Diseases and motor vehicle fatalities in Finland in 2001 and 2002

OBJECTIVES: The possible connection between diseases among drivers and traffic accidents was examined for traffic safety purposes. METHODS: We studied medical conditions of drivers and passengers in all motor vehicle crashes with fatalities in Finland in 2001 and 2002 by using reports of road accident investigation teams, including autopsy reports. We analyzed a total of 542 crashes with 640 fatalities. Findings were also compared with available epidemiological data in Finland. RESULTS: An insignificant difference in the number of reported diseases was present between the different parties involved in crashes. However, among killed key drivers, so-called A-parties, psychiatric diseases, especially alcoholism, depression, and unspecific mental disorders, were diagnosed more often than in the groups of other drivers or passengers. In addition, A-parties were reported to more frequently suffer from cerebral arteriosclerosis and arterial hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Drivers' diseases can be a risk factor for traffic accidents. Fitness to drive should therefore be considered in medical practice, particularly in patients with alcoholism and other psychiatric disorders.     

Using Multicriteria Methods in Environmental Planning and Management

In environmental planning and decision processes several alternatives are analyzed in terms of multiple noncommensurate criteria, and many different stakeholders with conflicting preferences are involved. Based on our experience in real-life applications, we discuss how multicriteria decision aid (MCDA) methods can be used successfully in such processes. MCDA methods support these processes by providing a framework for collecting, storing, and processing all relevant information, thus making the decision process traceable and transparent. It is therefore possible to understand and explain why, under several conflicting preferences, a particular decision was made. The MCDA framework also makes the requirements for new information explicit, thus supporting the allocation of resources for the process.     

Oligogyny by unrelated queens in the carpenter ant, Camponotus ligniperdus

Multilocus DNA fingerprinting and microsatellite analysis were used to determine the number of queens and their mating frequencies in colonies of the carpenter ant, Camponotus ligniperdus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Only 1 of 61 analyzed queens was found to be double-mated and the population-wide effective mating frequency was therefore 1.02. In the studied population, 8 of 21 mature field colonies (38%) contained worker, male, or virgin queen genotypes which were not compatible with presumed monogyny and therefore suggested oligogyny, i.e., the cooccurrence of several mutually intolerant queens within one colony. Estimated queen numbers in oligogynous colonies ranged between two and five. According to the results of the genetic analysis, most of the queens coexisting in oligogynous colonies were not closely related. Pleometrosis is very rare and queenless colonies adopt mated queens both in the laboratory and field. Therefore, the most plausible explanation for the origin of oligogynous colonies in C. ligniperdus is the adoption of unrelated queens by orphaned mature colonies. The coexistence of unrelated, but mutually intolerant queens in C. ligniperdus colonies demonstrates that oligogyny should be considered as a phenomenon distinct from polygyny. Received: 18 December 1997 / Accepted after revision: 20 June 1998     

Intranest relatedness and nestmate recognition in the meadow ant Formica pratensis (R.)

The impact of intranest relatedness on nestmate recognition was tested in a population of polydomous and monodomous nests of the mound-building ant Formica pratensis. Nestmate recognition was evaluated by testing aggression levels between 37 pairs of nests (n=206 tests). Workers from donor colonies were placed on the mounds of recipient nests to score aggressive interactions among workers. A total of 555 workers from 27 nests were genotyped using four DNA microsatellites. The genetic and spatial distances of nests were positively correlated, indicating budding and/or fissioning as spread mechanisms. Monodomous and polydomous nests did not show different aggression levels. Aggression behavior between nests was positively correlated with both spatial distance and intranest relatedness of recipient colonies, but not with genetic distance or intranest relatedness of donor colonies. Multiple regression analysis revealed a stronger effect of spatial distance than of genetics on aggression behavior in this study, indicating that the relative importance of environment and genetics can be variable in F. pratensis. Nevertheless, the positive regression between intranest relatedness of recipient colonies and aggression in the multiple analysis supports earlier results that nestmate recognition is genetically influenced in F. pratensis and further indicates that foreign label rejection most likely explains our data.     

Mate sampling behaviour of black grouse females (Tetrao tetrix)

We studied female mate sampling behaviour in lekking black grouse (Tetrao tetrix). Females mainly visited males occupying territories in the centre of the lek with relatively large territories. They were also more likely to visit males that had high attendance. The same factors were also correlated with male mating success. A multiple regression model including these factors explained more of the variance in female visits per male (53%) than in mating success (33%). The pattern of female sampling conformed with a pool comparison (best-of-n) tactic. Such a tactic is expected if the costs of sampling are low. Females of high body mass visited more males than lighter females, however, which indicates that females may vary in their search tactics and suggests that there may be search costs. The existence of costs is further suggested by the fact that if the mate from a previous year was still present, females always mated with the same male in the following year. Though search costs were not measured directly, our findings suggest that some costs are negligible (e.g. energetic exhaustion or predation) whereas others (timing of mating) may be more important.     

