Estimation of cutting volume with three inventory methods for harvest planning in Canadian boreal forests.

Two methods of pre-harvest inventory were designed and tested on three cutting sites containing a total of 197 500 m3 of wood. These sites were located on flat-ground boreal forests located in northwestern Quebec. Both methods studied involved scaling of trees harvested to clear the road path one year (or more) prior to harvest of adjacent cut-blocks. The first method (ROAD) considers the total road right-of-way volume divided by the total road area cleared. The resulting volume per hectare is then multiplied by the total cut-block area scheduled for harvest during the following year to obtain the total estimated cutting volume. The second method (STRATIFIED) also involves scaling of trees cleared from the road. However, in STRATIFIED, log scaling data are stratified by forest stand location. A volume per hectare is calculated for each stretch of road that crosses a single forest stand. This volume per hectare is then multiplied by the remaining area of the same forest stand scheduled for harvest one year later. The sum of all resulting estimated volumes per stand gives the total estimated cutting-volume for all cut-blocks adjacent to the studied road. A third method (MNR) was also used to estimate cut-volumes of the sites studied. This method represents the actual existing technique for estimating cutting volume in the province of Quebec. It involves summing the cut volume for all forest stands. The cut volume is estimated by multiplying the area of each stand by its estimated volume per hectare obtained from standard stock tables provided by the governement. The resulting total estimated volume per cut-block for all three methods was then compared with the actual measured cut-block volume (MEASURED). This analysis revealed a significant difference between MEASURED and MNR methods with the MNR volume estimate being 30 % higher than MEASURED. However, no significant difference from MEASURED was observed for volume estimates for the ROAD and STRATIFIED methods which respectively had estimated cutting volumes 19 % and 5 % lower than MEASURED. Thus the ROAD and STRATIFIED methods are good ways to estimate cut-block volumes after road right-of-way harvest for conditions similar to those examined in this study.

Novel Multiple Sclerosis Predisposing Genetic Variants Outside the HLA Region

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Both environmental factors and several predisposing genes are required to generate MS. Despite intensive research these risk factors are still largely unknown, the pathogenesis of MS demyelination is poorly understood, and no curative treatment exists. Both prevalence and familial occurrence of MS are exceptionally high in a Finnish population subisolate, Southern Ostrobothnia, presumably due to enrichment of predisposing genetic variants within this region. Previous linkage scan on MS pedigrees from Southern Ostrobothnia detected three main MS loci on chromosomes 5p, 6p (HLA) and 17q. Linkage studies in other populations have also provided independent evidence for the location of MS susceptibility genes in these regions. Further, these loci are syntenic to the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) susceptibility loci of rodents. In this thesis work an effort was made to localize MS predisposing alleles of the linked loci outside the HLA region by studying familial MS cases from the Southern Ostrobothnia isolate. Analysis of the 5p locus revealed one region, flanking the complement component 7 (C7) gene. The identified relatively rare haplotype seems to have a fairly large effect on genetic susceptibility of MS (frequency MS 12%, controls 4%; p=0.000003, OR=2.73). Evidence for association with alleles of the region and MS was seen also in more heterogeneous populations. Convincingly, plasma C7 protein levels and complement activity correlated with the risk haplotype identified. The finding stimulated us to study other complement cascade genes in MS. No evidence for association could be observed with the complement component coding genes outside 5p. A scan of the 17q locus provided evidence for association with variants of the protein kinase C alpha (PRKCA) gene (p=0.0001). Modest evidence for association with PRKCA was observed also in Canadian MS families. Finally we used a candidate gene based approach to identify potential MS loci. Mutations of DAP12 and TREM2 cause a recessively inherited CNS white matter disease PLOSL. Interestingly, DAP12 and TREM2 are located in MS regions on 6p and 19q, and we tested them as potential candidate genes in the Finnish MS sample. No evidence for association with MS was observed. This thesis provides an example of how extended families from special populations can be utilized in fine-mapping of the linked loci. A first relatively rare MS variant was identified utilizing the strength of a Finnish population subisolate. This variant seems to have an effect on activity of the complement system, which has previously been suggested to have an important role in the pathogenesis of MS.

Fuel conditions and fire behavior characteristics of managed Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris forests in Finland

The objectives of this study were to analyze the impact of structural stand characteristics on ignition potential, surface fuel moisture, and fire behavior in Pinus sylvestris L. and Picea abies (L.) Karst stands in Finland and to explain stand-specific fire danger using the Canadian Fire Weather Index System and the Finnish Fire Risk Index. Additionally, the study analyzes the relationship between observed fire activity and fire weather indices at different stages of growing season. Field experiments were carried out in Pinus sylvestris or Picea abies dominated stands during fire seasons 2001 and 2002. Observations on ignition potential, fuel moisture, and fire behavior were analyzed in relation to stand structure and the outputs of the Finnish and Canadian fire weather indices. Seasonal patterns of fire activity were examined based on national fire statistics 1996 2003, effective temperature sum, and the fire weather indices. Point fire ignition potential was highest in Pinus clear-cuts and lowest in closed Picea stands. Moss-dominated surface fuels were driest in clear-cut and sapling stage stands and presented the highest moisture content under closed Picea canopy. Pinus sylvestris stands carried fire under a wide range of fire weather conditions under which Picea abies stands failed to sustain fire. In the national fire records, the daily number of reported ignitions presented its highest value during late fire season whereas the daily area burned peaked most substantially during early season. The fire weather indices correlated significantly with ignition potential and fuel moisture but were unable to explain fire behavior in the experimental fires. During the initial and final stages of the growing season, fire activity was disconnected from weather-based fire danger ratings. Information on stand structure and season stage would benefit the assessment of fire danger in Finnish forest landscape for fire suppression and controlled burning purposes.

