| 1. |
- Boman, Christoffer, et al.
(författare)
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Development of innovative small(micro)-scale biomass-based CHP technologies
- 2017
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- To enhance the overall efficiency of the use of biomass in the energy sector in Europe, the large electricity production potential from small-scale biomass heating systems should be utilised. So far, no technologically sound (in terms of efficiency and reliability) and economically affordable micro- and small-scale biomass CHP technologies are, however, available. Therefore, the present ERA-NET project (MiniBioCHP) aimed at the further development and test of new CHP technologies based on small-scale biomass combustion in the electric capacity range between some W and 100 kW. Within the project, an international consortium consisting of 12 partners from 4 countries, including university institutions, institutes and industry (both engineering and manufacturing), collaborated closely to perform high level R&D on three promising micro/small-scale biomass based CHP technologies which are covering a broad range of applications in the residential heating sector. The Austrian engineering company BIOS, coordinated the international project. The project was based on earlier basic research and development work related to these promising new technologies and aimed at the achievement of a technological level which allows a first (commercial) demonstration after the end of the project. The three CHP concepts included in the MiniBioCHP project were;1. Pellet stoves with a thermoelectric generator (TEG)2. Small-scale biomass boilers (10-30 kWth) with a micro-ORC process3. High temperature heat exchanger (HT-HE) for an externally fired gas turbine (EFGT)The Swedish part of the project was focused on the development of the concept of biomass based EFGT with dedicated R&D activities related to the development of the HT-HE system. The Swedish project consisted of the research partners Umeå University (project leader), Luleå University of Technology, Chalmers University of Technology and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, together with the industrial partners Enertech AB/Osby Parca and Ecergy. The expertise of the Swedish partners regarding ash related problems, grate boiler combustion and modelling, deposit formation and high temperature corrosion, were combined with the know-how of a Polish partner regarding HT-HE design, construction, testing and optimisation.The HT-HE is the most crucial component in EFGT processes significantly influencing the investment costs, availabilities as well as the efficiencies that can be achieved. With a thermal capacity from several hundred kW up to 2-3 MWth) the CHP technology based on a biomass boiler and an EFGT is suitable for district heating systems, or process heat consumers. The electricity produced by the gas turbine (up to some 100 kWel) can be used to cover the own electricity consumption of a company and/or fed into the grid. Even though the concept of biomass based EFGT has been an interesting alternative for small-scale CHP production for some decades, and R&D activities have been undertaken, tackling both economic and technical aspects, only a few pilot-plants have been in operation and no initiative has so far reached the level of commercial implementation. Thus, the concept of EFGT fed with biomass is still considered to be in a rather early development stage and the main technical challenges are related to alkali deposit induced corrosion and thermal stress of the HT-HE material, turbine design/operation and system integration.Within the present project, a HT-HE prototype aimed for an EFGT system was therefore designed, constructed and successfully tested at flue gas temperatures up to 900°C. Thus, appropriate guidelines for a compact design of the HT-HE and recommendations have been worked out to minimize thermal stresses as well as ash related problems regarding ash deposit formation and high temperature corrosion in a biomass boiler system. Furthermore, different concepts for the overall biomass based EFGT system have been worked out and evaluated. The outcome of the project will hopefully be used in the further development work and form the basis for a first testing and demonstration plant within the coming years.
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| 2. |
- Abrahamsson, Markus, et al.
(författare)
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Saproxylic beetle assemblages in artificially created high-stumps of spruce (Picea abies) and birch (Betula pendula/pubescens) – does the surrounding landscape matter?
