Goal conflicts in long-term cropping system trials - the example of carrots

Agricultural research on multiple cropping systems in parallel increases the potential for knowledge transfer between organic and conventional systems. This project aims to develop cropping systems towards greater sustainability through work in long-term trials that have a unique opportunity to contribute to a holistic research perspective. Data on the fourth crop rotation (2007-2012) are now being compiled. This paper presents preliminary results from cultivation of carrots as an example to demonstrate goal conflicts in organic and conventional systems between good nutrient management and good economy on one hand and nematode control and intensive cropping systems (good short-term economy) on the other. Good productivity and sustainable production levels are major overall goals in the project. The conclusion is that more research on nematode susceptibility and propagating at different crops and varieties is very important

Parafibromin as a Diagnostic Instrument for Parathyroid Carcinoma-Lone Ranger or Part of the Posse?

The diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma requires an invasive growth pattern or metastases detected at histopathological examination; unfortunately, not all carcinomas exhibit visible malignant properties at the initial assessment. Therefore, immunohistochemical markers have been sought for the recognition of parathyroid malignancy. In 2003, the Hyperparathyroidism 2 (HRPT2) gene was found mutated in the majority of sporadic parathyroid carcinomas investigated, and studies regarding the protein product parafibromin proposed loss of nuclear parafibromin as a highly sensitive marker for the detection of parathyroid carcinoma. Recent studies have not fully reproduced these findings, as subsets of carcinomas display positive parafibromin immunoreactivity, and fractions of adenomas demonstrate absent expression. Overall, parafibromin is a marker of value to the endocrine pathologist, but it cannot be recommended as a sole indicator of parathyroid carcinoma. Additional markers such as protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5) and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) could complement parafibromin when assessing malignant potential of parathyroid tumours

Hard rock seismic exploration of ore deposits in Australia

We present an overview of the developments and achievements, over the past four years in the application of seismic reflection methods for mineral exploration in Australia. We show that seismic methods can be successfully used to delineate exceptionally complex hard rock environment in Australia providing that the acquisition parameters and data processing strategy are adequate for the task. Moreover methodologies for the direct targeting of specific ore reserves as well as rock identification from seismic data are discussed

3D reflection seismic investigation for mine planning and exploration in the Kevitsa Ni-Cu-PGE deposit, Northern Finland

A 3D reflection seismic survey was conducted over an area of about 9 km2 at the Kevitsa Ni-Cu-PGE (platinum group elements) deposit, Northern Finland. The principal objective of the survey was to image major fault and fracture zones at depth. Understanding the geometry of these zones is important for designing a steep open-pit for mining. Initial processing results suggest that the 3D seismic survey has been successful in imaging both gently dipping and steeply dipping reflections as shallow as 50 ms (or about 150 m), many of which correlate with fault systems and lithological contacts observed at the surface. Several new target areas can be identified in the seismic data that require further investigations for their mineralization potential

Seismic methods in mineral exploration and mine planning: A general overview of past and present case histories and a look into the future.

Due to high metal prices and increased difficulties in finding shallower deposits, the exploration for and exploitation of mineral resources is expected to move to greater depths. Consequently, seismic methods will become a more important tool to help unravel structures hosting mineral deposits at great depth for mine planning and exploration. These methods also can be used with varying degrees of success to directly target mineral deposits at depth. We review important contributions that have been made in developing these techniques for the mining industry with focus on four main regions: Australia, Europe, Canada, and South Africa. A wide range of case studies are covered, including some that are published in the special issue accompanying this article, from surface to borehole seismic methods, as well as petrophysical data and seismic modeling of mineral deposits. At present, high-resolution 2D surveys mostly are performed in mining areas, but there is a general increasing trend in the use of 3D seismic methods, especially in mature mining camps

