Paying the costs of reproduction.

When a female fly mates it produces a hormone that increases the size of its midgut and enhances fat metabolism in order to provide the energy needed for reproduction.

Tracking the ghost of coevolution in specific plant-insect interactions : the case of the pollination system between the globeflower Trollius europaeus and seven european Chiastocheta flies

This study aims at understanding the evolutionary processes at work in specialized species interactions. Prom the macroevolutionary perspective, coevolution among specialized taxa was proposed to be one of the major processes generating biodiversity. We challenge this idea from the theoretical and practical perspective and through a literature review and show that the major hypotheses linking coevolutionary process with macroevolutionary patterns do not necessarily predict lineage co diversification and parallel speciation, limit¬ing the utility of the comparative phylogenenetic approach for investigating coevolution¬ary processes. We also point to the rarity of observed long-term coevolutionary dynamics among lineages and propose that coevolution rather occurs in shorter timescales, followed by ecological fitting. Prom the empirical point, we focus on the nursery pollination interaction between the European globeflower Trollius europaeus (Ranunculaceae) and its associated Chiastocheta flies (Anthomyiidae; Diptera) as a model system of evolution and maintenance of special¬ized interactions. The flies are obligate parasites of the seeds, but also pollinate the plant - it was thus proposed that both species are mutually dependent. Contrasting with the paradigm used for two decades of research on this system, we show that the female fitness component of the plant is similar in the populations with and without Chiastocheta. The plant is thus not exclusively dependent on the flies for reproduction. We discuss this result in the context of the factors responsible for the evolution of mutualistic systems. Understanding the evolution of a biological system requires understanding of its phylo- genetic context. Previous studies showed large mismatch between mtDNA phylogeny and morphological taxonomy in Chiastocheta. By using a large set of RAD-sequencing loci, we delineate the species limits that are congruent with morphology, and show that the discordance is best explained by the scenario of mitochondrial capture among fly species. Finally, we examine this system from a phylogeographic perspective, and identify the lack of congruence in spatial genetic structures of the plant and associated insects across their whole geographic range. The flies show lower numbers of spatial genetic groups than the plant, indicating that not all of the plant réfugia were shared by all the fly species or that the migration dynamics homogenized some of the groups. The incongruence in spatial genetic patterns indicates that fly migrations were largely independent from the genetic background of the plant, following rather a scenario of resource tracking, without the signature of coevolutionary process at this scale. Indeed, while the flies require the plant to survive climatic oscillations, the opposite is not true. Eventually, we show that there is no phylogenetic signal of spatial genetic structures, meaning that neither histories nor life- history traits are shared among closely related species and that species are characterized by unique trajectories of their genes. -- Cette étude vise à comprendre les processus évolutifs à l'oeuvre au sein d'interactions en¬tre espèces spécialisées. Du point de vue macroévolutif, la coévolution entre les taxons spécialisée a été considérée comme l'un des principaux processus générateur de biodiversité. Nous contestons cette idée du point de vue théorique et pratique à travers une revue de la littérature. Nous montrons que les hypothèses majeures reliant les processus coévolutifs avec les patterns de diversité au niveau macroévolutif ne prédisent pas nécessairement la co- diversification des lignées et leur spéciation parallèle, ce qui limite l'utilité de l'approche de phylogénie comparative pour étudier les processus coévolutifs . Nous rappelons également le peu d'exemples de dynamique coévolutive à long terme et proposons que la coévolution se produit plutôt dans des intervalles courts, suivis d'ajustements écologiques. Du point empirique, nous nous concentrons sur l'interaction de pollinisation entre le Trolle d'Europe Trollius europaeus (Ranunculaceae) et ses pollinisateurs associés, du genre Chiastocheta (Anthomyiidae; Diptera) en tant que système-modèle pour étudier l'évolution et le maintien des interactions spécialisées. Les mouches sont des parasites obligatoires des semences, mais pollinisent également la plante. Il a donc été proposé que les deux espèces soient mutuellement dépendantes. Contrastant avec le paradigme utilisé pendant deux décennies de recherche sur ce système, nous montrons, que la composante de fitness femelle de la plante est similaire dans les populations avec et sans Chiastocheta. La plante ne dépend donc pas exclusivement de son interaction avec les mouches pour la reproduction. Nous discutons de ce résultat dans le contexte des facteurs responsables de l'évolution des systèmes mutualistes. Comprendre l'évolution d'un système biologique nécessite la compréhension de son con- texte phylogénétique. Des études antérieures ont montré, chez Chiastocheta, de grandes disparités entre les phylogénies obtenues à partir d'ADN mitochondrial et la taxonomie basée sur les critères morphologiques. En utilisant un grand nombre de loci obtenus par RAD-sequencing, nous traçons les limites des espèces, qui concordent avec les car¬actéristiques morphologies, et montrons que la discordance s'explique en fait par un scénario de capture mitochondriale entre espèces de mouches. Enfin, nous examinons le système d'un point de vue phylogéographique, et identi¬fions les incohérences entre structurations génétiques spatiales de la plante et des insectes associés dans toute leur aire de distribution géographique. Les mouches présentent un nombre de groupes génétiques inférieur à la plante, indiquant que tous les refuges de la plante n'étaient pas partagés par toutes les espèces de mouches ou que les dynamiques migratoires ont homogénéisés certains des groupes chez les mouches. Les différences ob¬servées dans les patrons de structuration génétique spatiale indique que les migrations et dispersions des mouches ont été indépendantes du contexte génétique de la plante, et ces dernières ont été uniquement tributaires de la disponibilité des ressources, sans qu'il n'y ait de signature du processus de coévolution à cette échelle. En effet, tandis que les mouches ont besoin de la plante pour survivre aux oscillations climatiques, le contraire n'est pas exact. Finalement, nous montrons qu'il n'y a pas de signal phylogénétique des structurations génétiques spatiales chez les mouches, ce qui signifie que ni l'histoire, ni les traits d'histoire de vie ne sont partagés entre les espèces phylogénétiquement proches et que les espèces sont caractérisées par des trajectoires uniques de leurs gènes.

