Isolation and Characterization of Ovomucin - a Bioactive Agent of Egg White

The hen’s egg is a source of new life. Therefore, it contains many biologically active compounds. In addition to being a very nutritious food and also commonly used in the food industry due to its many techno-functional properties, the egg can serve as a source of compounds used as nutra-, pharmaand cosmeceuticals. One such interesting compound is ovomucin, an egg white protein responsible for the gel-like properties of thick egg white. Previous studies have indicated that ovomucin and ovomucin-derived peptides have several different bioactive properties. The objectives of the present study were to develop isolation methods for ovomucin, to characterize the structure of ovomucin, to compare various egg fractions as sources of ovomucin, to study the effects of various dissolving methods for ovomucin, and to investigate the bioactive properties of ovomucin and ovomucin-derived peptides. A simple and rapid method for crude ovomucin separation was developed. By using this method crude ovomucin was isolated within hours, compared to the 1-2 days (including a dialysis step) needed when using several other methods. Structural characterization revealed that ovomucin is composed of two subunits, α- and β-ovomucin, as egg white protein formerly called α1-ovomucin seemed to be ovostatin. However, it might be possible that ovostatin is associated within β- and α-ovomucin. This interaction could even have some effect on the physical nature of various egg white layers. Although filtration by-product fraction was a very prominent source of both crude and β-ovomucin, process development has reduced its amount so significantly that it has no practical meaning anymore. Thus, the commercial liquid egg white is probably the best option, especially if it generally contains amounts of β-ovomucin as high as were found in these studies. Crude ovomucin was dissolved both by using physical and enzymic methods. Although sonication was the most effective physical method for ovomucin solubilisation, colloid milling seemed to be a very promising alternative. A milk-like, smooth and opaque crude ovomucin suspension was attained by using a colloid mill. The dissolved ovomucin fractions were further tested for bioactive properties, and it was found that three dissolving methods tested produced moderate antiviral activity against Newcastle disease virus, namely colloid milling, enzymatic hydrolysis and a combination of sonicaton and enzymatic hydrolysis. Moreover, trypsin-digested crude ovomucin was found to have moderate antiviral activity against avian influenza virus: both subtype H5 and H7.

Genetic, prenatal and postnatal determinants of weight gain and obesity in young children – The STEPS Study

Genetic, Prenatal and Postnatal Determinants of Weight Gain and Obesity in Young Children – The STEPS Study University of Turku, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Turku Doctoral Program of Clinical Investigation (CLIPD), Turku Institute for Child and Youth Research. Conditions of being overweight and obese in childhood are common health problems with longlasting effects into adulthood. Currently 22% of Finnish boys and 12% of Finnish girls are overweight and 4% of Finnish boys and 2% of Finnish girls are obese. The foundation for later health is formed early, even before birth, and the importance of prenatal growth on later health outcomes is widely acknowledged. When the mother is overweight, had high gestational weight gain and disturbances in glucose metabolism during pregnancy, an increased risk of obesity in children is present. On the other hand, breastfeeding and later introduction of complementary foods are associated with a decreased obesity risk. In addition to these, many genetic and environmental factors have an effect on obesity risk, but the clustering of these factors is not extensively studied. The main objective of this thesis was to provide comprehensive information on prenatal and early postnatal factors associated with weight gain and obesity in infancy up to two years of age. The study was part of the STEPS Study (Steps to Healthy Development), which is a follow-up study consisting of 1797 families. This thesis focused on children up to 24 months of age. Altogether 26% of boys and 17% of girls were overweight and 5% of boys and 4% of girls were obese at 24 months of age according to New Finnish Growth references for Children BMI-for-age criteria. Compared to children who remained normal weight, the children who became overweight or obese showed different growth trajectories already at 13 months of age. The mother being overweight had an impact on children’s birth weight and early growth from birth to 24 months of age. The mean duration of breastfeeding was almost 2 months shorter in overweight women in comparison to normal weight women. A longer duration of breastfeeding was protective against excessive weight gain, high BMI, high body weight and high weight-for-length SDS during the first 24 months of life. Breast milk fatty acid composition differed between overweight and normal weight mothers, and overweight women had more saturated fatty acids and less n-3 fatty acids in breast milk. Overweight women also introduced complementary foods to their infants earlier than normal weight mothers. Genetic risk score calculated from 83 obesogenic- and adiposity-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed that infants with a high genetic risk for being overweight and obese were heavier at 13 months and 24 months of age than infants with a low genetic risk, thus possibly predisposing to later obesity in obesogenic environment. Obesity Risk Score showed that children with highest number of risk factors had almost 6-fold risk of being overweight and obese at 24 months compared to children with lowest number of risk factors. The accuracy of the Obesity Risk Score in predicting overweight and obesity at 24 months was 82%. This study showed that many of the obesogenic risk factors tend to cluster within children and families and that children who later became overweight or obese show different growth trajectories already at a young age. These results highlight the importance of early detection of children with higher obesity risk as well as the importance of prevention measures focused on parents. Keywords: Breastfeeding, Child, Complementary Feeding, Genes, Glucose metabolism, Growth, Infant Nutrition Physiology, Nutrition, Obesity, Overweight, Programming

