Olla 63 seas!

Eks see teeb natuke uhkeks ka olla maailmas 63. ülikool ning mul on võimalus saada osa siinsest tööst.
Nimelt hiljuti avaldatud maailma ülikoolide pingereas oli Aarhusi Ülikool 2009. aastal 63, võrreldes mineva aastaga on tõus olnud oluline. Oldi ju 81. positsioonil.

Teksti leidsin ülikooli kodulehelt, pikemalt loe inglise keeles:
Aarhus University ranked no. 63 worldwide
Aarhus University continues to gain ground in international rankings, advancing from 81st to 63rd place in the 2009 THE-QS World University Rankings published on 8 October. The Vice-Chancellor of Aarhus University is pleased that Denmark boasts two universities in the international elite: The University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University.

For the third year running, Aarhus University has shown marked progress towards the top of the influential THE-QS university ranking list published by the London-based magazine Times Higher Education. Aarhus University advanced from number 126 in 2006 to number 114 in 2007 and then to number 81 in 2008, a placement which brought AU considerable recognition in the international academic community. This achievement has now been surpassed by a leap to number 63.

Aarhus University now ranks number 2 in Scandinavia and number 20 in Europe as a whole. At number 51 worldwide, University of Copenhagen is the highest ranking university in Scandinavia. The Universities of Lund and Uppsala rank number 67 and number 75 respectively on THE-QS, which as usual ranks Harvard University number 1, followed by Cambridge, Yale and University College London.

Vice-Chancellor Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen is understandably pleased by AU's progress.

”In the first place, I’m pleased that Denmark has two world-class universities in the international elite, the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University. This gives Denmark an extremely strong position on the international market for research and education, which is important for the continuing development of our knowledge society”, says Vice-Chancellor Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen.

The THE-QS rankings employ six different parameters to measure universities’ performance. For example, THE requests over 200,000 researchers worldwide to rank the best research environments within their field of study. Aarhus University received high rankings in this category, which indicates that AU's quality is widely recognised amongst researchers from other institutions.

”Aarhus University’s ranking has improved primarily because our research has achieved greater visibility and recognition in international academic circles. We certainly don’t allow ranking lists and the criteria they employ to influence us unduly; but whatever your opinion of the rankings, the fact remains that a high placement is one of the factors students and researchers take into account when deciding where to continue an international academic career. We are increasingly sought out by foreign elite universities and researchers with interest in collaborating with us", explains Vice-Chancellor Holm-Nielsen. Holm-Nielsen is Vice-Chancellor of the one of the youngest universities in the top 100 - and one of the universities which has improved its placement most dramatically.

Uued energiaalllikad

Hiljuti lugesime, et arbuuside rohkuse tõttu on neist tootma hakatud etanooli, et siis seda biokütusena kasutada. Kasvõi transpordi sektoris.
Kuid see pole veel kõik, USA teadlased kirjutasid viimases Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry uuest võimalusest leevendada maailma energiapuudust. Artikkel kirjeldab uut ja keskkonnasõbralikku protsessi tootmaks biodiislit sulejahust, mis on linnukasvatuse kõrvalsaadus.Ühendriikides on sulejahu kasutatud pikka aega kui loomasööta selles kõrge proteiinisisalduse ning ka väetisena suure lämmastikusisalduse tõttu. Nimetatud uurimuses, ekstraheeriti sulejahust rasv 70 kraadises vees ning rasv transestrifitseeriti biodiisliks kasutades kaaliumhüdroksiidi ja metanooli. Sellise protsessi käigus toodetakse ligikaudu 7-11% biodiislit, kuivaine põhjal.
Toodetud sulejahu biodiisel on täiesti võrreldav teistest allikatest toodetud kütustega. Ühesõnaga on tegemist suure potentsiaaliga valdkonnaga, et suurendada taastuvate energiaallikate seas.

