1. Bryophytes in the Arctic and Alpine regions are important in terms of biodiversity, cover and biomass. However, climate change and widespread shrubification of alpine and arctic tundra is predicted to increase in the future, with potentially large impacts on bryophyte communities.

2. We studies the impact of 18 years of experimental warming with open top chambers (OTCs) on bryophyte cover, richness and diversity in an alpine mesic meadow and a heath plant community in Northern Sweden. In addition we investigated the relationship between deciduous shrubs and bryophytes.

3. Cover and richness of bryophytes both declined due to long-term warming, while diversity did not show any significant responses. After 18 years, bryophyte cover had decreased by 71% and 26 in the heath and meadow, while richness declined by 39% and 26%, respectively.

4. Synthesis. Decline in total bryophyte cover in both communities in response to long-term warming was driven by a general decline in many species, with only two individual species showing significant declines. Although most of the species included in the individual analyses did not show any detectable changes, the cumulative change in all species was significant. In addition, species loss was slower than the general decline in bryophyte abundance. As hypothesized, we found significant negative relationship between deciduous shrub cover and bryophyte cover, but not bryophyte richness, in both plant communities. This is likely due to a more delayed decline in species richness compared to abundance, similar to what was observed in response to long-term warming.

This study examined the effects of micro-scale, site and 19 and 21 years of experimental warming on Collembola in three contrasting alpine subarctic plant communities (poor heath, rich meadow, wet meadow). Unexpectedly, experimental long-term warming had no significant effect on species richness, effective number of species, total abundance or abundance of any Collembola species. There were micro-scale effects on species richness, total abundance, and abundance of 10 of 35 species identified. Site had significant effect on effective number of species, and abundance of six species, with abundance patterns differing between sites. Site and long-term warming gave non-significant trends in species richness.

The highest species richness was observed in poor heath, but mean species richness tended to be highest in rich meadow and lowest in wet meadow. Warming showed a tendency for a negative impact on species richness. This long-term warming experiment across three contrasting sites revealed that Collembola is capable of high resistance to climate change. We demonstrated that micro-scale and site effects are the main controlling factors for Collembola abundance in high alpine subarctic environments. Thus local heterogeneity is likely important for soil fauna composition and may play a crucial role in buffering Collembola against future climate change.

Global change is predicted to cause shifts in species distributions and biodiversity in arctic tundra. We applied factorial warming and nutrient manipulation to a nutrient and species poor alpine/arctic heath community for seven years. Vascular plant abundance in control plots increased by 31%. There were also notable changes in cover in the nutrient and combined nutrient and warming treatments, with deciduous and evergreen shrubs declining, grasses overgrowing these plots. Sedge abundance initially increased significantly with nutrient amendment and then declined, going below initial values in the combined nutrient and warming treatment. Nutrient addition resulted in a change in dominance hierarchy from deciduous shrubs to grasses. We found significant declines in vascular plant diversity and evenness in the warming treatment and a decline in diversity in the combined warming and nutrient addition treatment, while nutrient addition caused a decline in species richness. The results give some experimental support that species poor plant communities with low diversity may be more vulnerable to loss of species diversity than communities with higher initial diversity. The projected increase in nutrient deposition and warming may therefore have negative impacts on ecosystem processes, functioning and services due to loss of species diversity in an already impoverished environment.

Here we report from a experiment imposing different warming scenarios [control with ambient temperature, constant level of moderate warming for 3 years, stepwise increase in warming for 3 years, and one season of high level warming (pulse) simulating an extreme summer event] on an alpine ecosystem to study the impact on species diversity–biomass relationship, and community resistance in terms of biomass production.

Multiple linear mixed models indicate that experimental years had stronger influence on biomass than warming scenarios and species diversity. Species diversity and biomass had almost humpback relationships under different warming scenarios over different experimental years. There was generally a negative diversity–biomass relationship, implying that a positive diversity–biomass relationship was not the case.

The application of different warming scenarios did not change this tendency. The change in community resistance to all warming scenarios was generally negatively correlated with increasing species diversity, the strength of the correlation varying both between treatments and between years within treatments. The strong effect of experimental years was consistent with the notion that niche complementarity effects increase over time, and hence, higher biomass productivity over experimental years. The strongest negative relationship was found in the first year of the pulse treatment, indicating that the community had weak resistance to an extreme event of one season of abnormally warm climate.

Biomass production started recovering during the two subsequent years. Contrasting biomass-related resistance emerged in the different treatments, indicating that micro sites within the same plant community may differ in their resistance to different warming scenarios.

Background: Knowledge within organizations can play a vital role for organizational development. The role of sharing knowledge in public organizations by means of the use of information systems have not been studied to a larger extent. During 2016 the thirteen municipalities within Region Jönköping’s län adhered to a so-called digital agenda to develop the municipal organizations and service delivery. One of the goals of the digital agenda was to increase knowledge sharing by digital means between municipalities. 

Purpose: The purpose of the thesis was to investigate how knowledge sharing practices taking place between municipalities in region Jönköping’s län. The authors performed a pilot case study in the educational department within three municipalities. 

Method: This study based on qualitative research and data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyzed according to the conventional content analysis. Semi-structured interviews were performed based on the theoretical frameworks of Nonaka’s Model of Knowledge Management, which resulted in an interview guide with open-ended questions. Conventional content was used for qualitative data analysis. 

Conclusion: According to our analysis we have found that knowledge sharing in public organization is generally seen as one of the most important elements that should be wisely managed. Collaboration in public sector basically depend on the so many things and it starts with the government initiative but ends with public awareness. It is also very important that organizations can manage knowledge resources more successfully if employees are willingly to share their knowledge with colleagues. People of organizations are quite comfortable with collaborative technologies because the advance of the internet and related technologies. In the public sector worker or employees should motivated, get more encouragement and support by the leaders. 

