How Can the Eco‐efficiency of a Region be Measured and Monitored?

The concept of eco-efficiency is commonly referred to as a business link to sustainable development. In this article, ecoefficiency is examined at a regional level as an approach to promoting the competitiveness of economic activities in the Finnish Kymenlaakso region and mitigating their harmful impacts on the environment. The aim is to develop appropriate indicators for monitoring changes in the eco-efficiency of the region. A starting point is to produce indicators for the environmental and economic dimensions of regional development and use them for measuring regional eco-efficiency. The environmental impact indicators are based on a life-cycle assessment method, producing different types of environmental impact indicators: pressure indicators (e.g., emissions of CO₂), impact category indicators (e.g., CO₂ equivalents in the case of climate change), and a total impact indicator (aggregating different impact category indicator results into a single value). Environmental impact indicators based on direct material input, total material input, and total material requirement of the Kymenlaakso region are also assessed. The economic indicators used are the gross domestic product, the value added, and the output of the main economic sectors of Kymenlaakso. In the eco-efficiency assessment, the economic and environmental impact indicators are monitored in the same graph. In a few cases eco-efficiency ratios can also be calculated (the economic indicators are divided by the environmental indicators). Output (= value added + intermediate consumption) is used as an economic indicator related to the environmental impact indicators, which also cover the upstream processes of the region's activities. In the article, we also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using the different environmental impact indicators.     

A new role for PGRP-S (Tag7) in immune defense: lymphocyte migration is induced by a chemoattractant complex of Tag7 with Mts1

PGRP-S (Tag7) is an innate immunity protein involved in the antimicrobial defense systems, both in insects and in mammals. We have previously shown that Tag7 specifically interacts with several proteins, including Hsp70 and the calcium binding protein S100A4 (Mts1), providing a number of novel cellular functions. Here we show that Tag7–Mts1 complex causes chemotactic migration of lymphocytes, with NK cells being a preferred target. Cells of either innate immunity (neutrophils and monocytes) or acquired immunity (CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ lymphocytes) can produce this complex, which confirms the close connection between components of the 2 branches of immune response.     

Suppressed breeding in the field vole (Microtus agrestis): an adaptation to cyclically fluctuating predation risk

The densities of microtine rodents and their main predators,small mustelids, fluctuate synchronously in 3–5-year cyclesin central and northern Fennoscandia. Predation by small mustelidshas been suggested as one of the driving forces in microtinecyclicity, causing deep synchronous declines of several volespecies. We studied experimentally the effects of small mustelidson mating behavior, foraging, and breeding in nonwintered fieldvoles (Microtus agrestis) originating from a cyclic population.By using mustelid odors, we simulated a crash phase environmentwith high predation risk for breeding pairs of voles. In ourexperiments, 87% of the female field voles suppressed breedingwhen exposed to mustelid odors. Both female and male behaviorchanged, and no mating behaviors were observed under the simulatedpredation risk. Weights of both sexes decreased when exposedto mustelid odor, probably due to decreased foraging; weightsof the control females increased due to pregnancy; and no weightchanges occurred in control males. Decreased breeding and foragingpossibilities under high predation pressure may form the basisfor the ultimate explanation for breeding suppression. Thereare at least two different mechanisms for breeding suppression:either mating does not take place or malnutrition in femalesdoes not' allow breeding to occur. Delayed breeding under highrisk of predation, for whatever reason, could increase the probabilityof individuals, especially that of the females, to survive overthe crash to the next, safer breeding season when their youngwould have better possibilities to survive.     

Evidence for Linkage of Bipolar Disorder to Chromosome 18 with a Parent-of-Origin Effect

