C. elegans odour detection in the diagnosis of prostate cancer

There are about 200 distinct forms of cancer, each of which is diagnosed and treated differently. Early identification and treatment of cancer is especially important as the population ages and cases become more frequent. In Finland prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer in men with approximately 5000 new cases and 900 deaths yearly. There are nearly 1,3 million cases globally every year. Despite advances in recent years, prostate cancer continues to be a significant medical issue for afflicted men, with overtreatment of benign illness and lack of effective medicines for metastatic prostate cancer. Prostate cancer rarely displays symptoms until it is incurable. Present technologies are unable to reliably identify between those tumours that will advance so slowly that they will not generate symptoms and those that are likely to cause death. As there is no sure way to prevent prostate cancer, the only way to reduce suffering and mortality is via early identification and competent patient care. Early detection followed by appropriate treatment plays a big role in the recovery while economical and accessible diagnosis methods are of vital importance. Presently prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening is frequently employed for detecting prostate cancer in its early state. However, it is considered a controversial method, since around 67% of men with an elevated PSA level obtain a false positive result and are not diagnosed with prostate cancer, whereas 15% of men with a negative result will develop cancer. The Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes are widely used in research as a model organism since they are easy to maintain and possess many well-defined features. These include an efficient chemosensory system, which allows C. elegans to distinguish between substances in its surroundings and move towards or away from them. The chemosensory neurons in the head of C. elegans express around 700 distinct G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) that are able to recognize soluble or volatile compounds (VOCs) from the urine and exhaled air of cancer patients. It is thought that cancer metabolism generates particular odorants that could be useful in the early detection of the disease. The goal of this study was to determine how well the C. elegans nematodes can detect prostate cancer from human urine samples. Chemotaxis assays were performed with urine samples of men with either benign hyperplasia of the prostate or malignant prostate cancer. Results obtained during this study were fairly variable and not reliable enough to recommend the method for clinical use. However, several factors may have influenced the results that were not in line with previously published data. Thus, further studies on this topic are definitely needed

Biogeography and Genetic Diversity of Toxin Producing Cyanobacteria in a Laurentian Great Lake

The North American Great Lakes are a vital source on a global scale, as they hold ~18 % of the potable water resources on our planet. Cyanobacteria of the genus Microcystis are commonly found in fresh water environments around the world, and since the mid-1990s also in Lake Erie. The reasons for the success for these potentially toxic cyanobacteria in Lake Erie are not completely understood. In this study we have applied modern molecular tools to analyze field samples to provide an insight into the genotypic composition and diversity of the Microcystis community in the past and present day Lake Erie. We have also analyzed a three-year data set to identify specific environmental factors that contribute to the abundance of Microcystis genotypes and microcystin production. In addition, in a laboratory-based study we examined the effect of nutrients on transcriptional activity of the microcystin synthetase gene mcyD. The results of this study suggest that, although toxic Microcystis form \u3c 10 % of the total cyanobacterial population in Lake Erie, the toxin-producing Microcystis community in Lake Erie is diverse, and that these populations are stabile on a time scale of decades. Sediments acting as a reservoir of Microcystis are likely contributing to the persistence of the population. Although Microcystis is the dominant microcystin producer in the lake, other microcystin-producing cyanobacteria were also found in spatially isolated regions of the lake. While microcystin concentration in Lake Erie is correlated positively with total phosphorus (P\u3c0.001) and surface reactive phosphorus (P\u3c0.001), and negatively with the molar ratio total nitrogen to total phosphorus (P\u3c0.001); toxic Microcystis abundance correlates negatively with NO3 concentration (P=0.04) and positively with surface water temperatures (ranging from 20.8 °C to 27.4 °C) (P=0.03). These observations, along with findings from culture based experiments, suggest decoupling of the factors governing proliferation of toxic cells and toxin production. Culture based experiments also suggested that the chemical form of phosphorus may be an important factor in regulating microcystin biosynthesis in Microcystis based on monitoring relative transcriptional activity of the mcyD gene. The transcriptional activity of mcyD was higher (P=0.118) in cells grown in BG11-medium containing 2.3 μM organic phosphorus (glycerol 2-phosphate disodium salt hydrate) than in cells grown in BG11-medium containing 2.3 μM inorganic phosphorus (K2HPO4)

Spatial variations in bacterial and archaeal abundance and community composition in boreal forest pine mycorrhizospheres

