Kerrosleijukattilan sekundääri-ilmansyöttöjärjestelmän kehittäminen

Työn tarkoituksena oli kehittää kerrosleijukattilan sekundääri-ilmansyöttöä. Työssä tutkittiin tulipesässä ilmasuihkujen käyttäytymiseen vaikuttavia tekijöitä sekä eri ilmansyöttömallien vaikutuksia tulipesäolosuhteisiin. Sekundääri- ja tertiääri-ilmasuihkujen tehtävänä on sekoittaa tulipesän kaasuja sekä tuoda happi leijupetin yläpuolelle haihtuneiden aineiden palamisen loppuun saattamiseksi. Kaasujen sekoittumiseen vaikuttavat ilmasuihkun ja ristivirtauksen liikemäärien suhde, suutinten koko ja sijoittelu toisiinsa nähden. Ilmasuihku saavuttaa paremman tunkeutuvuuden ja siten tehokkaamman sekoittumisen suuttimen koon kasvaessa. Lisäksi tunkeutuvuus paranee suutinten välisen etäisyyden sekä ilmasuihkun ja ristivirtauksen liikemäärien suhteen kasvaessa. Optimaalisen suutinten välisen etäisyyden osoitettiin riippuvan suuttimen ja tulipesän koosta sekä ilmasuihkun ja ristivirtauksen liikemäärien suhteesta. Saatujen tulosten mukaan sekundääri- ja tertiääri-ilmatasoilla tulee suosia suuria harvaan ja lomittain sijoitettuja suuttimia. Ilmansyöttömalleja tutkittiin numeerisesti mallintamalla, ja saatujen tulosten perusteella tehokkain sekoittuminen saavutettiin sijoittamalla sekundääri-ilmasuuttimet tulipesän kahdelle vastakkaiselle seinälle.

Timeframe of speciation inferred from secondary contact zones in the European tree frog radiation (Hyla arborea group).

BACKGROUND: Hybridization between incipient species is expected to become progressively limited as their genetic divergence increases and reproductive isolation proceeds. Amphibian radiations and their secondary contact zones are useful models to infer the timeframes of speciation, but empirical data from natural systems remains extremely scarce. Here we follow this approach in the European radiation of tree frogs (Hyla arborea group). We investigated a natural hybrid zone between two lineages (Hyla arborea and Hyla orientalis) of Mio-Pliocene divergence (~5 My) for comparison with other hybrid systems from this group. RESULTS: We found concordant geographic distributions of nuclear and mitochondrial gene pools, and replicated narrow transitions (~30 km) across two independent transects, indicating an advanced state of reproductive isolation and potential local barriers to dispersal. This result parallels the situation between H. arborea and H. intermedia, which share the same amount of divergence with H. orientalis. In contrast, younger lineages show much stronger admixture at secondary contacts. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings corroborate the negative relationship between hybridizability and divergence time in European tree frogs, where 5 My are necessary to achieve almost complete reproductive isolation. Speciation seems to progress homogeneously in this radiation, and might thus be driven by gradual genome-wide changes rather than single speciation genes. However, the timescale differs greatly from that of other well-studied amphibians. General assumptions on the time necessary for speciation based on evidence from unrelated taxa may thus be unreliable. In contrast, comparative hybrid zone analyses within single radiations such as our case study are useful to appreciate the advance of speciation in space and time.

Secondary metabolismin in Annonaceae: potencial source of drugs

Several species of Annona (Annonaceae) are used in traditional Mexican medicine by their anti-anxiety, anticonvulsant and tranquilizing properties. It has been reported that the alkaloids isolated from some species of the Annona have affinity to serotonergic 5-HT1A receptors and modulate dopaminergic transmission, which is involved in depressive disorders. In this review it is showed the results of the antidepressant-like effect of an alkaloid extract from the aerial parts of Annona cherimola (TA) in mice. The antidepressant-like effect was evaluated in the forced swimming test. To elucidate a possible mechanism of action, experiments of synergism with antidepressant drugs, such as imipramine (IMI), clomipramine (CLIMI), and fluoxetine (FLX), were carried out. The neurotransmitter content (DA: dopamine, 5HT: serotonin and its metabolites, HVA: homovanillic acid and 5HIAA:5-hydroxyindoleacetic) in the whole brain of mice were also determined by HPLC method. The results showed that repeated treatment with TA produced antidepressant-like effects in mice. This effect was not related to an increase in locomotor activity. Administration of TA facilitated the antidepressant effect of IMI and CLIMI as well as increased the turnover of DA and 5-HT. The alkaloids: 1,2-dimethoxy-5, 6.6 to 7-tetrahydro-4H-dibenzoquinoline-3,8,9,10-tetraol, anonaine, liriodenine, and nornuciferine were the main constituents of TA.

