The Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonian: Eesti Maaülikool, EMÜ) located in Tartu, Estonia, is the former Estonian Agricultural University, which was established in 1951 and renamed and restructured in November 2005.Eesti Maaülikool is, by its own claim, the only university in Estonia whose priorities in academic and research activities provide the sustainable development of natural resources necessary for the existence of Man as well as the preservation of heritage and habitat. The EMÜ is a centre of research and development in such fields as agriculture, forestry, animal science, veterinary science, rural life and economy, food science and environmentally friendly technologies. The university is a member of the BOVA university network.In 2009, there were 4704 students at EMÜ. There were 983 employees, among them 228 lecturers and 159 researchers and senior researchers.University is ranked among top 100 universities in the world in the field of agriculture and forestry.
Species with a wide geographic distribution constitute an ideal model system for characterizing the adaptation of secondary chemistry to local climate and testing the generality of hypotheses about how investments in secondary chemistry scale with relative carbon and nutrient availability. We studied needle carbon (CM), nitrogen (NM) and terpenoid contents per dry mass in Pinus sylvestris collected across a broad geographical (38° to 59° N, latitudes 18° to 29° E; Estonia, Sweden, Romania, Turkey) and altitudinal (26-1980) range. In the Turkish samples, a low CM value corresponded to the lowest levels of mono- and sesquiterpenoids. In addition, the Turkish pine needles lacked diterpenoids. The monoterpenoid profiles revealed the presence of two distinct pine chemotypes: the Turkish pines were characterized as ‘(−)-α-pinene pines’, while the Estonian, Swedish, and Romanian samples were identified as ‘(+)-α-pinene - (+)-3-carene pines’. Overall, Northern pine populations were characterized by higher foliage C and terpenoid contents and greater terpenoid diversity. In addition, the direct correlations of foliage C and terpenoid contents were observed for ‘(+)-α-pinene - (+)-3-carene pines’. Our study highlights major variations in composition and content of Scots pine needle terpenoids among geographically distinct populations.
This paper introduces the Estonian Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire (EMDQ), a practice-oriented tool for assessing the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are an occupational health concern. Prevention largely depends on workstation-level interventions, where monitoring musculoskeletal discomfort helps set priorities. Although several tools like Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) exist for mapping WMSD prevalence, they often face usability challenges for both workers completing the questionnaires and occupational health and safety (OHS) specialists analyzing the data. The EMDQ is designed to address these issues. Available in both paper and electronic formats, it features a gender-neutral body map that divides the body into distinct regions, supporting inclusive dissemination among workers. The questionnaire is intentionally brief to minimize worker effort. For OHS specialists, the EMDQ enables automated data processing that: (1) visualizes the most affected body regions, (2) estimates prevalence within the sample and extrapolates to the entire workforce, and (3) compares company-level data with sectoral averages. Additionally, the EMDQ includes guidance to ensure compliance with GDPR, supporting ethical data handling practices.
The objective was to quantify the effect of in vitro procedures on the epigenome and transcriptome of the embryonic disc (ED) and extra-embryonic membranes (EEM) of day 15 in vitro produced (IVP) conceptuses compared to their in vivo (IVV) counterparts. IVP embryos (n = 7) were cultured serum-free until transfer at day 7, while IVV embryos (n = 9) were conceived through artificial insemination. Animals were flushed at day 15 of gestation, and sections of the ED and EEM underwent DNA and RNA extraction for whole-genome bisulfite or RNA sequencing. Raw fastq files were aligned to the ARS-UCD1.3 bovine genome. Processed data were integrated through a multi-omics approach based on machine learning to determine the key ontological terms that characterize each embryonic tissue lineage according to their methylome and transcriptome, followed by overrepresentation analyses (adjusted P-value < 0.05) of differentially methylated genes (DMG), differentially expressed genes (DEG), or genes that were both differentially methylated and differentially expressed in the ED or EEM of IVP compared to IVV conceptuses. Results demonstrated that identified critical ontological terms for the ED, such as somitogenesis, mesoderm formation, and gastrulation, were enriched among hypermethylated DMG, down-regulated DEG, and genes hypermethylated in the promoter and inhibited in expression in the ED of IVP embryos. Genes hypermethylated in the promoter and inhibited in expression in the EEM of IVP conceptuses were involved in epigenetic regulation. In conclusion, in vitro procedures alter the development of main lineage tissues in the pre-implantation embryo, even after interaction with the maternal environment.
Boreal forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle due to their extensive area and ability to sequester a considerable amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). They are generally stable ecosystems that function as carbon sinks. However, their sink capacity is vulnerable to the impact of extreme weather conditions. In this study, we aim to investigate the multi-year and seasonal carbon dynamics of an old upland coniferous forest in the hemiboreal zone, identify the main environmental drivers influencing annual NEP, and explore the potential legacy effects of the 2018 heatwave. Over an eight-year period (2016-2023), the forest shifted from a carbon sink (mean net ecosystem productivity (NEP) of 238 f 52 g C m-2 year-1) to a carbon-neutral state in 2020 (NEP = -2 f 5 g C m-2 year-1) and back to a net carbon sink (NEP = 136 f 50 g C m-2 year-1). The average NEP over the eight-year period was 170 f 42 g C m-2 year-1. Our research showed no significant yearto-year changes in GEP during the study period, while the changes in Reco were substantial. Our results confirm that air temperature has the greatest influence on annual NEP. The warmest autumn over the past 19 years, recorded in 2020, and an atypical June together resulted in a noticeable increase in ecosystem respiration, which shifted annual NEP towards negative net values, while no significant impact on GEP was found. Additionally, our study found that the old upland hemiboreal forest showed no legacy effect in the years following the 2018 heatwave, demonstrating its resilience to extreme temperature events. Our results underscore the importance of continuous monitoring carbon dynamics variability to determine the ecosystem's resilience to seasonal temperature fluctuations and to inform management strategies for forests preservation.
The myxozoan endoparasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae (Tb), the causative agent of proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in salmonids, has predominantly been reported in temperate regions of continental Europe and North America. Here, we present the first record of Tb in the Faroe Islands, extending the known northern distribution of the parasite. We sampled 161 brown trout (Salmo trutta) and three Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from 16 streams across the Faroes. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis of kidney tissue detected Tb in 14 streams, with mean prevalence of 65.6%, reaching 100% in six streams. Parasite load, quantified as Tb 18S rRNA gene copies per qPCR reaction, ranged from 109.5 to 281,219 (mean 16,127) among infected fish. Despite high Tb prevalence and load, no clinical signs of renal hyperplasia, indicative of PKD, were observed. Sanger sequencing of the Tb 18S rRNA gene showed 99.8% to 100% identity with European isolates. These results indicate Tb is well established in Faroese freshwater and is genetically similar to European isolates. Given the known temperature dependence of PKD, climate warming is likely to increase disease risk in northern regions. Continued monitoring is essential to assess the potential long-term ecological impacts of Tb on wild salmonid populations under changing environmental conditions.
