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The master thesis works measures of phenotypic traits and unique data of pairing of wild living grey partridges. The secondary sexual traits and theirs variability is described. Especially the relationship between the ornamental traits and the pairing success was researched. The results proved the greater pairing success of males with the larger melanin breast patch and the greater quality of the mate in females with the larger breast patch. The strategy of male floaters, which are realatively well ornamented is discussed.

Determinações do consumo e da digestibilidade, atravé s do método de coleta total de fezes, foram realizadas em 8 veados–catingueiros (Mazama gouazoubira) recebendo uma dieta peletizada composta por 63,9% de feno de alfafa, 16,9% de amido de milho, 14,7% de levedura (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 2,5% de melaço, 1,5% de um premix vitamínico-mineral e 0,5% de cloreto de sódio em base seca. As estimativas dos coeficientes de digestibilidade foram determinadas paralelamente através do uso de indicador fecal (n-alcanos) com o intuito de validar a metodologia para esses pequenos ruminantes. O consumo médio de matéria seca e água durante o período de coleta foram: 24g ± 2,5 e 67 mL ± 11,5 por quilo de peso vivo (PV), sendo que os animais não apresentaram perdas de peso durante o período experimental. Quando expresso em peso metabólico (PV0,75), os animais consumiram em média 48g ± 5,2 de matéria seca e 136,4 mL ± 23,8 de água. O consumo de energia digestível foi em média 1.089 kcal/dia. As médias dos coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente obtidas através da coleta total de fezes, foram de 61,6% ± 1,7 para matéria seca, 63,9% ± 1,6 matéria orgânica, 69,7% ± 3,4 nitrogênio, 31,7% ± 3,7 fibra em detergente neutro, 45,2 ± 2,4 celulose e 18,8 ± 5,6 para a lignina. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade estimados para as diferentes frações através da utilização dos n-alcanos C31 e C33 se mostraram precisos e acurados em relação aos coeficientes de digestibilidade observados por coleta total quando as recuperações fecais foram incluídas nos cálculos de digestibilidade (P>0,05). Consistente com valores obtidos em ovinos, as recuperações fecais dos n-alcanos de cadeia ímpares aumentaram com o aumento do número de carbonos da cadeia de hidrocarboneto sendo que estes valores poderão ser utilizados em futuros estudos onde se deseja determinar a composição botânica da dieta dos cervídeos. / Feed intake and digestibility estimates were determined by the total fecal collection method of 8 deer (Mazama gouazoubira) receiving a pelleted diet of 63.9% alfalfa hay, 16.9% corn starch, 14.7% yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 2.5% mollasses, 1.5% mineral-vitamin mix, and 0.5% NaCl on DM basis. n-alkane tracer method was used in parallel with total fecal collection to validate its application on wild small ruminants. The mean DM feed intake and water intake during the collection period were 24g ± 2.5 and 67 mL ± 11.5 per kg BW, and the animals did not present weight losses during the experimental period. When these values were expressed on kg of metabolic live weight, the animals consumed 48g ± 5.2 of DM and 136.4 mL ± 23.8 of water. Digestible energy intake was estimated at 1,089 kcal/day. The mean coefficients of apparent digestibility observed by total fecal collection for dry matter was 61.6% ± 1.7; organic matter 63.9% ± 1.6, nitrogen 69.7 % ± 3.4, neutral detergent fiber 31.7% ± 3.7, cellulose 45.2 % ± 2.4, and lignin 18.8% ± 5.6. The digestibility coefficients estimated for the different fractions by the n-alkanes C31 and C33 were accurate when compared to those observed by the total fecal collection method when feces recovery was included on digestibility calculations (P>0.05). Consistent with values obtained in sheep, the fecal recoveries of the odd chain n-alkanes was greater with the increase of the number of carbons of the chain of hydrocarbon and these values can be used in future studies to determine the botanical composition of the deer’s diet.