A susceptibility gene on chromosome 18 and a parent-of-origin effect have been suggested for bipolar affective disorder (BPAD). We have studied 28 nuclear families selected for apparent unilineal transmission of the BPAD phenotype, by using 31 polymorphic markers spanning chromosome 18. Evidence for linkage was tested with affected-sib-pair and LOD score methods under two definitions of the affected phenotype. The affected-sib-pair analyses indicated excess allele sharing for markers on 18p within the region reported previously. The greatest sharing was at D18S37: 64% in bipolar and recurrent unipolar (RUP) sib pairs (P = .0006). In addition, excess sharing of the paternally, but not maternally, transmitted alleles was observed at three markers on 18q: at D18S41, 51 bipolar and RUP sib pairs were concordant for paternally transmitted alleles, and 21 pairs were discordant (P = .0004). The evidence for linkage to loci on both 18p and 18q was strongest in the 11 paternal pedigrees, i.e., those in which the father or one of the father's sibs is affected. In these pedigrees, the greatest allele sharing (81%; P = .00002) and the highest LOD score (3.51; θ = 0.0) were observed at D18S41. Our results provide further support for linkage of BPAD to chromosome 18 and the first molecular evidence for a parent-of-origin effect operating in this disorder. The number of loci involved, and their precise location, require further study.     

Niche relations among dung-inhabiting beetles

Summary The whole dung-inhabiting (adult) beetle community living in southern Finland was studied with reference to the seasonal (6 summer months), macrohabitat (open field, half-open pine forest and closed spruce forest) and successional (30 days) gradients. The material comprised 50 coprophagous and 129 carnivorous species, represented by 26,650 and 35,850 individuals, respectively. The most important characteristics of each species are given in an Appendix.In the coprophages the species-abundance relations fitted the lognormal distribution well, but in the carnivores the distribution was strikingly less even. A great number of other differences (see below) apparent between the two trophic groups were explained as the result of a difference in the degree of specialization, apart from the difference in their trophic position: coprophages are microhabitat (dung) and food specialists, while carnivores are microhabitat generalists (and therefore their critical niche space was not completely covered in this study).In the coprophages, two important species guilds were observed: the first occurred at the very geginning of the succession (mean position 2.5 days), and consisted mainly of true dung specialists; the second guild contained species with wider utilization along the successional dimension (mean position 6.5 days), and species of more generalist nature (saprophages). The utilization of carnivores along the successional gradient was more continuous, probably because of their more diversified food resources. The total niche width among the coprophages increased from early successional species to species occurring mainly later on, but was more constant in carnivores. The environmental dimensions proved to be totally independent of each other among the carnivores, while the coprophages showed a clear supplementary relationship along them. Among the carnivores, a spherical niche shape dominated, but among the coprophages elongated and disk-liked shapes were also well represented, especially in specialist species. In both groups, a significant positive correlation existed between niche width and dominance, but not between niche width and abundance. It is suggested that the patchy distribution and transient occurrence of suitable microhabitats contributes to the coexistence of many ecologically similar species.     

Plasminogen activator and collagenase production by cultured capillary endothelial cells

Cultured bovine capillary endothelial (BCE) cells produce low levels of collagenolytic activity and significant amounts of the serine protease plasminogen activator (PA). When grown in the presence of nanomolar quantities of the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), BCE cells produced 5-15 times more collagenolytic activity and 2-10 times more PA than untreated cells. The enhanced production of these enzymes was dependent on the dose of TPA used, with maximal response at 10(-7) to 10(-8) M. Phorbol didecanoate (PDD), an analog of TPA which is an active tumor promoter, also increased protease production. 4-O-methyl-TPA and 4α-PDD, two analogs of TPA which are inactive as tumor promoters, had no effect on protease production. Increased PA and collagenase activities were detected within 7.5 and 19 h, respectively, after the addition of TPA. The TPA-stimulated BCE cells synthesized a urokinase-type PA and a typical vertebrate collagenase. BCE cells were compared with bovine aortic endothelial (BAE) cells and bovine embryonic skin (BES) fibroblasts with respect to their production of protease in response to TPA. Under normal growth conditions, low levels of collagenolyic activity were detected in the culture fluids from BCE, BAE, and BES cells. BCE cells produced 5-13 times the basal levels of collagenolytic activity in response to TPA, whereas BAE cells and BES fibroblasts showed a minimal response to TPA. Both BCE and BAE cells exhibited relatively high basal levels of PA, the production of which was stimulated approximately threefold by the addition of TPA. The observation that BCE cells and not BAE cells produced high levels of both PA and collagenase activities in response to TPA demonstrates a significant difference between these two types of endothelial cells and suggests that the enhanced detectable activities are a property unique to bovine capillary and microvessel and endothelial cells.     

