Pistesääsklaste (Diptera: Culicidae) mitmekesisus Eesti linnakeskkonnas ja looduses

A Thesis for applying for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Biology.Väitekiri filosoofiadoktori kraadi taotlemiseks rakendusbioloogia erialal.Mosquitoes are globally distributed insects that are familiar to most people. Thus far, 3 591 mosquito species have been described, but only a small number of these are medically important. Mosquitoes of both genders mainly feed on nectar and plant liquids, only the females of some species require a blood meal to reproduce. Mosquito bites are extremely uncomfortable for the victims and can contribute to the spread of various pathogens. Mosquitoes have been manly seen as a problem in tropical and subtropical regions, with countries like Estonia receiving little attention since the mid-20th century. This thesis is based on research concerning the genetic variation of the species Aedes communis, relationships between urban mosquitoes and weather factors as well as a summary of Estonian mosquito fauna. Specimens were collected from numerous sites in the country, with sweep nets as well as various insect traps. For the most part, individuals were identified based on morphological traits, but genetic methods were also used when needed. The analysis of three genetic markers of Aedes communis specimens lead to the discovery of an additional mitochondrial DNA lineage within the species. In fact, the newly discovered lineage was found to be more similar to the genetic sequences of some North-American species than to other Aedes communis. Although the reason for this genetic variation is not known, it shows that species identifications should not be based on only mitochondrial markers. It is well known that cities are warmer and somewhat drier than the surrounding areas. Higher temperatures are usually favourable for mosquitoes, but they are in danger of drying out in low humidity. Research in the town of Tartu indicated, that as air temperature rises, the number of active mosquitoes lowers along with the relative humidity. Mosquitoes were also less active when it was windy and insect abundance was influenced by springtime floods. The updated Estonian mosquito checklist came to include 34 species, which is four more species than was on the first list published in 1957. Seven additional species are suspected to be present, but require more research.Pistesääsklased on ülemaailmse levikuga putukad, kes on tuttavad ka Eesti inimestele. Maailmas on tänaseks kirjeldatud 3 591 pistesääsklaste liiki, kuid vaid väike osa neist on meditsiiniliselt olulised. Pistesääsklased toituvad põhiliselt nektarist ja taimemahladest, vaid emased isendid vajavad munade tootmiseks verd. Emaste pistesääsklaste torked on ohvritele äärmiselt häirivad, kuid läbi selle võivad levida ka mitmesugused haigustekitajad. Pistesääsklaseid on pikka aega peetud põhilistelt troopiliste ja lähistroopiliste alade probleemiks, mistõttu jäi nende uurimine Eestis pärast eelmise sajandi keskpaika pikaks ajaks soiku. Doktoritöös uuriti Põhja- ja Baltimaades äärmiselt arvuka hariliku metsasääse (Aedes communis) geneetilist mitmekesisust, Tartu linna pistesääsklaseid mõjutavaid klimaatilisi tegureid ning uuendati Eesti liikide nimekirja. Selleks koguti pistesääsklaseid erinevatest Eesti paikadest, kasutades nii putukavõrku kui mitmesuguseid püüniseid. Isendid tuvastati peamiselt morfoloogiliste tunnuste põhjal, kuid vajadusel kasutati ka DNA põhiseid meetodeid. Harilike metsasääskede kolme DNA markeri analüüs näitas, et antud liik peidab endas kahte märkimisväärselt erinevat mitokondriaalse DNA liini, samas kui tuuma DNAs sarnast lahknevust ei esine. Seejuures oli avastatud mitokondriaalse DNA liin sarnasem Põhja-Ameerika lähiliikide geneetilisele materjalile kui liigikaaslaste tüüpilistele sekventsidele. Kuigi sellise eristumise põhjus pole teada, näitab see ilmekalt, et liikide määramisel ja kirjeldamisel ei saa lähtuda vaid mitokondriaalse DNA markeritest. On teada, et linnad on üldiselt soojemad ja mõnevõrra kuivemad kui ümbritsevad alad. Soojus on pistesääsklastele harilikult soodne, kuid nende vastsed vajavad veekeskkonda ning valmikud võivad kergesti läbi kuivada. Kolm aastat kestnud uurimus näitas, et temperatuuri tõustes vähenes nii õhuniiskus kui aktiivsete pistesääsklaste arv Tartu linnas. Etteaimatavalt lendas verd imevaid putukaid vähem ka tuulisema ilma korral. Samuti mõjutas pistesääsklaste arvukust kevadine üleujutusvesi. Uus Eesti pistesääsklaste nimekiri sisaldab 34 liiki, mis on neli liiki rohkem kui oli 1957. aasta nimekirjas. Lahtiseks jäi veel seitsme liigi staatus, mis võivad siinkandis esineda, kui mille kohalolu ei ole olnud võimalik seniste püükidega tõestada.Publication of this dissertation has been supported by the Estonian University of Life Sciences

