Daytime along-valley winds in the Himalayas as simulated by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model

Peer reviewe

The summer 2018 heatwave in Finland

Peer reviewe

Selective MicroRNA-Offset RNA Expression in Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Small RNA molecules, including microRNAs (miRNAs), play critical roles in regulating pluri-potency, proliferation and differentiation of embryonic stem cells. miRNA-offset RNAs (moRNAs) are similar in length to miRNAs, align to miRNA precursor (pre-miRNA) loci and are therefore believed to derive from processing of the pre-miRNA hairpin sequence. Recent next generation sequencing (NGS) studies have reported the presence of moRNAs in human neurons and cancer cells and in several tissues in mouse, including pluripotent stem cells. In order to gain additional knowledge about human moRNAs and their putative development-related expression, we applied NGS of small RNAs in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and fibroblasts. We found that certain moRNA isoforms are notably expressed in hESCs from loci coding for stem cell-selective or cancer-related miRNA clusters. In contrast, we observed only sparse moRNAs in fibroblasts. Consistent with earlier findings, most of the observed moRNAs derived from conserved loci and their expression did not appear to correlate with the expression of the adjacent miRNAs. We provide here the first report of moRNAs in hESCs, and their expression profile in comparison to fibroblasts. Moreover, we expand the repertoire of hESC miRNAs. These findings provide an expansion on the known repertoire of small non-coding RNA contents in hESCs.Peer reviewe

Human mitochondrial DNA lineages in Iron-Age Fennoscandia suggest incipient admixture and eastern introduction of farming-related maternal ancestry

Human ancient DNA studies have revealed high mobility in Europe's past, and have helped to decode the human history on the Eurasian continent. Northeastern Europe, especially north of the Baltic Sea, however, remains less well understood largely due to the lack of preserved human remains. Finland, with a divergent population history from most of Europe, offers a unique perspective to hunter-gatherer way of life, but thus far genetic information on prehistoric human groups in Finland is nearly absent. Here we report 103 complete ancient mitochondrial genomes from human remains dated to AD 300-1800, and explore mtDNA diversity associated with hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers. The results indicate largely unadmixed mtDNA pools of differing ancestries from Iron-Age on, suggesting a rather late genetic shift from hunter-gatherers towards farmers in North-East Europe. Furthermore, the data suggest eastern introduction of farmer-related haplogroups into Finland, contradicting contemporary genetic patterns in Finns.Peer reviewe

Bacterial Toxins and the Nervous System: Neurotoxins and Multipotential Toxins Interacting with Neuronal Cells

Toxins are potent molecules used by various bacteria to interact with a host organism. Some of them specifically act on neuronal cells (clostridial neurotoxins) leading to characteristics neurological affections. But many other toxins are multifunctional and recognize a wider range of cell types including neuronal cells. Various enterotoxins interact with the enteric nervous system, for example by stimulating afferent neurons or inducing neurotransmitter release from enterochromaffin cells which result either in vomiting, in amplification of the diarrhea, or in intestinal inflammation process. Other toxins can pass the blood brain barrier and directly act on specific neurons

Slope and valley winds in the Himalayas as simulated by the Weather Research and Forecasting model

Local mountain winds have a diurnal cycle of flowing up the slopes and valleys daytime and down nighttime. It is important to improve the understanding on these thermally driven winds, because they have a major role in pollution transport in mountain areas, which are highly sensitive for air-quality problems. This thesis determines if the slope and valley winds in the Khumbu valley, Himalayas, are driven by the textbook mechanisms. By the textbook mechanisms the slope and valley winds are driven by horizontal temperature differences caused by uneven heating over an area of complex terrain. Slope winds are driven by the horizontal air temperature difference in the slope surface vicinity when the slope surface is heated or cooled. Valley winds are driven by the uneven heating caused by the air volume difference between the valley and above an adjacent plain. If the valley slopes narrow and the floor is elevated towards the head of the valley, both the valley and slope wind mechanisms drive the winds along the valley. The slope and valley winds in the Himalayas are studied using Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF), that is run for 5 days period in December 2014 with 1 kilometer horizontal grid spacing and 61 vertical levels. Earlier studies have shown that WRF is capable of simulating the thermally driven mountain winds on this resolution with the length scales of the Khumbu valley topography. Horizontal gradient of air temperature and slope wind component at the slope surface have a matching daily cycle in the lower and middle parts of the valley. The boundary layer air volume decreases from the mouth of the valley towards the middle parts of the valley indicating the valley wind mechanism. The daytime potential temperature profiles yield that also the slope wind mechanism drives the winds along the valley. The slope winds have a textbook daily cycle in the lower and middle parts of the valley and the analysis yields that they are driven by the slope wind mechanism. In the upper part of the valley the thermally driven slope winds are dominated by synoptic scale channelling and gravity wave developing into the valley. The daytime up-valley winds are driven by both valley wind mechanism and slope wind mechanism due to the valley narrowing and elevation towards the head of the valley, respectively. Nocturnal along-valley winds are weak less than 0.5 meters per second flowing up or down-valley. The wind patterns are similar to what is shown in earlier studies done in Khumbu valley

