Family rivalry in the testis: Retinoblastoma protein and E2F transcription factors in testicular development and adult spermatogenesis

Disorders of male reproductive health are becoming increasingly prevalent globally. These defects, ranging from decreasing sperm counts to an increasing rate of infertility and testicular cancer, have a common origin in the early phases of testicular development, but the exact mechanisms that cause them remain unknown. Testicular development and adult spermatogenesis are complex processes in which different cell types undergo mitosis, meiosis, differentiation and apoptosis. The retinoblastoma protein family and its associated E2F transcription factors are key regulators of these cellular events. In the present study, the functions of these factors in postnatal testicular development and adult spermatogenesis were explored using different animal models. In addition, a new application of flow cytometry to study testicular cell dynamics was developed. An ablation of retinoblastoma protein in mouse Sertoli cells resulted in their cell cycle re-entry in adult testes, dedifferentiation and a severe spermatogenic defect. We showed that deregulated E2F3 contributed to these changes. Our results indicated that the E2F1 transcription factor is critical for the control of apoptosis in the developing postnatal testis. In the adult testis, E2F1 controls the maintenance of the spermatogonial stem cell pool, in addition to inhibiting apoptosis of spermatocytes. In summary, this study elucidated the complex interdependencies of the RB and E2F transcription factor families in the control of postnatal testicular development and adult spermatogenesis. Furthermore, this study provided a new methodology for the analysis of testicular cells.

Applying software performance engineering methods to development of IT device management systems

Ohjelmiston suorituskyky on kokonaisvaltainen asia, johon kaikki ohjelmiston elinkaaren vaiheet vaikuttavat. Suorituskykyongelmat johtavat usein projektien viivästymisiin, kustannusten ylittymisiin sekä joissain tapauksissa projektin täydelliseen epäonnistumiseen. Software performance engineering (SPE) on ohjelmistolähtöinen lähestysmistapa, joka tarjoaa tekniikoita suorituskykyisen ohjelmiston kehittämiseen. Tämä diplomityö tutkii näitä tekniikoita ja valitsee niiden joukosta ne, jotka soveltuvat suorituskykyongelmien ratkaisemiseen kahden IT-laitehallintatuotteen kehityksessä. Työn lopputuloksena on päivitetty versio nykyisestä tuotekehitysprosessista, mikä huomioi sovellusten suorituskykyyn liittyvät haasteet tuotteiden elinkaaren eri vaiheissa.

User Experience Patterns for/of Innovation by Design: A Survey on Design Practices in the Software Development and Innovation Lifecycle

The User Experience (UX) designers are undoubtedly aware of how many UX design methods currently exist and that sometimes it becomes a problem to choose an appropriate one. What are all of methods that designers have in their “arsenal”? When can they use them? This thesis presents the research on the design methods in the contemporary context of User Experience (UX) and Innovations by using a survey approach. The study is limited to cover the domain of consumer mobile services development and provider companies around the world. The study follows 2 clear objectives: (1) to understand what design methods are currently used in that context and to what extent they are used (2) to identify at what stage according to the UX design thinking process for creating innovations they are placed. The study contributes to the research in the field of UX design and Innovations and extends the knowledge in that field together with communities’ (UXPA, SIGCHI, SIGSOFT) members’ cooperation. The research is vital due to lack of information on design practices and their application in the chosen context.