Планування ЗЕД на підприємствах малого та середнього бізнесу

Pheochromocytomas (PCC) and abdominal paragangliomas (PGL) display a highly diverse genetic background and recent gene expression profiling studies have shown that PCC and PGL (together PPGL) alter either kinase signaling pathways or the pseudo-hypoxia response pathway dependent of the genetic composition. Recurrent mutations in the Harvey rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (HRAS) have recently been verified in sporadic PPGLs. In order to further establish the HRAS mutation frequency and to characterize the associated expression profiles of HRAS mutated tumors, 156 PPGLs for exon 2 and 3 hotspot mutations in the HRAS gene was screened, and compared with microarray-based gene expression profiles for 93 of the cases. The activating HRAS mutations G13R, Q61R, and Q61K were found in 10/142 PCC (7.0%) and a Q61L mutation was revealed in 1/14 PGL (7.1%). All HRAS mutated cases included in the mRNA expression profiling grouped in Cluster 2, and 21 transcripts were identified as altered when comparing the mutated tumors with 91 HRAS wild-type PPGL. Somatic HRAS mutations were not revealed in cases with known PPGL susceptibility gene mutations and all HRAS mutated cases were benign. The HRAS mutation prevalence of all PPGL published up to date is 5.2% (49/950), and 8.8% (48/548) among cases without a known PPGL susceptibility gene mutation. The findings support a role of HRAS mutations as a somatic driver event in benign PPGL without other known susceptibility gene mutations. HRAS mutated PPGL cluster together with NF1- and RET-mutated tumors associated with activation of kinase-signaling pathways.Funding Agencies|Swedish Cancer Foundation; StratCan; Swedish Research Council; Cancer Research Foundations of Radiumhemmet; Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm County Council</p

Frequent Promoter Hypermethylation of the APC and RASSF1A Tumour Suppressors in Parathyroid Tumours

BACKGROUND: Parathyroid adenomas constitute the most common entity in primary hyperparathyroidism, and although recent advances have been made regarding the underlying genetic cause of these lesions, very little data on epigenetic alterations in this tumour type exists. In this study, we have determined the levels of promoter methylation regarding the four tumour suppressor genes APC, RASSF1A, p16(INK4A) and RAR-beta in parathyroid adenomas. In addition, the levels of global methylation were assessed by analyzing LINE-1 repeats. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The sample collection consisted of 55 parathyroid tumours with known HRPT2 and/or MEN1 genotypes. Using Pyrosequencing analysis, we demonstrate APC promoter 1A and RASSF1A promoter hypermethylation in the majority of parathyroid tumours (71% and 98%, respectively). Using TaqMan qRT-PCR, all tumours analyzed displayed lower RASSF1A mRNA expression and higher levels of total APC mRNA than normal parathyroid, the latter of which was largely conferred by augmented APC 1B transcription levels. Hypermethylation of p16(INK4A) was demonstrated in a single adenoma, whereas RAR-beta hypermethylation was not observed in any sample. Moreover, based on LINE-1 analyses, parathyroid tumours exhibited global methylation levels within the range of non-neoplastic parathyroid tissues. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results demonstrate that APC and RASSF1A promoter hypermethylation are common events in parathyroid tumours. While RASSF1A mRNA levels were found downregulated in all tumours investigated, APC gene expression was retained through APC 1B mRNA levels. These findings suggest the involvement of the Ras signaling pathway in parathyroid tumorigenesis. Additionally, in contrast to most other human cancers, parathyroid tumours were not characterized by global hypomethylation, as parathyroid tumours exhibited LINE-1 methylation levels similar to that of normal parathyroid tissues

Genetic characterization of large parathyroid adenomas

In this study, we genetically characterized parathyroid adenomas with large glandular weights, for which independent observations suggest pronounced clinical manifestations. Large parathyroid adenomas (LPTAs) were defined as the 5% largest sporadic parathyroid adenomas identified among the 590 cases operated in our institution during 2005–2009. The LPTA group showed a higher relative number of male cases and significantly higher levels of total plasma and ionized serum calcium (P<0.001). Further analysis of 21 LPTAs revealed low MIB1 proliferation index (0.1–1.5%), MEN1 mutations in five cases, and one HRPT2 (CDC73) mutation. Total or partial loss of parafibromin expression was observed in ten tumors, two of which also showed loss of APC expression. Using array CGH, we demonstrated recurrent copy number alterations most frequently involving loss in 1p (29%), gain in 5 (38%), and loss in 11q (33%). Totally, 21 minimal overlapping regions were defined for losses in 1p, 7q, 9p, 11, and 15q and gains in 3q, 5, 7p, 8p, 16q, 17p, and 19q. In addition, 12 tumors showed gross alterations of entire or almost entire chromosomes most frequently gain of 5 and loss of chromosome 11. While gain of 5 was the most frequent alteration observed in LPTAs, it was only detected in a small proportion (4/58 cases, 7%) of parathyroid adenomas. A significant positive correlation was observed between parathyroid hormone level and total copy number gain (r=0.48, P=0.031). These results support that LPTAs represent a group of patients with pronounced parathyroid hyperfunction and associated with specific genomic features