Hybrid renewable energy systems for remote locations

Many locations in Indonesia such as small islands and remote villages on the main islands are not connected to the main electricity grid, and may never be as they are too remote for grid extensions to be economically justifiable. Therefore, many either do not have electricity or are dependent on expensive diesel transports to fuel their stand alone, diesel powered mini-grids. Using a hybrid renewable energy system combining solar power and a diesel engine run on vegetable oil could provide this type of location with cheaper, more reliable energy. In order to investigate whether this type of system would be feasible, field studies were completed to gain an understanding of how well implemented systems are working and what challenges are connected to them. The field studies were conducted at the Karimunjawa archipelago, where the energy systems of the main island and three smaller islands were studied. The field studies were complemented by running experiments at the university laboratories to analyze the effect of using vegetable oil as fuel in a diesel engine. The installed solar power was working well on the two islands where it had been implemented recently, whereas another island with an older system had issues with corroding PV-panels. The main island was running on large diesel engines at a newly installed diesel power plant which were not used optimally. Two of the smaller sites also had wind turbines which were all broken. The experiments showed that it was possible to run the diesel engine with palm and coconut oil. The emissions were slightly lower for the vegetable oils, with palm oil have lower emissions that coconut oil. However, the fuel consumption for the vegetable oils was higher than for diesel, with coconut oil giving the highest result.Many locations in Indonesia such as small islands and remote villages on the main islands are not connected to the main electricity grid, and may never be as they are too remote for grid extensions to be economically justifiable. Therefore, many either do not have electricity or are dependent on expensive diesel transports to fuel their stand alone, diesel powered mini-grids. Using a hybrid renewable energy system combining solar power and a diesel engine run on vegetable oil could provide this type of location with cheaper, more reliable energy. In order to investigate whether this type of system would be feasible, field studies were completed to gain an understanding of how well implemented systems are working and what challenges are connected to them. The field studies were conducted at the Karimunjawa archipelago, where the energy systems of the main island and three smaller islands were studied. The field studies were complemented by running experiments at the university laboratories to analyze the effect of using vegetable oil as fuel in a diesel engine. The installed solar power was working well on the two islands where it had been implemented recently, whereas another island with an older system had issues with corroding PV-panels. The main island was running on large diesel engines at a newly installed diesel power plant which were not used optimally. Two of the smaller sites also had wind turbines which were all broken. The experiments showed that it was possible to run the diesel engine with palm and coconut oil. The emissions were slightly lower for the vegetable oils, with palm oil have lower emissions that coconut oil. However, the fuel consumption for the vegetable oils was higher than for diesel, with coconut oil giving the highest result

Reliable wolf-dog hybrid detection in Europe using a reduced SNP panel developed for non-invasively collected samples

Background Understanding the processes that lead to hybridization of wolves and dogs is of scientific and management importance, particularly over large geographical scales, as wolves can disperse great distances. However, a method to efficiently detect hybrids in routine wolf monitoring is lacking. Microsatellites offer only limited resolution due to the low number of markers showing distinctive allele frequencies between wolves and dogs. Moreover, calibration across laboratories is time-consuming and costly. In this study, we selected a panel of 96 ancestry informative markers for wolves and dogs, derived from the Illumina CanineHD Whole-Genome BeadChip (174 K). We designed very short amplicons for genotyping on a microfluidic array, thus making the method suitable also for non-invasively collected samples. Results Genotypes based on 93 SNPs from wolves sampled throughout Europe, purebred and non-pedigree dogs, and suspected hybrids showed that the new panel accurately identifies parental individuals, first-generation hybrids and first-generation backcrosses to wolves, while second- and third-generation backcrosses to wolves were identified as advanced hybrids in almost all cases. Our results support the hybrid identity of suspect individuals and the non-hybrid status of individuals regarded as wolves. We also show the adequacy of these markers to assess hybridization at a European-wide scale and the importance of including samples from reference populations. Conclusions We showed that the proposed SNP panel is an efficient tool for detecting hybrids up to the third-generation backcrosses to wolves across Europe. Notably, the proposed genotyping method is suitable for a variety of samples, including non-invasive and museum samples, making this panel useful for wolf-dog hybrid assessments and wolf monitoring at both continental and different temporal scales.Peer reviewe

Prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants in a large, unselected breast cancer cohort.

Breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2-driven tumors may benefit from targeted therapy. It is not clear whether current BRCA screening guidelines are effective at identifying these patients. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of inherited BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants in a large, clinically representative breast cancer cohort and to estimate the proportion of BRCA1/2 carriers not detected by selectively screening individuals with the highest probability of being carriers according to current clinical guidelines. The study included 5,122 unselected Swedish breast cancer patients diagnosed from 2001 to 2008. Target sequence enrichment (48.48 Fluidigm Access Arrays) and sequencing were performed (Illumina Hi-Seq 2,500 instrument, v4 chemistry). Differences in patient and tumor characteristics of BRCA1/2 carriers who were already identified as part of clinical BRCA1/2 testing routines and additional BRCA1/2 carriers found by sequencing the entire study population were compared using logistic regression models. Ninety-two of 5,099 patients with valid variant calls were identified as BRCA1/2 carriers by screening all study participants (1.8%). Only 416 study participants (8.2%) were screened as part of clinical practice, but this identified 35 out of 92 carriers (38.0%). Clinically identified carriers were younger, less likely postmenopausal and more likely to be associated with familiar ovarian cancer compared to the additional carriers identified by screening all patients. More BRCA2 (34/42, 81.0%) than BRCA1 carriers (23/50, 46%) were missed by clinical screening. In conclusion, BRCA1/2 mutation prevalence in unselected breast cancer patients was 1.8%. Six in ten BRCA carriers were not detected by selective clinical screening of individuals

