The main purpose of this bachelor thesis is to create a product in the form of a database that can be used for cost estimates of equipment within bio refineries. Through interviews and literature searches the key components and their costs were identified. The database was constructed in Microsoft Excel with different tabs for different categories of components; these tabs are further divided into three parts: one part with costs, one part with calculations and an information part. Most of the part with costs contains the expenses found in scientific papers during the literature study, the calculating part converts different capacities according to user preferences and the currency to euro (?) from 2010 and the information part consists of references and information about what is included in the cost.The database is a good tool for making cost estimates for bio refineries.

The main purpose of this bachelor thesis is to create a product in the form of a database that can be used for cost estimates of equipment within bio refineries. Through interviews and literature searches the key components and their costs were identified. The database was constructed in Microsoft Excel with different tabs for different categories of components; these tabs are further divided into three parts: one part with costs, one part with calculations and an information part. Most of the part with costs contains the expenses found in scientific papers during the literature study, the calculating part converts different capacities according to user preferences and the currency to euro (?) from 2010 and the information part consists of references and information about what is included in the cost.The database is a good tool for making cost estimates for bio refineries.

The main purpose of this bachelor thesis is to create a product in the form of a database that can be used for cost estimates of equipment within bio refineries. Through interviews and literature searches the key components and their costs were identified. The database was constructed in Microsoft Excel with different tabs for different categories of components; these tabs are further divided into three parts: one part with costs, one part with calculations and an information part. Most of the part with costs contains the expenses found in scientific papers during the literature study, the calculating part converts different capacities according to user preferences and the currency to euro (?) from 2010 and the information part consists of references and information about what is included in the cost.The database is a good tool for making cost estimates for bio refineries.

Species that have a high degree of specialization and poor dispersal ability can be more prone to extinction than more generalist species and good dispersers. How these species traits affect the Viability of populations is dependent on landscape factors,such as isolation and connectivity. Additionally, interactions between species (e.g. symbiosis), and how these interactions vary spatially and temporally can have a large impact on populations. When the range and habitat areas of a species continuously decrease, management strategies are often needed if the species shall be able to survive.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is one of the major neurodegenerative diseases, causing an ascending paralysis that usually kills the patient within a few years from disease onset. The motor neurons show aggregates of proteins which in approximately 20 % of cases of the familial form contain mutated SOD1 protein. Trehalose is a disaccharide which has been shown to reduce protein aggregation and increase Viability in cell models and alleviate symptoms in animal models of several neurodegenerative diseases associated with protein aggregation. When given orally to the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS, trehalose failed to slow down the disease progression, which has led to questions about the uptake and distribution of the molecule in this mouse strain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether significant levels of trehalose reach the central nervous system of the SOD1G93A mouse after oral administration. This was performed by a trehalose assay of the brain of trehalose treated animals. A glucose assay was optimised for use in small samples of brain lysate after the digestion of trehalose into glucose by trehalase, and the difference in glucose concentration before and after digestion represented the trehalose level.

Lower energy use in buildings is a result of increasingly stringent energy requirements across Europe. When conventional district heating technology is used in areas with low energy consumption heatlosses do not fall even though the amount of energy delivered is reduced. This reduces income for thedistrict heating company. To maintain their economic Viability the district heating companies? majorchallenge is to implement new solutions that minimize heat loss.

Scandinavian Biogas is involved in the planning of a combined ethanol and biogas factory in Karlskoga, Sweden. Besides biogas and ethanol large amounts of digester residues will be produced, about 450 000 liquid tonnes residue (~7,3 % Dry Substance( DS)). The objective of this thesis was to investigate possible uses of the residue from the biogas production process ScandgasEthanol developed by Scandinavian Biogas, and to derive a methodological approach how to evaluate and compare handling systems. Three systems where proposed and compared in this thesis; spreading of the untreated residue as fertilizer (system 1), dewatering to a higher DS content to reduce transportation before spreading as fertilizer (system 2) and production of a solid fuel by dewatering and drying the residue (system 3). The general conditions for the proposed systems were investigated in terms of practical Viability, economical aspects, environmental impact and energy inputs/outputs.