Loe ka http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf900140e?cookieSet=1&journalCode=jafcau

Sääsed on malaariale resistentsed!!??

Teadlased on avastanud esimesi tõendeid selle kohta, et seni kõige efektiivsem malaaria ravim on muutunud sääskedel resistentseks. Tegemist on tõsise ohumärgiga, kuna juba täna põhjustab haigus miljonite inimeste surma aastas. Lääne-Kambodžas leitud tõestusmaterjal võib endaga kaasa tuua globaalse katastroofi, kuna ravimeid tuleb tarvitada pikemaajaliselt, et malaariaparasiite verest välja eemaldada. Siiani on efektiivseimate ravimitega suudetud malaariaparasiidid eemaldada verest 2-3 päevaga, viimased uurimused näitasid aga, et selleks kulub aega 4 kuni 5 päeva.
Mitmed teadlaste rühma töötavad sealses piirkonnas selgitamaks välja haiguse kliinilisi tunnuseid saamaks aimu miks ravimite efektiivsus langeb. Lisaks hoitavad teadlased, et tegu on äärmiselt tõsise haigusega, mis võib levida kiirelt üle kogu maailma.


Allikas: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8073118.stm

Üldiselt seagripist

Kindel on see, et tänaseks on kõik meist kuulnud kogu maailmas paanikat külvavast
nn. seagripist. Just niinimetatud, sest siiani vaidlevad nii meedikud kui teadlased antud viiruse nime üle, kuna tänane haigus levib piisknakkusena inimeselt-inimesele.
Seagripp on tavaline sigade puhul, kuid haruldane inimeste juures. Inimesed, kes töötavad sigalates, eriti intensiivse pidamiste farmides, on suures ohus saada viirus loomalt. Samas, loomalt saadud viiruse tüved väga harva muteeruvad sellisteks, et kanduda inimeselt-inimesele. Haiguse sümptomid inimesel on sarnased teiste gripilaadsete tõvedega, külmavärinad, palavik, valus kurk, lihasvalu, peavalud, köha ja nõrkus.
Tänavune puhang toimus tänu A viiruse uue alltüve H1N1, mis osaliselt pärineb inimese gripist ning osaliselt seagripist. Uue tüve täpne päritolu on teadmata ning Maailma Looma Tervise Organisatsiooni andmetel pole seda tüve sigadel leitud.
Viirus levib köhimise või aevastamise teel ja kui inimene puudub käsikaudu viirustekitajaga saadanud objekti. See ei levi sealiha ega sellest toodetud toiduainete kaudu.

Allikas: http://bioisolutions.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu-animation.html

Uudne akustiline süsteem lindude loendamiseks

Igatahes, kel on lähiajal plaan jätkata õpinguid doktorantuuris, siis võiks kaalumise alla võtta Otago Ülikooli Zooloogia osakonna PhD-õpingu pakkumise. Nimelt on võimalik Dr. Philip Seddoni käe all tegeleda uudse süsteemiga, mille eesmärgiks on loendada linde. Loodame, et potentsiaalse tudengi õpingute lõpuks on meil lahendus, kuidas linde loendada akustilise süsteemi abil.

Loe ka..

Title: Novel acoustic systems for bird counting

Description:
Bird populations are a key indicator of biodiversity, but common methods for counting birds by standing at a point and listening have been portrayed as crude and unscientific. Distance sampling, in which the distance to each bird is recorded and used to estimate population density, is subject to major errors from inaccurate distance estimation, intermittent singing, and movement during the count. There is great practical value and international interest in new ways to address these problems.

Digital acoustic recording is now relatively cheap and can provide a mass of relevant data on the species present and the locations of individuals. The challenge is to model bird behaviour (movements and singing) and the detection of song cues at an array of microphones to obtain estimates of population density. This is a technically difficult task, but not as daunting as it might seem: algorithms and software for song localisation are freely available, and the broad structure needed in the model is understood.

