Regional issues on animal genetic resources: trends, policies and networking in Europe

European countries are individually and in collaboration carrying out active work on animal genetic resources (AnGR). The region has a very good starting point for work on AnGR: The breed concept was developed in Europe; current European mainstream breeds are derived from local breeds and, in many species, have further formed the core of the international breeds; there has always been very active research in Europe on farm animal genetics and breeding, including sustainable utilization and management of variation. Since the 1970s and 1980s many European countries have been paying attention to local breeds and have saved many of them from total extinction. In quite a few countries, the conservation work has been supported by cryopreservation. In the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) coordinated process, Europe has actively contributed to assessing the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources and will continue to implement the Global Plan of Action. There are now national action plans in most of the European countries. The European consumption of animal products has changed very little over recent decades. At the same time, production has become very intensive. Among other driving forces, the development of agriculture is steered by the EU policies. The last decade has seen new kind of thinking and measures directed towards an overall consideration of rural development. This has given room for the revitalization of many local breeds. The aim is to have schemes that promote the self-sustainability of local breeds. The EU also has a very ambitious research programme to support these aims while enhancing the overall sustainable production and management of biological resources. The European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP) is a common forum for the coordinators of European national programmes on AnGR. There are also many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the animal sector. These NGOs and networks are most relevant to raising awareness about the importance of values of AnGR and in enhancing activities that contribute to conservation and sustainable use of AnGR

Genotypic covariance matrices and their inverses for models allowing dominance and inbreeding

International audienc

Functional effects of schizophrenia-linked genetic variants on intrinsic single-neuron excitability: A modeling study

Background: Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a large number of genetic risk factors for schizophrenia (SCZ) featuring ion channels and calcium transporters. For some of these risk factors, independent prior investigations have examined the effects of genetic alterations on the cellular electrical excitability and calcium homeostasis. In the present proof-of-concept study, we harnessed these experimental results for modeling of computational properties on layer V cortical pyramidal cell and identify possible common alterations in behavior across SCZ-related genes. Methods: We applied a biophysically detailed multi-compartmental model to study the excitability of a layer V pyramidal cell. We reviewed the literature on functional genomics for variants of genes associated with SCZ, and used changes in neuron model parameters to represent the effects of these variants. Results: We present and apply a framework for examining the effects of subtle single nucleotide polymorphisms in ion channel and Ca2+ transporter-encoding genes on neuron excitability. Our analysis indicates that most of the considered SCZ- related genetic variants affect the spiking behavior and intracellular calcium dynamics resulting from summation of inputs across the dendritic tree. Conclusions: Our results suggest that alteration in the ability of a single neuron to integrate the inputs and scale its excitability may constitute a fundamental mechanistic contributor to mental disease, alongside with the previously proposed deficits in synaptic communication and network behavior