Mycorrhizal fungi have a strong impact on soil biota. In this study, bacterial and archaeal populations in different parts of Suillus bovinus - Pinus sylvestris mycorrhizospheres in boreal forest were quantified and identified by DNA analysis. The numbers of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene copies were highest in uncolonized humus and lowest in fruiting bodies. The numbers of bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies varied from 1.3 x 10(7) to 3.1 x 10(9) copies g(-1) fw and archaeal copies from 4.1 x 10(7) to 9.6 x 10(8) copies g(-1) fw. The relatively high number of archaeal 16S rRNA gene copies was likely due to the cold and highly organic habitat. The presence of hyphae appeared to further promote archaeal numbers and the archaea:bacteria ratio was over one in samples containing only fungal material. Most detected archaea belonged to terrestrial Thaumarchaeota. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria were predictably the dominating bacterial taxa in the samples with clear trend of Betaproteobacteria preferring the pine root habitats.Peer reviewe

Syvenevä sponsorisuhde markkinointiviestinnän integroinnissa - kehittämiskohteena Veikkausliiga

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli kuvata, miten Veikkausliiga on onnistunut kehittämään integroitua markkinointiviestintäänsä. Tavoitteina oli 1. kehittää integroidulle markkinointiviestinnälle ja sponsoroinnille viitekehysmalli, 2. analysoida, miten Veikkausliiga pystyy luomaan lisäarvoa sponsoreille, 3. kuvata, miten Veikkausliiga pystyy kehittämään ottelutapahtumien markkinointiviestintää ja syventämään yhteistyötä sponsorien kanssa, 4. analysoida, kuinka Veikkausliiga voi integroida yhteiset markkinointitoimenpiteet osaksi sen integroitua markkinointiviestintää. Tutkimus suoritettiin kvalitatiivisesti haastattelemalla Veikkausliigan ja neljän sponsorin vastuuhenkilöitä. Haastattelumenetelmänä käytettiin teemahaastattelua. Tutkimuksen teoriassa esitettiin ottelutapahtuman erityispiirteiden, integroidun markkinointiviestinnän ja sponsoroinnin kirjallisuutta. Teorian pohjalta laadittiin viitekehys tutkielmalle ja haastattelulomakkeet. Tutkimuksen empiriassa selvitettiin, miten Veikkausliiga on toteuttanut markkinointiviestintäänsä ja miten sponsorisuhteita on hallittu. Lisäksi haastateltiin Veikkausliigan neljän sponsorin vastuuhenkilöitä ja selvitettiin, miten he näkevät yhteistyön kehittämisen ja mahdollisuudet. Tuloksissa kehitettävää löytyi integroidun markkinointiviestinnän osalta ja miten sponsorisuhteet integroidaan osaksi kokonaisuutta. Onnistumisia löytyi myös Soneran sponsorisuhteesta, jota voidaan benchmarkata muihin suhteisiin. Tulosten pohjalta laadittiin integroidun markkinointiviestinnän ja sponsorisuhteiden kehittämisen johtamismalli.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

The effect of traditional advertising campaigns on online affiliate channel performance - a case of a leading international hotel booking website

OBJECTIVES The main objective of this study was to examine how traditional advertising campaigns affect the online affiliate channel’s performance. Even though there have been studies conducted on cross-channel marketing and how different advertising channels influence each other, little research has focused specifically on how advertising in multiple media channels influences the sales performance of other channels. The second objective of this study was to provide a better understanding of affiliate marketing, a specific form of digital advertising, as it remains a largely untouched area of academic research. METHODOLOGY The data consisted of two parts; an affiliate channel sales performance report and an offline advertising campaign calendar of the case company from January to September 2011. Using multivariate regression analysis, the effect of offline advertising campaigns on four different performance metrics was investigated. The data analysis was conducted in two stages. The first stage investigated how offline advertising campaigns affect the sales revenue generated by the affiliate channel. The second stage examined how advertising campaigns affect the total number of sales, the conversion rate and the average order value. KEY FINDINGS Based on the analysis it was found that overall traditional advertising campaigns have a significant positive effect on the affiliate channel when measured by sales revenue and the number of sales. Sale promotion advertising has an especially positive effect on the affiliate channel. In terms of the conversion rate and average order value, however, traditional advertising campaigns were not found to have a significant effect. The results suggest that as offline advertising and affiliate marketing create a significant positive synergy effect, the affiliate channel should be regarded as an important part of the overall marketing mix

Spatial variations in bacterial and archaeal abundance and community composition in boreal forest pine mycorrhizospheres

Mycorrhizal fungi have a strong impact on soil biota. In this study, bacterial and archaeal populations in different parts of Suillus bovinus - Pinus sylvestris mycorrhizospheres in boreal forest were quantified and identified by DNA analysis. The numbers of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene copies were highest in uncolonized humus and lowest in fruiting bodies. The numbers of bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies varied from 1.3 × 107 to 3.1 × 109 copies g−1 fw and archaeal copies from 4.1 × 107 to 9.6 × 108 copies g−1 fw. The relatively high number of archaeal 16S rRNA gene copies was likely due to the cold and highly organic habitat. The presence of hyphae appeared to further promote archaeal numbers and the archaea:bacteria ratio was over one in samples containing only fungal material. Most detected archaea belonged to terrestrial Thaumarchaeota. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria were predictably the dominating bacterial taxa in the samples with clear trend of Betaproteobacteria preferring the pine root habitats.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Life Integrated Projects – What did we learn? : Assessment of EU Life integrated projects 2014–2020

