Legal Requirements for Admission to Public Schools

Advanced driver assistance systems for heavy duty vehicles, such as lookahead cruise and gearshift controllers, rely on high quality map data. Current digital maps do not offer the required level of road grade information. This contribution presents an algorithm for on-board road grade estimation based on fusion of GPS and vehicle sensor data with measurements from previous runs over the same road segment. An incremental update scheme is utilized to ensure that data storage requirements are independent of the number of measurement runs. Results of the implemented system based on six traversals of a known road with three different vehicles are presented.QC 20120216</p

Burials at the End of Land - Maritime Burial Cairns and the Land-Use History of South-Western Uusimaa

The maritime landscape of Uusimaa has been quite an unknown territory for archaeologists up to recent years. Only the archipelago of Ekenäs in the western part of the area was surveyed extensively before the year 2002. In this article recent research is presented. The focus is on the most maritime area between Hanko in the west and Espoo in the east. The viewpoint is from the sea, meaning that the relationship between the burial cairns and the maritime environment is especially emphasized, but the larger geographical context is not forgotten, either. Another important aspect is the perspective of the landscape. How are the sites located in the landscape and what meanings can be derived from the patterns in the landscape? Questions about the chronology of erecting cairns in the maritime zone will be discussed - when did the phenomenon start, how long did it continue, and when did it end? The main question is: How do the spatial and morphological patterns of the burial sites and stray finds reflect secular land use

Genetic information from progeny trials: a comparison between progenies generated by open pollination and by controlled crosses

When conifer progenies generated by open pollination are assessed in field tests, it is usually assumed that all progenies of the same mother are true half-sibs. This assumption may be invalid, leading to overestimation of additive genetic variation and heritability and to biased breeding values. From one Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and one Norway spruce (Picea abies) seed orchard, containing 28 and 36 parent clones respectively, progenies generated by open pollination (OP) and by controlled crosses (CC) were planted in adjacent trials at two to three sites in southern Sweden. The tree height and diameter at breast height were measured and genetic parameters based on these traits were estimated for OP and CC progenies separately, in order to enable comparisons. Narrow sense heritability estimates for Scots pine and Norway spruce OP progenies (in the ranges 0.04–0.13 and 0.15–0.38, respectively) did not differ significantly from CC estimates (0.07–0.12 and 0.23–0.30), suggesting that OP-based heritability values were not overestimated to any great extent. Similarly, genetic correlations between OP and CC progenies were in the ranges 0.87–0.88 and 0.74–0.77 for Scots pine and Norway spruce, respectively, being significantly lower than unity only in the case of Norway spruce. OP-based breeding values for both species should therefore correspond well with those predicted from CC progenies, albeit not perfectly for Norway spruce. In conclusion, the assumption of true half-sibs for OP progenies was not violated to the extent that genetic parameter estimates or breeding value predictions were seriously biased

The stages of implementation completion for evidence-based practice: protocol for a mixed methods study

Background and Objective: Whole saliva is a complex mixture of fluids essential for the well-being of the oral hard and soft tissues. Saliva contains numerous anti- microbial proteins that help protect the oral ecosystem from infectious agents. Chronic periodontitis is an infectious chronic inflammatory condition that affects the tooth-supporting structures and leads to their destruction. The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in concentrations of salivary lacto- ferrin in subjects with and without periodontal disease and correlate these values with clinical variables associated with periodontal disease. Material and Methods: Stimulated whole saliva was collected from 17 subjects with chronic periodontitis and 17 periodontally healthy control subjects. Data relating to bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth and horizontal bone loss were registered. Concentrations of lactoferrin, lysozyme and IgA in stimulated whole saliva were quantified using ELISA. Results: Subjects with chronic periodontits showed higher concentrations of lac- toferrin in stimulated whole saliva compared with periodontally healthy control subjects (p &lt; 0.05). Salivary concentrations of lactoferrin were positively corre- lated with bleeding on probing (p &lt; 0.001) and the number of sites with probing pocket depth ‡ 6 mm (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: Lactoferrin is raised in stimulated whole saliva in subjects with chronic periodontitis and is correlated with probing pocket depth ‡ 6 mm

Incidence rate patterns, cumulative incidence, and time trends for moderate and severe albuminuria in individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged 0-14 years : a population-based retrospective cohort study

