Evolutionary and conservation biology of the Finnish house sparrow

Recently it has been recognized that evolutionary aspects play a major role in conservation issues of a species. In this thesis I have combined evolutionary research with conservation studies to provide new insight into these fields. The study object of this thesis is the house sparrow, a species that has features that makes it interesting for this type of study. The house sparrow has been ubiquitous almost all over the world. Even though being still abundant, several countries have reported major declines. These declines have taken place in a relatively short time covering both urban and rural habitats. In Finland this species has declined by more than two thirds in just over two decades. In addition, as the house sparrow lives only in human inhabited areas it can also raise public awareness to conservation issues. I used both an extensive museum collection of house sparrows collected in 1980s from all over Finland as well as samples collected in 2009 from 12 of the previously collected localities. I used molecular techniques to study neutral genetic variation within and genetic differentiation between the study populations. This knowledge I then combined with data gathered on morphometric measurements. In addition I analyzed eight heavy metals from the livers of house sparrows that lived in either rural or urban areas in the 1980s and evaluated the role of heavy metal pollution as a possible cause of the declines. Even though dispersal of house sparrows is limited I found that just as the declines started in 1980s the house sparrows formed a genetically panmictic population on the scale of the whole Finland. When compared to Norway, where neutral genetic divergence has been found even with small geographic distances, I concluded that this difference would be due to contrasting landscapes. In Finland the landscape is rather homogeneous facilitating the movements of these birds and maintaining gene flow even with the low dispersal. To see whether the declines have had an effect on the neutral genetic variation of the populations I did a comparison between the historical and contemporary genetic data. I showed that even though genetic diversity has not decreased due to the drastic declines the populations have indeed become more differentiated from each other. This shows that even in a still quite abundant species the declines can have an effect on the genetic variation. It is shown that genetic diversity and differentiation may approach their new equilibriums at different rates. This emphasizes the importance of studying both of them and if the latter has increased it should be taken as a warning sign of a possible loss of genetic diversity in the future. One of the factors suggested to be responsible for the house sparrow declines is heavy metal pollution. When studying the livers of house sparrows from 1980s I discovered higher levels of heavy metal concentrations in urban than rural habitats, but the levels of the metals were comparatively low and based on that heavy metal pollution does not seem to be a direct cause for the declines in Finland. However, heavy metals are known to decrease the amount of insects in urban areas and thus in the cities heavy metals may have an indirect effect on house sparrows. Although neutral genetic variation is an important tool for conservation genetics it does not tell the whole story. Since neutral genetic variation is not affected by selection, information can be one-sided. It is possible that even neutral genetic differentiation is low, there can be substantial variation in additive genetic traits indicating local adaptation. Therefore I performed a comparison between neutral genetic differentiation and phenotypic differentiation. I discovered that two traits out of seven are likely to be under directional selection, whereas the others could be affected by random genetic drift. Bergmann s rule may be behind the observed directional selection in wing length and body mass. These results highlight the importance of estimating both neutral and adaptive genetic variation.

Anthranilic acid oxidase system of Tecoma stans—II. : Studies on the properties of a purified anthranilic acid oxidase system and its separation into different enzymic components

An enzyme system which catalysed the conversion of anthranilic acid to catechol has been purified 20-fold from a cell-free leaf extract of Tecoma stans. The optimum substrate concentration was 10−3 M and optimum temperature for the reaction was 45°. The presence of a multi-enzyme system was inferred from inhibition studies. The formation of catechol was inhibited by Mg2+, Zn2+, and Co2+ ions, whereas anthranilic acid disappearance was not affected to the same extent. The effect of metal chelating agents like EDTA, cyanide and pyrophosphate showed a similar trend. PCMB inhibited catechol formation but had no effect on anthranilic acid disappearance. The reaction was not inhibited by catalase, nor was it activated by peroxide-donating systems. This ruled out the possibility of peroxidative type of reaction. The overall reaction is markedly activated by NADPH and THFA. This multi-enzyme was separated into three different components, by fractionation with Alumina Cγ and calcium phosphate gels. The overall reaction catalysed by these components can be represented as anthranilic acid→3-hydroxy anthranilic acid→o-aminophenol→catechol.

