steps.

Results have shown that flow batteries may be a solution in the future as an effective and environmental friendly method to an energy storage system (ESS). The technology is reliable and has a high efficiency that comes with low energy losses and a long lifetime. The range of possible fields is suitable for cutting energy peaks in the power grid, by always have a ready and available energy storage that balances the production. By comparing the advantages of flow batteries with conventional batteries it is mainly the fact that they can conserve energy for a long time without being self-discharged thanks to that the storage capacity is in principle endless and limited by the size of the electrolytes tanks that makes them a great energy storage system. The batteries won?t take any damage or decrease in performance when charging or discharging it or if you exhausts it to 100 % and leave it discharged for a long time.

Maize for silage has been used as fodder in different parts of the world for a long time and has recently become more common also in Sweden. Our cold climate has been a problem as maize is very sensitive to low temperatures and frost. With new varieties and better techniques for cultivation it is now possible to grow maize in the southern and middle parts of Sweden. As for the north of Sweden the length of the cultivation season is a limiting factor as there are too few days with temperatures of over +10 ºC. Maize is well suited for silage making but oxygen-free conditions are required.

Perchlorate and chlorate are naturally occurring in the atmosphere, from here it sediments into groundwater and soil. The pollution is increased by discharges of perchlorate and chlorate from agriculture and paper mills. Bacteria capable of reducing perchlorate and chlorate to chloride and oxygen can be used to get rid of these contaminants. However an anaerobic environment needs to be sustained in order for this reaction to be used. For this reduction to work in an aerobic environment as well, a greater knowledge of the reducing enzymes, regulating factors and their corresponding genes is needed.

Vole populations in northern Scandinavia vary in cycles with peaks every third or fourth year as described by the National Environmental Monitoring Programme of small mammals (NEMP). Some vole species have declined in population numbers since the NEMP started in 1971, especially the grey-sided vole (Myodes rufocanus) which is nearly extinct in the forested region. Since small mammals are an important food source for several avian and mammalian predators, the decline in vole numbers is expected to have consequences for the whole food chain, especially if other vole species start to decline in numbers. This study tried to test the hypothesis that presence and abundance of M. rufocanus (a specialist species) and Myodes glareolus (a generalist species) can be predicted by patch size and connectivity of forest patches >60 years old with a minimum of 15% pine >100years old.

Photodynamic therapy is a relatively new treatment for superficial squamous cell carcinoma in cats. There are no publications indicating that the method is being used in veterinary practice in Sweden at the present time. The method uses the interaction between a photosensitive agent which has been administered to the tumor area, light of a wavelength that can be absorbed by the photosensitiser and the presence of oxygen. In this study photodynamic treatments were performed at the Queen?s Veterinary School Hopital of Cambridge University between 1998 and 2002.

Hemoglobin is an oxygen binding protein in erythrocytes. Hemoglobin is composed of four polypeptide chains. During the fetal stage the type of hemoglobin called fetal hemoglobin (HbF) dominates. After birth HbF is replaced by adult hemoglobin (HbA). HbF persists in concentrations less than 1%.

The purpose of this report was to investigate how the abiotic factors (temperature, pH, nutrients, oxygen levels and water content) would affect the decomposition of oil-contaminated soil and how a variance in structured soil would affect the decomposition-rate. A minor field-study was made and soil where structured in five different ways (one was a default pile and was used as a reference). The study took place over 137 days and three samples were taken (start, middle, end) and analyzed for aromatic and aliphatic compounds. The result of this study shows that there is a significant difference between all methods for the aliphatic compounds and no significant difference for the aromatic compounds. The abiotic factors that affect decomposition vary from organism to organism, depending on what type of environment it will function the best.

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore and describe the pupils' thoughts on seed and its development into seedling. Twenty nine Swedish pupils at the age of 7 and 10 years old were interviewed about their knowledge of seeds.It turned out that pupils often have so-called everyday belief to describe the natural science phenomenon by connecting their explanations to phenomena in everyday life to which they are familiar. To describe the process of seed developing into seedling is something that most of the pupils believe to be difficult and this resulted mostly in the answer ?it is growing.? Children have some knowledge about what seeds need in order to germinate but they do not mention the importance of oxygen as a component of seed to be able to germinate and grow. They mean instead that it is sufficient with soil, water and sun.The older pupils, however, are more often than the younger pupils able to connect their reflections to a more scientifically correct description based on terms belonging to the phenomena, though these terms sometimes are wrongly used.

Hemoglobin is an oxygen binding protein in erythrocytes. Hemoglobin is composed of four polypeptide chains. During the fetal stage the type of hemoglobin called fetal hemoglobin (HbF) dominates. After birth HbF is replaced by adult hemoglobin (HbA). HbF persists in concentrations less than 1%.

The last hundred years humans have drastically changed the amount of available nitrogen in nature. Today human activities release twice as much available nitrogen as all natural processes are doing together. We also have degraded nature´s possibilities to take care of nitrogen through the draining of wetlands and straightening of rivers. In order to regain the potential of nitrogen retention in the water systems there now requires a reshape of the landscape we live in. A planned expansion of the mining activities in Garpenberg, Dalarna, would double the content of nitrogen in the waters below the mine.