Genome-wide association studies of breast cancer have identified multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with increased breast cancer risks in the general population. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the minor alleles at three of these SNPs, in FGFR2, TNRC9 and MAP3K1, also confer increased risks of breast cancer for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers. Three additional SNPs rs3817198 at LSP1, rs13387042 at 2q35 and rs13281615 at 8q24 have since been reported to be associated with breast cancer in the general population, and in this study we evaluated their association with breast cancer risk in 9442 BRCA1 and 5665 BRCA2 mutation carriers from 33 study centres. The minor allele of rs3817198 was associated with increased breast cancer risk only for BRCA2 mutation carriers [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.07-1.25, P-trend = 2.8 × 10-4]. The best fit for the association of SNP rs13387042 at 2q35 with breast cancer risk was a dominant model for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers (BRCA1: HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.04-1.25, P = 0.0047; BRCA2: HR = 1.18 95% CI: 1.04-1.33, P = 0.0079). SNP rs13281615 at 8q24 was not associated with breast cancer for either BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers, but the estimated association for BRCA2 mutation carriers (per-allele HR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.98-1.14) was consistent with odds ratio estimates derived from population-based case-control studies. The LSP1 and 2q35 SNPs appear to interact multiplicatively on breast cancer risk for BRCA2 mutation carriers. There was no evidence that the associations vary by mutation type depending on whether the mutated protein is predicted to be stable or not. 

The subcellular locations of Ca2+-ATPases in the membranes of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.) inflorescences were investigated. After continuous sucrose gradient centrifugation a 111-kD calmodulin (CaM)-stimulated and CaM-binding Ca2+-ATPase (BCA1; P. Askerlund [1996] Plant Physiol 110: 913–922; S. Malmstrom, P. Askerlund, M.G. Palmgren [1997] FEBS Lett 400: 324–328) comigrated with vacuolar membrane markers, whereas a 116-kD CaM-binding Ca2+-ATPase co-migrated with a marker for the plasma membrane. The 116-kD Ca2+-ATPase was enriched in plasma membranes obtained by aqueous two-phase partitioning, which is in agreement with a plasma membrane location of this Ca2+-ATPase. Countercurrent distribution of a low-density intracellular membrane fraction in an aqueous two-phase system resulted in the separation of the endoplasmic reticulum and vacuolar membranes. The 111-kD Ca2+-ATPase co-migrated with a vacuolar membrane marker after countercurrent distribution but not with markers for the endoplasmic reticulum. A vacuolar membrane location of the 111-kD Ca2+-ATPase was further supported by experiments with isolated vacuoles from cauliflower: (a) Immunoblotting with an antibody against the 111-kD Ca2+-ATPase showed that it was associated with the vacuoles, and (b) ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake by the intact vacuoles was found to be CaM stimulated and partly protonophore insensitive.

The effect of controlled trypsin digestion of a calmodulin-stimulated Ca2+-ATPase in low-density intracellular membranes from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.) inflorescences was investigated. Ca2+ uptake into vesicles was measured either continuously with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator Calcium Green-5N or with a radio-active filter technique. Trypsin treatment of vesicles resulted in a 3-fold activation of Ca2+ uptake and loss of calmodulin sensitivity. Immunoblotting experiments with an antiserum raised against the Ca2+-ATPase showed that the trypsin activation was accompanied by a decrease in the amount of intact Ca2+-ATPase (111 kD) and by successive appearances of polypeptides of 102 and 99 to 84 kD. 125I-Calmodulin overlays showed that only the intact Ca2+-ATPase bound calmodulin. Removal of the calmodulin-binding domain (about 9 kD) was not enough to obtain full activation. Trypsin proteolysis resulted in a Ca2+ concentration necessary for half-maximal activity of 0.5 [mu]M, whereas a value of about 2 [mu]M was obtained with untreated membranes in the presence of calmodulin. Without trypsin treatment or calmodulin the activity was not saturated even at 57 [mu]M free Ca2+. The data suggest that trypsin digestion and calmodulin activate the cauliflower Ca2+-ATPase by at least partly different mechanisms.

Two distinct phosphorylated intermediates representing the Ca2+-ATPase and H+-ATPase, respectively, were detected after phosphorylation of plasma membranes from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.) inflorescences with [gammaP-32]ATP and separation of polypeptides in an acidic gel. A 116 kDa polypeptide was identified as a Ca2+-ATPase by its Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation which was enhanced by La3+. A second polypeptide (105 kDa) also phosphorylated in the absence of Ca2+ and was identified as the H+-ATPase by immune blotting.

Purification and functional reconstitution of a calmodulin-stimulated Ca(2+)-ATPase from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.) is described. Activity was purified about 120-fold from a microsomal fraction using calmodulin-affinity chromatography. The purified fraction showed a polypeptide at 115 kD, which formed a phosphorylated intermediate in the presence of Ca(2+), together with a few polypeptides with lower molecular masses that were not phosphorylated. The ATPase was reconstituted into liposomes by 3-([cholamidopropyl]-dimethylammonio-)1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) dialysis. The proteoliposomes showed ATP-dependent Ca(2+) uptake and ATPase activity, both of which were stimulated about 4-fold by calmodulin. Specific ATPase activity was about 5 mumol min(-1) (mg protein)(-1), and the Ca(2+)/ATP ratio was 0.1 to 0.5 when the ATPase was reconstituted with entrapped oxalate. The purified, reconstituted Ca(2+)-ATPase was inhibited by vanadate and erythrosin B, but not by cyclopiazonic acid and thapsigargin. Activity was supported by ATP (100%) and GTP (50%) and had a pH optimum of about 7.0. The effect of monovalent and divalent cations (including Ca(2+)) on activity is described. Assay of membranes purified by two-phase partitioning indicated that approximately 95% of the activity was associated with intracellular membranes, but only about 5% with plasma membranes. Sucrose gradient centrifugation suggests that the endoplasmic reticulum is the major cellular location of calmodulin-stimulated Ca(2+)-pumping ATPase in Brassica oleracea inflorescences.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) leaf plasma membrane vesicles were loaded with an NADH-generating system (or with ascorbate) and were tested spectrophotometrically for their ability to reduce external, membrane-impermeable electron acceptors. Either alcohol dehydrogenase plus NAD⁺ or 100 millimolar ascorbate was included in the homogenization medium, and right-side-out (apoplastic side-out) plasma membrane vesicles were subsequently prepared using two-phase partitioning. Addition of ethanol to plasma membrane vesicles loaded with the NADH-generating system led to a production of NADH inside the vesicles which could be recorded at 340 nanometers. This system was able to reduce 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol-3′-sulfonate (DCIP-sulfonate), a strongly hydrophilic electron acceptor. The reduction of DCIP-sulfonate was stimulated severalfold by the K⁺ ionophore valinomycin, included to abolish membrane potential (outside negative) generated by electrogenic transmembrane electron flow. Fe³⁺-chelates, such as ferricyanide and ferric citrate, as well as cytochrome c, were not reduced by vesicles loaded with the NADH-generating system. In contrast, right-side-out plasma membrane vesicles loaded with ascorbate supported the reduction of both ferric citrate and DCIP-sulfonate, suggesting that ascorbate also may serve as electron donor for transplasma membrane electron transport. Differences in substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivity indicate that the electrons from ascorbate and NADH were channelled to external acceptors via different electron transport chains. Transplasma membrane electron transport constituted only about 10% of total plasma membrane electron transport activity, but should still be sufficient to be of physiological significance in, e.g. reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ for uptake.

