Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species

The noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) is an endangered freshwater species in Europe. The main threat is from lethal crayfish plague, caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci that has been spread over Europe by introduced North American crayfish species, acting as chronic carriers of the disease. Most of the remaining noble crayfish populations are found in the Baltic Sea area, and there is an urgent need to implement conservation actions to slow down or halt the extinction rate in this region. However, limited knowledge about the genetic structure of populations in this area has so far precluded the development of conservation strategies that take genetic aspects into consideration. Key objectives of this large-scale genetic study, covering 77 locations mainly from northern Europe, were to describe the contemporary population genetic structure of the noble crayfish in the Fennoscandian peninsula (Sweden, Norway, and Finland), taking postglacial colonization history into account, and to evaluate how human activities such as stocking have affected the genetic structure of the populations. Analyses of 15 microsatellite markers revealed three main genetic clusters corresponding to populations in northern, middle, and southern Fennoscandia, with measures of genetic diversity being markedly higher within populations in the southern cluster. The observed genetic structure probably mirrors two main colonizations of the Baltic Sea basin after the last glaciation period. At the same time, several deviations from this pattern were observed, reflecting past human translocations of noble crayfish. The results are discussed in relation to the conservation and management of this critically endangered species. In particular, we recommend increased efforts to protect the few remaining noble crayfish populations in southern Fennoscandia and the use of genetic information when planning stocking activities, such as reintroductions following local extinctions

Integrated Engineering Workflow focused on the Structural Engineering in the Industrial Environment

The engineering and construction industry has been slow to exploit the full potential of information technology. The industry is highly fragmented, price sensitive, risk-adverse, and profit margins are small. Each project is unique with a small amount of technological innovation opportunities to capitalise on from one project to the next. Technological innovations that have been taking place are just simulating the old traditional paper workflow. Engineering information in digital form is being conveyed using traditional paper representations, which have to be interpreted by humans before the information can be used in other applications, thereby creating ‘islands of information’. It can be seen that poorly implemented IT strategies are duplicating paperwork, rather than reducing or eliminating it (Crowley et al., 2000). This paper will introduce the Integrated Engineering Workflow (IEW) concept to re-organise a structural discipline working on multi-disciplinary projects so as to maximise the advantages offered by new information technology

Programming-by-demonstration of reaching motions for robot grasping

Proceedings of: 14th International Conference on Advanced Robotics (ICAR 2009), 22-26 June 2009, Munich (Germany)This paper presents a novel approach to skill modeling acquired from human demonstration. The approach is based on fuzzy modeling and is using a planner for generating corresponding robot trajectories. One of the main challenges stems from the morphological differences between human and robot hand/arm structure, which makes direct copying of human motions impossible in the general case. Thus, the planner works in hand state space, which is defined such that it is perception-invariant and valid for both human and robot hand. We show that this representation simplifies task reconstruction and preserves the essential parts of the task as well as the coordination between reaching and grasping motion. We also show how our approach can generalize observed trajectories based on multiple demonstrations and that the robot can match a demonstrated behavoir, despite morphological differences. To validate our approach we use a general-purpose robot manipulator equipped with an anthropomorphic three-fingered robot hand.European Community's Seventh Framework Progra

Trade-offs among spatio-temporal management actions for a mixed-stock fishery revealed by Bayesian decision analysis

Management and conservation of populations that are harvested simultaneously present a unique set of challenges. Failure to account for differences in productivity and spatio-temporal abundance patterns can lead to over-exploitation of depleted populations and/or loss of potential yield from healthy ones. Mixed-stock fisheries (where a stock may comprise one or more populations of reared or wild origin) harvest multiple stocks, often in unknown proportions, and lack of tools for estimation of stock-specific harvest rates can hamper status evaluations and attainment of management goals. We present a method for evaluating stock-specific impacts of alternative harvest strategies, using coastal trap net fisheries for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the Baltic Sea as a case study. Our results demonstrate a large variation among stocks in coastal mixed fishery harvest rates, as well as large differences in harvest rates relative to stock-specific maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and recovery levels. Bayesian decision analysis showed that spatio-temporal management actions, such as delayed fishery opening and closed areas may be effective in improving probabilities of meeting management objectives for Baltic salmon. However, stocks did not respond uniformly to different management actions, highlighting the potential for trade-offs in reaching stock-specific targets that must be considered by managers