In 2014, the European Commission started a wholly new approach to EU Life projects by introducing top-down Life Integrated projects (IPs). Since then, 70 Life IPs have been funded. The aim of this report is to reach a comprehensive overall understanding on how successful the EU Life IPs have been – from the project leaders themselves. Self-assessments of 54 Life integrated projects are analyzed in this report, representing 77% of all the 70 Life IPs. In a quantitative assessment the data was analyzed 1) by Life subprogramme; 2) by Life IP starting year; 3) by number of projects per country; 4) by country groups determined by national innovation environment; and 5) by geographical country groups. The qualitative questions were analyzed in a specific workshop organized for all the IPs. The results showed that these projects have several strengths: Strong top-down strategical nature, based on national strategy. A long enough project period gives enough time to cooperate and make things happen. IPs work well as platform for new co-operation – complementary funding is particularly good in this. Commission bureaucracy is generally seen as the weakest point. However, fluent co-operation with monitoring team helps effectively to understand the bureaucracy. Project leaders encourage strongly the Commission to continue supporting this type of projects, which are highly necessary nowadays

Archaea are prominent members of the prokaryotic communities colonizing common forest mushrooms

In this study, the abundance and composition of prokaryotic communities associated with the inner tissue of fruiting bodies of Suillus bovinus, Boletus pinophilus, Cantharellus cibarius, Agaricus arvensis, Lycoperdon perlatum, and Piptoporus betulinus were analyzed using culture-independent methods. Our findings indicate that archaea and bacteria colonize the internal tissues of all investigated specimens and that archaea are prominent members of the prokaryotic community. The ratio of archaeal 16S rRNA gene copy numbers to those of bacteria was >1 in the fruiting bodies of four out of six fungal species included in the study. The largest proportion of archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences belonged to thaumarchaeotal classes Terrestrial group, Miscellaneous Crenar-chaeotic Group (MCG), and Thermoplasmata. Bacterial communities showed characteristic compositions in each fungal species. Bacterial classes Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacilli, and Clostridia were prominent among communities in fruiting body tissues. Bacterial populations in each fungal species had different characteristics. The results of this study imply that fruiting body tissues are an important habitat for abundant and diverse populations of archaea and bacteria.Peer reviewe

Analyzing Gene Expression from Marine Microbial Communities using Environmental Transcriptomics

Analogous to metagenomics, environmental transcriptomics (metatranscriptomics) retrieves and sequences environmental mRNAs from a microbial assemblage without prior knowledge of what genes the community might be expressing. Thus it provides the most unbiased perspective on community gene expression in situ. Environmental transcriptomics protocols are technically difficult since prokaryotic mRNAs generally lack the poly(A) tails that make isolation of eukaryotic messages relatively straightforward 1 and because of the relatively short half lives of mRNAs 2. In addition, mRNAs are much less abundant than rRNAs in total RNA extracts, thus an rRNA background often overwhelms mRNA signals. However, techniques for overcoming some of these difficulties have recently been developed. A procedure for analyzing environmental transcriptomes by creating clone libraries using random primers to reverse-transcribe and amplify environmental mRNAs was recently described was successful in two different natural environments, but results were biased by selection of the random primers used to initiate cDNA synthesis 3. Advances in linear amplification of mRNA obviate the need for random primers in the amplification step and make it possible to use less starting material decreasing the collection and processing time of samples and thereby minimizing RNA degradation 4. In vitro transcription methods for amplifying mRNA involve polyadenylating the mRNA and incorporating a T7 promoter onto the 3 end of the transcript. Amplified RNA (aRNA) can then be converted to double stranded cDNA using random hexamers and directly sequenced by pyrosequencing 5. A first use of this method at Station ALOHA demonstrated its utility for characterizing microbial community gene expression 6

Identifying the source of unknown microcystin genes and predicting microcystin variants by comparing genes within uncultured cyanobacterial cells

While multiple phylogenetic markers have been used in the culture independent study of microcystin producing cyanobacteria, in only a few instances have multiple markers been studied within individual cells, and in all cases these studies have been conducted with cultured isolates. Here, we isolate and evaluate large DNA fragments (\u3e 6 kb) encompassing two genes involved in microcystin biosynthesis (mcyA2 and mcyB1) and use them to identify the source of gene fragments found in water samples. Further investigation of these gene loci from individual cyanobacterial cells allowed for improved analysis of the genetic diversity within microcystin producers as well as a method to predict microcystin variants for individuals. These efforts have also identified the source of the novel mcyA genotype previously termed Microcystis-like that is pervasive in the Laurentian Great Lakes and predict the microcystin variant(s) that it produces