The PhD project we have in mind would combine statistical modelling of acoustic data and field testing of an acoustic system, alongside collection of detailed behavioural data by radiotelemetry of target species (possibly tui, bellbird, song thrush and blackbird). The work would be undertaken in collaboration with biologists from the US Geological Survey, and potentially other leading US agencies.

Allikas: http://www.otago.ac.nz/zoology/

Teaduspõhine majandus? Uus juust!

Väljavõte bns.ee uudistevoost Südamejuust sillutab teed ekspordi arengule Eestis

Koostöös Tartu Ülikooli Arstiteaduskonna, Tervisliku Piima
Biotehnoloogiate Arenduskeskuse ja PÜ E-Piim vahel valmis uudne
probiootiline Harmony™ Südamejuust. Südamejuust sisaldab
Laktobacillus plantarum TENSIA™ bakterit, mille eripärased omadused
aitavad reguleerida süstoolset ja diastoolset vererõhku, mida
tõestavad kliinilised katsetused. Südamejuustu igapäevane tarbimine
toetab südameveresoonkonna tööd. Harmony™ Südamejuustu terviseväited
on koostatud vastavalt Euroopa Liidu seadusandlusele .
Kliiniliste uuringute raames jälgiti inimesi, kes tarbisid Harmony™
Südamejuustu kolme nädala jooksul 50 grammi päevas. "Katsealustel
täheldati kasulike laktobatsillide hulga suurenemist seedekulglas,
mis soodustab mikrofloora kaitsefunktsiooni võimalike
haigustekitajate vastu. Ühtlasi leiti, et laktobatsillide suurem
hulk, sealhulgas TENSIA™ esinemine, olid otseses seoses süstoolse ja
diastoolse vererõhu langusega," selgitas Tervisliku Piima
Biotehnoloogiate Arenduskeskuse juhataja Ene Tammsaar.
Teaduslikult põhjendatud lisandväärtusega tervislike piimatoodete
turuleviimisega avaneb Eesti piimasektoril võimalus oma
konkurentsivõime ja ekspordi tõstmiseks. PÜ E-Piim juhatuse esimehe
Jaanus Murakase sõnul peegeldub uues tootes kooslus teadmistepõhisest
majandusest ja innovaatikast. "Tunnen rõõmu, et Eesti tarbija
toidulauale saabub sedavõrd kiiduväärne toode ja olen kindel, et
Südamejuustul on tugev ekspordipotentsiaal.".
Südamejuustu väljatöötamist rahastas Eesti riik läbi Ettevõtluse
Arenduse Sihtasutuse. Madis Võõrase sõnul EAS-ist on innovaatika
tänaseni valitsuse olulisim majanduspoliitiline strateegia. "Nüüd on
see saanud käegakatsutava tulemuse Südamejuustu näol ja see annab
valitsusele kinnitust, et valitud suund on õige. Nii saame
Südamejuustust rääkida mitte ainult tervisliku toote, vaid üldise
majanduse arendamise võtmes," kinnitas Võõras.

Juustul on oma veebsait http://www.tensia.eu/

Kärbsed levitavad antiresistentset bakterit?

John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Healt teadlased leidsid asitõendeid, et kanafarmide lähedal elutsevad kärbsed võivad soodustada raviminiresistentse bakteri levikud ja suurendades sellega ohtu inimese tervisele. Antud avastus demonstreerib järjekordselt potentsiaalset ühendust tööstusliku loomse toidutootmise ja võimaliku riskiga, mis on seotud antibiootiliselt resistentsete patogeenide vahel.

Artikli inglisekeelne osa..

Previous studies have linked antibiotic use in poultry production to antibiotic resistant bacteria in farm workers, consumer poultry products and the environment surrounding confined poultry operations, as well as releases from poultry transport.