Biased sperm use by polyandrous queens of the ant<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Proformica longiseta</Emphasis>

The occurrence and genetic effects of polyandry were studied in the ant Proformica longiseta using three microsatellite markers. The average queen mating frequency (QMF) estimated from the sperm dissected from the spermathecae of 61 queens was 2.4 with 69% of the queens being multiply mated. QMF estimated from worker offspring in a subsample of eight monogynous colonies was 3.5, but the effective paternity (m_e,p) was only 1.23. The difference between these values reflected unequal sperm use by the queens. Most colonies of P. longiseta were polygynous and the average relatedness among workers was 0.35. Polyandry thus added only marginally to the genetic diversity of colonies, and our results gave little support to the genetic-variability hypothesis for explaining polyandry. Diploid male load was low, as only 1% of males were diploid. A large majority (92%) of nests produced one sex only, with males produced in colonies that had higher than average worker relatedness. This contradicted the predictions derived from worker control of sex ratios. Males produced enough sperm to fill the spermathecae of several queens. Thus, the results indicated that diploid male load, sperm limitation and sex ratio conflict are also unlikely explanations of polyandry. Plausible hypotheses for polyandry include mating by convenience, as the sex ratio is male biased and the mating costs to a female can be low because the females are wingless and have no mating flight. The observed unequal sperm use furthermore points to sperm choice and sperm competition as important factors in the evolution of polyandry.     

Relatedness and microgeographic genetic variation in Rhytidoponera mayri,an Australian arid-zone ant

Summary We use a multiallelic regression and jack-knife technique to estimate relatedness and its confidence limits in a sample of 117 nests of the Australian arid zone ant Rhytidoponera mayri, using the genotypes at a prolifically-polymorphic amylase locus. Relatedness between workers from the same nest is low, whether calculated with respect to the complete sample of nests (b=0.121<0.158<0.195), or by restricting the analysis to those nests bordering a cell in a Gabriel-connectedness graph (b=0.101<0.126<0.151). Relatedness between workers of neighboring nests was determined for nearest-neighbors (b=0.021<0.054<0.087), and for nests connected in the Gabriel network (b=0.018<0.036<0.054). Relatedness is thus low but significant at both within- and between-nest levels, as is consistent with a life history involving multiple egg-layers and colony foundation via fission. Estimating relatedness for the different alleles separately yields some significant differences between alleles. We also tested for geographic substructuring using autocorrelation analysis of nine alleles separately and the factor scores for the first two principal components of all the allele frequencies: six of the eleven patterns tested differed significantly from randomness at the 95% level.     

Investment Evaluation of an Integrated Steel Mill using Multiple Criteria

A conventional steel manufacturing process generates considerable amounts of reject streams and secondary raw material. These streams are either recycled back to the process or treated as waste. Recycling affects negatively on the production yield and on the controllability of unit operations. Waste represents considerable cost unless utilized in another production process as raw material. In these streams, there exists a potential to use the chemical elements more effectively. Therefore, it might be interesting to find an economical technical solution to collect the streams and increase steel production.

Investments on process equipment are typically evaluated using conventional economic figures, like payback time, Net Present Value (NPV) etc. The problem with these practices is, that they consider only numerical aspects. Non-numerical and non-economical criteria are hard to cater to the evaluation. Still, they may affect on the investment profitability in the long run. Such criteria include environmental friendliness or the aspects of process integration.

The article presents a comparison of a conventional steel manufacturing process with one reject stream processing alternative. A target in the process modification is to optimize the use of material and energy within the site. The comparison is based on a balanced set of criteria that affect on the efficiency of an investment. The use of these criteria is a part of the new methodology that has been developed to evaluate investments on integrated process sites. In addition to the criteria, the complete methodology includes: 1) connection of company’s strategic issues into technical design and decision making, 2) optimization of the process and calculation of process potentials (differences in the performance values between the existing process and the modified process) through the use of process integration methodologies and 3) use of decision-making aids. The research is a part of Finnish National Technology Program, “Process-Integration 2000–2004”.     

Offspring number in pygmy marmosets, Cebuella pygmaea *, in relation to group size and the number of adult males

In many species of birds and mammals with a co-operative breeding and rearing system, offspring survival is positively related to the number of helpers. In the New World callitrichine primates (marmosets and tamarins), adult males are considered as particularly valuable helpers, and female reproductive success may depend strongly on the males' contribution to infant care. We analysed the number of offspring (infants, juveniles) in groups of wild pygmy marmosets, Cebuella pygmaea (Callitrichinae, Cebidae, Primates), in relation to the number of adult males and to the number of adult and subadult group members. In contrast to other callitrichines with a co-operative system of infant care, no relationship was found between the number of adult males and the number of infants and offspring. However, there was a significant positive relationship between the number of juveniles and the number of adult and subadult group members. The lack of a relationship between infant and adult-male number is interpreted as resulting from the reduced importance of adult males as helpers in pygmy marmosets in comparison to other callitrichines, probably due to the reduced costs of infant care. The relationship between the number of juveniles and the number of adult and subadult group members is in accordance with increased offspring survival in larger groups, as observed in other primates. Received: 1 February 1999 / Received in revised form: 5 June 1999 / Accepted: 29 June 1999     

Contents and origin of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDE) in salmon from the Baltic Sea, Lake Saimaa and the Tenojoki river in Finland

The presence of 26 congeners of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) was investigated in salmon from three locations in Finland. In addition to salmon, one chlorophenol wood preservative (Ky-5) and one fly ash sample were analyzed for PCDEs. Concentrations of PCDE congeners in salmon muscle measured by high resolution gas chromatography/low resolution mass spectrometry ranged from < 0.02 to 2.4 ng/g fresh weight. The major components of tetra- to octachlorinated PCDEs in salmon were one TeCDE (22′44′-), two PeCDEs (22′44′5- and 23′44′5-) and three HxCDEs (22′44′56′-, 22′44′55′- and 22′344′5-). The Baltic salmon caught from the Simojoki River had higher levels of PCDEs than the Atlantic salmon from the Tenojoki River or salmon from Lake Saimaa in South-Finland. Same PCDE congeners which were abundant in the wood preservative were also detected in salmon, whereas PCDE congeners in the fly ash were different from those in salmon or in Ky-5.