Polttoainekoostumuksen vaikutus lentotuhkan laatuun ja hyötykäyttömahdollisuuksiin UPM-Kymmene Oyj:n Kaukaan tehtailla

Tavoitteena tässä diplomityössä oli selvittää UPM-Kymmene Oyj:n Kaukaan tehtaiden lentotuhkan hyötykäyttömahdollisuuksia. Tarkastelussa olivat mukana metsälannoite-, maarakennus- sekä sementtiteollisuuskäytöt. Ensin työssä tarkasteltiin näitä vaihtoehtoja kirjallisuuden perusteella. Tämän jälkeen pohdittiin Kaukaan lentotuhkasta tehtyjen analyysien perusteella, mihin käyttökohteisiin lentotuhka soveltuu tällä hetkellä, sekä tulevaisuudessa uuden biopolttoainekattilan myötä. Lentotuhkan hyötykäyttöä lannoitteena ja maarakentamisessa säätelee lainsäädäntö. Lannoitteille on asetuksessa säädetty tietyille haitta-aineille enimmäispitoisuudet, jotka tuhkan tulee alittaa, jotta sitä voitaisiin hyödyntää. Maarakennuskäytölle on asetuksessa määritelty raja-arvot, jotka alitettaessa voidaan tuhkaa hyödyntää rakenteissa ilmoitusmenettelyllä. Tämä menettely helpottaa rakennusprojekteja huomattavan paljon, sillä tällöin ympäristölupaa ei tarvitse hakea jokaiselle projektille erikseen. Maarakennuskäyttö on mahdollista, vaikkei raja-arvoja alitettaisikaan, mutta tällöin ympäristöluvan hakeminen hankaloittaa projektien etenemistä ja aiheuttaa kustannuksia. Tuhkan on lisäksi oltava ominaisuuksiltaan riittävän hyvää, jotta hyötykäyttö olisi mahdollista. Kaukaan tuhkasta tehtyjen analyysien perusteella huomattiin, että se sopii hyvin metsälannoitteeksi ja todennäköisesti myös sementtiteollisuuskäyttöön. Maarakennuskäytön osalta tulokset osoittivat tuhkan olevan juuri rajoilla ilmoitusmenettelyn hyödyntämisen suhteen. Maarakennuskäytöstä tarvitaankin vielä lisäselvityksiä jatkossa. Uudessa polttolaitoksessa poltetaan myös turvetta puuperäisen lisäksi. Kirjallisuuden perusteella voitiin tehdä arvio, mihin suuntaan turve tulee tuhkaa todennäköisesti muuttamaan. Todettiin, että turpeen poltto parantaa todennäköisesti tuhkan laatua sementtiteollisuudessa käytön kannalta. Tuhkan lannoitekäyttöön turpeen poltolla todettiin taas olevan negatiivisia vaikutuksia. Maarakennuskäytön kannalta turpeella saattaa myös olla negatiivisia vaikutuksia. Tuhkaa kannattaisikin käyttää sementtiteollisuudessa silloin kun turvetta on polttoaineessa paljon ja muuhun käyttöön silloin kun turvetta on vähän.