Impacts of Globalization Processes on the Swiss National Business Elite Community : A Diachronic Analysis of Swiss Large Corporations (1980-2010)

This paper investigates the impacts of globalization processes on the Swiss business elite community during the 1980-2010 period. Switzerland has been characterized in the 20th century by its extraordinary stability and by the strong cohesion of its elite community. To study recent changes, we focus on Switzerland's 110 largest firms' by adopting a diachronic perspective based on three elite cohorts (1980, 2000, and 2010). An analysis of interlocking directorates allows us to describe the decline of the Swiss corporate network. The second analysis focuses on top managers' profiles in terms of education, nationality as well as participation in national community networks that used to reinforce the cultural cohesion of the Swiss elite community, especially the militia army. Our results highlight a slow but profound transformation of top management profiles, characterized by a decline of traditional national elements of legitimacy and the emergence of new "global" elements. The diachronic and combined analysis brings into light the strong cultural changes experienced by the national business elite community.

Climate change impacts on lakes: an integrated ecological perspective based on a multi-faceted approach, with special focus on shallow lakes

Freshwater ecosystems and their biodiversity are presently seriously threatened by global development and population growth, leading to increases in nutrient inputs and intensification of eutrophication-induced problems in receiving fresh waters, particularly in lakes. Climate change constitutes another threat exacerbating the symptoms of eutrophication and species migration and loss. Unequivocal evidence of climate change impacts is still highly fragmented despite the intensive research, in part due to the variety and uncertainty of climate models and underlying emission scenarios but also due to the different approaches applied to study its effects. We first describe the strengths and weaknesses of the multi-faceted approaches that are presently available for elucidating the effects of climate change in lakes, including space-for-time substitution, time series, experiments, palaeoecology and modelling. Reviewing combined results from studies based on the various approaches, we describe the likely effects of climate changes on biological communities, trophic dynamics and the ecological state of lakes. We further discuss potential mitigation and adaptation measures to counteract the effects of climate change on lakes and, finally, we highlight some of the future challenges that we face to improve our capacity for successful prediction.

Elastic properties and secondary structure formation of single-stranded DNA at monovalent and divalent salt conditions

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) plays a major role in several biological processes. It is therefore of fundamental interest to understand how the elastic response and the formation of secondary structures are modulated by the interplay between base pairing and electrostatic interactions. Here we measure force-extension curves (FECs) of ssDNA molecules in optical tweezers set up over two orders of magnitude of monovalent and divalent salt conditions, and obtain its elastic parameters by fitting the FECs to semiflexible models of polymers. For both monovalent and divalent salts, we find that the electrostatic contribution to the persistence length is proportional to the Debye screening length, varying as the inverse of the square root of cation concentration. The intrinsic persistence length is equal to 0.7 nm for both types of salts, and the effectivity of divalent cations in screening electrostatic interactions appears to be 100-fold as compared with monovalent salt, in line with what has been recently reported for single-stranded RNA. Finally, we propose an analysis of the FECs using a model that accounts for the effective thickness of the filament at low salt condition and a simple phenomenological description that quantifies the formation of non-specific secondary structure at low forces.

A spatial modelling framework for assessing climate change impacts on freshwater ecosystems: Response of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) biomass to warming water temperature

Mountain regions worldwide are particularly sensitive to on-going climate change. Specifically in the Alps in Switzerland, the temperature has increased twice as fast than in the rest of the Northern hemisphere. Water temperature closely follows the annual air temperature cycle, severely impacting streams and freshwater ecosystems. In the last 20 years, brown trout (Salmo trutta L) catch has declined by approximately 40-50% in many rivers in Switzerland. Increasing water temperature has been suggested as one of the most likely cause of this decline. Temperature has a direct effect on trout population dynamics through developmental and disease control but can also indirectly impact dynamics via food-web interactions such as resource availability. We developed a spatially explicit modelling framework that allows spatial and temporal projections of trout biomass using the Aare river catchment as a model system, in order to assess the spatial and seasonal patterns of trout biomass variation. Given that biomass has a seasonal variation depending on trout life history stage, we developed seasonal biomass variation models for three periods of the year (Autumn-Winter, Spring and Summer). Because stream water temperature is a critical parameter for brown trout development, we first calibrated a model to predict water temperature as a function of air temperature to be able to further apply climate change scenarios. We then built a model of trout biomass variation by linking water temperature to trout biomass measurements collected by electro-fishing in 21 stations from 2009 to 2011. The different modelling components of our framework had overall a good predictive ability and we could show a seasonal effect of water temperature affecting trout biomass variation. Our statistical framework uses a minimum set of input variables that make it easily transferable to other study areas or fish species but could be improved by including effects of the biotic environment and the evolution of demographical parameters over time. However, our framework still remains informative to spatially highlight where potential changes of water temperature could affect trout biomass. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.-

Evolving characteristics and outcome of secondary acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL): A prospective analysis by the French-Belgian-Swiss APL group.