“Flies are well-known vectors of disease and have been implicated in the spread of various viral and bacterial infections affecting humans, including enteric fever, cholera, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and shigellosis,” said lead author Jay Graham, PhD, who conducted the study as a research fellow with Bloomberg School’s Center for a Livable Future. Our study found similarities in the antibiotic-resistant bacteria in both the flies and poultry litter we sampled. The evidence is another example of the risks associated with the inadequate treatment of animal wastes.”

“Although we did not directly quantify the contribution of flies to human exposure, our results suggest that flies in intensive production areas could efficiently spread resistant organisms over large distances,” said Ellen Silbergeld, PhD, senior author of the study and professor in the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences.

Graham and his colleagues collected flies and samples of poultry litter from poultry houses along the Delmarva Peninsula—a coastal region shared by Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, which has one of the highest densities of broiler chickens per acre in the United States. The analysis by the research team isolated antibiotic-resistant enterococci and staphylococci bacteria from both flies and litter. The bacteria isolated from flies had very similar resistance characteristics and resistance genes to bacteria found in the poultry litter.

Flies have ready access to both stored poultry waste and to poultry houses. A study by researchers in Denmark estimated that as many as 30,000 flies could enter a poultry house over the course of six week period.

Additional authors of “Antibiotic-resistant enterococci and staphylococci isolated from flies collected near confined poultry feeding operations” are Lance Price, Sean Evans and Thaddeaus Graczyk. The study is published in the April 2009 issue of Science of the Total Environment.

The research was funded by a grant from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

According to Robert Lawrence, MD, director of the Center for a Livable Future, confined animal feeding operations—where thousands of animals are crowded together and are fed antibiotics for growth promotion—create the perfect environment for selection of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. “Antimicrobials are among the most important developments of the twentieth century in managing infectious diseases in people. We can’t afford to squander them by using them as growth promoters in industrial food animal production. The increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a major threat to the health of the public, and policymakers should quickly phase out and ban the use of antimicrobials for non-therapeutic use in food animal production,” said Lawrence.


Allikas: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316120846.htm

Klooniti kitsetall

Kloonitud kitsetall küll suri, kuid lootus väljasurnud liike taastada sai uut hoogu

Zaragoza Ülikooli teadlastel Hispaanias õnnestus esimest korda kloonida väljasuremis ohus loomaliiki. Seekordses töös kasutati Ibeeria poolsaarel elutsevat kaljukitse, kes on Hispaania kaljukitse alamliik.
Kuigi kaljukitse tall suri mõni minutit peale sünnitust kopsu väärarengu tõttu, on jätkuvalt lootus, et antud läbimurdev protsess juhib teadlasi täieliku väljasurnud loomaliikide "tagasitulekuni".
Esimesed katsetused nimetatud kitsede tehti 2003. aastal, kuid katseloomade tiinus katses teisel kuul.

Allikas: www.independent.co.uk/news/science/cloned-goat-dies-after-attempt-to-bring-species-back-from-extinction-1522974.html

Teaduse rahastus majanduslanguse ajal

Arvan, et kõik on teadlikud tänasest majandusolukorrast ning vajadusest väljaminekuid kitsendada. Samas hulk riike, kes on pikaajaliselt paika pannud kindlad prioriteedid, jätkavad teaduse finantseerimist samas mahus.

Toon siinjuures välja mõningad näited riikide soovist tagada teaduse areng ka tulevikus:

Prantsuse valitsus eraldas teaduse- ja arengutegevuse infrale veel 46 miljonit eurot
The French government is to invest an extra 46 million euros in large scientific facilities during 2009, research minister Valérie Pécresse has announced. The 17 per cent increase will bring the total budget for projects such as the Soleil synchrotron outside Paris and the work of French scientists on international projects such as the Large Hadron Collider and ITER to 319m euros over the period.
The cash comes as part of president Nicolas Sarkozy’s 26 billion euro economic rescue package, which was announced in December. Pécresse was given the go-ahead for the decision by Patrick Devedjian, the minister charged with putting the rescue plan into operation.
An extra 14.2m euros will be invested in interdisciplinary facilities such as Soleil and the neutron spectrometer facility Orphée in Saclay, while 10.3m euros will be directed towards condensed matter physics. 7.8m euros will go towards supporting computing facilities. The remainder of the investment will be divided between ITER, biology infrastructures, oceanographic facilities and IT services for research.
Allikas: Research Day Europe 4 Febr 2009; French governmental announcement.

