CLONING OF THE 1.4-kb mRNA SPECIES OF HUMAN COMPLEMENT FACTOR H REVEALS A NOVEL MEMBER OF THE SHORT CONSENSUS REPEAT FAMILY RELATED TO THE CARBOXY TERMINAL OF THE CLASSICAL 150-kDa MOLECULE

Three factor H mRNA species of 4.3 kb, 1.8 kb, and 1.4 kb are constitutively expressed in human liver. Having previously characterized full-length cDNA clones derived from the 4.3-kb and 1.8-kb factor mRNA, we report here the isolation and eucaryotic expression of full-length cDNA clones coding for the 1.4-kbm RNA species. The 1266-bp cDNA codes for a polypeptide of 330 amino acids and contains two polyadenylation signals and a short poly(A)+tailT. he protein is composed of a leader peptide followed by five short consensus repeat domains. It shows a hybrid structure with the last three domains being almost identical to the carboxy- terminal of thcel assical 1 BO-kDa factor H molecule and the two first domains representing unique short consensus repeat structures. Eucaryotic expression in COS7 cells revealed two polypeptides derived from one cDNA clone that area lso found in human serum. Differences between the cDcNloAn es within the last three domains indicate two distinct, possibly allelic sequences that, in addition, differ from the authentic 150-kDa factor H sequence. Southern blot results support the notion that the 4.3-kb factor H and the 1.4-kb factor H-related mRNA are transcribed from two separate but highly homologous genes. Factor H, a glycoprotein of 150,00

Detection of aphid migrations in Finland

Our insect immigration warning system was built on the atmospheric dispersion model that has been used in predicting long-range transport of airborne pollen. We observed immigrations with a trap network consisting of rotating tow-nets, yellow sticky traps, and suction traps. Based on our studies the aphids can be detected with radars when they occur in large numbers

Stakeholder signalling and strategic niche management: The case of aviation biokerosene

This paper explores a case of reputation and stakeholder management in sustainability transitions. We use the case of aviation biofuel (biokerosene) to explore the complications around signalling in strategic niche management processes. Biokerosene is currently supplied at several Scandinavian airports in a low percentage blend, either as standard or upon request, although trials suggest that modern jet engines can reliably handle much higher percentage blends. Airlines, airports and biokerosene suppliers cooperate in a process of mutual strategic positioning that supports confidence-building and market development, while at the same time being intended to encourage positive stakeholder perceptions. A key challenge for the sector, however, is that signalling biokerosene as a response to aviation-related climate emissions is complicated by mixed societal perceptions of biofuel sustainability; and the policy and material conditions for affordable, sustainable, large scale supply of biofuel are lacking. Thus while parts of the sector would like to more clearly signal the value of existing and greater biokerosene use, interrelationships between reputational risks, supply constraints and economics limit this. By bringing stakeholder management theory to strategic niche management, we present a view of the latter as in part reputationally driven, in response to the uncertain legitimacy of a technology at an early stage in its market development.</p

Perustulon työllisyysvaikutukset : Asiantuntijahaastatteluihin ja verrannollisiin esimerkkeihin perustuva arvio

