Experimentally induced community assembly of polypores reveals the importance of both environmental filtering and assembly history

The community assembly of wood-inhabiting fungi follows a successional pathway, with newly emerging resource patches being colonised by pioneer species, followed by those specialised on later stages of decay. The primary coloniser species have been suggested to strongly influence the assembly of the later-arriving community. We created an artificial resource pulse and studied the assembly of polypores over an 11yr period to ask how the identities of the colonising species depend on the environmental characteristics and the assembly history of the dead wood unit. Our results support the view that community assembly in fungi is a highly stochastic process, as even detailed description of the characteristics of dead wood (host tree species, size, decay class of the resource unit, its bark cover and how sunken it is to the ground) and the prior community structure provided only limited predictive power on the newly colonising species. Yet, we identified distinct links between primary and secondary colonising species and showed how the spatial aggregation of dead wood had a great impact on the community assembly. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological SocietyPeer reviewe

Immune activation in the small intestine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives: To determine whether inflammation in the gut associated immune system is activated in rheumatoid arthritis ( RA). The expression of chemokine receptor- (CCR4, CCR5) and cytokine- ( interleukin (IL) 2, IL10, interferon gamma (IFNgamma), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), and transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta)) specific mRNA in intestinal biopsy samples from patients with RA was examined. Methods: Duodenal biopsy samples from 13 patients with RA and 15 control subjects were studied. The mRNA expression of CCR4, CCR5, IL2, IL10, IFNgamma, TNFalpha, and TGFb in intestinal biopsy samples was demonstrated by real time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Results: The mRNA expression of CCR4, CCR5, and IL10 in intestinal biopsy samples was increased in patients with RA in comparison with control subjects ( p = 0.001, p = 0.046, p = 0.019). No difference in the expression levels of IL2, IFNgamma, TNFalpha, or TGFbeta was seen between patients with RA and controls. Conclusions: The increased intestinal mRNA expression of IL10, CCR5, and CCR4 suggests that gut associated immune cells are activated in patients with RA.Peer reviewe

Multichannel optical sensor for oil film pressure measurement in engine main bearing

An optical sensor has been developed for experimental determination of oil film pressure in journal bearings. The non-intrusive fibre optic sensor is integrated in the sliding surface of the bearing to measure the actual oil film pressure under load without disturbing the actual tribological contact conditions. The sensors with a multichannel system also allowed the use of several optical sensors simultaneously. Four optical sensors were integrated in a hydrodynamic journal bearing of a large scale diesel engine and the engine tests were carried out with different loads to study the sensor operation in demanding operating conditions. The oil film pressure was successfully measured and the results showed differences in bearing pressure depending on the position of the sensor and on the operating cycle of the cylinders. The optical sensor was capable to measure the oil film pressure in journal bearing with a good sensitivity and repeatability during the tests. &nbsp

Business students' value priorities and attitudes towards sustainable development

Business students of today are future executives in companies and governments. Therefore, their education for sustainability needs to be carefully considered. However, very little is known about business students in terms of their value priorities and attitudes towards sustainable development. Value priorities guide attitudes, but they are more abstract and long-lasting. Teachers who understand their students' value priorities and attitudes could develop and customize their teaching accordingly. Our goal in this study is to measure business students' value priorities and their attitudes towards sustainability. We compare the results obtained from students in a university business school with a comparable nationwide sample. Our results show that there are differences in almost all values among business students and the comparable sample, in particular in universalism and power. Interestingly, attitudes to sustainable development are equally or even more favorable among business students. As a theoretical contribution in the field of education for sustainability we combined Sterling's three levels of sustainability education into our considerations and suggest that the evolvement of students' values and sustainability attitudes measured regularly should be reflected against them or a corresponding categorization. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Avaruus arjessamme : Avaruustoiminnan yhteiskunnallinen vaikuttavuus (AVARTAVA) loppuraportti

Selvityksen tavoitteena oli muodostaa ajankohtainen kuva siitä, miten avaruustoiminnan mahdollisuuksia hyödynnetään hallitusohjelman tavoitteiden ja muiden yhteiskunnallisten tavoitteiden toteuttamisessa sekä eri hallinnonalojen päätöksenteossa. Päähavainto on, että avaruustoimintaa hyödynnetään laajasti eri hallinnonalojen päätöksenteossa sekä hallitusohjelman ja muiden yhteiskunnallisten tavoitteiden toteuttamisessa, vaikka avaruustoiminnan roolia aina ei välttämättä tiedosteta. Avaruustoiminnan palveluilla, kuten paikkatiedolla ja aikasignaalilla, kaukokartoituksella ja satelliittitietoliikenteellä on merkittäviä sovelluksia viranomaistoiminnassa, esim. pelastuksessa, ympäristövalvonnassa ja turvallisuusviranomaisten toiminnassa, sekä liike-elämässä, erilaisten tietoliikenne- ja energiaverkkojen, kaupankäynnin, kuljetusten ja palveluiden mahdollistajana. Kaiken kaikkiaan avaruustoiminta on kriittistä yhteiskunnan normaalille toiminnalle. Selvitysryhmä suosittaakin tiedostamaan avaruustoiminnan roolin kriittisyyden. Selvityksessä esitetään toimenpiteitä tarvittavan osaamisen ja resurssien varmistamiseksi, jotta avaruustoiminnan palveluita voidaan hyödyntää jatkossa entistä laajemmin.Tämä julkaisu on toteutettu osana valtioneuvoston selvitys- ja tutkimussuunnitelman toimeenpanoa. (tietokayttoon.fi) Julkaisun sisällöstä vastaavat tiedon tuottajat, eikä tekstisisältö välttämättä edusta valtioneuvoston näkemystä