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Context: The Internet has become a vital channel for disseminating and accessing scientific literature for both the academic and industrial research needs. Nowadays, everyone has wide access to scientific literature repositories, which comprise of both “white” and “Grey” literature. The “Grey” literature, as opposed to “white” literature, is non-peer reviewed scientific information that is not available using commercial information sources such as IEEE or ACM. A large number of software engineering researchers are undertaking systematic literature reviews (SLRs) to investigate empirical evidence in software engineering. The key reason to include grey literature during information synthesis is to minimize the risk of any bias in the publication. Using the state of the art non-commercial databases that index information, the researchers can make the rigorous process of searching empirical studies in SLRs easier. This study explains the evidence of Grey literature while performing synthesis in Systematic Literature Reviews. Objectives: The goals of this thesis work are, 1. To identify the extent of usage of Grey Literature in synthesis during systematic literature reviews. 2. To investigate if non-commercial information sources primarily Google Scholar are sufficient for retrieving primary studies for SLRs. Methods: The work consists of a systematic literature review of SLRs and is a tertiary study and meta-analysis. The systematic literature review was conducted on 138 SLRs’ published through 2003 until 2012 (June). The article sources used are IEEEXplore, ACM Digital Library, Springer-Link and Science Direct. Results: For each of the selected article sources such as ACM, IEEEXplore, Springer-link and Science Direct, we have presented results, which describe the extent of the usage of Grey literature. The qualitative results discuss various strategies for systematic evaluation of the Grey literature during systematic literature review. The quantitative results comprise of charts and tables, showing the extent of Grey literature usage. The results from analysis of Google Scholar database describe the total number of primary studies that we are able to find using only Google Scholar database. Conclusion: From the analysis of 138 Systematic Literature Reviews (SLRs’), we conclude that the evidence of Grey literature in SLRs is around 9%. The percentage of Grey literature sources used in information synthesis sections of SLRs is around 93.2%. We were able to retrieve around 96 % of primary studies using Google Scholar database. We conclude that Google Scholar can be a choice for retrieving published studies however; it lacks detailed search options to target wider pool of articles. We also conclude that Grey literature is widely available in this age of information. We have provided guidelines in the form of strategies for systematic evaluation of Grey literature. / Sammanhang: Internet har blivit en viktig kanal för att sprida och få tillgång vetenskaplig litteratur för både akademiska och industriella forskningsbehov. Numera har alla bred tillgång till vetenskaplig litteratur förråd, som omfattar både "vit" och "grå" litteratur. Den "grå" litteratur, som motsats till "vita" litteratur, är icke-vetenskapligt granskad vetenskaplig information som inte är tillgänglig med kommersiella informationskällor såsom IEEE och ACM. Ett stort antal forskare software engineering genomför systematiska litteraturöversikter (systemkameror) för att undersöka empiriska bevis programvaruteknik. Den viktigaste orsaken till att omfatta grå litteratur under Information syntes är att minimera risken för att partiskhet i publikationen. Använda toppmoderna icke-kommersiella databaser som indexerar information kan forskarna göra rigorösa processen att söka empiriska studier i systemkameror lättare. Denna studie förklarar bevis på grå litteratur när de utför syntes i systematiska litteraturöversikter. Mål: Målen med detta examensarbete är, 1. För att identifiera omfattningen av användningen av Grey litteratur i syntes under systematisk litteratur recensioner. 2. För att undersöka om icke-kommersiella informationskällor främst Google Scholar är tillräckliga för att hämta primära studier för systemkameror. Metoder: Verket består av en systematisk litteraturgenomgång av systemkameror och är en tertiär studie och metaanalys. Den systematiska litteraturstudie genomfördes på 138 systemkameror "publiceras via 2003 till 2012 (juni). Artikeln används källorna är IEEEXplore, ACM Digital Library, Springer-Link och Science Direct. Resultat: För vart och ett av de utvalda artikeln källor såsom ACM, IEEEXplore, Springer-länk och Science Direct, har vi presenterat resultat, som beskriver omfattningen av användningen av grå litteratur. De kvalitativa resultaten diskuterar olika strategier för systematisk utvärdering av grå litteratur under systematisk litteraturöversikt. De kvantitativa resultaten består av diagram och tabeller, som visar omfattningen av Grey litteratur användning. Resultaten från analys av Google Scholar-databasen beskriver det totala antalet primära studier som vi kan hitta med enbart Google Scholar databas. Slutsats: Av analysen av 138 systematiska litteraturöversikter (systemkameror) kan vi dra slutsatsen att bevisen för grå litteratur i systemkameror är cirka 9%. Den procentuella andelen Grey litteraturkällor som används i avsnitt informations syntes av systemkameror är cirka 93,2%. Vi kunde hämta omkring 96% av primära studier med Google Scholar databas. Vi drar slutsatsen att Google Scholar kan vara ett val för hämta publicerade studier dock, det saknar detaljerade sökalternativ för att rikta större pool av artiklar. Vi avslutar också att grå litteratur är allmänt tillgänglig i denna tid av information. Vi har försett riktlinjer i form av strategier för systematisk utvärdering av Grey litteratur. / Affan Yasin : Skype id (affan.yasin) Ijlal Hasnain: Skype id (bluesols)