The cytochrome composition of plasma membranes (PM) obtained by phase partitioning of microsomal fractions from spinach leaves (Spinacea oleracea L. cv. Medania), cauliflower inflorescences (Brassica oleracea L.), sugar beer leaves (Beta vulgaris L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Kristina) roots and leaves was characterized by absorbance difference spectrophotometry at different reducing conditions at 20 and – 196°C, by redox titration, and by heme staining of polypeptide bands after lithium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (LDS-PAGE). The location of the α-bands in the difference spectra and the loss of heme after treatment with LDS indicated that predominantly cytochromes of the b-type were present in all species tested. The total concentration of cytochrome was ca 0.35 nmol (mg protein)⁻¹. The main component (ca 70% of total) was completely reduced by ascorbate and partly by NADH and had a midpoint potential of ca 150 mV. At – 196°C, ascorbate reduction revealed a symmetrical α-band at ca 557 nm with PM from spinach leaves, cauliflower and sugar beet leaves, but with barley root and leaf PM ascorbate reduction resulted in an asymmetrical α-band (shoulder at 552, maximum at 559 nm). In the dithionite-reduced minus ascorbate-reduced spectrum at –196°C a split α-band (552 + 558 nm) was seen with PM from all species. This minor component had a midpoint potential of ca – 50 mV and is probably identical to cytochrome b₅, the presence of which would explain the relatively high NADH-cytochrome c reductase activities observed with plant PM. With PM from cauliflower, CO-difference spectra indicated that cytochromes P-420 and P-450 were present at concentrations up to 0.06 and 0.03 nmol (mg protein)⁻¹, respectively. Visualization of cytochromes by heme staining after LDS-PAGE was complicated by endogenous peroxidase activity and by loss of heme during solubilisation. A presumptive b-cytochrome (heme-stained band at 94 kDa) was only detected with barley leaf PM.

Inside-out and right-side-out plasma membrane vesicles from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) leaves, prepared by aqueous two-phase partitioning, were used to localize donor and acceptor sites and to determine substrate affinities for plasma membrane-bound NADH dehydrogenase activities. NADH-ferricyanide and NADH-cytochrome c reductase activities were approx. 30% latent with inside-out vesicles and about 80% latent with right-side-out vesicles, indicating that both donor and acceptor sites for these activities are located on the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane, and that a possible transplasma membrane electron transport would constitute only a minor proportion of the total activity.

Plasma membranes obtained by two-phase partitioning of microsomal fractions from spinach (Spinacea oleracea L. cv Medania) and sugar beet leaves (Beta vulgaris L.) contained relatively high NADH-ferricyanide reductase and NADH-nitrate reductase (NR; EC 1.6.6.1) activities. Both of these activities were latent. To investigate whether these activities were due to the same enzyme, plasma membrane polypeptides were separated with SDS-PAGE and analyzed with immunoblotting methods. Antibodies raised against microsomal NADH-ferricyanide reductase (tentatively identified as NADH-cytochrome b₅ reductase, EC 1.6.2.2), purified from potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv Bintje) tuber microsomes, displayed one single band at 43 kilodaltons when reacted with spinach plasma membranes, whereas lgG produced against NR from spinach leaves gave a major band at 110 kilodaltons together with a few fainter bands of lower molecular mass. Immunoblotting analysis using inside-out and right-side-out plasma membrane vesicles strongly indicated that NR was not an integral protein but probably trapped inside the plasma membrane vesicles during homogenization. Proteins from spinach plasma membranes were solubilized with the zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio] 1-propane-sulfonate and separated on a Mono Q anion exchange column at pH 5.6 with fast protein liquid chromatography. One major peak of NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity was found after separation. The peak fraction was enriched about 70-fold in this activity compared to the plasma membrane. When the peak fractions were analyzed with SDS-PAGE the NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity strongly correlated with a 43 kilodalton polypeptide which reacted with the antibodies against potato microsomal NADH-ferricyanide reductase. Thus, our data indicate that most, if not all, of the truly membrane-bound NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity of leaf plasma membranes is due to an enzyme very similar to potato tuber microsomal NADH-ferricyanide reductase (NADH-cytochrome b₅ reductase).

Evolutionary rescue is the process whereby a declining population may start growing again, thus avoiding extinction, via an increase in the frequency of fitter genotypes. These genotypes may either already be present in the population in small numbers, or arise by mutation as the population declines. We present a simple two-type discrete-time branching process model and use it to obtain results such as the probability of rescue, the shape of the population growth curve of a rescued population, and the time until the first rescuing mutation occurs. Comparisons are made to existing results in the literature in cases where both the mutation rate and the selective advantage of the beneficial mutations are small.