Signs of a vector's adaptive choice: on the evasion of infectious hosts and parasite-induced mortality

Laboratory and field experiments have demonstrated in many cases that malaria vectors do not feed randomly, but show important preferences either for infected or non-infected hosts. These preferences are likely in part shaped by the costs imposed by the parasites on both their vertebrate and dipteran hosts. However, the effect of changes in vector behaviour on actual parasite transmission remains a debated issue. We used the natural associations between a malaria-like parasite Polychromophilus murinus, the bat fly Nycteribia kolenatii and a vertebrate host the Daubenton's bat Myotis daubentonii to test the vector's feeding preference based on the host's infection status using two different approaches: 1) controlled behavioural assays in the laboratory where bat flies could choose between a pair of hosts; 2) natural bat fly abundance data from wild-caught bats, serving as an approximation of realised feeding preference of the bat flies. Hosts with the fewest infectious stages of the parasite were most attractive to the bat flies that did switch in the behavioural assay. In line with the hypothesis of costs imposed by parasites on their vectors, bat flies carrying parasites had higher mortality. However, in wild populations, bat flies were found feeding more based on the bat's body condition, rather than its infection level. Though the absolute frequency of host switches performed by the bat flies during the assays was low, in the context of potential parasite transmission they were extremely high. The decreased survival of infected bat flies suggests that the preference for less infected hosts is an adaptive trait. Nonetheless, other ecological processes ultimately determine the vector's biting rate and thus transmission. Inherent vector preferences therefore play only a marginal role in parasite transmission in the field. The ecological processes rather than preferences per se need to be identified for successful epidemiological predictions.

An interactive web-GIS tool for risk analysis: a case study in the Fella River basin, Italy

This paper presents a prototype of an interactive web-GIS tool for risk analysis of natural hazards, in particular for floods and landslides, based on open-source geospatial software and technologies. The aim of the presented tool is to assist the experts (risk managers) in analysing the impacts and consequences of a certain hazard event in a considered region, providing an essential input to the decision-making process in the selection of risk management strategies by responsible authorities and decision makers. This tool is based on the Boundless (OpenGeo Suite) framework and its client-side environment for prototype development, and it is one of the main modules of a web-based collaborative decision support platform in risk management. Within this platform, the users can import necessary maps and information to analyse areas at risk. Based on provided information and parameters, loss scenarios (amount of damages and number of fatalities) of a hazard event are generated on the fly and visualized interactively within the web-GIS interface of the platform. The annualized risk is calculated based on the combination of resultant loss scenarios with different return periods of the hazard event. The application of this developed prototype is demonstrated using a regional data set from one of the case study sites, Fella River of northeastern Italy, of the Marie Curie ITN CHANGES project.

Remodelació Camp Nou

Un proyecto catalán, finalista. La propuesta presentada por el despacho catalán Ferrater-Serra-Vives-Cartagena-Aurosport fue la finalista junto al proyecto de Foster, un concepto muy similar al estilo del Fly Emirates del Arsenal o del estadio Da Luz del Benfica.