Perustuloon kohdistuu suuria odotuksia työllisyyden, työhön kannustamisen ja työn vastaanottamisen sekä työvoiman kysynnän ja tarjonnan suhteen. Hyötyvätkö perustulosta pienituloiset, työttömät, epävakaissa työsuhteissa työskentelevät, mikroyrittäjät vai palvelualojen työnantajat ja kolmannen sektorin toimijat? Koska perustulosta ei ole konkreettisia esimerkkejä tai empiirisiä tuloksia, ei näihin kysymyksiin ole myöskään tutkimuksiin perustuvaa vastausta. Perustulon työllisyysvaikutuksia voidaan arvioida vain epäsuorasti ja ennakoiden. Tämän selvityksen tavoitteena oli kartoittaa olemassa olevaa tutkimustietoa ja arvioida sen perusteella perustulon mahdollisia työllisyysvaikutuksia. Olemme lisäksi tehneet asiantuntijahaastatteluja ja selvittäneet, miten TE-toimistojen, kuntien ja kolmannen sektorin toimijat arvioivat perustuloa ja sen vaikutusta työvoimapolitiikan toimeenpanoon ja työllisyyspalvelujen kehittämistarpeisiin. Olemme haastatelleet myös itsensä työllistäjiä (freelance toimittajia) ja pyrkineet sitä kautta saamaan selville, miten perustulo vaikuttaisi heidän toimeentuloonsa ja työssäkäyntiin. Kirjallisuuskatsauksessa selvitimme minimitulojärjestelmistä ja minimipalkoista saatuja kokemuksia eri maista. Vaikka esimerkit eivät ole suoraan verrattavissa perustuloon, ne auttavat kuitenkin hahmottamaan monia sellaisia kysymyksiä, joita liittyy perustulon työllisyysvaikutuksiin, kuten työvoiman kysyntään ja rekrytointiin sekä työvoiman tarjontaan ja mahdollisuuteen tai haluun vastaanottaa lyhytkestoisia ja pienipalkkaisia työtehtäviä. Esimerkit auttavan ymmärtämään myös sitä, miten perustulo voi vaikuttaa makrotalouden tasolla tiettyjen toimialojen kehitykseen. Tutkimuksen toisessa osassa selvitettiin perustulon mahdollisia vaikutuksia työvoimapolitiikan toimeenpanoon. Suurin osa TE-toimistojen, kuntien ja kolmannen sektorin asiantuntijoista suhtautui myönteisesti perustuloon, vaikka kriittisiäkin näkemyksiä esitettiin erityisesti perustulon vastikkeettomuuteen liittyen. Haastateltavat olivat yksimielisiä siitä, että nykyinen sosiaali- ja työttömyysturvajärjestelmä on liian monimutkainen aiheuttaen byrokratialoukkuja, ja että työn vastaanottamisen kannustavuutta tulisi lisätä. Keinoista tai perustulon mallista, joka parhaiten poistaisi näitä esteitä, oli erilaisia näkemyksiä. Kiinnostavaa oli myös se, että perustulon käyttöönoton nähtiin edellyttävän rinnalleen ennaltaehkäisevien palvelujen kehittämistä. Ennaltaehkäiseviä palveluja tulisi olla sosiaali- ja terveyspalveluissa, vapaa-ajan palveluissa sekä työllistymistä ja sosiaalista osallisuutta tukevissa palveluissa. Nuorille työnhakijoille asiantuntijat halusivat perustuloon liitettävää seurantaa ja palvelujen aktiivista tarjoamista. Tutkimuksen kolmannessa osiossa selvitettiin perustulon mahdollisia vaikutuksia itsensä työllistäjien työhön ja toimeentuloon. Haastattelujen perusteella perustulo voisi tuoda vakautta ja turvaa itsensä työllistäjille tyypilliseen epäsäännölliseen toimeentuloon luomalla perusturvan. Perustulo voisi helpottaa etenkin niiden itsensä työllistäjien taloudellista tilannetta, joilla ei tulojen pienuuden tai elämäntilanteen vuoksi ole mahdollisuutta kasvattaa säästöpuskuria taloudellisesti huonompien kuukausien varalle. Nykyisellään sosiaaliturvajärjestelmän ei koettu tuovan turvaa tulojen vaihteluun. Vaikka selvityksen tuloksia voi pitää vain alkukartoituksena, ja sen ulkopuolelle jäi monia tärkeitä asioita, niin se kuitenkin avaa ja konkretisoi kiinnostavalla monia perustulon työllisyysvaikutuksiin liitettyjä kysymyksiä