- 2009
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Ingår i: Insect Conservation and Diversity. - : Wiley. - 1752-458X .- 1752-4598. ; 2, s. 284-294
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract. 1. To create high-stumps (snags) is a common conservation action during final felling in Swedish production forests. However, many wood-living beetle species are only found in certain areas with higher overall biodiversity, so called hotspots. It has been argued that it is efficient to concentrate conservation efforts to hotspots. 2. The saproxylic beetle fauna was sampled on ten clearcuts inside hotspots and ten clearcuts outside the hotspots. They were collected with window traps mounted on 2- and 4-year-old spruce and birch high-stumps. We also used environmental data (e.g. tree species composition) to confirm differences between the surroundings of two, the clearcut types. 3. High-stumps on the hotspot clearcuts did not attract more saproxylic beetle species, or red-listed species, than high-stumps outside the hotspots. The environmental data showed that the clearcuts differed in several important aspects, for instance, were there a higher proportion of broadleaved trees around the hotspot compared with the clearcuts outside the hotspots. In a Canonical Correspondence Analysis, the proportion of coniferous and broadleaved forest was an important explanatory variables. The hotspot variable did contribute significantly in explaining the beetle composition on the birch high-stumps, but not on the spruce high-stumps. 4. In general, the study suggests that concentrating high-stumps to hotspot areas will not benefit more species. However, the result indicates birch high-stumps could be prioritised in a biologically rich landscape. The hotspot effect may be more noticeable in the future as the high-stumps decay and their importance for late successional species increase
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| 3. |
- Andrésen, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Biophysical characterization of the calmodulin-like domain of Plasmodium falciparum calcium dependent protein kinase 3
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. - 1932-6203. ; 12:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Calcium dependent protein kinases are unique to plants and certain parasites and comprise an N-terminal segment and a kinase domain that is regulated by a C-terminal calcium binding domain. Since the proteins are not found in man they are potential drug targets. We have characterized the calcium binding lobes of the regulatory domain of calcium dependent protein kinase 3 from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Despite being structurally similar, the two lobes differ in several other regards. While the monomeric N-terminal lobe changes its structure in response to calcium binding and shows global dynamics on the sub-millisecond time-scale both in its apo and calcium bound states, the C-terminal lobe could not be prepared calcium-free and forms dimers in solution. If our results can be generalized to the full-length protein, they suggest that the C-terminal lobe is calcium bound even at basal levels and that activation is caused by the structural reorganization associated with binding of a single calcium ion to the N-terminal lobe.
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| 4. |
- Niklasson, Mats, et al.
(författare)
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Brandplan för Gotska Sandön
- 2015
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Föreliggande arbete är en plan för att införa skyddsavbränning som ett verktyg för att minska risken för okontrollerbara skogsbränder samt för att bibehålla naturvärdena på Gotska Sandön. Ön härbärgerar en unik fauna som starkt gynnas av brand. Tidigare undersökningar har visat att fram till år 1760 brann öns skogar med ungefär 25 års intervall, därefter har endast två större bränder inträffat (1880 och 1917). Den långa frånvaron av brand har medfört både igenväxning och ackumulering av stora bränslemängder (humus, förna, mossor och fältskiktsarter, främst ljung) över stora områden. Igenväxningen har lett till minskning av arealen öppen sandmark. De mycket speciella förhållandena på Gotska Sandön med frånvaro av naturliga brandhinder (våtmarker, öppet vatten, större dynområden) i kombination med i princip ett sammanhängande ljungtäcke skapar förutsättningar för mycket stora skogsbränder med hög trädmortalitet och stor risk för bebyggelsen på ön (fyrbyn). Bränderna 1880 och 1739 har delvis haft denna karaktär. Igenväxningen är också negativ för en stor mängd arter (skalbaggar, fjärilar, kärlväxter m fl artgrupper) som är hotade och tillbakaträngda eller överhuvudtaget inte alls finns idag på det svenska fastlandet. För att minska risken för okontrollerade bränder med katastrofala effekter samt för att vända den negativa påverkan av igenväxningen föreslås införande av kontrollerad bränslereducerande skyddsavbränningar och naturvårdsbränningar som skötselmetod på delar av ön. Tack vare öns isolerade läge i havet finns på lång sikt goda förutsättningar för en framtida i huvudsak människostyrd brandregim som kontinuerligt minskar risken för okontrollerade, oönskat stora och beståndsdödande bränder. Många unika och hotade arter gynnas av dessa skydds- och naturvårdsbränningar. I brandplanen har ön delats in i fem olika områden utifrån ett säkerhets- och restaureringsperspektiv.1. Områden som behöver skyddas från eld (egendom och kulturvärden, 150 ha).2. Områden där brand skall undvikas och skall om möjligt skyddas i händelse av brand eller bränning (450 ha).3. Skyddsavbränning i restaureringssyfte med lägre prioritet (1900 ha).4. Skyddsavbränning i restaureringssyfte med högre prioritet (800 ha).5. Skyddsavbränning i syfte att drastiskt reducera bränslemängderna i en bred zon runt fyrbyn som ett skydd mot okontrollerade bränder (ca 10 ha).