Wolf-dog admixture highlights the need for methodological standards and multidisciplinary cooperation for effective governance of wild x domestic hybrids

Hybridisation between wild and domestic taxa raises complex questions for conservation. Genetic advances offer new methods for hybrid identification, yet social and cultural factors can influence study design, and the interpretation, application, and communication of results. A relevant illustration is hybridisation between domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and wild canids, such as grey wolves (C. lupus). For regional European monitoring programs in areas with expanding wolf populations, priorities include shared genetic markers and inclusion of all relevant reference populations to ensure dispersing wolves are identified as such and not classified as wolf-dog hybrids, which may cause harmful management decisions. Beyond technical developments, hybrid research and conservation management can benefit from improved integration of legal and policy perspectives, recognition of phenotypic traits as broadly unreliable for identification, and attention to the drivers of, and responses to, evolution in human-dominated landscapes. Additionally, the proliferation of unsubstantiated reports about hybrids in popular and social media shows that communication based on verified findings of hybridisation is essential. Hybridisation requires more constructive discussion on how to balance potentially competing conservation objectives, and the integration of multidisciplinary perspectives. These encompass the welfare of individual animals and preservation of historical predator-prey relationships. Conservation measures centred on preserving the ecological function of wild canids likely offer the most sustainable prospects but require improved understanding of the extent to which their behavioural ecology might differ from that of hybrids. Accurate genetic identification is required to fill this critical knowledge gap, advance public discourse, and initiate relevant conservation actions

Wolf-dog admixture highlights the need for methodological standards and multidisciplinary cooperation for effective governance of wild x domestic hybrids

Abstract Hybridisation between wild and domestic taxa raises complex questions for conservation. Genetic advances offer new methods for hybrid identification, yet social and cultural factors can influence study design, and the interpretation, application, and communication of results. A relevant illustration is hybridisation between domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and wild canids, such as grey wolves (C. lupus). For regional European monitoring programs in areas with expanding wolf populations, priorities include shared genetic markers and inclusion of all relevant reference populations to ensure dispersing wolves are identified as such and not classified as wolf-dog hybrids, which may cause harmful management decisions. Beyond technical developments, hybrid research and conservation management can benefit from improved integration of legal and policy perspectives, recognition of phenotypic traits as broadly unreliable for identification, and attention to the drivers of, and responses to, evolution in human-dominated landscapes. Additionally, the proliferation of unsubstantiated reports about hybrids in popular and social media shows that communication based on verified findings of hybridisation is essential. Hybridisation requires more constructive discussion on how to balance potentially competing conservation objectives, and the integration of multidisciplinary perspectives. These encompass the welfare of individual animals and preservation of historical predator-prey relationships. Conservation measures centred on preserving the ecological function of wild canids likely offer the most sustainable prospects but require improved understanding of the extent to which their behavioural ecology might differ from that of hybrids. Accurate genetic identification is required to fill this critical knowledge gap, advance public discourse, and initiate relevant conservation actions

Prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants in a large, unselected breast cancer cohort

Breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2-driven tumors may benefit from targeted therapy. It is not clear whether current BRCA screening guidelines are effective at identifying these patients. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of inherited BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants in a large, clinically representative breast cancer cohort and to estimate the proportion of BRCA1/2 carriers not detected by selectively screening individuals with the highest probability of being carriers according to current clinical guidelines. The study included 5,122 unselected Swedish breast cancer patients diagnosed from 2001 to 2008. Target sequence enrichment (48.48 Fluidigm Access Arrays) and sequencing were performed (Illumina Hi-Seq 2,500 instrument, v4 chemistry). Differences in patient and tumor characteristics of BRCA1/2 carriers who were already identified as part of clinical BRCA1/2 testing routines and additional BRCA1/2 carriers found by sequencing the entire study population were compared using logistic regression models. Ninety-two of 5,099 patients with valid variant calls were identified as BRCA1/2 carriers by screening all study participants (1.8%). Only 416 study participants (8.2%) were screened as part of clinical practice, but this identified 35 out of 92 carriers (38.0%). Clinically identified carriers were younger, less likely postmenopausal and more likely to be associated with familiar ovarian cancer compared to the additional carriers identified by screening all patients. More BRCA2 (34/42, 81.0%) than BRCA1 carriers (23/50, 46%) were missed by clinical screening. In conclusion, BRCA1/2 mutation prevalence in unselected breast cancer patients was 1.8%. Six in ten BRCA carriers were not detected by selective clinical screening of individuals

Additional file 14 of Reliable wolf-dog hybrid detection in Europe using a reduced SNP panel developed for non-invasively collected samples

Additional file 14: Figure S2. Delta K values for 1 ≤ K ≤ 8 when analyzed wolves with STRUCTURE

Additional file 17 of Reliable wolf-dog hybrid detection in Europe using a reduced SNP panel developed for non-invasively collected samples

Additional file 17: Figure S5. Delta K values for 1 ≤ K ≤ 8 when analyzed whole dataset with STRUCTURE. K = 2 had highest value