Leishmaniavirus : a possible target against metastatic leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is widely spread disease found in bath tropical and temperate regions but limited to the habitat of its sand fly vector. lt affects over 12 million people with 2 million new cases each year. As cutaneous leishmaniasis patients show varying levels of immunity to the disease after recovery, the development of a vaccine has much promise as a prevention strategy. Unfortunately however, existing anti-leishmanial vaccines are plagued by safety issues and have only ever shown limited efficacy .So, despite much effort, no effective vaccine is currently available. Recent studies suggest a correlation between the presence of Leishmania RNA virus (LRV) and the development of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL), which is characterised by the presence of secondary lesions in nasal and buccal mucosa, causing destructive and disfiguring facial lesions. Moreover, recent research has associated the viral presence to treatment fa ilure in patients. ln the first part of this work, we propose that these viral particles may serve as promising vaccine candidates due to their powerful TLR-3 antigenicity, launching an early cell-mediated attack on stimulated cells and thus eliminating their virulent complications. The second part of this work discusses a preliminary study on the lymphocyte immune response against Leishmania guyanensis infection. The lymphocyte response (and in particular, the raie of CDS+ T cells) is controversial and varies greatly between Leishmania species. Here, we illustrate the importance of a small CDS+ T cell subpopulation, expressing the CDSaa+ receptor. These intraepithelial lymphocytes are mainly present in the skin, vagina and intestinal tissue and are best known for their raie in the early immune response against pathogens. Similarly to traditional CDS+ cells, they secrete the tissue-destructive enzymes, perforin and granzyme, which can result in a hyper-inflammatory cutaneous lesion, raising a possibility for their raie in Leishmania infection. lndeed, our initial results in a murine mode( of Leishmania guyanensis infection suggest a pathogenic raie for CDSaa+ T cells. Further research into species-specific immune responses against the various Leishmania parasites is critical to realising the clinical potential of immunotherapy in the treatment and prevention of this disfiguring disease . -- La Leishmaniose est une maladie infectieuse causée par le parasite Leishmania. Elle est localisée dans les régions où son vecteur se reproduit, c'est-à-dire dans des régions tropicales ou tempérées. Cette pathologie affecte 12 millions des personnes dans le monde et 2 millions de nouveaux cas sont recensés chaque année. D'autres facteurs, tels la déforestation, les conditions d'hygiène ou encore l'accès limité aux médicaments, aggravent la pathologie et renforcent sa propagation. Les patients affectés par la leishmaniose et qui arrivent à en guérir, présentent une protection contre une réinfection. Pour cette raison, le développement d'un vaccin reste la meilleure solution pour combattre ce fléau. Mais, à ce jour, et malgré beaucoup d'efforts, aucun vaccin efficace n'a encore été développé. Un autre facteur responsable de l'aggravation de la pathologie et de la résistance de ces parasites aux drogues est un virus qui peut infecter certaines souches de Leishmania. Ce virus, appelé Leishmania RNA virus, peut induire une réponse inflammatoire exagérée, ce qui a comme résultat l'aggravation de la pathologie, la survie et la dissémination de ce parasite au sein de l'hôte infecté. Vu l'absence d'un vaccin contre ce parasite, Leishmania, nous proposons de développer un vaccin non pas contre le parasite lui- même mais contre l'agent qui provoque l'exacerbation de la pathologie, c'est-à-dire le virus. Dans cette étude, nous décrivons le développement d'un vaccin contre LRV, qui empêche le parasite d'induire des inflammations exagérées dans les souris. En d'autres mots, nous essayons de prévenir toutes les complications générées par cet hyperpathogène qu'est le LRV, en utilisant sa capside comme cible pour le développement d'un vaccin. Dans la deuxième partie de ce manuscrit, nous avons aussi étudié plus en détail la réponse immunitaire, et en particulier la réponse des lymphocytes T COB suite à l'infection du parasite Leishmania guyanensis porteur du LRV.

Efeito da adição de Na2O na viscosidade e devitrificação do vidro obtido a partir de cinzas volantes e Li2O

Glass-ceramic materials can be produced by the addition of LiO2 to fly ashes disposible in Southern Brazil. These glass-ceramics are based on the Al2O3-SiO2-Li 2O system. The high viscosity of the obtained glasses, however, makes forming useful articles with these materials difficult. In this study we investigate the effect of adding low cost Na2CO3 on the melt viscosity and on the nature of the developed crystalline phases. It was intended that the ultimate crystalline phase (LiAlSi3O8) should not be altered. With additions up to 3 wt. % Na2CO3, the viscosity was apparently lowered and no new crystalline phase were detected.

Technology roadmap for new sales support and management system for crane manufacturing company

Sales configurators are essential tools for companies that offer complicated case specifically crafted products for customers. Most sophisticated of them are able to design an entire end product on the fly according to given constraints, calculate price for the offer and move the order into production. This thesis covers a sales configurator acquisition project in a large industrial company that offers cranes for its customers. The study spans the preliminary stages of a large-scale software purchase project starting from the specification of problem domain and ending up presenting the most viable software solution that fulfils the requirements for the new system. The project consists of mapping usage environment, use cases, and collecting requirements that are expected from the new system. The collected requirements involve fitting the new sales system into enterprise application infrastructure, mitigating the risks involved in the project and specifying new features to the application whilst preserving all of the admired features of the old sales system currently used in the company. The collected requirements were presented to a number of different sales software vendors who were asked to provide solution suggestions that would fulfil all the demands. All of the received solution proposals were exposed to an evaluation to determine the most feasible solutions, and the construction of evaluation criteria itself was a part of the study. The final outcome of this study is a short-list of the most feasible sales configurator solutions together with a description of how software purchase process in large enterprises work, and which aspects should be paid attention in large projects of similar kind.

Remediação de drenagem ácida de mina usando zeólitas sintetizadas a partir de cinzas leves de carvão

Zeolitic material was synthesized from coal fly ashes (baghouse filter fly ash and cyclone filter fly ash) by hydrothermal alkaline activation. The potential application of the zeolitic product for decontamination of waters from acid mine drainage was evaluated. The results showed that a dose of 30 g L-1 of zeolitic material allowed the water to reach acceptable quality levels after treatment. Both precipitation and cation-exchange processes accounted for the reduction in the pollutant concentration in the treated waters.