The efficacy and potential risks of controlling sprouting in Finnish birches (Betula spp.) with the fungal decomposer Chondrostereum purpureum

Sprouting of fast-growing broad-leaved trees causes problems in young coniferous stands, under power transmission lines and along roads and railways. Public opinion and the Finnish Forest Certification System oppose the use of chemical herbicides to control sprouting, which means that most areas with problems rely on mechanical cutting. However, cutting is a poor control method for many broad-leaved species because the removal of leaders can stimulate the sprouting of side branches and cut stumps quickly re-sprout. In order to be effective, cutting must be carried out frequently but each cut increases the costs, making this control method increasingly difficult and expensive once begun. As such, alternative methods for sprout control that are both effective and environmentally sound represent a continuing challenge to managers and research biologists. Using biological control agents to prevent sprouting has been given serious consideration recently. Dutch and Canadian researchers have demonstrated the potential of the white-rot fungus Chondrostereum purpureum (Pers. ex Fr.) Pouzar as a control agent of stump sprouting in many hardwoods. These findings have focused the attention of the Finnish forestry community on the utilization of C. purpureum for biocontrol purposes. Primarily, this study sought determines the efficacy of native C. purpureum as an inhibitor of birch stump sprouting in Finland and to clarify its mode of action. Additionally, genotypic variation in Finnish C. purpureum was examined and the environmental risks posed by a biocontrol program using this fungus were assessed. Experimental results of the study demonstrated that C. purpureum clearly affects the sprouting of birch: both the frequency of living stumps and the number of living sprouts per stump were effectively reduced by the treatment. However, the treatment had no effect on the maximum height of new sprouts. There were clear differences among fungal isolates in preventing sprouting and those that possessed high oxidative activities as measured in the laboratory inhibited sprouting most efficiently in the field. The most effective treatment time during the growing season was in early and mid summer (May July). Genetic diversity in Nordic and Baltic populations of C. purpureum was found to be high at the regional scale but locally homogeneous. This natural distribution of diversity means that using local genotypes in biocontrol programs would effectively prevent the introduction of novel genes or genotypes. While a biocontrol program using local strains of C. purpureum would be environmentally neutral, pruned birches that are close to the treatment site would have a high susceptibility to infect by the fungus during the early spring.

Identiteettien maisemat Saskatchewanin Uudessa Suomessa : Uudisasutuksesta uusidentifikaatioon

The present study examines how the landscape of the rural immigrant colony of New Finland (Saskatchewan, Canada) has reflected the Finnish origins of the about 350 settlers and their descendants, their changing ideologies, values, sense of collectiveness and the meanings of the Finnish roots. The study also reveals the reasons and power structures behind the ethnic expressions. Researched time period runs from the beginning of the settlement in 1888 to the turn of the millennium. The research concentrates on buildings, cemeteries, personal names and place names which contain strong visual and symbolic messages and are all important constituents of mundane landscapes. For example, the studied personal names are important identity-political indexes telling about the value of the Finnish nationalism, community spirit, dual Finnish-Canadian identities and also the process of assimilation which, for example, had differences between genders. The study is based on empirical field research, and iconographical and textual interpretations supported by classifications and comparative analyses. Several interviews and literature were essential means of understanding the changing political contexts which influenced the Finnish settlement and its multiple landscape representations. Five historical landscape periods were identified in New Finland. During these periods the meanings and representations of Finnish identity changed along with national and international politics and local power structures. For example, during the Second World War Canada discouraged representations of Finnish culture because Finland and Canada were enemies. But Canada s multicultural policy in the 1980s led to several material and symbolic representations indicating the Finnish settlement after a period of assimilation and deinstitutionalization. The study shows how these representations were indications of the politics of a (selective) memory. Especially Finnish language, cultural traditions and the Evangelical-Lutheran values of the pioneers, which have been passed down to new generations, are highly valued part of the Finnish heritage. Also the work of the pioneers and their participation in the building of Saskatchewan is an important collective narrative. The selectiveness of a memory created the landscape of forgetting which includes deliberately forgotten parts of the history. For example, the occasional disputes between the congregations are something that has been ignored. The results show how the different landscape elements can open up a useful perspective to diaspora colonies or other communities also by providing information which otherwise would be indistinguishable. In this case, for example, two cemeteries close together were a sign of religious distributions among the early settlers.

