Differences in Vole Preference, Secondary Chemistry and Nutrient Levels Between Naturally Regenerated and Planted Norway Spruce Seedlings

Field voles (Microtus agrestis) cause severe damage to young Norway spruce (Picea abies) plantations during wintertime in Fennoscandia. We experimentally investigated vole preference for winter-dormant, naturally regenerated seedlings; spring-planted seedlings; or autumn-planted seedlings; and how preference corresponds with seedling chemistry. Voles showed the highest preference for autumn-planted seedlings and the second highest for spring-planted seedlings, while naturally regenerated seedlings were avoided. The stems of the autumn-planted seedlings contained higher concentrations of nitrogen and piperidine alkaloids and lower concentrations of stilbenes than did the other groups. In addition to differences between naturally regenerated and planted seedlings, we investigated seasonal differences in naturally regenerated P. abies needle and bark secondary chemistry. While piperidine alkaloid concentrations did not vary with season, the soluble non-tannin phenolics of needles and the condensed tannins of bark were lower in May than in November or January. At the time of planting, the concentration of bark piperidine alkaloids was higher in autumn-planted than in spring-planted seedlings. We detected two alkaloids not previously found in P. abies, 2-methyl-6-propyl-1,6-piperideine and a tentatively identified pinidine-isomer. Our results demonstrate that vole choice of spruce seedlings is promoted by high nitrogen and low stilbene content, both associated with seedlings planted late in the season. As vole damage is linked to seedling chemistry, damage potentially could be mitigated by advancing planting or by manipulating plant chemistry in nurseries.     

Factors influencing the choice of solution-specific business models

Services are receiving an increasing amount of attention in project-based firms. This has led project suppliers to employ new business models; the project supplier can offer services as an additional component of the project or take full responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the facility throughout its life-cycle. In this paper, we build on the idea that within the context of project-based firms, assessing business models requires a solution level of analysis which implies services as integral parts of project offering. We analyze business models in five solutions that were delivered by a power plant supplier firm. The evidence clearly demonstrates that there are variations in business models at the solution level. The paper further contributes to existing research by empirically identifying factors that influence the choice of business model for a particular solution. Finally, we formulate propositions on how these identified factors influence the choice of a business model for an individual solution.     

Ultrasound evaluation of mechanical injury of bovine knee articular cartilage under arthroscopic control

A local cartilage injury can trigger development of posttraumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Surgical methods have been developed for repairing cartilage injuries. Objective and sensitive methods are needed for planning an optimal surgery as well as for monitoring the surgical outcome. In this laboratory study, the feasibility of an arthroscopic ultrasound technique for diagnosing cartilage injuries was investigated. In bovine knees (n = 7) articular cartilage in the central patella and femoral sulcus was mechanically degraded with a steel brush modified for use under arthroscopic control. Subsequently, mechanically degraded and intact adjacent tissue was imaged with a high frequency (40 MHz) intravascular ultrasound device operated under arthroscopic guidance. After opening the knee joint, mechanical indentation measurements were also conducted with an arthroscopic device at each predefined anatomical site. Finally, cylindrical osteochondral samples were extracted from the measurement sites and prepared for histological analysis. Quantitative parameters, i.e., reflection coefficient (R), integrated reflection coefficient (IRC), apparent integrated backscattering (AIB), and ultrasound roughness index (URI) were calculated from the ultrasound signals. The reproducibilities (sCV %) of the measurements of ultrasound parameters were variable (3.7% to 26.1%). Reflection and roughness parameters were significantly different between mechanically degraded and adjacent intact tissue (p < 0.05). Surface fibrillation of mechanically degraded tissue could be visualized in ultrasound images. Furthermore, R and IRC correlated significantly with the indentation stiffness. The present results are encouraging; however, further technical development of the arthroscopic ultrasound technique is needed for evaluation of the integrity of human articular cartilage in vivo.     