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Pesticides are designed to control or eliminate pests such as insects, rodents, weeds, bacteria, and fungi. They are used at a global scale for agricultural produce. Although pesticides play a significant role in increasing food production and eliminating diseases, exposure to pesticides may be harmful to non-target organisms. As a result concern over safety and esistance to pesticides has increased and there is pressure to reduce use and search for more environmentally and toxicologically safe and efficacious pesticides. Most pesticides currently in use are synthetic; therefore an alternative to synthetic pesticides is the use of naturally occurring products/ botanicals with pesticidal properties. Two plants indigenous to South African with pesticidal properties were chosen for this study. Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (D. rhinocerotis) and Galenia africana (G. africana) have potential antifungal properties thus, may have potential use on agricultural produce as fungicides. Galenia africana and D. rhinocerotis extracts inhibit growth of B. cinerea (a fungal pathogen) at concentrations greater than 31.25 mg/ml and 125mg/ml respectively. A major consideration in approving pesticides for use is whether they pose an unreasonable risk to humans and to the environment. Toxicity studies are required to determine the safety of the plant extracts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential toxicity of ethanol extracts of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana, which is important when designing practices to reduce or eliminate excess exposure to them. Natural plant products with pesticidal properties could provide an alternative to synthetic pesticides and may thus effectively reduce resistance levels. This first objective of this study was to assess the cytotoxicity of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana on human cell cultures. Human whole blood and the human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) were treated with varying concentrations of the plant extracts and cytotoxicity determined. Cytotoxicity was measured using several biomarkers. Inhibiotory concentration for a 50% effect (IC50) and no observable effect level (NOEL) values were obtained for D. rhinocerotis and G. africana. The results showed that extracts of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana had cytotoxic effects on the cell cultures. The second objective of this study was to determine the ecotoxicity of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana. A series of acute toxicity tests, with effective concentration for a 50% effect (EC50) and lethal concentration for a 50% effect (LC50) as biomarkers, were conducted to estimate the potential environmental effect of the two plants. The tests were carried out using Vibrio fischeri, Selenastrum capricornutum, Daphnia pulex, and Poecilia reticulata as bioindicators. Results obtained showed that G. africana had higher toxicity units than D. rhinocerotis, thus showing that G. africana is more toxic to the aquatic species used as compared to D. rhinocerotis. The third objective of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of the two plant extracts. This was achieved by using mouse spleen cell cultures. Exposure of pesticides to the immune system may result in alteration of the normal immune functions. The cytokines IFN-γ and IL-4 were used as biomarkers to determine the T-cell activity of the immune system when exposed to the two botanical products. The results obtained showed that both D. rhinocerotis and G. africana decrease of the cytokines interferongamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4), thus may have immunotoxic effects. The fourth objective was to investigate the hepatotoxicity of the two plant extracts. Injury to the liver was investigated using a range of clinical biochemical tests that monitor liver enzyme activity and metabolic activity. Primary liver cell cultures were exposed to the plant products in question, after which the biochemical tests were carried out. The enzymes that were monitored were alanine aminotrasferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The results obtained showed that both of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana may have effects on the liver, as shown by the increased levels of enzymes released from cells upon exposure to plant extracts. The final objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the two plants on the male reproductive system. Injury to the male reproductive system was investigated using testicular cell cultures. Primary cell cultures were stimulated with luteinizing-hormone (LH) and exposed to the plant extracts. LH results in the production of testosterone, thus testosterone was used as a biomarker for assessing reproductive toxicity. The results obtained showed that both of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana have effects on the male reproductive system, as shown by the decreased testosterone secretion. Botanicals provide a simple, inexpensive and environmentally friendly (non-pollution and lesser toxicological concerns) alternative for pest control. However, motivation for the commercial use of botanicals as pesticides requires validating the efficacy of the plant as a pesticide, and also assessing its effects on human health and the environment. An important component of this evaluation involves toxicity studies, which enables cautions of dangerous practices and toxic effects of the plants to be issued. / South Africa