Co-operative acquisitions – the contextual factors and challenges for co-operatives when acquiring an investorowned firm

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been seen as an important strategy in helping organizations to grow, gain access to new markets and resources, increase efficiency, and enable competitiveness in order to fulfil the purpose of the organization. These aspects have made M&As of central interest to academic literature. In co-operative studies mergers especially have been widely studied. The common focus of these studies is that M&As have taken place between organizations of the same form. It is noteworthy that there is a scarcity of literature concerning acquisitions between different organizational types. Moreover, M&As have not been evaluated concerning the organization’s ownership and purpose, which may be significant integration factors. The overall objective of this study is to describe and understand why co-operative organizations use acquisition as a strategic alternative. In more detail – and in order to develop understanding of the background ideals affecting the acquisition decision and the differences of organization ideals in the integration process – this study is based on a qualitative case study approach. By combining interview data gathered from the OPPohjola Group and associating the observations from various streams of research on acquisitions and management with the purpose of co-operation, and examining these issues further, the thesis contributes to the elaboration of theory in the field of the strategic management of co-operatives. The dissertation consists of two parts. The first part introduces the research topic, methods and publications, as well as discussing the overall outcomes. The second part consists of four publications that address the research questions from different viewpoints. The analyses of this dissertation indicate that, from the strategic point of view, the acquisition of an investor-owned firm by a co-operative organization may create competitive advantage for the co-operative. On the other hand, there are differences in and following from the purpose of acquirer and the acquiree that may, in such case, pose several challenges to the integration process.

Optimization of Transportation System by Tailored Logistics Network: A Case Study in Automotive Industry

This thesis aims to redesign the supply chain system in an automotive industry in order to obtain space reduction in the inventory by using tailored logistics network. The redesigning process by tailored supply chain will combine all possible shipment methods including direct shipment, milk-run, milk-run via distribution center and Kanban delivery. The current supply chain system in Nissan goes rather well when the production volume is in moderate level. However, when the production volume is high, there is a capacity problem in the warehouse to accommodate all delivered parts from suppliers. Hence, the optimization of supply chain system is needed in order to obtain efficient logistics process and effective inventory consumption. The study will use primary data for both qualitative and quantitative approach as the research methods. Qualitative data will be collected by conducting interviews with people related to procurement and inventory control. Quantitative data consists of list of suppliers with their condition in several parameters which will be evaluated and analyzed by using scoring method to assign the most suitable transportation network to each suppliers for improvement of inventory reduction in a cost efficient manner.

Breastfeeding preterm infant from the delivery ward via nicu to home

The aim of this study was to examine how to support breastfeeding of preterm infants immediately after birth in the delivery ward, during their hospital stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and at home after hospital discharge. Specifically, the role of early physical contact, maternal breastfeeding attitude, and an internet-based peer support group were investigated. The delivery ward practices concerning the implementation of early physical contact between a mother and her infant admitted to a NICU were examined by a structured survey in two hospitals. An Internet-based, breastfeeding peer-support intervention for the mothers of preterm infants was developed and tested in a randomized controlled design with one year follow-up. The main outcomes were the duration of exclusive and overall breastfeeding, expressing milk, and maternal attitude. In addition, the perceptions of mothers of preterm infants were investigated by analyzing the peer-support group discussions with a qualitative approach. The implementation of early physical contact was different between the two hospitals studied and was based more on hospital routines than the physiological condition of the infant. Preterm infants, who were born before a gestational age (GA) of 32 weeks, were hardly ever allowed to have early contact with their mothers. Both, a higher GA and early physical contact predicted earlier initiation and increased frequency of breastfeeding in the NICU. A maternal breastfeeding-favorable attitude predicted increased frequency of breastfeeding in the NICU and also a longer duration of overall breastfeeding. The actual duration of breastfeeding was, however, shorter than the mothers intended in advance. The internet-based, peer-support intervention had no effect on the duration of breastfeeding, expressing milk, or maternal attitude. The participating mothers enjoyed the possibility of sharing their experiences of preterm infants with other mothers in similar situations. Some of the mothers also experienced being given useful advice for breastfeeding. Based on the mothers’ discussions, a process of breastfeeding preterm infants was created. This included some paradoxical elements in the NICU where, for example, breast milk was emphasized over breastfeeding and support in the hospital varied. Hospital discharge was a critical point, when the mothers faced breastfeeding in reality. Over time, the mothers assimilated their breastfeeding experience into part of being a mother. The care practices related to early physical contact in delivery wards need to be re-evaluated to allow more infants to have a moment with the mother. Maternal attitude could be screened prenatally and attitude-focused interventions developed. Breastfeeding support in the NICU should be standardized. Internet-based breastfeeding peer-support intervention was feasible but additional research is needed.