Tornionjoen lohi-, meritaimen- ja vaellussiikakannat - yhteinen ruotsalais-suomalainen biologinen arviointi sopivien kalastussääntöjen arvioimiseksi vuodelle 2015

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Influencing project work: exploring the potentials of participatory research

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to address the concept of participatory research (PR) in terms of its values and challenges in project work. Design/methodology/approach - A participative research approach was used in which researchers worked collaboratively with key stakeholders involved in the development of a digital network model for expert diagnostics. The approach involved research and data gathering in six work packages: first, participation at workshops, including the presentation of a preliminary research agenda; second, presentation of a revised research agenda; third, interviews with project managers and steering committee members; fourth, feedback sessions; fifth, participation at a project conference, including additional feedback sessions; and sixth, concluding interviews with project managers. Findings - The findings suggest that PR might strengthen project work through challenging interview questions and clear feedback. PR might empower the project manager by illuminating challenges and possibilities in the project process. Practical implications - Project managers may use PR as one strategy to empower project work. Originality/value - Despite the vast research on projects and project management, researchers and practitioners are still looking for ways to advance project work. This paper contributes with knowledge on how PR may advance project work

Laxing och felvandrad lax i Mörrumsån

Syftet med denna studie har varit att DNA-analysera ett större material av laxfisk från Mörrumsån för att: · få en bättre bild av hur stor andel felbedömda arthybrider med öring, s.k. laxingar, som förekommit bland vuxen "lax" från olika år och fångstmånader, · uppskatta den totala andelen laxing bland all vuxen laxfisk i Mörrumsån (lax, laxing, öring), · identifiera genetiskt avvikande lax ("felvandrare"), samt · undersöka hur stora genetiska förändringar som skett i åns laxbestånd sedan 1960-talet och om det finns tecken på genetisk påverkan av felvandrad lax från andra vattendrag. Bakgrund till denna analys är att en tidigare genetisk pilotstudie av vuxen lax från Mörrumsån hösten 2011 gav förvånande och oroväckande resultat. En betydande andel (ca 20%) av den förmodade laxen visade sig då vara arthybrider med öring, s.k. laxingar. Dessutom bar en hög andel (10-20%) av de rena laxarna på genuppsättningar som förväntas vara mycket ovanliga bland lax född i Mörrumsån, vilket indikerade att det handlade om felvandrad lax från andra vattendrag. Resultaten var dock baserade på ett litet antal fiskar från ett enstaka år. I denna utökade studie har vi funnit att den totala andelen arthybrider bland förmodad lax från åren 1961, 1985 och 2004-2012 var klart lägre (ca 6%) än i pilotstudien från 2011 (ca 20 %). Denna skillnad beror i första hand på att det förekommer betydligt färre felbedömda arthybrider i fångster av nystigen blanklax i maj–juni än under de efterföljande fiskemånaderna (då fisken från pilotstudien 2011 var insamlad). En trolig förklaring till att andelen felbedömda laxar ökat under säsongerna är att laxingen i Mörrumsån, i likhet med öringen, uppvisar en senare lekvandringstid än laxen. Baserat på sportfiskestatistik, fiskräkningsdata och DNA-resultat har vi beräknat att andelen laxing bland all vuxen laxfisk i Mörrumsån kan ha varit omkring 10% under de senaste åren. En så hög andel arthybrider i ån kan ge betydande produktionsförluster genom "spolierade lekar" när de i princip sterila laxinghanarna blandar sig i laxens och öringens lek. För en riktig riskanalys behövs dock bättre kunskap om laxingarnas lekbeteende och reproduktiva framgång. Även andelen förmodat felvandrad lax (2-3% under perioden 2004-2012) visade sig vara lägre än i pilotstudien baserad på sent fångad lax från 2011 (10-20 %). De flesta genetiskt avvikande laxar var fångade sent under säsongerna vilket kan förklara den höga andelen i det likaledes sent fångade materialet från 2011. Samtidigt har vi kunnat observera små genetiska förändringar, som tillsammans med en ökad genetisk variationsgrad sedan 1960-talet tyder på att "främmande gener" till viss del har tillförts Mörrumsåns laxbestånd. Det är dock oklart när och hur denna genetiska påverkan har ägt rum