Sharing agricultural events information: When and where is that workshop?

In the last few years a strong need has emerged for a standard way to interchange various types of information, such as on organizations, projects, experts, events and news, in the agricultural community. This paper focuses on the metadata set for events, the Agricultural Events Application Profile (Ag-Events AP), created specifically to enhance description, exchange and reuse of information on events. The Ag-Events AP provides a minimum interoperability layer through which information about upcoming events related to agriculture can be described, shared and reused. The Ag-Events AP was developed by FAO, in collaboration with its partners, the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and Global Forest Information Service (GFIS), to offer a “minimum” set of metadata elements necessary to share quality descriptions about events. This paper talks about the work done on creating the AP, its use in various applications and the next steps

Design of Bolted Connection Between Continuous Box Beam and Concrete Filled Columns at Ultimate Limit State

Teräsliitosten mitoitus perustuu standardin SFS-EN 1993-1-8 mukaisiin ohjeisiin. Standardi käsittelee I- ja H-poikkileikkauksien välisiä ruuvi- ja hitsiliitoksia, sekä putkiprofiilien hitsiliitoksia. Kyseisessä standardissa ei käsitellä muita liitostyyppejä tai profiileja,mutta siinä kuitenkin huomautetaan, että periaatteita voidaan soveltaa myös muille liitostyypeille. Teräsrakenneyhdistyksen jäsenkyselyn perusteella suunnittelu- ja toteutusjaosto on kokenut tarpeelliseksi kehittää eräitä teräsrakenteiden tyypillisiä liitoksia. Jaosto päätyi valitsemaan ensimmäiseksi tutkittavaksi liitokseksi jatkuvan WQ-palkin ja pilarien välisenruuviliitoksen. Työssä tutkittiin jatkuvan WQ-palkin ja betonitäytteisten pilarien välisen liitoksen toteuttamista ruuviliitoksena, sekä arvioida eurokoodin kaavojen käyttökelpoisuutta liitoksen mitoittamiseksi. Tutkimus koostuu kirjallisuustutkimuksesta, jonka perusteella liitos mitoitettiin käsinlaskentakaavoilla. Käsinlaskennan mitoituksen lisäksi liitoksen käyttäytymistä tutkittiin FEM-laskennan avulla. Käsinlaskentaa ja FEM-laskentaa vertailtiin toisiinsa eri parametreillä, joiden avulla päästiin lopputulokseen, jonka mukaan käsinlaskennan kaavoja voidaan käyttää liitoksen mitoituksessa. Työssä päädyttiin lopputulokseen, että tutkittava ruuviliitos voidaan mitoittaa standardin SFS-EN 1993-1-8 mukaisten perusteiden avulla. Liitteenä on ensimmäinen versio TRY:n tilaamasta liitoksen suunnitteluohjeesta. Suunnitteluohje ei ole julkaisukelpoinen vielä työn valmistumishetkenä, sillä vertaisarviointia tulee jatkaa, jotta ohjeen oikeellisuudesta voidaan varmistua. Suunnitteluohjeen valmistuessa on ohjeesta tarkoitus tehdä erillinen julkaisu TRY:n toimesta

Sharing Metadata on Job Opportunities

Contributing institutions: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Global Forum on Agricultural Research; Global Forest Information Servic