As a result of increased energy prices more and more energy-efficient homes are coveted. An energy-efficient alternative is passive houses, which is characterized by an extremely well insulated building envelope that recovers the heat without the use of radiators or under floor heating. But a passive house requires a higher investment cost than a conventional building project, since it will require more construction materials, training of construction workers, greater land area, and long construction period. But the lower operating cost expects to pay back the higher cost of investment. We therefore question how profitable a passive house is in relation to houses built according to modern conventional building techniques.The aim of our study is to investigate the Viability of passive houses compared to convent­ional houses.

As a result of increased energy prices more and more energy-efficient homes are coveted. An energy-efficient alternative is passive houses, which is characterized by an extremely well insulated building envelope that recovers the heat without the use of radiators or under floor heating. But a passive house requires a higher investment cost than a conventional building project, since it will require more construction materials, training of construction workers, greater land area, and long construction period. But the lower operating cost expects to pay back the higher cost of investment. We therefore question how profitable a passive house is in relation to houses built according to modern conventional building techniques.The aim of our study is to investigate the Viability of passive houses compared to convent­ional houses.

The district heating load is seasonally dependent, with a low load during periods of high ambient temperature. Thermal energy storage (TES) has the potential to shift heating loads from winter to summer, thus reducing cost and environmental impact of District Heat production. In this study, a concept of high temperature borehole thermal energy storage (HT-BTES) together with a pellet heating plant for temperature boost, is presented and evaluated by its technical limitations, its ability to supply heat, its function within the district heating system, as well as its environmental impact and economic Viability in Gothenburg, Sweden, a city with access to high quantities of waste heat.The concept has proven potentially environmentally friendly and potentially profitable if its design is balanced to achieve a good enough supply temperature from the HT-BTES. The size of the heat storage, the distance between boreholes and low borehole thermal resistance are key parameters to achieve high temperature. Profitability increases if a location with lower temperature demand, as well as risk of future shortage of supply, can be met.

Sweden has almost 600 000 hectares planted with lodgepole pine, and large areas are soon ready to be clear-felled. The provenances that have been planted are producing high level of permanently closed, so called serotinous, cones. In their natural setting, the Canadian boreal forest, these cones are opened mainly after crown fires when the heat make the resin between the cone scales melt, which releases the seeds. This is viewed as an adaption to the fire regimes that prevail over the natural distribution area of lodgepole pine. Because of the short flame-exposure that occurs in a crown fire, the seeds can survive.

Difficult calvings and stillbirths are problems in Swedish dairy production that result in large expenses for the farmers and welfare issues concerning the animals. A common opinion is that the live weight of SRB and SLB is increasing, and whether increased weights have caused the increase in calving problems has been discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the relative birth weight (calf/cow) and calving difficulty and stillbirth, respectively. The importance of breed and parity for the relative weight has been investigated, and comparisons with previous studies have been made to evaluate whether the relative weight has changed over the last decades or not. The study was based on 807 calvings, registered during the period 1993-2003 in the experimental dairy herd of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Jälla).

Trakthyggesbruk är det skogsbruk som i över ett halvt sekel dominerat i Sverige. På senare år har dock detta skogsbruk ifrågasatts gällande främst den naturhänsyn som det lämnar samt att trakthyggesbruket bedrivs på i princip all skogsmark som brukas. Detta leder till liten variation bland de uppväxande skogarna, och flera myndighetsutredningar och rapporter hävdar att Sveriges nationella mål för bevarande av natur och miljö inte kommer att nås om inga omfattande förändringar görs i sättet att bruka skogarna på. I denna rapport undersökte jag om zonerat skogsbruk, s.k. triadskogsbruk, är ett bra alternativ till dagens traditionella skogsbruk i Sverige i syfte att uppnå hög virkesproduktion och biologisk mångfald på landskapsnivå.

At seed-growing the aim is to produce a commodity with high germination capacity, good soundness and purity, and also slight admixture of seeds from other species. The capacity of germination and the vigour of the seeds may become impaired in consequence of mechanical damage, infection of diseases, growth of mould, attacks of vermin, high drying temperature, secret germination, sprouting in the ears etc. The germ belongs to the outer and most unprotected parts of the seed, and consequently this is much exposed. Even quite sound seeds can instantaneously have low capability of germination. It can be due to the fact that the seeds are in rest of germination, i.e.