The Self-efficacy of Pre-service Elementary Teachers Using Cooperative Learning in Science Teaching

AbstractThis study examines the self-efficacy of pre-service elementary teachers who employ cooperative learning methods in their science classes. The participants consist of 363 science teachers-in-training, including 288 trainees at the primary school level (grades 1-5, age 6-11) and 75 junior high school trainees (grades 6-8, age 12-15). Data was collected using the Cooperative Learning in Science Education Questionnaire (CLSEQ). Frequencies were calculated to reveal existing tendencies in the participants’ use of cooperative learning methods and strategies in science teaching. Practitioners’ definitions of the term cooperative learning were also examined using the content analysis approach. In general, the majority of participants believed that it was possible to successfully implement cooperative learning in science teaching environments. Interdepartmentally, pre-service junior high school teachers viewed themselves as more practically trained to carry out cooperative learning in science teaching when compared to their primary teacher counterparts. The implications of this for teacher education concerning this issue are also mentioned

Firdevsî-İ Rûmî’nin Süleymân-Nâme’si - 75. cilt : giriş- inceleme-tenkitli metin-dizin-sözlük, 1. cilt

06.03.2018 tarihli ve 30352 sayılı Resmi Gazetede yayımlanan “Yükseköğretim Kanunu İle Bazı Kanun Ve Kanun Hükmünde Kararnamelerde Değişiklik Yapılması Hakkında Kanun” ile 18.06.2018 tarihli “Lisansüstü Tezlerin Elektronik Ortamda Toplanması, Düzenlenmesi ve Erişime Açılmasına İlişkin Yönerge” gereğince tam metin erişime açılmıştır.Eski Anadolu Türkçesi devrinden Osmanlı Türkçesi'ne geçiş devrinin dil özelliklerini yansıtan Süleymân-nâme, Firdevsî-i Rûmî'nin yazdığı seksen bir ciltlik bir eserdir. Çalışmanın konusu Hz. Süleyman'ın başından geçen olayların efsanevi bir dille anlatıldığı eserin 75. cildinin fonetik, morfolojik ve cümle bakımından incelenmesidir. Çalışma, Eski Anadolu Türkçesi'ne dair dil malzemesini günümüz söz varlığına kazandırarak söz varlığını zenginleştirmek, tarihi bir yazma eseri gün yüzüne çıkararak ilgilisinin hizmetine sunmak ve disiplinler arası çalışmalara yeni bir kaynak oluşturmak amacıyla yapılmıştır. Çalışmanın Giriş bölümünde Firdevsî-i Rûmî'nin hayatı, sanatı ve eserlerine değinilmiş ve hakkında yapılan çalışmalara değinilmiştir. İnceleme bölümünde Ses Bilgisi, Şekil Bilgisi ve Cümle Bilgisi konuları anlatılarak örneklerle zenginleştirilmiştir. Dönemin dil özelliklerinin metne nasıl yansıdığı tespit edilmiş, metne dair dil farklılıkları ortaya konmuştur. Çalışmada Topkapı Sarayı Hazine Kitaplığında bulunan 1231 ve 1536 numarada kayıtlı nüshalar ile Paris Bibliotheque Nationale'de bulunan Süleymân-nâme nüshaları kullanılarak Tenkitli Metin oluşturulmuştur. Ayrıca bu nüshalar hakkında ayrıntılı bilgiler verilmiştir. Metnin yazımında transkripsiyon harfleri kullanılarak daha önceki yapılan çalışmalarla bütünlük sağlaması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmanın Dizin bölümünde TürkSözDiz adlı dizin programından faydalanılarak sıkıştırılmış gramatikal dizin oluşturulmuş; metinde geçen kelimelerin isim veya fiil soylu olduğu, kökeni, metinde hangi kelime birliktelikleri kurduğu ve kaç kere geçtiği belirtilmiştir. Sözlük Dizin içinde verilmiştir. Kelimelerin metne dayalı anlamı örnekleriyle verilmiştir. Her kelimeye ait kelime grupları hemen madde başının altında sıralanmıştır. Birleşik fiiller ve izafet terkipleri de madde başı kabul edilerek anlamlandırılmıştır. Çalışmada yararlanılan kaynaklar Kaynakça bölümünde Kitaplar, Süreli Yayınlar ve Diğer Yayınlar olarak sıralanmıştır.Süleyman-nâme, which reflects the language characteristics of the transition period from the period of Old Anatolian Turkish to Ottoman Turkish, is