Raman spectra of single crystals of adipic and sebacic acids and a study of the hydrogen bond vibrations in carboxylic acid dimers

Raman spectra of single crystals of adipic and sebacic acids have been photographed for the first time using λ 2537 excitation. The spectra have been divided into four regions: (a) internal frequencies; (b) summations and overtones; (c) external vibrations; and (d) low-frequency hydrogen bond oscillations. Tentative correlations have been given for all the internal frequencies and summations and overtones. A series of diffuse weak bands observed in the spectra of both these acids in the not, vert, similar2400–2800 cm−1 have been explained as a superposition of O---H frequencies lowered due to hydrogen bond formation over the summations and overtones of fundamentals mainly in the not, vert, similar1000–1500 cm−1 region. Rotatory type of external oscillations of the two formula units of these molecules in their unit cells have been identified at 76, 99, 118 and 165 cm−1 in adipic acid and 66, 95, 117 and 177 cm−1 in the spectrum of sebacic acid. A brief discussion of the low frequency hydrogen bond vibrations in these acids has been made. Making use of the Lippincott—Schroeder potential and assuming a highly anharmonic potential curve for the hydrogen bond, the vibrational frequencies of the bond have been theoretically evaluated. There is very good agreement between these and the experimental values. The results for adipic acid in cm−1 are: 304 (0 → 1), 270 (1 → 2), 241 (2 → 3), 222 (3 → 4) 201 (4 → 5), 183 (5 → 6). In the case of sebacic acid some of the intermediate and higher transitions are absent in the spectrum recorded by the author. From the above data for adipic acid the dissociation energy of the hydrogen bond was evaluated as 5·9 kcal/mole in fair agreement with the values derived from conventional methods.

On the theory of the indentation test for the measurement of tensile strength of brittle materials

A theoretical solution has been obtained for the state of stress in a rectangular plate under a pair of symmetrically placed rigid indenters. The stress distributions along the two central axes have been calculated for a square plate assuming the pressure distribution under the indenters as uniform, parabolic and one resulting from 'constant displacement' on a semiinfinite boundary, for different ratios of indenter-width to side of square. The results are compared with those of photoelastic analysis of Berenbaum and Brodie and the validity of the solution is discussed. The solution has been extended to orthotropic materials and numerical results for one type of coal are given.

Resistometric studies of solute-vacancy interactions and clustering kinetics in an FCC matrix [AlZn Alloy with Ag, Ce, Dy, Li, Nb, Pt, Sb, Y, or Yb]

Al-4.4 a/oZn and Al-4.4 a/oZn with Ag, Ce, Dy, Li, Nb, Pt, Y, or Yb, alloys have been investigated by resistometry with a view to study the solute-vacancy interactions and clustering kinetics in these alloys. Solute-vacancy binding energies have been evaluated for all these elements by making use of appropriate methods of evaluation. Ag and Dy additions yield some interesting results and these have been discussed in the thesis. Solute-vacancy binding energy values obtained here have been compared with other available values and discussed. A study of the type of interaction between vacancies and solute atoms indicates that the valency effect is more predominant than the elastic effect.

Infrared spectra of trichloroacetates of copper, calcium, strontium and barium

Infrared spectra of trichloroacetates of Cu, Ca, Sr and Ba were studied in order to investigate the effect of coordination on the vibration spectra of the ligand. The shifts of the antisymmetric and symmetric COO- stretching frequencies are explained on the basis of the type of co-ordination of the COO- group to the metal ion. From the spectra it is established that the coordination of the COO- group to metal is different for trichloroacetates and monochloroacetates.

Road kills of amphibians in different land use areas from Sharavathi river basin, central Western Ghats, India

A survey of amphibian mortality on roads was carried out in the Sharavathi river basin in the central Western Ghats. Road kills in three different land use areas: agricultural fields, water bodies and forests were recorded for four days along three 100m stretches in each type of area. One-hundred-and-forty-four individuals belonging to two orders, eight families, 11 genera and 13 species were recorded in the survey. Kills/km observed were: in forest 55, agricultural fields 38 and water bodies 27, for an overall average of 40 kills/km. Kill species compositions varied significantly between land use areas, but not overall kill rates.

Juvenile diversity of tree species in Theobroma cacao L. agroforestry and primary forest – Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