Leibniz, Acosmism, and Incompossibility

Leibniz claims that God acts in the best possible way, and that this includes creating exactly one world. But worlds are aggregates, and aggregates have a low degree of reality or metaphysical perfection, perhaps none at all. This is Leibniz’s tendency toward acosmism, or the view that there this no such thing as creation-as-a-whole. Many interpreters reconcile Leibniz’s acosmist tendency with the high value of worlds by proposing that God sums the value of each substance created, so that the best world is just the world with the most substances. I call this way of determining the value of a world the Additive Theory of Value (ATV), and argue that it leads to the current and insoluble form of the problem of incompossibility. To avoid the problem, I read “possible worlds” in “God chooses the best of all possible worlds” as referring to God’s ideas of worlds. These ideas, though built up from essences, are themselves unities and so well suited to be the value bearers that Leibniz’s theodicy requires. They have their own value, thanks to their unity, and that unity is not preserved when more essences are added

Effective index of refraction, optical rotation, and circular dichroism in isotropic chiral liquid crystals

This paper concerns optical properties of the isotropic phase above the isotropic-cholesteric transition and of the blue phase BP III. We introduce an effective index, which describes spatial dispersion effects such as optical rotation, circular dichroism, and the modification of the average index due to the fluctuations. We derive the wavelength dependance of these spatial dispersion effects quite generally without relying on an expansion in powers of the chirality and without assuming that the pitch of the cholesteric $P$ is much shorter than the wavelength of the light $\lambda$, an approximation which has been made in previous studies of this problem. The theoretical predictions are supported by comparing them with experimental spectra of the optical activity in the BP III phase.Comment: 15 pages and 7 figures. Submitted to PR

Discovery of varlaxins, new aeruginosin-type inhibitors of human trypsins

Low-molecular weight natural products display vast structural diversity and have played a key role in the development of novel therapeutics. Here we report the discovery of novel members of the aeruginosin family of natural products, which we named varlaxins. The chemical structures of varlaxins 1046A and 1022A were determined using a combination of mass spectrometry, analysis of one- and two-dimensional NMR spectra, and HPLC analysis of Marfey's derivatives. These analyses revealed that varlaxins 1046A and 1022A are composed of the following moieties: 2-O-methylglyceric acid 3-O-sulfate, isoleucine, 2-carboxy-6-hydroxyoctahydroindole (Choi), and a terminal arginine derivative. Varlaxins 1046A and 1022A differ in the cyclization of this arginine moiety. Interestingly, an unusual alpha-d-glucopyranose moiety derivatized with two 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid residues was bound to Choi, a structure not previously reported for other members of the aeruginosin family. We sequenced the complete genome of Nostoc sp. UHCC 0870 and identified the putative 36 kb varlaxin biosynthetic gene cluster. Bioinformatics analysis confirmed that varlaxins belong to the aeruginosin family of natural products. Varlaxins 1046A and 1022A strongly inhibited the three human trypsin isoenzymes with IC50 of 0.62-3.6 nM and 97-230 nM, respectively, including a prometastatic trypsin-3, which is a therapeutically relevant target in several types of cancer. These results substantially broaden the genetic and chemical diversity of the aeruginosin family and provide evidence that the aeruginosin family is a source of strong inhibitors of human serine proteases.Peer reviewe

Side-stream products of malting: a neglected source of phytochemicals

Whole grain consumption reduces the risk of several chronic diseases. A major contributor to the effect is the synergistic and additive effect of phytochemicals. Malting is an important technological method to process whole grains; the main product, malted grain, is used mainly for brewing, but the process also yields high amounts of side-stream products, such as rootlet. In this study, we comprehensively determined the phytochemical profile of barley, oats, rye, and wheat in different stages of malting and the subsequent extraction phases to assess the potential of malted products and side-streams as a dietary source of bioactive compounds. Utilizing semi-quantitative LC-MS metabolomics, we annotated 285 phytochemicals from the samples, belonging to more than 13 chemical classes. Malting significantly altered the levels of the compounds, many of which were highly increased in the rootlet. Whole grain cereals and the malting products were found to be a diverse and rich source of phytochemicals, highlighting the value of these whole foods as a staple. The characterization of phytochemicals from the 24 different sample types revealed previously unknown existence of some of the compound classes in certain species. The rootlet deserves more attention in human nutrition, rather than its current use mainly as feed, to benefit from its high content of bioactive components