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| 5. |
- Niklasson, Markus, 1987-
(författare)
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Coding to cure : NMR and thermodynamic software applied to congenital heart disease research
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Regardless of scientific field computers have become pivotal tools for data analysis and the field of structural biology is not an exception. Here, computers are the main tools used for tasks including structural calculations of proteins, spectral analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy data and fitting mathematical models to data. As results reported in papers heavily rely on software and scripts it is of key importance that the employed computational methods are robust and yield reliable results. However, as many scientific fields are niched and possess a small potential user base the task to develop necessary software often falls on researchers themselves. This can cause divergence when comparing data analyzed by different measures or by using subpar methods. Therein lies the importance of development of accurate computational methods that can be employed by the scientific community.The main theme of this thesis is software development applied to structural biology, with the purpose to aid research in this scientific field by speeding up the process of data analysis as well as to ensure that acquired data is properly analyzed. Among the original results of this thesis are three user-friendly software: COMPASS - a resonance assignment software for NMR spectroscopy data capable of analyzing chemical shifts and providing the user with suggestions to potential resonance assignments, based on a meticulous database comparison. CDpal - a curve fitting software used to fit thermal and chemical denaturation data of proteins acquired by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy or fluorescence spectroscopy. PINT - a line shape fitting and downstream analysis software forNMRspectroscopy data, designed with the important purpose to easily and accurately fit peaks in NMR spectra and extract parameters such as relaxation rates, intensities and volumes of peaks.This thesis also describes a study performed on variants of the life essential regulatory protein calmodulin that have been associated with the congenital life threatening heart disease long QT syndrome (LQTS). The study provided novel insights revealing that all variants are distinct from the wild type in regards to structure and dynamics on a detailed level; the presented results are useful for the interpretation of results from protein interaction studies. The underlying research of this paper makes use of all three developed software, which validates that all developed methods fulfil a scientific purpose and are capable of producing solid results.
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| 6. |
- Niklasson, Markus, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Comprehensive analysis of NMR data using advanced line shape fitting.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Biomolecular NMR. - : Springer. - 0925-2738 .- 1573-5001. ; 69:2, s. 93-99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- NMR spectroscopy is uniquely suited for atomic resolution studies of biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids and metabolites, since detailed information on structure and dynamics are encoded in positions and line shapes of peaks in NMR spectra. Unfortunately, accurate determination of these parameters is often complicated and time consuming, in part due to the need for different software at the various analysis steps and for validating the results. Here, we present an integrated, cross-platform and open-source software that is significantly more versatile than the typical line shape fitting application. The software is a completely redesigned version of PINT ( https://pint-nmr.github.io/PINT/ ). It features a graphical user interface and includes functionality for peak picking, editing of peak lists and line shape fitting. In addition, the obtained peak intensities can be used directly to extract, for instance, relaxation rates, heteronuclear NOE values and exchange parameters. In contrast to most available software the entire process from spectral visualization to preparation of publication-ready figures is done solely using PINT and often within minutes, thereby, increasing productivity for users of all experience levels. Unique to the software are also the outstanding tools for evaluating the quality of the fitting results and extensive, but easy-to-use, customization of the fitting protocol and graphical output. In this communication, we describe the features of the new version of PINT and benchmark its performance.
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| 7. |
- Niklasson, Markus, et al.
(författare)
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Fast and Accurate Resonance Assignment of Small-to-Large Proteins by Combining Automated and Manual Approaches
- 2015
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Ingår i: PloS Computational Biology. - : Public Library of Science. - 1553-734X .- 1553-7358. ; 11:1, s. e1004022-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The process of resonance assignment is fundamental to most NMR studies of protein structure and dynamics. Unfortunately, the manual assignment of residues is tedious and time-consuming, and can represent a significant bottleneck for further characterization. Furthermore, while automated approaches have been developed, they are often limited in their accuracy, particularly for larger proteins. Here, we address this by introducing the software COMPASS, which, by combining automated resonance assignment with manual intervention, is able to achieve accuracy approaching that from manual assignments at greatly accelerated speeds. Moreover, by including the option to compensate for isotope shift effects in deuterated proteins, COMPASS is far more accurate for larger proteins than existing automated methods. COMPASS is an open-source project licensed under GNU General Public License and is available for download from http://www.liu.se/forskning/foass/tidigare-foass/patrik-lundstrom/software?l=en. Source code and binaries for Linux, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows are available.
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| 8. |
- Niklasson, Markus, et al.
(författare)
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Robust and convenient analysis of protein thermal and chemical stability
- 2015
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Ingår i: Protein Science. - : WILEY-BLACKWELL. - 0961-8368 .- 1469-896X. ; 24:12, s. 2055-2062
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the software CDpal that is used to analyze thermal and chemical denaturation data to obtain information on protein stability. The software uses standard assumptions and equations applied to two-state and various types of three-state denaturation models in order to determine thermodynamic parameters. It can analyze denaturation monitored by both circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy and is extremely flexible in terms of input format. Furthermore, it is intuitive and easy to use because of the graphical user interface and extensive documentation. As illustrated by the examples herein, CDpal should be a valuable tool for analysis of protein stability.
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