This thesis studies the tree species’ juvenile diversity in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) based agroforestry and in primary forest in a natural conservation forest environment of Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Species’ adult composition in Lore Lindu National Park is relatively well studied, less is known about tree species’ diversity in seedling communities particularly in frequently disturbed cacao agroforestry field environment. Cacao production forms a potentially serious thread for maintaining the conservation areas pristine and forested in Sulawesi. The impacts of cacao production on natural environment are directly linked to the diversity and abundance of shade tree usage. The study aims at comparing differences between cacao agroforestry and natural forest in the surrounding area in their species composition in seedling and sapling size categories. The study was carried out in two parts. Biodiversity inventory of seedlings and saplings was combined with social survey with farmer interviews. Aim of the survey was to gain knowledge of the cacao fields, and farmers’ observations and choices regarding tree species associated with cacao. Data was collected in summer 2008. The assessment of the impact of environmental factors of solar radiation, weeding frequency, cacao tree planting density, distance to forest and distance to main park road, and type of habitat on seedling and sapling compositions was done with Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS). Outlier analysis was used to assess distorting variables for NMS, and Multi-Response Permutation Procedures (MRPP) analysis to differentiate the impact of categorical variables. Sampling success was estimated with rarefaction curves and jackknife estimate of species richness. In the inventory 135 species of trees and shrubs were found. Only some agroforestry related species were dominating. The most species rich were sapling communities in forest habitat. NMS was showing generally low linear correlation between variation of species composition and environmental variables. Solar radiation was having most significance as explaining variable. The most clearly separated in ordination were cacao and forest habitats. The results of seedling and sapling inventory were only partly coinciding with farmers’ knowledge of the tree species occurring on their fields. More research with frequent assessment of seedling cohorts is needed due to natural variability of cohorts and high mortality rate of seedlings.

The Electronic Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon): An Open Access Journal Using an Un-paid, Volunteer-Based Organization

Introduction This case study is based on the experiences with the Electronic Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon), founded in 1995. Development This journal is an example of a particular category of open access journals, which use neither author charges nor subscriptions to finance their operations, but rely largely on unpaid voluntary work in the spirit of the open source movement. The journal has, after some initial struggle, survived its first decade and is now established as one of half-a-dozen peer reviewed journals in its field. Operations The journal publishes articles as they become ready, but creates virtual issues through alerting messages to “subscribers”. It has also started to publish special issues, since this helps in attracting submissions, and also helps in sharing the work-load of review management. From the start the journal adopted a rather traditional layout of the articles. After the first few years the HTML version was dropped and papers are only published in PDF format. Performance The journal has recently been benchmarked against the competing journals in its field. Its acceptance rate of 53% is slightly higher and its average turnaround time of seven months almost a year faster compared to those journals in the sample for which data could be obtained. The server log files for the past three years have also been studied. Conclusions Our overall experience demonstrates that it is possible to publish this type of OA journal, with a yearly publishing volume equal to a quarterly journal and involving the processing of some fifty submissions a year, using a networked volunteer-based organization.

Use of Document Management Systems - a Case Study of the Finnish Construction Industry

Triggered by the very quick proliferation of Internet connectivity, electronic document management (EDM) systems are now rapidly being adopted for managing the documentation that is produced and exchanged in construction projects. Nevertheless there are still substantial barriers to the efficient use of such systems, mainly of a psychological nature and related to insufficient training. This paper presents the results of empirical studies carried out during 2002 concerning the current usage of EDM systems in the Finnish construction industry. The studies employed three different methods in order to provide a multifaceted view of the problem area, both on the industry and individual project level. In order to provide an accurate measurement of overall usage volume in the industry as a whole telephone interviews with key personnel from 100 randomly chosen construction projects were conducted. The interviews showed that while around 1/3 of big projects already have adopted the use of EDM, very few small projects have adopted this technology. The barriers to introduction were investigated through interviews with representatives for half a dozen of providers of systems and ASP-services. These interviews shed a lot of light on the dynamics of the market for this type of services and illustrated the diversity of business strategies adopted by vendors. In the final study log files from a project which had used an EDM system were analysed in order to determine usage patterns. The results illustrated that use is yet incomplete in coverage and that only a part of the individuals involved in the project used the system efficiently, either as information producers or consumers. The study also provided feedback on the usefulness of the log files.

Determinants and Consequences of Information Sharing with Key Suppliers

As companies become more efficient with respect to their internal processes, they begin to shift the focus beyond their corporate boundaries. Thus, the recent years have witnessed an increased interest by practitioners and researchers in interorganizational collaboration, which promises better firm performance through more effective supply chain management. It is no coincidence that this interest comes in parallel with the recent advancements in Information and Communication Technologies, which offer many new collaboration possibilities for companies. However, collaboration, or any other type of supply chain integration effort, relies heavily on information sharing. Hence, this study focuses on information sharing, in particular on the factors that determine it and on its value. The empirical evidence from Finnish and Swedish companies suggests that uncertainty (both demand and environmental) and dependency in terms of switching costs and asset specific investments are significant determinants of information sharing. Results also indicate that information sharing improves company performance regarding resource usage, output, and flexibility. However, companies share information more intensely at the operational rather than the strategic level. The use of supply chain practices and technologies is substantial but varies across the two countries. This study sheds light on a common trend in supply chains today. Whereas the results confirm the value of information sharing, the contingent factors help to explain why the intensity of information shared across companies differ. In the future, competitive pressures and uncertainty are likely to intensify. Therefore, companies may want to continue with their integration efforts by focusing on the determinants discussed in this study. However, at the same time, the possibility of opportunistic behavior by the exchange partner cannot be disregarded.