Siltojen monitorointi:sovelluksena Tuiranväylän silta

Tiivistelmä. Tässä diplomityössä perehdytään siltojen monitorointiin, eli siltojen tilan, kunnon ja toiminnan seurantaan käyttäen automaattisia mittaus- ja analysointilaitteita. Diplomityö jakautuu kirjallisuusselvitykseen ja käytännön tutkimukseen. Kirjallisuuskatsauksessa selvitetään siltojen monitorointiin liittyviä kansainvälisiä käytäntöjä, standardeja ja käytetyimpiä anturityyppejä. Työssä esitellään erilaisia siltojen monitorointiprojekteja sekä Suomesta että maailmalta. Diplomityössä hyödynnetään aiheeseen liittyviä kansainvälisiä ja kotimaisia julkaisuja. Kirjallisuuskatsauksessa todettiin, että 2000-luvulla nopea tekniikan kehitys on vauhdittanut ja lisännyt siltojen monitoroinnin käyttö- ja hyödyntämismahdollisuuksia. Selvityksessä painottui monitoroinnin suunnittelun tärkeys. Ennen monitorointiprojektin aloittamista on tärkeä etukäteen määritellä mitä, miten ja miksi monitoroidaan. Kirjallisuusselvityksen perusteella venymän, lämpötilan ja värähtelyn todettiin olevan kolme yleisintä mittaussuuretta kansainvälisissä siltojen monitorointiprojekteissa. Tärkeä havainto oli myös siltojen monitorointiin liittyvän yhtenäisen standardisoinnin ja lainsäädännön puuttuminen. Monilla valtioilla on siltojen monitorointiin liittyviä ohjeita ja käsikirjoja, mutta ainoastaan Kiinassa on standardeja, joissa asetetaan suora vaatimus tietyntyyppisten siltojen monitoroinnille. Diplomityön käytännön tutkimus pohjautuu käynnissä olevaan Oulun kaupungin tilaamaan Tuiranväylän sillan monitorointihankkeeseen. Tuiranväylän sillan mittausdataa hyödyntämällä selvitetään keinoja monitoroinnin kustannusten pienentämiseen anturien lukumäärää vähentämällä. Tavoitteena on selvittää, riittääkö venymäliuska-antureiden kiinnittäminen vain betonin pintaan betoniraudoitteen sijasta. Samalla arvioidaan venymäliuskamittaukseen liittyviä epävarmuustekijöitä. Tämän lisäksi tutkitaan voiko keskellä siltaa ilmenevän vaurion huomata reunimmaisten silta-aukkojen antureiden mittaustulosten muutoksesta tarpeeksi luotettavasti. Tutkimus suoritettiin tarkastelemalla Tuiranväylän sillan monitoroinnista saatua mittausdataa sekä sillasta laadittua FEM-rakennemallia. Eri antureiden mittaustuloksia verrattiin sillan rakennemalliin, jonka perusteella suoritettiin vertailua venymäliuskojen kiinnitystapojen välillä. Vertailun tuloksena todettiin, että betonipintaan kiinnitetyt venymäliuskat olisivat olleet riittäviä luotettavan mittaustuloksen saamiseen, kun taas betoniraudoitteisiin kiinnitettyjen liuskojen mittaustuloksiin liittyi enemmän vaihtelua ja epävarmuutta. Venymäantureiden sijoitteluun liittyvä tutkimusosuus toteutettiin simuloimalla keskelle siltaa syntyvää vauriota sillan rakennemallissa. Vauriota simuloitiin pienentämällä rakennemallissa sillan pääpalkin jäykkyyttä oletetussa vauriokohdassa. Tutkimuksen tuloksena todettiin, että sillan keskikohdalla syntyvää vauriota ei pysty luotettavasti havaitsemaan kauempana vauriokohtaa sijaitsevista venymäantureista ennen kuin vaurio on tapahtunut. Tuloksen perusteella tehtiin johtopäätös, että venymäantureiden asentaminen ainoastaan sillan reuna-aukkoihin ei olisi ollut riittävää vaurion havaitsemiseen muualta sillasta. Diplomityön tulokset perustavat Tuiranväylän siltaan ja sen mittausdataan, eikä niitä voi suoraan yleistää tai verrata muihin monitorointihankkeisiin. Tulokset antavat kuitenkin hyvin tietoa liittyen eroihin venymäliuskojen kiinnitystavoissa ja sijainneissa.Structural health monitoring of bridges : case study Tuiranväylä bridge. Abstract. In this thesis the structural health monitoring (SHM) of bridges is explored. SHM means the monitoring of the condition, state, and operation of bridges by using automatic sensing and analyzing technology. The thesis is divided into literature review and practical study. The literature review examines international methods, standards, and the most used types of sensors for bridge SHM. The thesis demonstrates different bridge monitoring projects from Finland and abroad. The thesis draws on international and domestic publications on the subject. The literature review revealed that rapid advances in technology in the 21st century have accelerated and increased the potential for the application of bridge SHM. The review revealed that pre-designing is important in SHM. Before starting a monitoring project, it is important to define in advance what is to be monitored, how it is done and why it is needed. Based on the literature review, strain, temperature, and vibration were the three most measured variables in international SHM projects of bridges. Another important finding was the lack of uniform standardisation and legislation for bridge SHM. Many countries have guidelines and manuals for bridge monitoring, but only China has standards that require monitoring of certain types of bridges. The research of this thesis is based on an ongoing monitoring project for the Tuiranväylä bridge commissioned by the City of Oulu. Using the measurement data from the Tuiranväylä bridge, ways to reduce the cost of monitoring by using fewer sensors is explored. The aim is to determine whether it is sufficient to attach strain gauge sensors only to the concrete surface instead of on reinforcing bars. In addition, the uncertainties associated with strain gauge measurement will be assessed. Furthermore, it will be investigated whether the damage in the middle of the bridge can be detected reliably enough from the change in the measurements of the sensors that are placed in the edge bridge openings. the Tuiranväylä bridge and the finite element method (FEM). The measurement results from the different sensors were compared with the FEM model to evaluate the different ways of attaching the gauges. The result of the comparison was that the strain gages attached to the concrete surface would have been sufficient in obtaining a reliable measurement result, whereas the measurement results of the gauges attached to the reinforcing bars had more variability and uncertainty. The research section related to the locations of strain gauges was conducted by simulating the damage in the middle of the bridge in the FEM model. The damage was simulated by reducing the stiffness of the main bridge beam at the assumed damage location in the FEM model. As a result of the study, was that the failure at the centre of the bridge cannot be reliably detected by strain gauges further away from the failure location before the failure has occurred. The conclusion is that installing strain gauges only at the edge of the bridge would not have been sufficient in detecting damage elsewhere on the bridge. The results of the thesis are based on the Tuiranväylä bridge and its sensor data and cannot be generalised or directly compared to other monitoring projects. However, the results provide useful insight to the differences in the locations and ways of attaching strain gauges