Caracterização das cinzas de incineração de resíduos industriais e de serviços de saúde

Three ash samples from an incinerator in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) were physically and chemically characterized. The chemical composition of the ashes was not always the same, neither in terms of the chemical species nor in terms of the quantities of those that are common to the three ashes. The ashes called CF1 and CF3D contain heavy metals above the detection limits of the analytical methods and the zinc concentration is high enough to justify treatment of the ashes. For these ashes, a high loss on ignition was found, indicating that the process of incineration might present failures.

Remoção de azul de metileno de solução aquosa usando zeólitas sintetizadas com amostras de cinzas de carvão diferentes

Batch sorption experiments were carried out to remove methylene blue from its aqueous solutions using zeolites synthesized from fly ashes as an adsorbent. The adsorbents were characterized by XFR, XRD and SEM. Nearly 90 min of contact time are found to be sufficient for the adsorption of dye to reach equilibrium. Equilibrium data have been analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and the results were found to be well represented by the Freundlich isotherm equation. Adsorption data were fitted to both Lagergren first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models and the data were found to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics.

Adsorção do corante reativo laranja 16 de soluções aquosas por zeólita sintética

Coal fly ash, a waste generated in a coal-fired electric power plant, was used to synthesize zeolite by hydrothermal treatment with NaOH solution. This zeolite was used as adsorbent to investigate the adsorption kinetics and isotherm parameters of the reactive orange 16 (RO16) dye from aqueous solutions at different concentrations (1.3-15.4 mg L-1). Three kinetic models, the pseudo-first-order, second-order, and intraparticle diffusion were used to predict the adsorption rate constants. The kinetics of adsorption of the RO16 dye followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption isotherm data were closely fitted to the Langmuir equation. Keywords: coal fly ash; zeolite; reactive dye adsorption.

Remoção de íons Zn2+, Cd2+ e Pb2+ de soluções aquosas usando compósito magnético de zeólita de cinzas de carvão

For this study, magnetic composite of zeolite-magnetite was prepared by mixing magnetite nanoparticles suspension with synthetic zeolite. The nanoparticles in suspension were synthesized by precipitating iron ions in a NaOH solution. The zeolite was synthesized from coal fly ash by alkaline hydrothermal treatment. The magnetic composite was characterized by XDR, SEM, magnetization measurements, IR, and BET surface area. Batch tests were carried out to investigate the adsorption of metal ions of Zn2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ from aqueous solution onto magnetic composite. Adsorption isotherms were analyzed using Freundlich and Langmuir equations. The adsorption equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir equation with maximum adsorption capacities in the range of 28.5-127 mg g-1.

Teollisuuden sivutuotteiden hyödyntäminen ekstruusion raaka-aineena

Ilmaston lämpeneminen ja luonnonvarojen ehtyminen ovat nostaneet ympäristöasiat erittäin ajankohtaisiksi ja kierrättämisen merkitys korostuu entisestään. Tässä diplomityössä on käsitelty teollisuuden jätteiden ja sivutuotteiden kierrättämistä puumuovikomposiitin raaka-aineeksi. Työssä on tutkittu Kaakkois-Suomessa olevia tärkeimpiä teollisuuden sivuainevirtoja puumuovikomposiitin kannalta sekä valmistettu puumuovikomposiittia hyödyntämällä kahta kaatopaikalle päätyvää jätettä. Kaakkois-Suomen teollisuuden jätteitä selvitettäessä löytyi paljon puumuovikomposiitin valmistamiseen soveltuvia jätteitä. Mekaanisen metsäteollisuuden sivutuotteita käytetään yleisesti puumuovikomposiitin valmistamiseen. Muita potentiaaliseksi havaittuja raakaaineita ovat mm. lentotuhka, lasikuitujäte, pakkauskartonki, muovijätteet ja vuorivillan valmistuksessa syntyvät jätteet. Koemateriaaleiksi valittiin puunpoltosta peräisin oleva lentotuhka ja vuorivillan valmistamisessa syntyvä vuorivillapöly. Materiaaleilla korvattiin puuta puumuovikomposiitissa ja valmistetulle komposiitille suoritettiin kokeita mekaanisten ominaisuuksien selvittämiseksi. Molempien materiaalien kohdalla ominaisuuksien havaittiin parantuneen ilman täyteainetta valmistettuun komposiittiin verrattuna.