Relationship Drivers in Provider - Consumer Relationships. Empirical Studies of Customer Loyalty Programs (första upplagan slutsåld / first edition sold out, 'print on demand' 60 €)

The study addressed a phenomenon that has become common marketing practice, customer loyalty programs. Although a common type of consumer relationship, there is limited knowledge of its nature. The purpose of the study was to create structured understanding of the nature of customer relationships from both the provider’s and the consumer’s viewpoints by studying relationship drivers and proposing the concept of relational motivation as a provider of a common framework for the analysis of these views. The theoretical exploration focused on reasons for engaging in customer relationships for both the consumer and the provider. The themes of buying behaviour, industrial and network marketing and relationship marketing, as well as the concepts of a customer relationship, customer loyalty, relationship conditions, relational benefits, bonds and commitment were explored and combined in a new way. Concepts from the study of business-to-business relationships were brought over and their power in explaining the nature of consumer relationships examined. The study provided a comprehensive picture of loyalty programs, which is an important contribution to the academic as well as the managerial discussions. The consumer study provided deep insights into the nature of customer relationships. The study provides a new frame of reference to support the existing concepts of loyalty and commitment with the introduction of the relationship driver and relational motivation concepts. The result is a novel view of the nature of customer relationships that creates new understanding of the forces leading to loyal behaviour and commitment. The study concludes with managerial implications.

Design of a FIR filter for image restoration using principal component neural networks

The neural network finds its application in many image denoising applications because of its inherent characteristics such as nonlinear mapping and self-adaptiveness. The design of filters largely depends on the a-priori knowledge about the type of noise. Due to this, standard filters are application and image specific. Widely used filtering algorithms reduce noisy artifacts by smoothing. However, this operation normally results in smoothing of the edges as well. On the other hand, sharpening filters enhance the high frequency details making the image non-smooth. An integrated general approach to design a finite impulse response filter based on principal component neural network (PCNN) is proposed in this study for image filtering, optimized in the sense of visual inspection and error metric. This algorithm exploits the inter-pixel correlation by iteratively updating the filter coefficients using PCNN. This algorithm performs optimal smoothing of the noisy image by preserving high and low frequency features. Evaluation results show that the proposed filter is robust under various noise distributions. Further, the number of unknown parameters is very few and most of these parameters are adaptively obtained from the processed image.

Topology design of three-dimensional structures using hybrid finite elements

Conventional three-dimensional isoparametric elements are susceptible to problems of locking when used to model plate/shell geometries or when the meshes are distorted etc. Hybrid elements that are based on a two-field variational formulation are immune to most of these problems, and hence can be used to efficiently model both "chunky" three-dimensional and plate/shell type structures. Thus, only one type of element can be used to model "all" types of structures, and also allows us to use a standard dual algorithm for carrying out the topology optimization of the structure. We also address the issue of manufacturability of the designs.

High temperature mechanical properties of thermal barrier coated superalloy applied to combustor liner of aero engines

High temperature load controlled fatigue, hot tensile and accelerated creep properties of thermal barrier coated (TBC) Superni C263 alloy used as a candidate material in combustor liner of aero engines are highlighted in this paper. Acoustic emission technique has been utilised to characterise the ductile-brittle transition teperature the bond coat. Results revealed that the DBTT (ductile to brittle transition temperature) of this bond coat is around 923 K, which is in close proximity to the value reported for CoCrAlY type of bond coat. Finite element technique, used for analysing the equivalent stresses in the bond coat well within the elastic limit, revealed the highest order of equivalent stress at 1073 K as the bond coat is ductile above 923 K. The endurance limit in fatigue and the life of TBC coated composite under accelerated creep conditions are substantially higher than those of the substrate material. Fractographic features at high stresses under fatigue showed intergranular cleavage whereas those at low stresses were transgranular and ductile in nature. Delamination of the bond coat and spallation of the TBC at high stresses during fatigue was evident. Unlike in the case of fatigue, the mode of fracture in the substrate at very high stresses was transgranular whereas that at low stresses was intergranular in creep.