优化磁性粒子为基础的系统的DNA纯化方案的重要性

从复杂生物基质中快速、高效地分离核酸是在获取各种实验的最佳起始原料的重要一步。磁性粒子为基础的操作流程提供了一个快速简单的解决方案,它特别适合用于自动化,在获得纯净和完整的DNA或RNA时以最少的动手时间获得良好的重现性结果。因此,必须优化基于磁珠的纯化流程来达到最高质量与数量的核酸提取。本文介绍了一个自动化、高速、以磁性粒子为基础的纯化系统来实现理想的DNA纯化方案,并考察了不同搅拌速度组合,以及在洗脱步骤的加热效应对DNA纯化数量和质量的影响。     

Separating Biogenic and Adsorbed Pools of Silicon in Sediments Using Bayesian Inference

There are several potentially mobile pools of silicon in sediment, e.g. biogenic Si (BSi), dissolved Si and adsorbed Si (AdSi) which makes the studying of a single pool very difficult because of the interference caused by other Si pools. In order to evaluate the impact that different Si pools have on the Si cycle of water ecosystems, it is important to have reliable estimates of the pool sizes. The objective of this study was to estimate the joint concentration distributions of two pools, AdSi and BSi, in, of a small catchment area in southern Finland. The potential correlation between BSi and AdSi was studied to find out if the AdSi pool can be inferred from the total pool (BSi + AdSi). The potential error caused by simultaneous extraction of AdSi in BSi determinations was also investigated. Because all extraction methods include variability due to measurement imprecision and inter-sample variation, the different sources of variation were explicitly separated to be able to infer the underlying true variation of AdSi and BSi within the study area. We have utilized Bayesian inference for this task.     

Business models in project-based firms – Towards a typology of solution-specific business models

Project suppliers are taking increasing responsibility for their customers’ businesses by servicing and operating their installed base of equipment. Simultaneously, the locus in value creation in the project suppliers’ deliveries and business models has changed from short-term project deliveries to also include the operation of systems. We analyze five solutions delivered by a power plant supplier firm. The term ‘solution’ here refers to an offering which includes a project component and an after-delivery service component. We assess the distinctive features in the business models of the solution deliveries. This paper contributes to the existing knowledge by suggesting use of solution-specific business models with six key business model elements and by developing a typology of five solution-specific business models. The typology can also be used for assessing the performance of individual solutions. Our suggestion of a solution-specific business model is especially novel in the research of integrated solutions and business models: although existing literature argues that on a general level a firm can have several business models, prior research has not suggested the use of project-specific or solution-specific business models. Therefore, our finding of solution specificity of business models contributes significantly to the existing knowledge.     

Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations of sulfur poisoning in Ce–O–S and La–O–S systems

Sulfur poisoning is still a problem in many application areas of exhaust gas catalysts despite the fact that the sulfur levels, e.g. in gasoline are being continuously reduced. The aim of this study was to calculate thermodynamic equilibrium compositions of sulfur in Ce–O–S and La–O–S systems in the presence of precious metals (Pt, Pd, and Rh), which all were considered as bulk materials, in order to understand the experimentally observed sulfur poisoning under the real applications of exhaust gas catalysts. Depending on temperature and oxygen partial pressure, sulfur can be present in the form of sulfates, sulfides and oxysulfides. It is thermodynamically favorable that cerium oxide reacts with SO₂ to form cerium sulfate at low temperatures and cerium oxysulfides at high temperatures. Lanthanum oxide reacts with SO₂ to form sulfate under oxidizing conditions and sulfides under reducing conditions.     

Novel two-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles capped with bile acid conjugates

Bile acids and their conjugates are physiologically important molecules. Syntheses and structure elucidation combined with investigation of properties and applications of bile acids and their derivatives are of academic interest. The concept of using bile acids and their conjugates in nanoscience is a novel idea, which opens up fascinating prospects. In this article, an easy and simple route for obtaining N-lithocholyl-l-(cysteine ethyl ester) (3), capable of effectively capping and stabilizing metal nanoparticles, is described. The whole synthetic route needs only two steps giving a moderate to good yield. The gold NPs are characterized by elemental analysis, UV spectroscopy, and TEM. Additionally, ¹³C CP/MAS NMR studies for different ligand/Au ratios have been performed.     

Tension between perceived collocation and actual geographic distribution in project teams

This paper describes an exploratory comparative study of knowledge workers and their challenges in high tech global project teams. More specifically we focus on the tension between perceived collocation and actual geographical distributed project work as a function of: (1) the demand to distribute and shift attention in multi-teaming, (2) virtuality i.e. number of virtual teams participants engage in, (3) the continuous adjustment and re-adjustment to new places they perform their activity, and (4) the collaboration technologies they use. We present the methodology for data collection that included semi-structured interviews, surveys, and on site shadowing of the project participants, and discuss the findings from the data analysis. The study is based on the bricks-bits-interaction framework. It is at the intersection of the design of physical spaces, i.e., bricks; rich digital information and collaboration technology (ICT) content, mobile devices and network infrastructures, i.e., bits, and emergent work practices, process, and new ways people behave in communicative events using the affordances of ICT augmented physical, virtual spaces and digital content, i.e., interaction.