a work of eighty one volumes written by Firdevsî-i Rûmî. The subject of the work is the examination of the 75th volume of the things which Hz. Süleyman lived in by tells a legendary language in terms of phonetics, morphology and syntax. The aim of the study is to enrich the vocabulary of the Old Anatolian Turkic language by presenting the language material to today's words and to present it to the service of the interested person and to create a new source of interdisciplinary studies. In the introduction part of the study, the life, art and works of Firdevsî-i Rûmî are mentioned and the studies about them are mentioned. In the review section, examples of phonetics, morphology and syntax were enriched with examples. In the study, the Süleyman-nâme Copies in 1231 and 1536 in the Topkapı Palace Treasury Library and the copies in Paris Bibliotheque Nationale were used. In addition, detailed information is given about this copy. It is aimed to provide integrity with the previous works by using transcription letters in the writing of the text. A compressed grammatical index was created by using a directory program called TürkSözDiz in the Index section of the study. It is mentioned that the words in the text are noble or verb noun, root, the words in the text, and how many times they have established their union. The dictionary is given in the directory. It is given by examples of the meaning based on the texts. Word groups for each word are immediately listed under the head of the item. Combined verb and recitals were also interpreted as a matter of substance; but not added to the total number of headings in the text. Resources used in the study are listed in the Bibliography as Books, Periodicals and Other Publications

Species-specific double-strand break repair and genome evolution in plants

Even closely related eukaryotic species may differ drastically in genome size. While insertion of retroelements represents a major source of genome enlargement, the mechanism mediating species‐ specific deletions is fairly obscure. We analyzed the formation of deletions during double‐strand break (DSB) repair in Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco, two dicotyledonous plant species differing >20‐fold in genome size. DSBs were induced by the rare cutting restriction endonuclease I‐SceI and deletions were identified by loss of function of a negative selectable marker gene containing an I‐SceI site. Whereas the partial use of micro‐homologies in junction formation was similar in both species, in tobacco 40% of the deletions were accompanied by insertions. No insertions could be detected in Arabidopsis, where larger deletions were more frequent, indicating a putative inverse correlation between genome size and the average length of deletions. Such a correlation has been postulated before by a theoretical study on the evolution of related insect genomes and our study now identifies a possible molecular cause for the phenomenon, indicating that species‐specific differences in DSB repair might indeed influence genome evolution

The shortest time and/or the shortest path strategies in a CA FF pedestrian dynamics model

This paper deals with a mathematical model of a pedestrian movement. A stochastic cellular automata (CA) approach is used here. The Floor Field (FF) model is a basis model. FF models imply that virtual people follow the shortest path strategy. But people are followed by a strategy of the shortest time as well. This paper is focused on how to mathematically formalize and implement to a model these features of the pedestrian movement. Some results of a simulation are presented.Comment: 4 figures, 4 pages; the paper was submitted to the Crowds and pedestrian behavior workshop (CROWD) for 2009 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology, University of Milano Bicocca, Mila