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Abstract The aims of this thesis included identifying ways to mitigate the economic losses of the commercial fishery in the Gulf of Bothnia resulting from fishery regulation enforced to protect wild Atlantic salmon stocks, the recent decline in survival of hatchery-reared salmon, and the dramatically increased seal-induced catch and gear damage. In addition, these solutions should facilitate safeguarding the recently-recovered wild salmon stocks and seal populations. Other goals included adding to and updating basic knowledge on the effects of increased seal populations, migrating salmon stocks, the coastal trap-net fishery, and their interactions. Seal-induced damage to the commercial fishery was found to be a significant problem throughout the Gulf of Bothnia. Catch and gear damage varied considerably among regions, fishing periods, target species and trap-net models. The regional patterns in seal-induced damage depended on the number of seals in the region and the type of gear, which is strongly associated with the netting materials. Strong and thick materials are more resistant to the attacks of hunting seals. Finer materials and larger mesh sizes that entangle fish are most prone to seal damage. Besides careful selection of the netting material it is also possible to markedly reduce damage by appropriate gear modifications. Three modified trap-net models showed promising results in terms of seal protection, with the pontoon trap being the most successful design. The total size of the spawning salmon population in the Gulf of Bothnia was c. 230 000 in the first two years of the 2000s. The proportions of wild salmon and hatchery-reared salmon, however, appeared to markedly change between years. The survival rate of cultured smolts seems to be considerably lower than that of wild smolts. Large variation in the returning migration patterns and run timing of salmon was found between sea age groups, stock components, and among and within regions. Run timing estimates revealed that the temporal regulation effectively safeguards the wild salmon, but, at the same time, a substantial proportion of the reared salmon escape the coastal fisheries in different regions. The likelihood of survival of wild salmon captured with trap-nets and then released was high, and the cumulative mortality even after several capture-and-release events was estimated to below. Trap-net capture and release did not lead to considerable changes in the normal migration behaviour of Atlantic salmon. This result suggests the potential for a selective harvesting strategy; a system where exploitable (e.g. hatchery-reared fish) and safeguarded (e.g. wild vulnerable stocks) fractions of a fish population complex could be separated in a mixed-stock fishery. However, before introducing a practical and successful selective trap-net fishery, several preconditions should be fulfilled.

Abstract The impact of hand-rearing on the morphology and physiology of captive and wild grey partridges (Perdix perdix) and capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus) was studied in three feeding trials conducted under laboratory conditions, and two comparative studies between wild and captive birds. Finally, wild and hand-reared grey partridges from several localities in Europe were sampled and the control region 1 of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced to reveal genetic variation between populations, as well as to compare wild and captive stocks. Wild capercaillies had heavier pectoral muscles, hearts, livers and gizzards, longer small intestines than hand-reared ones, and a higher cytochrome-c oxidase activity in muscle and heart. Invertebrates were essential to the growth, primary and temperature regulation development in grey partridge chicks. Fish was not sufficient to replace invertebrates in the diet. A change in diet from commercial to natural decreased the assimilation efficiency in the grey partridge. It also increased the mass of gizzard reflecting the need for greater grinding ability. Of hepatic P450 enzymes used in this study 7-ethoxyresorufin-0-deethylase and 7-pentoxyresorufin-0-deethylase differed between wild and hand-reared birds. Coumarin-7-hydroxylase activity was higher in grey partridges than capercaillies. Diet differences may have caused these differences. Quebracho tannin added to the diet lowered nitrogen concentration in caecal feces, and elevated the level of excreted tannin. Otherwise its effects were slight. Mitochondrial control region revealed 14 variable sites between two main lineages detected. Nucleotide and haplotype diversities varied greatly between populations. The markedly deep divergence between the two lineages indicated most probably post-glacial recolonisations from geographically isolated refuges. In Finland, wild birds represented the eastern lineage, while the farmstock represented the western lineage. Surprisingly little trace, contrary to expectations, from the large-scale releasing of imported partridges could be seen in the European populations.