Resistensbestämningar som genererar ett kvantitativt MIC-värde är värdefullt för att kunna välja adekvat antibiotikabehandling. Referensmetoden för MIC-bestämning är mikrobuljongspädning där kommersiella antibiotikapaneler underlättar handhavandet av metoden på kliniska laboratorier. Syftet med studien var att verifiera mikrobuljongspädning med Sensititre™-panelerna SEMSE7 och SEMST7 avsedda för grampositiva kocker, genom att jämföra erhållet resultat med tidigare uppmätta referensvärden av MIC samt SIR-kategorier. Mikrobuljongspädning utfördes med SEMSE7-panel och MH-buljong för Staphylococcus spp. (n=21) och Enterococcus spp. (n=13) samt med SEMST7-panel och MH-F buljong för Streptococcus pneumoniae (n=20). Avläsning av MIC utfördes samt tolkades enligt SIR-systemet. Resultaten jämfördes mot kända referensvärden tidigare uppmätta med mikrobuljongspädning. Isolat analyserade med SEMSE7-panel och SEMST7-panel erhöll en överensstämmelse av MIC på 88,2% respektive 96,7%. Motsvarande kategorisk överensstämmelse av SIR var 92,5% respektive 92,6%. Resultatet visar att Sensititre™-panelen SEMST7 är godkänd i verifieringen av mikrobuljongspädning med god överensstämmelse med referensvärden av MIC samt SIR-kategorier. Vidare bedöms att fortsatt verifiering krävs av SEMSE7-panelen eftersom ej tillfredställande överenstämmelse med referensvärden av MIC erhölls, trots god överenstämmelse av SIR-kategorier. Studien visar att SEMST7-panelen kan implementeras för Streptococcus pneumoniae i den kliniska verksamheten på mikrobiologilaboratoriet, Jönköping.

History can be described as a story, or narrative reporting on past events to create meaning and explanation for the present/future. Narratives of genetic history are presented in the genetic ancestry testing (GAT) results specifically maps, percentages, and related information to consumers expecting "answers" related to identity and belonging. Engaging in thematic narrative analysis I ask how GAT results' narratives use ethnicity/race/nationality to categorize sameness/difference and what these narratives inform about group boundaries through the comparison of online result materials received from four GAT companies: 23andMe, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FamilyTreeDNA. These results are presented as an in-between space where bio-historic-cultural contents are negotiated with previous knowledge/experiences. This study found results narrate dichotomies of "self" and others, individual and collective, personal and private, and the present and the historical, and serves to highlight problematic perceptions of genetics history as an essential/unchanging product, reducing and ignoring diversity within and moving between groups.

Bacterial cultivation from patient samples is the foundation of proper antibiotic treatment. A frequently used cultivation medium is agar with an additive of blood, so-called blood agar. The recommended additive of blood is horse blood while human blood is currently used as an additive at the microbiological laboratory Ryhov, Jönköping. The study aimed to evaluate horse blood in blood agar prior to a change in blood from human to horse blood according to a regulation from the European Union. The method consisted of cultivation from reference strains, clinical isolations and clinical patient samples on both blood agar with human blood and blood agar with horse blood. The comparison included a visual assessment for both blood agar based on the criteria of haemolysis, colony size and bacterial growth. In the assessment of clinical patient samples, in addition to the previously mentioned criteria, mixed flora was also assessed. The study resulted in a more distinct demonstration of haemolysis on blood agar with horse blood than on blood agar with human blood for haemolytic bacteria. An equivalence for both blood agar was presented regarding the remaining criteria. Based on these results a change can be made according to the regulation without negative impact.

The present case-control study compared 26 HIV+ drug users having persistent thrombocytopenia (TCP< 150 000/mm(3)) with 54 available age, gender and HIV CDC classification matched controls with normal platelet counts. Participants were followed longitudinally over a 2-year period (1998-2000), and hematological alterations evaluated in relationship to antiretroviral treatment, drug use and nutritional (selenium) status. Demographic information and medical history, including antiretroviral treatment were obtained. Blood was drawn for complete cell blood count, T lymphocytes and viral load. Sixty-nine percent of the individuals with persistent TCP and 49% of the controls were receiving antiretrovirals. At baseline, no significant differences in CD4 existed between the two groups. Over time, CD4 cell count declined in the cases (P = 0.05) and a significantly higher proportion of the cases (38%) developed AIDS (CD4< 200 cell/mm(3)), as compared to the controls (18%, P = 0.004). A high risk for development of thrombocytopenia was observed with specific drug use (heroin 2.96 times, P = 0.0007), selenium levels below 145 mug/l (6 times, P = 0.008), and abnormal liver enzyme (SGOT) levels (2 times, P = 0.002). Together, these results indicate a number of factors that may be sensitive predictors of thrombocytopenia, which, despite antiretroviral treatment, appears to be related to more rapid disease progression in drug users.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of selenium chemoprevention (200 μg/day) on hospitalizations in HIV-positive individuals. Method: Data were obtained from 186 HIV+ men and women participating in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled selenium clinical trial (1998-2000). Supplements were dispensed monthly, and clinical evaluations were conducted every 6 months. Inpatient hospitalizations, hospitalization costs, and rates of hospitalization were determined 2 years before and during the trial. Results: At enrollment, no significant differences in CD4 cell counts or viral burden were observed between the two study arms. Fewer placebo-treated participants were using antiretrovirals (p < .05). The total number of hospitalizations declined from 157 before the trial to 103 during the 2-year study. A marked decrease in total admission rates (RR = 0.38; p =.002) and percent of hospitalizations due to infection/100 patients for those receiving selenium was observed (p = .01). As a result, the cost for hospitalization decreased 58% in the selenium group, compared to a 30% decrease in the placebo group (p = .001). In the final analyses, selenium therapy continued to be a significant independent factor associated with lower risk of hospitalization (p = .001). Conclusion: Selenium supplementation appears to be a beneficial adjuvant treatment to decrease hospitalizations as well as the cost of caring for HIV-1-infected patients.

