ABSTRACT Background Calprotectin is a protein found in the cytoplasm of neutrophile granulocytes. In the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), calprotectin is released during chronic inflammation in the gut. Activation of neutrophils during the inflammation is followed by activation and secretion of pro-inflammatory molecules such as calprotectin. Calprotectin is stable in stool up to 7 days and can therefore be used as a non-invasive marker for diagnosis, treatment and measurement of the disease activity in patients with IBD. The most common method for analysis of calprotectin concentration is ELISA. This method is time-consuming and many manufactures have therefore developed rapid tests as a faster alternative for quantification of calprotectin in stool. Aim The aim of the study was to evaluate one ELISA and one rapid test from the same manufacture compare the data with the existing ELISA-method used in the laboratory for routine analysis. Methods A rapid test (CalFast) and an ELISA method (CalPrest) from Eurospital, were used for analysis of calprotectin in stool. These two methods were compared with known concentrations of calprotectin obtained by the ELISA method from Bühlmann used in the routine work.  Results The results showed poor correlation between the rapid test and the ELISA method. Furthermore, the comparison between the two ELISA-methods showed a poor correlation. Conclusion Evaluation of the two new methods showed poor correlation with the existing ELISA method from Bühlmann. Evaluation of the rapid test did not show any correlation with the two ELISA methods and the data cannot be trusted. It is difficult to conclude which of the two ELISA methods gives accurate results due to the absence of an international standard.

Background Calprotectin is a protein expressed in the cytoplasm inside the neutrophile granulocytes. During inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the neutrophile granulocytes are involved in a complex interaction at the inflammatory area where they die and release their content into the intestinal lumen. Therefore, calprotectin in stool is a suitable marker for diagnosis and measurement of the disease-activity in patients with IBD. The most commonly used method to detect calprotectin in stool is ELISA, but the process of manual preparation of stool samples is time-consuming. Aim The objective of the study was to evaluate an extraction method that could replace manual preparation of fecal samples and to compare different methods for measuring Calprotectin in stool using two ELISA-methods from two manufacturers and one rapidtest. Methods For extraction of calprotectin from stool samples we used sample collector tubes from Epitope Diagnostics and fecal preparation kits from Roche. Two different ELISA-kits for measuring calprotectin concentration in stool were compared. Measurements of calprotectin with rapid-test from Epitope Diagnostics were also performed and were compared with the two ELISA kits. Results The results indicate a poor correlation between two extraction methods with Sample Collector Tube and Roche preparation kit. The comparison between the two ELISA-kits showed poor correlation. Evaluation of rapid test showed 33% false negative results with a cut-off value at 50 mg/kg. Conclusion Evaluation of products from Epitope Diagnostics showed poor correlation with the Bühlmann ELISA and an unreliable rapid test. Therefore, none of evaluated products from Epitope Diagnostics is accurate enough to be used for clinical diagnosis in the laboratory.

Glucosinolates are amino acid derived secondary metabolites found in the order Capparales. It is an important class of phytochemicals involved in plant-microbe, plant-insect, plant-animal and plant-human interactions. It is, therefore, important to understand genetic mechanism of glucosinolate biosynthesis in Brassica for efficient manipulation. In this study, QTL mapping of leaf and seed glucosinolates was performed in B. rapa using two RIL populations, SR-RILs and BU-RILs. QTL mapping was performed using SR-RILs developed from a cross of Chinese cabbage and turnip rapeseed and a genetic map in B.rapa. Genetic map was developed using a total 1,579 molecular markers including 9 markers specific to glucosinolate genes, GSL-ELONG, GSL-PRO, GSL-FMOOX1, and GSL-AOP/ALK. Several QTL for progoitrin, gluconapin, glucoalyssin, glucobrassicanapin, 2-methylpropyl and 4-hydoxyglucobrassicin glucosinolates were identified with phenotype variance between 6 and 54%. Interestingly, a major QTL for 5C aliphatic glucosinolates was co-localized with a candidate Br-GSL-ELONG locus on linkage group A3, displayed co-segregation with co-dominant SCAR marker BrMAM1-1. The Br-GSL-ELONG locus was identified to regulate 20 µmole/g seed 5C glucosinolate biosynthesis. BU-RILs derived from a cross of yellow sarson and USU9 was segregated for glucoerucin, gluconapin and progoitrin 4C aliphatic glucosinolates with 4-hydoxyglucobrassicin. Phenotyping was performed in controlled and field environments for seed glucosinolates and controlled environments for leaf glucosinolates. Genetic map was developed using SRAP markers and glucosinolate gene, GSL-ELONG and GSL-PRO specific 4 loci were integrated on map. Four and three QTL were identified for seed glucoerucin and gluconapin, respectively in both environments with phenotypic variance up to 49%. Additionally, genetic manipulation of glucosinolates was performed by backcross with MAS in B. rapa. Resynthesized B. napus line was backcrossed with B. rapa genotypes, RI16, BAR6 and USU9 for replacement or introgression of glucosinolate genes, GSL-ELONG- and GSL-PRO+. In RI16 genotype, 15 to 25 µmole/g seed 5C glucosinolates reduced in 15 BC3F2 lines those were positive with GSL-ELONG- marker and negative with the A-genome and gene specific marker BrMAM1-1. This suggests that the functional allele has replaced by non-functional from B. oleracea. GSL-PRO+ positive backcross lines in RI16 genotype displayed sinigrin 3C aliphatic glucosinolate in B. rapa. This suggests introgression of GSL-PRO+ in B. rapa.