Soome valitsus stimuleerib teadust abipaketiga
The Finnish scientific community has pointed out that one of the means available would be to boost research funding, which would help provide a way out of recession. When Finland was last struck by a recession, in the 1990s, weighty decisions were made about stepping up R&D funding. As a result, Finland was brought out of the trough of the previous recession, and in the present situation, forceful investments into knowledge and know-how would be likely to produce equally good results.
The last two governments set a goal of raising national investment in research funding to four per cent of GDP by 2011. The latest forecasts for GDP and R&D funding suggest that this goal will not be reached. Public R&D funding as a percentage of GDP came to 0.94 per cent in 2008, which puts it below the one per cent target set by the EU. About 25 per cent of government research funding goes to the universities, whose percentage has fallen compared with 2000.
allikas: Academy of Finland Newsletter, January 2009

Prantsusmaa uusim ülikool saab 375 miljoni euro suuruse süsti
Strasbourg University - which was founded at the beginning of this year following a merger of three local institutions - is to benefit from 375 million euros in government funding for the redevelopment of its facilities. The money announced by Pecresse will come from the Operation Campus fund, a 5 billion euro programme to fund the regeneration of 10 campuses across the country.
The government announced 575m euros for higher education facilities in Lyon at the end of January as part of the programme and is expected to make announcements on how the remaining money will be carved up in the near future.
Allikas: Research Day Europe 11 Febr 2009

Mainzi Ülikool sai 100 miljoni eurose eraannetuse
The University of Mainz has received 100 million euros from a private donor to create a life sciences research centre in one of the biggest philanthropic donations ever made to university research in Germany. The money was provided by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, a foundation that supports basic research in medicine. The federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz announced during the donor ceremony on 6 February that it would top up these funds with an additional 30m euros.
The centre will be constructed and created over the next ten years. The first researchers are expected to start working at its labs by the end of 2010, and the centre is expected to create around 100 jobs for highly qualified personnel.
Allikas. Research Day Europe 10 Febr 2009; University of Mainz statement.


On mille üle järelemõelda!

Uus teadusportaal

Meie rahvusringhääling on teinud jõudsaid samme avades uue teadusportaali. Loodame sealt leida uut ja huvitavad materjali, mis on seotud teadusega.
Soovin tegijatele jõudu ja uusi avastusi!

Kel tahtmist, kaeb ise perrä!

http://teadus.err.ee/

12. veebruar - Darwin 200!

Tuleval nädalal tähtistatakse "suure mehe" 200. sünniaastapäeva. Nimelt 12. veebruaril 2009 täitub 200 aastat kuulsa inglise loodusuurija Charles Darwini sünnist. Ta pani aluse mõjukale evolutsiooniteooriale, esitades loodusliku valiku mõiste. Ta avaldas selle kontseptsiooni 1859. aastal raamatus "The Origin of Species".

Kel rohkem huvi Darwini elu ja tegemiste kohta, saab infot www.aboutdarwin. com

Õnnelikud lehmad annavad rohkem piima!

Newcastle Ülikooli teadlaste andmetel toodavad õnnelikud lehmade rohkem piima. Nimelt lehmad, keda nimepidi kutsutakse ja kelle suhtes näidatakse üle personaalset lähenemist toodavad aastas ligi 300 liitrit rohkem piima.
Katses osales 516 farmerit üle kogu Ühendkuningriigi.