Klimathotet är ett tryckande problem som bör adresseras omgående. Urbaniseringen har ökat stadigt de senaste åren då idag över 50 procent av jordens befolkning bor i städer och prognosen förutspår att den siffran kommer att öka till 70 procent till 2050. Det här sätter press på aktörer som länder, organisationer, företag och kommuner som måste arbeta för att bemöta urbaniseringen omgående. FN, EU och WWF med flera förespråkar att internationellt samarbete mellan samtliga dessa aktörer är den bästa vägen att gå och att städerna måste vara beredda på de problem som idag finns och som kommer att uppdagas i framtiden. Trots detta finns inga studier på vad internationellt ekologiskt samarbete mellan städer innebär eller vad det resulterar i. Växjö är en av få svenska städer som internationellt arbetar med lokal och global ekologisk hållbar utveckling. Studien ämnar undersöka Växjös internationella samarbete inom ekologisk hållbar utveckling i staden. Avsikten är att se vilken roll Växjös internationella samarbete spelar i deras hållbarhetsarbete i Växjö samt undersöka om och hur ekologisk hållbar utveckling i staden kan drivas framåt av internationella samarbeten. Med ett plussummspel som teoretisk utgångspunkt i fallstudien genomförs en intervjustudie med representanter från Växjö kommun. Resultatet visar att de effekter Växjö erhållit genom sina internationella samarbeten leder till ekologisk hållbar utveckling i staden. Ifall samarbete tar formen av ett plussummepsel medför det att samtliga inblandade aktörer går med vinning ur samarbetena och att miljön och klimatet gynnas. Detta genom att internationellt samarbete medför betydande kunskapsutbyten och externa finansiella medel att lägga på projekt, som således driver hållbar utveckling framåt i staden.

Background: The prevalence of immunological disorders such as type 1 diabetes (T1D) is increasingly common amongst children, adolescents and young adults. There is also an increase in psychosomatic symptoms (depression, insomnia, anxiety, headaches and fatigue etc.) as well as a decrease in physical activity amongst young people, affecting the well-being and overall health of our younger population. It is therefore important to study the effects of psychological and physical stressors on the immune system, to evaluate their impact on juvenile health.

Aim: This thesis explores the impact of psychological and physical stressors on the cellular immune system with special focus on diabetes-related immunity in a young population, using an interdisciplinary approach.

Method: When exploring the impact of psychological and physical stressors such as psychological stress due to exposure to psychological stressful experiences or degree of physical activity/training on the cellular immune system in children, adolescents and young women, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stimulated with antigens (tetanus toxoid (TT) and β-lactoglobulin (βLG)) as well as diabetes-related autoantigens (insulin, heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), tyrosine phosphatase-2 (IA-2) and glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65)) and secreted cytokines and chemokines were measured by multiplex fluorochrome technique (Luminex). Populations of Thelper (Th) cells (CD4+), T-cytotoxic (Tc) cells (CD8+), B cells (CD19+), Natural Killer (NK) cells (CD56+CD16+) as well as regulatory T (Treg) cells (CD4+CD25+FoxP3+CD127-), and their expression of CD39 and CD45RA were studied by flow cytometry. Diabetes-related parameters (glucose, C-peptide,proinsulin, pancreatic polypeptide and peptide YY) were measured to studyβ-cell activity and appetite regulation and cortisol was used as a biological marker for psychological and physical stress.

Results: Children in families exposed to psychological stress showed an imbalanced cellular immune response as well as an increased immune response towards diabetes-related autoantigens. Also, previous exposure to psychological stress as well as current exposure to psychological stress in young women showed an increased immune response towards diabetes-related autoantigens. Further, previous exposure to psychological stress in young women showed increased numbers of circulating CD56+CD16+ NK cells as wellas decreased numbers of circulating CD4+CD25+FoxP3+CD127- Treg cells. High physical activity in children showed decreased spontaneous immune response as well as a decreased immune response towards diabetes-related autoantigens, while low physical activity in children showed an increased immune response towards diabetes-related autoantigens. Further, endurance training in adolescents, especially in adolescent males and young adolescents, showed an increased immune response towards the diabetes-related autoantigen IA-2.

Conclusion: It is evident that psychological and physical stressors such as exposure to psychological stress and degree of physical activity/training impact the cellular immune system. Experiences associated with psychological stress seem to have a negative effect on the cellular immune system in a young population, causing an imbalance in the immune system that could possibly induce diabetes-related immunity. High physical activity in children seems to have a protective effect against diabetes-related immunity. In contrast, low physical activity in children and endurance training in adolescents seems to induce diabetes-related immunity. It is very likely that psychological stressful experiences, low physical activity and intense training such as endurance training all play important roles in the immunological process leading to the development of type 1 diabetes.

Psychological stress is a public health issue even in children and has been associated with a number of immunological diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological stress and immune response in healthy children, with special focus on autoimmunity. In this study, psychological stress was based on a composite measure of stress in the family across the domains: 1) serious life events, 2) parenting stress, 3) lack of social support, and 4) parental worries. PBMCs, collected from 5-y-old high-stressed children (n = 26) and from 5-y-old children without high stress within the family (n = 52), from the All Babies In Southeast Sweden cohort, were stimulated with Ags (tetanus toxoid and β-lactoglobulin) and diabetes-related autoantigens (glutamic acid decarboxylase 65, insulin, heat shock protein 60, and tyrosine phosphatase). Immune markers (cytokines and chemokines), clinical parameters (C-peptide, proinsulin, glucose), and cortisol, as an indicator of stress, were analyzed. Children from families with high psychological stress showed a low spontaneous immune activity (IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, CCL2, CCL3, and CXCL10; p < 0.01) but an increased immune response to tetanus toxoid, β-lactoglobulin, and the autoantigens glutamic acid decarboxylase 65, heat shock protein 60, and tyrosine phosphatase (IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, IFN-γ, TNF-α, CCL2, CCL3, and CXCL10; p < 0.05). Children within the high-stress group showed high level of cortisol, but low level of C-peptide, compared with the control group (p < 0.05). This supports the hypothesis that psychological stress may contribute to an imbalance in the immune response but also to a pathological effect on the insulin-producing β cells.

The genetic background together with environmental factors and lifestyle are key contributors to the health of an individual. Genetic background is inherited and irreversible unless mutations occur. However, lifestyle habits (i.e., diet, stress, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption) are modifiable factors that contribute to health or disease by affecting methylation of DNA, which regulates transcription of genes.

One of the most relevant lifestyle habits for health is maintaining adequate vitamin D levels in the body as vitamin D promotes calcium and phosphate absorption, supports the nervous and immune system function, and protects bone and muscle structure. Extreme low levels of vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency, has become a global public health concern, especially in the elderly population as vitamin D deficiency can lead to several health problems such as bone fracture, decreased muscle strength, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, depression, and breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is an uncontrolled growth of cells within the prostate gland in the male reproductive system. Human prostate carcinomas are sensitive to androgens, and hormonal ablation therapy gives a temporary remission, followed by a relapse to an androgen-insensitive state. This indicates that steroid hormones, especially androgens, play a significant role in human prostatic carcinogenesis. The molecular effect of vitamin D as a steroid hormone and which steroid hormone receptor (SHR) mediates this effect are not fully understood.