Cyclins in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women in Western countries. It is a heterogeneous disease with varying biological characteristics and aggressiveness. Family history is one of the strongest predisposing factors for breast cancer. The known susceptibility genes explain only around 25% of all familial breast cancers. At least part of the unknown familial aggregation may be caused by several low-penetrance variants that occur commonly in the general population. Cyclins are cell cycle-regulating proteins. Cyclin expression oscillates during the cell cycle and is under strict control. In cancer cells, cyclin expression often becomes deregulated, leading to uncontrolled cell division and proliferation, one of the hallmarks of cancer. In this study, we investigated the role of cyclins in breast cancer predisposition, pathogenesis, and tumor behavior. Cyclin A immunohistochemistry was evaluated both on traditional large sections and on tissue microarrays (TMA). The concordance of the results was good, indicating that TMA is a reliable method for studying cyclin expression in breast cancer. The expression of cyclins D1, E, and B1 was studied among 1348 invasive breast cancers on TMA. Familial BRCA1/2-mutation negative tumors had significantly more often low cyclin E and high cyclin D1 expression than BRCA1/2 related or sporadic tumors. Unique cyclin E and D1 expression patterns among familial non-BRCA1/2 breast cancers may reflect different predisposition and pathogenesis in these groups and help to differentiate mutation-positive from mutation-negative familial cancers. High cyclin E expression was associated with an aggressive breast cancer phenotype and was an independent marker of poor metastasis-free survival. High cyclin D1 was associated with high grade and high proliferation among estrogen receptor (ER)-positive but with low grade and low proliferation among ER-negative breast cancers. Among ER-positive cancers not treated with chemotherapy, high cyclin D1 showed a trend towards shorter metastasis-free survival. These results suggest that different mechanisms may drive proliferation in ER-negative and -positive breast cancers and that cyclin D1 has a particularly important role in tumorigenesis of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. High cyclin B1 expression was associated with aggressive breast cancer features and had an independent impact on survival. The results suggest that cyclin B1 immunohistochemistry is a method that could easily be adapted for routine use and is an independent prognostic factor, adding specificity to prognostic evaluation conducted with traditional markers. A commonly occurring cyclin D1 gene polymorphism A870G was associated with increased breast cancer risk in a large material of Finnish and Canadian breast cancer patients. The interaction of the high-activity alleles of cyclin D1 gene and estrogen metabolism gene COMT conferred an even higher risk. These results show that cyclin D1 and COMT act synergistically to contribute to breast cancer progression and that individual risk for breast cancer can be altered by the combined effect of polymorphisms with low-penetrance alleles. By investigating critical cell cycle regulator protein cyclins, we revealed new aspects of breast cancer predisposition, pathogenesis, and clinical course.

Yhteisestä toiminnasta yhteiseen kieleen : keskustelunanalyyttinen tutkimus toisen kielen oppimisesta kielikylpypäiväkodin arkitilanteissa

This dissertation examines how Finnish-speaking children learn Swedish in an immersion kindergarten where the method of Canadian immersion is used. Within the framework of conversation analysis, this study explores how second language learning is situated in interaction and evidenced in the participants´ verbal and non-verbal behavior. The database consists of 40 hours of videotaped data collected in naturally occurring situations in a group of 15 four-year-old children during the first two years of their immersion. Due to the immersion method, all the children share the same L1, in this case Finnish, and the teachers understand Finnish. However, they speak only Swedish to the children in all situations and Swedish is learned in interaction without formal teaching. The aim of the study is to discover how the children´s second language competence gradually increases when they participate in interaction with the Swedish-speaking teachers. The study also sheds light on the methodological question of how second language learning can be analyzed with the method of conversation analysis. The focus is on showing how the second language is learned in interaction, especially on how learning is achieved collaboratively. In this study, the emerging second language competence is explored by investigating how the children show understanding of the teachers´ non-verbal and verbal actions during the first and the second semester of the immersion. The children´s use of Swedish is analyzed by investigating how they recycle lexical items and later even syntactic structures from the teachers´ Swedish turns. The results show that the teachers´ actions are largely understood by the children even at the beginning of the immersion. The analyzes of the children´s responsive turns reveal that they interpret the teachers´ turns on the basis of non-verbal cues at first. Especially at the beginning of the immersion, the participants orient to the progress of interaction and not to problems in understanding. Even in situations where the next actions show that the children do not understand what is said, they tend to display understanding rather than non-understanding. This behavior changes, however, when the children´s competence in their second language increases. At the second semester, the children both show understanding of the teachers´ verbal turns and also display their non-understanding by initiating repair when they do not understand. Understanding of the teachers´ verbal turns, including their syntactic structure, is manifested in the ways the children tie their turns to the teachers´ turns. Recycling, on the other hand, proves to be the way by which the children start to speak the second language. In this study, the children´s common L1 is evidenced to be an important resource in interaction. It allows the children to participate in their individual ways and to share their experiences both with each other and with the teachers. It also enables them to co-construct conversations that lead to collaborative learning. Moreover, the uninhibited use of L1 proves to be an important analytic tool that makes the immersion data especially fruitful for conversation analytic research on second language learning, since the children´s interpretations of the second language are in evidence even when they do not speak the second language.