Hohenheim, Univ., Diss., 2001.

Tierärztl. Hochsch., Diss., 2003--Hannover.

Abstract This thesis presents a novel control architecture, Samba, for reactive task execution. Reactive task execution implies goal-oriented and reactive properties from a robot and the ability to execute several tasks at the same time, also in a dynamic environment. These requirements are fullfilled in Samba by the rrepresentation of goals, intermediate results, and robots actions. The key idea in Samba is to produce continously reactions for all the important objects in the environment. These reactions are represented as action maps, which are a novel representation for robot actions. An action map specifies for each possible action how preferable the action is from the perspective of the producer of the map. the preferences are shown by assigning a weight to each action. Tasks are executed by modifying and combining action maps. The tasks can be either reasoned by a higher layer or triggered by sensor data. Action maps, and the methods for modifying and combining them, enable executing tasks inparallel and considering the dynamics of the environment. further, as the action maps are produced continously from sensor data, the robot actions are based on the current state of the environment. Markers describe goals and intermediate results. They facilitate managing the complexity of the system. Markers describing intermediate results decompose the system vertically, into producers and consumers of data. Markers describing goals decompose the control system horizontally, into a Samba layer and a higher layer of reasoning tasks. Tasks flow via markers from the higher layer to the Samba layer. Markers are tested on a real robot equipment with stereo gaze platform. Further, the samba architecture is applied to playing soccer. Experiments were carried out in the 1997 and 1998 RoboCup competitions. These experiments show that the Samba architecture is a potential alternative for controlling a mobile robot in a dynamic environment.

Abstract The Nordic and Baltic countries and North-western Russia have >20 old native sheep breeds. These together with recently synthesized breeds and local populations of international breeds make up the northern European sheep diversity. Changes in agriculture threaten to erode genetic diversity in sheep. Molecular genetic variation was assessed to understand genetic diversity in northern European sheep. Distribution of maternal lineages were studied based on mitochondrial control region variation in 76 sheep breeds in northern Europe and in a wide neighbouring area extending to the Caucasus and Central-Asia. Autosomal microsatellite variation was studied in 37 northern European breeds, and autosomal blood protein variation was studied in six Finnish and Russian breeds. Four distinct maternal lineages were observed in Eurasian sheep. Their distribution agrees with sheep expansion starting from the Near East. Two most common distinct lineages were recorded in northern Europe. Majority of northern sheep have the lineage, which predominates in other parts of Europe. Results suggest that the main maternal origin of northern sheep is in the south. However, rare "Asian" lineage was observed in several old northern European breeds. The rare type in the Nordic sheep is descendant to the type observed in the Middle Volga region, which suggest that some sheep were brought to northern Europe from the east. Microsatellites showed clustering of geographically neighbouring sheep, when breed locations are corrected for the recent transportations. The analysis separated long and short-tailed sheep, although this macroscale structure explains a small proportion of breed differences. Differentiation among the northern European breeds is stronger than typically observed in sheep. Many native breeds are less inbred than the local populations of the international breeds, but some rare breeds and subpopulations of divided unofficial strains were inbred. Some breeds require more careful maintenance due to recent population size reduction. Maintaining prolificacy in breeds such as the Finnsheep and the Romanov may require efficient avoidance of inbreeding. The breeds were ranked for conservation using simultaneously within-breed variation and breed divergence. Set of important breeds included seven rare old native breeds or strains which merit efficient conservation measures urgently.