Design of a Single AAV Vector for Coexpression of TH and GCH1 to Establish Continuous DOPA Synthesis in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Preclinical efficacy of continuous delivery of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors has recently been documented in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD). So far, all studies have utilized a mix of two monocistronic vectors expressing either of the two genes, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and GTP cyclohydrolase-1 (GCH1), needed for DOPA production. Here, we present a novel vector design that enables efficient DOPA production from a single AAV vector in rats with complete unilateral dopamine (DA) lesions. Functional efficacy was assessed with drug-induced and spontaneous motor behavioral tests where vector-treated animals showed near complete and stable recovery within 1 month. Recovery of motor function was associated with restoration of extracellular DA levels as assessed by online microdialysis. Histological analysis showed robust transgene expression not only in the striatum but also in overlying cortical areas. In globus pallidus, we noted loss of NeuN staining, which might be due to different sensitivity in neuronal populations to transgene expression. Taken together, we present a single AAV vector design that result in efficient DOPA production and wide-spread transduction. This is a favorable starting point for continued translation toward a therapeutic application, although future studies need to carefully review target region, vector spread and dilution with this approach

Распределение ресурсов в распределительных системах с оптимальным перераспределением нагрузки поставщиков продукта

Побудовано та досліджено математичні моделі розподілу потоків обмежених ресурсів у енергетичних системах. Розроблено методи розв’язання задач розподілу потоків, що базуються на поєднанні екстремального підходу до розрахунку мереж та спільного розв’язку двох основних систем Кірхгофа. Запропоновано ефективний алгоритм ув’язки мережі для знаходження початкового наближення до розв’язку більш складної нелінійної транспортної задачі. Проаналізовано проблему оптимального перерозподілу навантаження постачальників продукту. Як приклад розглянуто задачу поставки споживачам суміші речовини у певних пропорціях або з певними кількісними обмеженнями. Завдяки загальній постановці задачі запропоновані моделі, методи та алгоритми можуть використовуватися для розрахунку різнотипних розподільчих мереж та трубопроводів.Mathematical models of flow distribution of scarce resources in energy systems are constructed and investigated. Methods for solving problems of flow distribution, based on a combination of extreme approach to the calculation of nets and joint solution of the two main systems of Kirchhoff are developed. An efficient network link algorithm to find an initial approximation to the solution of complex nonlinear transportation problem is proposed. The problem of optimal redistribution of load of product suppliers is analyzed. As an example the problem of delivery to consumers the mixture of substance in certain proportions or with certain quantitative restrictions is considered. Thanks to the general formulation of the problem the proposed models, methods and algorithms can be used to calculate the different types of distribution of the networks and pipelines.Построены и исследованы математические модели распределения потоков ограниченных ресурсов в энергетических системах. Разработаны методы решения задач распределения потоков, базирующиеся на сочетании экстремального подхода к расчету сетей и совместного решения двух основных систем Кирхгофа. Предложен эффективный алгоритм увязки сети для нахождения начального приближения к решению более сложной нелинейной транспортной задачи. Проанализирована проблема оптимального перераспределения нагрузки поставщиков продукта. В качестве примера рассмотрена задача поставки потребителям смеси вещества в определенных пропорциях или с определенными количественными ограничениями. Благодаря общей постановке задачи предложенные модели, методы и алгоритмы могут использоваться для расчета разнотипных распределительных сетей и трубопроводов

Language Model Based Improvements in Statistical Machine Translation

Käesolevas töös uuritakse ühte masintõlke valdkonna võimalust, kus lisades tõlkimisel sihtkeele korpusesse lisainformatsiooni sõnaliikide näol, püütakse seda lisainformatsiooni ära kasutada loomaks paremaid keelemudelite konfiguratsioone ja tõstmaks masintõlke väljundi kvaliteeti. Põhiideeks on lisaks tavalisele sõnavormidel loodavale primaarsele keelemudelile lisada veel sekundaarne, sõnaliikidel loodud mudel.The task of this thesis was to apply morphological information in statistical factored machine translation for the purpose of creating additional language models and thus improving the quality of the translations