Ajakirja Anthrozoos andmetel saavutasid suurema toodangu need farmerid, kes kutsusid loomi nimepidi võrreldes nendega, kes ei andnud loomadele nimesid (54%).

Üks farmeritest Dennis Gibb Newcastle piirkonnast nimetas lehmadega individuaalset suhtlemist eluliselt tähtsaks. "Nad on meie leiva-allikas. Samuti on nad osa perekonnast". Ka ütles hr Gibb, et kollektiivselt kutsuvad nad lehmi "meie daamid", kuid samad teavad nad kõigi nimesid ja iseloomu.

Samuti tuli mitmete farmerite jutust välja, et loomadele individuaalne lähenemine ja nimepidi kutsume ei too kaasa lisakulusid, pigem võib suurendada piimatoodangut.



allikas: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/7854745.stm

Side tubaka ja vähi vahel

Leidsin möödunud aasta info hulgast vapustava avastuse seoses tubaka ja vähi ühendavast kemikaalist.

Originaaltekst:
Scientists find new link between tobacco chemical and cancer
TUESDAY 3 JUNE 2008
Scientists have found a second, indirect way in which cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes cause lung cancer.

Previous research has shown that chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) damage DNA by binding to it and causing mutations.

Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Centre of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) have found that PAHs can also lead to mutations in critical genes important to lung cancer via a process called oxidative stress, in which destructive molecules called free radicals accumulate and cause cell death.

The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and provide the first demonstration of this link, according to co-author Dr Ian Blair, a professor in the university's department of pharmacology.

"This is a second, but indirect way in which PAHs can cause cancer. We also know that PAHs can also cause cancer directly," he noted.

Senior author Dr Trevor Penning, director of CEET, explained that enzymes called AKRs, which transform PAHs to produce oxygen free radicals, are over-expressed in lung cancer cells.

"Our study also shows that those same enzymes are responsible for the oxidative stress from PAHs in the human lung cells we used in our experiments," he revealed.

"Because this study relates AKR over-expression to oxidative damage of DNA with lung cancer, it makes you wonder if the ten per cent of smokers that are most prone to lung cancer have either dysregulated AKR expression or genetic differences in their AKRs that predispose them to disease," he theorised.

"These findings go beyond the first step of DNA damage and may provide a reason why disease progresses," he added.

Biolingid

Hea meel edastada mõned bioenergia kasutamise ja tootmisega seotud veebilingid:

www.biofuelreview.com

Biofuels Digest
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com

Biofuels Digest is the world’s most widely read biofuels daily. Register for a free subscription at http://www.biofuelsdigest.com. Published online and in an email newsletter, the Digest covers biofuels producers, policymakers, finance, research and consumer/fleet news. It’s read in more than in 190 countries.

www.enagri.info

Enagri is the leading information service for the whole bioenergy supply chain. From feedstock producers to processors and consultants, from anaerobic digestion to biomass and liquid biofuels, Enagri has it covered with our range of publications from monthly magazines to weekly newsletters and market reports.

www.energyme.com

theenergyinfo.com

Energy has no doubt become one of the most fundamental elements, this element 'ENERGY' is the domain of theenergyinfo.com. The unmatched quality with its profound understanding in the energy sector, makes theenergyinfo.com THE SUPERLATIVE information source of choice for companies involved & looking for business opportunities in the Oil & Gas, Power, Petrochemical, Water, Pipeline sectors within GCC & India.

www.AE-Africa.com

Alternative Energy Africa is the continent’s first magazine dedicated to filling the energy information gap in Africa. Alternative Energy Africa and www.AE-Africa.com provides its readers updates on private sector projects, government initiatives, business and investment news, and strategies for a thriving alternative/renewable energy market on the African continent

Kõigile edukat 2009 aastat ja tublisti kordaminekuid!


Allikas: http://www.smi-online.co.uk/events/supporters.asp?is=5&ref=3077