Background The incidence and temporal trends of moderate and severe albuminuria during recent decades are poorly described in type 1 diabetes. We aimed to assess diabetes duration-specific incidence rates, cumulative incidence, and secular trends of albuminuria in type 1 diabetes in Finland. Methods We conducted a population-based, retrospective cohort study of a stratified random sample (n=1500) of all individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before age 15 years during 1970-99 in Finland. The sampling frame was the database of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Individuals with an atypical clinical course, presentation of non-diabetic kidney disease, insufficient albumin excretion rate measurements, or unavailable medical records were excluded (final sample n=1430). Study participants were followed up until death, the event of interest (moderate or severe albuminuria or kidney failure), or the most recent event-free date. Medical records retrieved up to Dec 31, 2020 were systematically reviewed for albuminuria determinations. Moderate and severe albuminuria were categorised on the basis of international reference limits (two of three consecutive urine samples). Kidney failure was defined as dialysis treatment or kidney transplant. Cohorts defined by calendar year of diabetes diagnosis (1970-79, 1980-89, and 1990-99) were assessed. Patterns of duration-specific incidences were evaluated by fitting generalised additive models to the data, which were split into multiple observations of half-year duration. Cumulative incidences were calculated with Kaplan-Meier analysis. In analyses with kidney failure as the endpoint, competing risk for mortality was incorporated. Findings In our stratified random sample, 462 individuals were diagnosed with diabetes in 1970-79, 481 were diagnosed in 1980-89, and 487 were diagnosed in 1990-99. The incidence rate pattern of severe albuminuria changed over time; a peak at 15-19 years since diabetes onset in the 1970-79 cohort was not replicated in those diagnosed later. In the combined 1980-99 diagnosis-year cohorts, the incidence rate rose during the first 14 years after diabetes onset, after which it levelled off to a plateau. Between the 1970-79 and 1980-89 diabetes diagnosis cohorts, the cumulative incidence of severe albuminuria had approximately halved (hazard ratio [HR] 0.55 [95% CI 0.42-0.72] with the 1970-79 cohort as reference, p Interpretation Our analyses show that the cumulative incidence of severe albuminuria has decreased between 1970-79 and 1980-99; however, whether this decrease solely denotes a delay in albuminuria, or also a true prevention of albuminuria, needs to be investigated further. Nevertheless, diabetic kidney disease remains a significant complication of type 1 diabetes. Due to the robust association of diabetic kidney disease with premature mortality, novel therapies to improve prognosis are needed. Copyright (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Genetic improvement of sawn-board shape stability in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)

Adequate shape stability is a prerequisite for utilization of sawn boards in the building industry. This study investigated the possibility of indirect genetic improvement of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sawn-board shape stability (specifically the bow, crook and twist) via selective breeding based on traits that can be non-destructively measured on standing trees. Relationships between shape stability and wood quality traits measured on logs and sawn boards were also determined. A total of 1896 standing trees from a 39-year-old Scots pine full-sib progeny test were non-destructively measured. A subset of 496 trees was harvested and sawn into 50 x 100 mm boards, the quality of which was assessed both non-destructively and destructively. Among the traits assessed on standing trees, grain angle (GRA) appeared to be the best predictor of sawn-board twisting and crooking (r(A) = 0.84 and 0.62, respectively). The individual-tree narrow-sense heritability (h(i)(2)) was moderate for twist and GRA (0.37 and 0.40, respectively), low for bow (0.21) and very low for crook (0.05). Selective breeding targeting lower GRA would result in lower twist and crook but could also increase sawn-board density, stiffness and strength

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI H5Nx, Clade 2.3.4.4.b) in Poultry and Wild Birds in Sweden: Synopsis of the 2020-2021 Season

Simple Summary Highly pathogenic avian influenza is a virus-induced contagious disease that has killed a large number of poultry and wild birds in Europe in the recent decade and is an increasing problem worldwide. In the winter of 2020-2021, Sweden experienced its worst period to date when the disease was diagnosed on 15 commercial poultry farms and over 2.2 million birds died or were euthanised. The disease was also diagnosed in 130 wild birds and nine flocks of hobby, game or zoo birds between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021. The aim of this article was to describe the influenza situation in Sweden during this period and to add to the knowledge related to the alarming situation with highly pathogenic influenza in birds. The disease caused animal suffering and death in wild and domestic birds and incurred high costs due to losses and extensive measures to stop spread. The outbreak investigations, where contacts were traced and virus strains were compared, concluded that the virus was brought to poultry farms by wild birds in most cases. More research is needed to obtain knowledge on risk factors, biosecurity, and wild bird presence on poultry farms to prevent future disease outbreaks. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, Gs/Gd lineage) was introduced to Europe in 2005 and has since caused numerous outbreaks in birds. The 2020-2021 season was the hitherto most devastating when considering bird numbers and duration in Europe. Surveillance data, virologic results and epidemiologic investigations from the 2020-2021 outbreaks in Sweden were analysed. Subtypes H5N8 and H5N5 were detected on 24 farms with poultry or other captive birds. In wild birds, subtypes H5N8, H5N5, H5N1, H5N4, H5Nx were detected in 130 out of 811 sampled birds. There was a spatiotemporal association between cases in wild birds and poultry. Based on phylogeny and epidemiology, most of the introductions of HPAI to commercial poultry were likely a result of indirect contact with wild birds. A definite route of introduction to poultry could not be established although some biosecurity breaches were observed. No spread between farms was identified but airborne spread between flocks on the same farm was suspected. Our findings exemplify the challenges posed by the continuously changing influenza viruses that seem to adapt to a broader species spectrum. This points to the importance of wild bird surveillance, compliance to biosecurity, and identification of risk factors for introduction on poultry farms