Separation of dissociated thyroid follicular and parfollicular cells: association of serotonin binding protein with parafollicular cells

Parafollicular cells (PC) of the sheep thyroid gland are neural crest derivatives that synthesize and release the biogenic amine serotonin (5-HT) as well as the hormone calcitonin. The thyroid also contains a highly specific serotonin-binding protein (SBP). Separation of dissociated thyroid cells was done to study the cellular localization of SBP and to develop a means of isolating PC for study. Various methods were used to obtain an enriched and purified population of PC. Minced thyroid glands were enzymatically dissociated and the cells were layered on a Ficoll linear density gradient. Fractions obtained from the gradient were examined for cell number, viability, 5-HT concentration, SBP activity, and morphology by electron microscopy. One of the fractions was found to be enriched in PC. High levels of 5-HT and SBP were also found in this fraction, whereas these levels were low where the majority of cells were found. This PC-rich fraction, however, contained numerous follicular cells (FC); therefore, additional approaches to cell separation were used. FC can be stimulated in vitro with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to become intensely phagocytic. When stimulated cells were incubated in the presence of silica microspheres, the FC engulfed the microspheres, which were toxic to them. PC did not become phagocytic and were unharmed by the microspheres. Suspended cells, after incubation with microspheres, were centrifuged on a discontinuous gradient, and a PC-rich fraction was obtained. Silica, however, interfered with analysis of SBP. Another method to take advantage of the phagocytic potential of FC was therefore used. TSH-stimulated cell suspensions were passed through a column of sepharose to which thyroglobulin had been coupled. Stimulated FC apparently adhered to the beads and were retained by the columns. Fractions eluting from the columns were greatly enriched with PC. These fractions contained high levels of 5-HT and SBP, and considerably reduced FC contamination was found by quantitative electron microscopy. It is concluded that SBP is localized to PC in the sheep thyroid. The idea that these cells resemble serotonergic neurons in their mechanisms of 5-HT storage is supported.     

Increased urinary excretion of free N-acetylneuraminic acid in thirteen patients with Salla disease

Thirteen severely retarded patients with Salla disease, a new type of lysosomal storage disorder, have been studied biochemically. All patients excreted approximately ten times more free sialic acid than normal individuals. The isolated sialic acid was characterized by paper chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, optical rotation, 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry of its permethylated derivative. The results clearly indicated that the excreted sialic acid was identical to N-acetylneuraminic acid. The main sialylated trisaccharide present in the urine of the patients was identified as 3'-sialyllactose by sugar and methylation analysis. The excreted amounts were found to be within normal range.     

Changes in coronary risk factors during comprehensive five-year community programme to control cardiovascular diseases (North Karelia project).

A comprehensive community programme to control cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in North Karelia, Finland, was carried out during 1972-7. The central intermediate objective of the programme was to reduce the prevalence of smoking, the serum cholesterol concentration, and raised blood-pressure values among the population of the area. The effect was evaluated by examining independent representative population samples in 1972 and 1977 in both the county of North Karelia and a matched control county. Over 10 000 subjects were studied each time, the participation rate being around 90%. The decrease that occurred in the risk factors, especially in men, was in general greater in North Karelia compared with the control county. When a multiple logistic function was used for the three risk factors an overall mean net reduction of 17% among men and 12% among women was observed in the estimated risk for coronary heart disease in North Karelia. This community programme effectively reduced the levels of the three main risk factors for CVD in the population, and thus mortality and morbidity from CVD should fall. This is assessed in further studies.     

Palatability and feeding preferences of Uresiphita maorialis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) for three Sophora species

In a three-hour bioassay, we tested the palatability and feeding preferences of Uresiphita maorialis (kōwhai moth) for Sophora tetraptera, Sophora microphylla and Sophora prostrata. Palatability tests showed no differences among the Sophora species. Feeding preferences, on the other hand, showed that S. tetraptera and S. microphylla leaves are preferred over S. prostrata leaves. Our results support our field observations in Wellington city parks and gardens showing that S. tetraptera and S. microphylla plants frequently have higher densities of larvae than S. prostrata.