This research project aims to increase our knowledge about SHRs, primarily the vitamin D receptors, in both health and disease, focusing on genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic perspectives in healthy elderly individuals and prostate cancer cells.

The results from the studies in this thesis could help us understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle, which includes vitamin D for health, where we found specific methylation markers involved in the down-regulation of cancer pathways that are associated with high physical activity and vitamin D supplementation. We have further confirmed that SHRs rarely work in isolation but rather as a crosstalk at the genomic level to regulate their transcription. Hopefully, this will help clarify the modulation of transcriptional responses in SHRs and explain the development of steroid hormone-dependent cancers such as prostate cancer. Last, but not least, we revealed that genetic and transcriptional markers are associated with the putative vitamin D receptor the protein disulfide isomerase family A member 3 (PDIA3). The genetic markers were detected in a healthy elderly population under vitamin D supplementation. The transcriptional markers, PDIA3, and a novel discovered isoform of PDIA3 (PDIA3N) were related to the androgen and cancer stage of prostate cancer cells and therefore are proposed as candidate markers for clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Altogether, these findings support the relevance of studying vitamin D and steroid hormone receptors, especially the PDIA3 receptor, to understand some of the factors related to healthy aging and the etiology and progression of prostate cancer.

Nuclear receptors (NRs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that regulate gene expression when bound to specific DNA sequences. Crosstalk between steroid NR systems has been studied for understanding the development of hormone-driven cancers but not to an extent at a genetic level. This study aimed to investigate crosstalk between steroid NRs in conserved intron and exon sequences, with a focus on steroid NRs involved in prostate cancer etiology. For this purpose, we evaluated conserved intron and exon sequences among all 49 members of the NR Superfamily (NRS) and their relevance as regulatory sequences and NR-binding sequences. Sequence conservation was found to be higher in the first intron (35%), when compared with downstream introns. Seventy-nine percent of the conserved regions in the NRS contained putative transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) and a large fraction of these sequences contained splicing sites (SS). Analysis of transcription factors binding to putative intronic and exonic TFBS revealed that 5 and 16%, respectively, were NRs. The present study suggests crosstalk between steroid NRs, e.g., vitamin D, estrogen, progesterone, and retinoic acid endocrine systems, through cis-regulatory elements in conserved sequences of introns and exons. This investigation gives evidence for crosstalk between steroid hormones and contributes to novel targets for steroid NR regulation.

Altitudinal gradients along mountain slopes provide valuable opportunities to study variation in plant traits in response to changes in environmental conditions along such  gradients. This study focused on biomechanical traits of two moss species, the more or less horizontally growing Pleurozium schreberi and the erect-growing Pogonatum japonicum, along altitudinal gradients on two mountains in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

We measured stem diameter in two directions to determine the second moment of area I, used three-point bending tests with free stem ends to determine the slope of the force-deflection curve dF/dx, and used these data to calculate Young’s modulus and flexural rigidity of the stems. Both species showed much variation in all traits among replicates in the samples at each altitude. Environmental variation associated with altitude had more effect on the biomechanical traits of P. japonicum than on those of P. schreberi. Stems of P. japonicum were thicker (larger I) than those of P. schreberi and had a larger Young’s modulus and flexural rigidity. Stems tended to become thinner (lower second moment of area) and less rigid (lower flexural rigidity) at increasing altitude in both species.

This research explores the use of psychometric techniques to improve understanding of psychological mechanisms underlying judgment of excreta as fertilizer in agriculture including other excreta related activities. Participants consisted of environmental health students, smallholder farmers and traders in rural and urban Rwanda and Uganda. The finding reveals an inverse relationship between risk and benefit judgments. This relationship holds for the three groups of participants with significant risk-benefit correlations of p<.0001. This finding is consistent with other studies showing that affect plays a key role in risk perception, judgment and decision making.

Building on this finding, we conclude that individuals with high risk and low benefit judgment for excreta related practices would eschew them or emphasize strict standards. Individuals with a high benefit and low risk judgment would engage in excreta management practices regardless of the actual risks involved. This finding is relevant for risk communication and risk management as it indicates that individuals do not rely only on risk management information they receive concerning excreta and related risks but also depend to an extent on their feelings about these substances when making judgments and decisions regarding the purpose for using excreta as fertilizer and the level of exposure they can tolerate and manage.

En av smittvägarna för patogena bakterier inom vården är via kontakt med ytor kontaminerade av bakterier. Miljöodlingar är ett sätt att hitta smittrisker i miljön. Det finns dock inga tydliga riktlinjer för hur dessa ska utföras inom vården. Syftet med studien var att vid miljöodling testa om provtagning med E-swab och FLOQSwab fungerar lika effektivt som en tryckplatta vid detektion av vankomycinresistenta enterokocker (VRE) på fyra typer av ytor som är vanligt förekommande inom sjukhusmiljöer. Olika bakteriekoncentrationer av VRE användes för att kontaminera fyra olika typer av ytor. De tre olika miljöodlingsmetodernas effektivitet bestämdes genom att jämföra antalet detekterade kolonier. Resultatet visade att tryckplattan var mer effektiv än provtagningspinnarna på att detektera VRE. Vid jämförelse mellan E-swab och FLOQSwab visade de vara likvärdiga, då det inte förekom någon skillnad i antalet detekterade kolonier. Desto lägre bakteriekoncentration som användes, desto färre blev de positiva odlingarna. Från den lägsta koncentrationen var det endast tryckplattan som genererade enstaka positiva odlingar. Slutsatsen var att tryckplattan var den mest effektiva metoden när det kommer till att detektera VRE i miljön då de genererade flest positiva odlingar och detekterade fler kolonier vid detektionsgränsen än provtagningspinnarna.