Risk of donor-site lymphatic vessel dysfunction after microvascular lymph node transfer

BACKGROUND: Microvascular lymph node transfer has been used to improve lymphatic function in patients with lymphoedema. We previously reported changes in the lymphatic function of the donor limb after lymph node transfer. For this reason, we modified our surgical method to be more conservative. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Microvascular lymph node transfer was performed in 13 patients using the previously reported original method. Sixteen patients were operated upon using the more conservative modified method. Lymphatic function in the donor limb was evaluated using volumetry, lymphoscintigraphy and tissue water percentage. RESULTS: In the original method group, the donor-limb volume was on average greater (199 ± 540 ml) than in the non-operated control limb. The volume difference between the limbs was smaller (151 ± 463 ml) in the modified method group. Two patients in the original method group had abnormal transport index (Ti) values in lymphoscintigraphy indicating decreased lymphatic function of the donor limb. In the modified method group, the Ti-values remained normal. The tissue water percentage of the donor limb was on average 40% ± 4% in the original method group and 40% ± 3% in the modified method group. Importantly, none of the patients in either group developed clinical lymphoedema in the donor limb during the 11-84-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Even with the more conservative lymph node transfer method, we can observe slight, subclinical signs of lymphatic dysfunction in the donor limb. These results highlight the importance of minimizing the surgical exploration in the inguinal area and avoiding damage to the lymphatic vessels or sentinel nodes draining the lower limb.</p

Mapping of serum amylase-1 and quantitative trait loci for milk production traits to cattle chromosome 4

The present study was undertaken to confirm and refine the mapping of a quantitative trait locus in cattle for milk fat percentage that had earlier been reported to be linked to the serum amylase-1 locus, AM1. Five half-sib families from the previous study and 7 new ones were genotyped for nine microsatellite markers spanning chromosome 4. AM1 was mapped between the microsatellite markers BMS648 and BR6303. In a granddaughter design, interval mapping based on multiple-marker regression was utilized for an analysis of five milk production traits: milk yield, fat percentage and yield, and protein percentage and yield. In the families reported on previously, significant effects for fat and protein percentages were detected. In the new families, an effect on milk and fat yields was found. The most likely positions of the quantitative trait locus in both groups of families were in the same area of chromosome 4 in the vicinity of the obese locus. Direct effects of the obese locus were tested for using polymorphism in two closely linked microsatellites located 2.5 and 3.6 top downstream of the coding sequence. No firm evidence was found for an association between the obese locus and the tested traits

Time Dependence of Charge Transfer Processes in Diamond Studied with Positrons

We have developed a method called optical transient positron spectroscopy and apply it to study the optically induced carrier trapping and charge transfer processes in natural brown type IIa diamond. By measuring the positron lifetime with continuous and pulsed illumination, we present an estimate of the optical absorption cross section of the vacancy clusters causing the brown color. The vacancy clusters accept electrons from the valence band in the absorption process, giving rise to photoconductivity.Peer reviewe

Why the Realist-Instrumentalist Debate about Rational Choice Rests on a Mistake

Within the social sciences, much controversy exists about which status should be ascribed to the rationality assumption that forms the core of rational choice theories. Whilst realists argue that the rationality assumption is an empirical claim which describes real processes that cause individual action, instrumentalists maintain that it amounts to nothing more than an analytically set axiom or ‘as if’ hypothesis which helps in the generation of accurate predictions. In this paper, I argue that this realist-instrumentalist debate about rational choice theory can be overcome once it is realised that the rationality assumption is neither an empirical description nor an ‘as if’ hypothesis, but a normative claim