Determination of rumen escape of rumen protected nutrients is needed to accurately assess the amount of nutrients that can be absorbed and utilised from the intestinal tract of dairy cows. This assessment allows more precise feeding of specific nutrients, thereby increasing metabolic efficiency and reducing production of animal wastes. The currently used method of choice to determine the rumen escape of rumen protected nutrients is ruminal in situ evaluation, which cannot measure actual rumen escape, as the experimentalist can only estimate the rate at which a rumen protected product (RPP) will exit the rumen. The two-part objective of the study was to use an in vivo dual liquid phase marker system to determine ruminal stability of RPP and to determine the stability of the three RPP, as well as determine the best in sacco incubation time to match the determined stability. Four multiparous, ruminally cannulated, lactating Jersey cows [body weight 384 kg ± 28.0 kg, milk yield 24 ± 4.0 L, days in milk 69 ± 42 d, parity 4.5 ± 1.29 (mean ± standard deviation)] were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design. Cows were assigned to one of four groups with one group being the control group and the other three each receiving a different RPP. The study was composed of four 14 d periods with a 10 d adaptation period before the start of the study to allow the cows to adjust to the individual stalls, diets and conditions. Days 1-6 of each period were for recovery/ rest, days 7-8 for an in sacco measurement to determine the stability of the RPP, days 8-11 for pH logging, and days 11-14 to determine the in vivo stability of the RPP. Cows were fed ad libitum a common total mixed ration (TMR) composed of chopped lucerne hay, maize stover, maize meal, soybean oilcake, hominy chop, molasses, urea, rumen inert fat and a vitamin/mineral premix containing 180 g/kg crude protein, 317 g/kg neutral detergent fibre and 213 g/kg starch on a dry matter basis. Cows were fed twice daily at 2 kg above their daily voluntary feed intake level and kept in individual stalls of 6 x 6 m with wood chips on the floor as bedding. The three RPP were: RP Ascorbic Acid (A), RP Lysine (L) and RP Niacin (N). The RP A and RP N were both composed of 623 g/kg nutrient (Ascorbic acid/ Niacin respectively), 89 g/kg Co-EDTA and 288 g/kg fat matrix, with a measured specific gravity of 1.21. The RP Lysine was composed of 518.7 g/kg Lysine, 86.5 g/kg of Co- EDTA and 394.8 g/kg fat matrix, with a measured specific gravity of 1.21. The fat matrix used in all the RPP’s was the same. The method used in this study aimed to create an accurate quantitative value of true ruminal stability, which traditional methods lack. Stability of the RPP was measured as the proportion of the area under the curve from the ruminal clearance of Co (included in the RPP as Co-EDTA) relative to the clearance of the Cr (as free Cr-EDTA). In sacco measures consisted of insertion of six Dacron bags into each treatment cow (i.e. A, L, N), with each Dacron bag containing 5 g of the relevant product and each cow receiving a different product. Two bags were collected after 12, 24 and 30 h of incubation and then weighed back to determine the stability of the RPP as well as disappearance of the RPP over the 30 h period. Ruminal pH logging occurred directly after and the pH loggers were left in the rumens for 48 h to measure pH every 10 min in each cow. During in vivo measurements each cow was dosed simultaneously with 150 g of the relevant RPP (calculated to contain 15g Co-EDTA) as well as 16.679 g of Cr-EDTA (Control group was dosed with 16.679 g Cr-EDTA and 15 g Co-EDTA) calculated to deliver 2.4 g of Co and 2.4 g of Cr respectively, into the rumen of each cow. Pre-dosing rumen fluid samples were collected and samples were then collected, starting one hour post dosing, every 2 h through 25 h post-dosing, then every 4 h until 49 h post dosing, and thereafter every 6 h until 73 h post dosing. These samples were analyzed for Co, Cr and pH. Samples were also collected every 6 h throughout the 74 h test period for nitrogen ammonia and volatile fatty acid analysis. Rumen pH was within normal ranges and showed normal diurnal variations during sampling. Ruminal pH was unaffected by in vivo treatment and averaged 5.88, with a diurnal variation between 5.65 and 6.40. Animal performance was unaffected by treatment with average milk production of 24.6 L/ day, milk fat of 41.8 g/ kg and milk crude protein of 35.6 g/ kg. The rumen stability of the RPP differed, despite having the same fat matrix, presumably due to differences in the chemical interactions of the nutrients with the fat cover; for example lysine is known to be more reactive. The rumen stability of RP Niacin was the highest (p = 0.06) at 66.7% relative to RP Lysine at 55.0%, with RP Ascorbic acid at 58.7%. In sacco incubations of the RPP showed variation in results. This in vivo method can be utilised to quantitate rumen stability of RPP, although it can not indicate the most appropriate rumen in sacco incubation time to reflect that measurement. / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

The study of Borel equivalence relations on Polish spaces has become a major area of focus within descriptive set theory. Primarily, work in this area has been carried out using the standard methods of descriptive set theory. In this work, however, we develop a model-theoretic framework suitable for the study of Borel equivalence relations, introducing a class of objects we call Borel structurings. We then use these structurings to examine conditions under which marker sets for Borel equivalence relations can be concluded to exist or not exist, as well as investigating to what extent the Compactness Theorem from first-order logic continues to hold for Borel structurings.

This paper examined the claims postulated by the somatic marker hypothesis and compares those claims to the current evidence surrounding the neural basis of alexithymia. The results were then compared to see if they contradict or have a distinct localisation in the brain separate from those behavioural brain regions hypothesized by the somatic marker hypothesis. It was concluded that the somatic marker hypothesis and the neural basis for alexithymia share certain regions of interest, primarily the amygdala and insula, but also potentially the anterior cingulate cortex.