We here report the first comparative proteomics of purified yeast post-Golgi vesicles (PGVs). Vesicle samples isolated from PGV-accumulating sec6-4 mutants were treated with isobaric tags (iTRAQ) for subsequent quantitative tandem mass spectrometric analysis of protein content. After background subtraction, a total of 66 vesicle-associated proteins were identified, including known or assumed vesicle residents as well as a fraction not previously known to be PGV associated. Vesicles isolated from cells lacking the polarity protein Sro7p contained essentially the same catalogue of proteins but showed a reduced content of a subset of cargo proteins, in agreement with a previously shown selective role for Sro7p in cargo sorting.

The substrate stereospecificity of NADH-ferricyanide reductase activities in the inner mitochondrial membrane and peroxisomal membrane of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers, spinach (Spinacea oleracea L.) leaf plasma membrane, and red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) tonoplast were all specific for the [beta]-hydrogen of NADH, whereas the reductases in wheat root (Triticum aestivum L.) endoplasmic reticulum and potato tuber outer mitochondrial membrane were both [alpha]-hydrogen specific. In all isolated membrane fractions one or several polypeptides with an apparent size of 45 to 55 kD cross-reacted with antibodies raised against a microsomal NADH-ferricyanide reductase on western blots.

Multiresistenta bakterier så som meticillinresistenta Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), bakterier som producerar extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) och vancomycinresistenta enterokocker (VRE) är ett problem sedan årtionden tillbaka och som ökar för varje år. Idag på mikrobiologen, Unilabs Skövde, isoleras bakteriestammar från selektiva medier för just MRSA, ESBL och VRE på blodagar innan resistensbestämningarna utförs. Syftet med studien var därför att undersöka möjligheten att göra diskdiffusionstest direkt från de selektiva medierna och således kunna svara ut resultaten tidigare. Utvärdering av detta gjordes genom att undersöka om storleken på antibiotikazonerna för sammanlagt 64 isolat påverkades av att bakterierna som användes vuxit på ett selektivt agarmedium i förhållande till om de vuxit på blodagar. Resultatet visade vad som ansågs vara en normal variation på maximalt ±2 mm för alla parvisa zoner utom en på 3 mm. Av alla zoner som undersöktes för MRSA, ESBL och VRE var majoriteten identiska i antal millimeter, 62 %, 89 % och 98 % respektive. Baserat på det goda resultatet ansågs materialet vara tillräckligt stort för att göra bedömningen att metoden är utförbar. Med tanke på de positiva effekterna av att göra resistensbestämningar direkt från de selektiva agarmedierna görs rekommendationen till mikrobiologen, Unilabs Skövde, att övergå till denna metod.

Beställningsfrekvensen för detektion av Trichomonas vaginalis samt Mycoplasma genitalium i Jönköpings län är låg jämfört med den för Chlamydia trachomatis och Neisseria gonorrhoeae.  Både T. vaginalis och M. genitalium har associerats med infektion av humant papillomvirus (HPV) samt kan bland annat orsaka salpingit med infertilitet som potentiell komplikation. Patogenerna har även beskrivits öka risken för transmission av HIV. Syftet med studien var att detektera T. vaginalis samt M. genitalium med realtids-Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) för uppskattning av prevalens hos individer provtagna för C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae samt HPV i Jönköpings län. Hos individer över 25 år, provtagna för C. trachomatis och N. gonorrhoeae, uppskattades prevalensen till 5,5 % för M. genitalium samt 0,13 % för T. vaginalis. Hos samma individer var prevalensen av C. trachomatis och N. gonorrhoeae 4,5 % respektive 0,13 %. Prevalensen hos individer provtagna för HPV uppskattades till 2,3 % för M. genitalium samt 0,26 % för T. vaginalis. De slutsatser som dras är att relevans finns för en mer frekvent beställning av M. genitalium samt att analys för detektion av endast en patogen ej är optimal. Multiplex analys för detektion av sexuellt överförbara patogener föreslås. 

Astma som är en av de stora folksjukdomarna i Sverige, behandlas idag med moderna läkemedel. Målet är att patientens livskvalitet förbättras. Detta kräver en riktig och tidig diagnos. En torrluftsprovokation kan vara ett bra undersökningsalternativ vid utredning av astma.Patienten andas torrluft med snabba och djupa andetag i ca 4 minuter. Målet är att ballongen skall tömmas fullständigt. Tömningen är inte lätt och anses vara en nackdel med den här metoden med tanke på att patienten kanske blir inte tillräckligt provocerad.Studiens syfte är att jämföra om hög (FEV1 x 24) respektive låg (FEV1 x 12) provokations-volym vid torrluftsprovokation påverkar utfallet av ökad luftvägsresistens mätt med dynamisk spirometri och Impedans oscillometri.Vid undersökning av 10 st frivilliga, friska individer mellan 20-45 år utan känd bronkiell hyperreaktivitet sågs ingen skillnad i luftvägarnas reaktion av torrluftsprovokation med en låg respektive hög provokationsvolym. Detta skulle kunna betyda att provokationsvolymen inte spelar så stor roll för utfallet, men studien är baserad på en liten grupp friska försökspersoner utan känd bronkiell hyperreaktivitet. För att med säkerhet kunna verifiera resultatet behöver en liknande studie göras på större antal patienter med känd bronkiell hyperreaktivitet.

Older HIV-1-seropositive individuals largely have not been investigated with respect to their psychosocial characteristics. In this article, the authors review research reported to date regarding the psychosocial context of this growing subgroup of HIV-1-infected individuals. Specifically, the authors consider the characteristics of mood state, life stressor burden, social support network, and coping strategies that individuals older than 50 years are more likely to adopt in adjusting to HIV-1 infection. The authors also separately consider issues of caregiving burden. Data supporting a theoretically based stressor-support-coping model are presented and related to targeting psychotherapeutic interventions for this age group.

Wildlife populations are threatened worldwide by, among others, habitat fragmentation and hunting pressure. An important impediment for the large scale, national and regional, management of the populations is the difficulty to quantify population dynamics. The purpose of this study is to present a tool for such estimations which is based on available data in several countries; traffic load and traffic accidents with wildlife. An econometric model is developed, which accounts for landscape characteristics. It is applied to wild boar in Sweden, for which data on traffic load and accidents for different counties and years are available. Landscape characteristics are introduced with direct or indirect effects on population growth. The indirect landscape model gives the best statistical performance, and the results show relatively small differences in calculated intrinsic growth rate among counties but considerable differences in predicted population developments.