BACKGROUND: Reports of patients with secondary acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) have increased in recent years, particularly for those who received treatment with mitoxantrone, and retrospective studies have suggested that their characteristics and outcomes were similar to those of patients with de novo APL. METHODS: The authors investigated patients with de novo and secondary APL who were included in the ongoing APL-2006 trial. Patients with secondary APL who were included in that trial also were compared with a previous retrospective cohort of patients with secondary APL. RESULTS: In the APL-2006 trial, 42 of 280 patients (15%) had secondary APL. Compared with the retrospective cohort, patients with secondary APL in the APL-2006 trial had a lower incidence of prior breast carcinoma (35.7% vs 57%; P = .03) and a higher incidence of prior prostate carcinoma (26.2% vs 4.7%; P < .001). Treatment of the primary tumor in the APL-2006 trial less frequently included combined radiochemotherapy (28.6% vs 47.2%; P = .044) and no mitoxantrone (0% vs 46.7%; P = .016) but more frequently included anthracyclines (53.3% vs 38.3%; P = .015). In the APL-2006 trial, patients who had secondary APL, compared with those who had de novo APL, were older (mean, 60.2 years vs 48.7 years, respectively; P < .0001) but had a similar complete response rate (97.6% vs 90.3%, respectively), cumulative incidence of relapse (0% vs 1.8%, respectively), and overall survival (92.3% vs 90.9%, respectively) at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence of secondary APL appears to be stable over time, evolving strategies for the treatment of primary cancers have reduced its occurrence among breast cancer patients but have increased its incidence among patients with prostate cancer. The current results confirm prospectively that patients with secondary APL have characteristics and outcomes similar to those of patients with de novo APL. Cancer 2015;121:2393-2399. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

Inverted ductal papilloma of the oral cavity secondary to lower lip trauma. A case report and literature review

Inverted ductal papilloma of the oral cavity is an infrequent benign neoplasm of papillary appearance that originates in the secretory duct of a salivary gland. The etiology is unknown, though some authors have related it to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. We present the case of a 40-year-old woman with a tumor of the lower lip mucosa. Histopathological study of the lesion diagnosed inverted ductal papilloma of the oral cavity. Human papillomavirus DNA detection and typing based on tumor lesion DNA amplification and posterior hybridization, revealed no presence of viral DNA. The antecedents of trauma reported by the patient could have played an important role in the development of this tumor

Ecosystem impacts of Alpine water intakes for hydropower: the challenge of sediment management

The natural flow hydrological characteristics (such as the magnitude, frequency, duration, timing, and rate of change of discharge) of Alpine streams, dominated by snowmelt and glacier melt, have been established for many years. More recently, the ecosystems that they sustain have been described and explained. However, natural Alpine flow regimes may be strongly modified by hydroelectric power production, which impacts upon both river discharge and sediment transfer, and hence on downstream flora and fauna. The impacts of barrages or dams have been well studied. However, there is a second type of flow regulation, associated with flow abstraction at intakes where the water is transferred laterally, either to another valley for storage, or at altitude within the same valley for eventual release downstream. Like barrages, such intakes also trap sediment, but because they are much smaller, they fill more frequently and so need to be flushed regularly. Downstream, while the flow regime is substantially modified, the delivery of sediment (notably coarser fractions) remains. The ecosystem impacts of such systems have been rarely considered. Through reviewing the state of our knowledge of Alpine ecosystems, we outline the key research questions that will need to be addressed in order to modify intake management so as to reduce downstream ecological impacts. Simply redesigning river flows to address sediment management will be ineffective because such redesign cannot restore a natural sediment regime and other approaches are likely to be required if stream ecology in such systems is to be improved.

Aggregate material formulated with MSWI bottom ash and APC fly ash for use as secondary building material

The main goal of this paper is to obtain a granular material formulated with Municipal Solid Waste Incinerarion (MSWI) bottom ash (BA) and air pollution control (APC) ash to be used as secondary building material. Previously, an optimum concrete mixture using both MSWI residues as aggregates was formulated. A compromise between the environmental behaviour and the economy of the process was considered. Unconfined compressive strength and abrasion resistance values were measured in order to evaluate the mechanical properties. From these results, the granular mixture was not suited for certain applications owing to the high BA/APC content and low cement percentages used to reduce the costs of the final product. Nevertheless, the leaching test performed showed that the concentrations of all heavy metals were below the limits established by the current Catalan legislation for their reutilization. Therefore, the material studied might be mainly used in embankments, where high mechanical properties are not needed and environmental safety is assured.