Ingress: Kan tillgång till en skogsträdgård förebygga elevers växtblindhet? Vad väljer elever att fokusera på i en sådan miljö? Maria Hammarsten har låtit yngre elever visa henne runt i Holma skogsträdgård i Skåne för att få svar på dessa frågor.

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) och tick-borne encefalit (TBE) är två av de vanligaste fästingöverförda sjukdomarna i Sverige. Varicella-zoster-virus (VZV) är ett smittsamt, luftburet herpesvirus med nära 100% prevalens hos personer över 30 år. På Laboratoriemedicin, Länssjukhuset Ryhov, Jönköping utförs analys av IgG-antikroppar mot B. burgdorferi s.l. TBE och VZV på serum. Syftet med studien var att jämföra etylendiamintetraättiksyra-plasma och litiumheparinplasma mot serum för dessa analyser. Målet var att undersöka om det var möjligt att byta provmaterial från serum till plasma för nämnda analyser. Prover från 500 blodgivare samlades in för analys i serum, etylendiamintetraättiksyra- och litiumheparin-plasma. Resultatet från studiens kvalitativa data indikerade att ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad förelåg vad det gäller tolkningarna (positiv och negativ) mellan provmaterialen. Kvantitativa analysen av antikroppsnivåerna visade en statistisk signifikant skillnad mellan provmaterialen. På grund av studiens begränsadeprovstorlek kunde inga generella slutsatser dras kring huruvida plasma kunde ersätta serum. Vidare studier kring ämnet kan ge ökad förståelse kring sambandet mellan serum och plasma för analys av Borrelia, TBE och VZV samt hur resultaten påverkas i de olika provmaterialen.

The vitamin D endocrine system modulates an arsenal of important biological functions in more than 30 different tissues in short- and long-term perspectives. Two membrane receptors and one nuclear receptor are suggested to be involved in the vitamin D signaling system, but the function and physiological relevance of the receptors are debated. The complexity of the vitamin D endocrine system makes it necessary to combine experimental data with in silico simulations to get a holistic view of vitamin D-dependent regulation of tissue and cell physiology. This review focus on binding characteristics for the three putative vitamin D receptors and proposes a future systems biology approach including mathematical modeling that will be helpful together with experimental methods in depicting antitumoral and other biological effects promoted by the vitamin D endocrine system.

Syftet med detta arbete är att studera utomhusundervisning inom biologiämnet i grundskolans senare år. Arbetet syftar även till att fastställa Ekobussens roll i utomhusundervisningen. Frågeställningarna lyder som följande:

•Vilken inställning har lärare till utomhusundervisning inom biologi?

•Vad finns det för fördelar och nackdelar med utomhusundervisning?

•Vad får elever ut av utomhusundervisning?

•Hur använder sig lärare av Ekobussen och vilken inställning har de till den?

För att få svar på dessa frågor genomfördes en enkätundersökning med lärare och elever samt djupintervjuer av tre lärare.

Resultatet i undersökningen visar att både lärare och elever anser att utomhusundervisning inom biologiämnet inte bedrivs i tillräcklig utsträckning. Orsaker till detta är bland annat osäkerhet hos lärare, brist på bra exkursionsplatser i närområdet samt att det är schematekniskt svårt att få tid att komma ut.

Undersökningen visar att de stora fördelarna med utomhusundervisning inom biologi är att eleverna anser sig koppla teoretisk och praktisk kunskap samman samt att många sinnen stimuleras vilket underlättar inlärningen.

Sverker Johansson has written an unusual book on language origins, with its emphasis on empirical evidence rather than theory-building. This is a book for the student or researcher who prefers solid data and well-supported conclusions, over speculative scenarios. Much that has been written on the origins of language is characterized by hypothesizing largely unconstrained by evidence. But empirical data do exist, and the purpose of this book is to integrate and review the available evidence from all relevant disciplines, not only linguistics but also, e.g., neurology, primatology, paleoanthropology, and evolutionary biology. The evidence is then used to constrain the multitude of scenarios for language origins, demonstrating that many popular hypotheses are untenable. Among the issues covered: (1) Human evolutionary history, (2) Anatomical prerequisites for language, (3) Animal communication and ape "language", (4) Mind and language, (5) The role of gesture, (6) Innateness, (7) Selective advantage of language, (8) Proto-language.

Thermal acclimatisations are important for the survival and growth of individuals and populations but seldom studied for different populations of bryophytes. The aims of this study were to (I) investigate if responses to temperature treatments were independent of the site sampled or if the intra- and interpopulation variation in responses were larger than the responses to the temperature treatments (control, press, and pulse), and to (II) examine if experimental responses varied, depending on the sampled sites.

We collected samples of the circumpolar bryophyte species, Pleurozium schreberi (Willd. ex Brid.) Mitt., originating from eight altitude sites on Mt. Oakan in Hokkaido, Japan, and exposed them to three different temperature treatments ex situ for four weeks. Thermal acclimatisation was estimated by measuring responses in growth length increase, biomass increase, number of branches, and the maximum quantum yield of PS II (Fv/Fm). We found that responses to temperature treatments were dependent of the site sampled, and that differences were most pronounced in the length increase. Results also shows that the responses to experimental treatments may differ between sites. Our results therefore raise important concerns regarding the general validity of both ex situ and in situ experiments when performed on a single or a limited number of sites.

Bryophytes with indeterminate growth rarely exhibit clearly identifiable modules or age segments, but can be vertically divided into different physiologically active zones, since physiological activity normally declines vertically along the shoot profile depth. The aim of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to use C:N ratios (C/N)and/or parameters from chlorophyll fluorescence measurements (e.g. Fv/Fm, Fm or qN)to determine if bryophyte tissue is alive, senescent or dead, and at what distance along the shoot segment profile the moss tissue cease to live. Variation in C:N ratios and chlorophyll fluorescence between sites was also examined. This study shows that it is possible to separate alive, senescing and dead parts of the moss shoots in Pleurozium schreberi, and that chlorophyll fluorescence is a good method to use, whereas C/N varies between sites and species (for Hylcomium splendens and Racomitrium lanuginosum)and does not seem to reflect physiological activity to the same degree.