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Recently, several students in resource science, with an emphasis on biotechnology, defended their dissertations at the University of Akureyri, but biotechnology is precisely one of the disciplines that could create significant income for the national economy in the future.

What these students have in common is that they have all enjoyed the guidance of Matís' employees. The students are:

• Guðný Helga Kristjánsdóttir. The project "Measurements of astaxanthin and nutrients from wastewater chitosan processing". Worked in collaboration with Primex (closed project) - supervisor was Rannveig Björnsdóttir at Matís.
• Hanna Rún Jóhannesdóttir. The project "The relationship between the purity of cattle on the foot and the microbial flora on the surface of the carcasses". Worked in collaboration with Norðlenski (closed project) - supervisor was Rannveig Björnsdóttir at Matís.
• Guðrún Kristín Eiríksdóttir: The project "The effect of temperature on the expression of proteins in charr hearts. Analyzed by protein quantity analysis ". Worked in collaboration with Hólar University (open project) - supervisor was Hólmfríður Sveinsdóttir at Matís.

For more information Hólmfríður and Rannveig at Matís.

The next fisheries conference will be held at the Grand Hotel, from the 8th to the 9th of September. November. This is the third conference of Sjávarútvegsráðstefnan ehf. and it has been named Looking to the Future.

Seminars
Seminars have been given the following working titles:
- Icelandic fisheries
- Should Icelanders have a joint marketing job?
- Future opportunities in aquaculture
- All raw materials on land?
- Is there a future in full processing in Iceland?
- World supply of competing types of Icelanders
- World supply of competitive species in pelagic fish
- Fisheries policy of Iceland and the EU
 
The final title of the seminar will no doubt change, without any change being made to the topic. We aim to have the agenda of the Fisheries Conference 2012 posted on its website in June.Conference Council

The board of the association is a conference council and decides on the content of the conference and is responsible for selecting the lecturer. The following currently sit on the board of the Fisheries Conference:
Kristján Hjaltason, chairman
Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir
Finnbogi Alfreðsson
Hjörtur Gíslason
Lúðvík Börkur Jónsson
Inga Jóna Friðgeirsdóttir

On Thursday 28 June, Hugrún Lísa Heimisdóttir will defend her master's thesis in the field of biotechnology at the University of Akureyri's resources department. The defense starts at 10:00 and will be in room R312 in Borgir. Two of Matís' employees were Hugrún's supervisors in the study.

The title of Hugrún Lísa's dissertation is "Effects of fish protein hydrolyzate-enhanced live prey on cod (Gadus morhua L.) larval development: Protein expression and stimulation of selected innate immune parameters"

In the dissertation, Hugrún Lísa discusses the effects of food animals that were enriched with fish peptides on the growth and development of cod larvae. In her research, Hugrún Lísa used two types of methods. First, it applied immunostaining to evaluate the effect of peptide-enhanced food animals on key factors in the cod larvae's non-specific immune response. Second, Hugrún Lísa applied a two-dimensional electron microscopy protein quantum assay and a two-mass protein assay to study the effect of peptide-enhanced food on protein expression in the larval gastrointestinal tract, but for studies on the response of cod larvae to changes in feed composition. The immunostaining also indicated that the enrichment of food animals with fish peptides promotes more robust tissue layers and thus has a positive effect on the development of cod larvae.

Hugrún Lísa graduated with a bachelor's degree (B.Sc.) in biotechnology from the University of Akureyri's resources department in the spring of 2010. She has been working on her research and dissertation for the past two years and has received a grant from the University of Akureyri's Research Fund, Matís ohf. and Iceprotein Ltd.

Hugrún Lísa's supervisors are dr. Oddur Vilhelmsson, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Natural Resources at the University of Akureyri, dr. Hólmfríður Sveinsdóttir, specialist at Matís ohf., And Jónína Jóhannsdóttir, M.Sc., specialist at Matís ohf. The opponent is dr. Bjarnheiður K. Guðmundsdóttir, assistant professor at the University of Iceland School of Medicine and specialist at the University of Iceland Laboratory of Pathology at Keldur.

For further information Hólmfríður Sveinsdóttir at Matís.

_{The above news first appeared on the website of the University of Akureyri, www.unak.is.}

The twentieth national tournament will take place in Reykjavík this time. Matís presents its activities at the tournament, but the company works with horse and dog owners, for example with parental analyzes of dogs and horses through genetic research.

Matís welcomes guests and pedestrians to the company's booth during the national tournament.

About Matís' parent diagnoses
The projects include genetic analysis of useful and wild strains and data processing, as well as sequencing of the genetic material of organisms and the search for new genetic boundaries and the development of genetic kits.

DNA analysis is used, among other things, in aquaculture to select fish for breeding. This can speed up breeding and increase the conservation of genetic variation. In wild strains, genetic analysis is used to study strains and strain units. These include salmon, cod, lobster, herring, sandeel, ling, etc. species. Genetic analysis can be used in traceability research and species analysis, whether it is eggs, juveniles, fillets from a counter or canned food.

Genetic analysis has been used in human genetics in recent decades, but this technology is now increasingly used in zoology and is especially important in research on wild marine stocks. It is also an important goal to develop phenotypic genetic markers, but good genetic markers are the basis for successful research of this kind.

Matís is the only company in Iceland that has systematically built up genetic analysis of animals.

More here.

About the national tournament (of www.landsmot.is)

The history of the Landsmót dates back to 1950 when the first Landsmót was held at Þingvellir. 133 horses, breeding horses, gæðingar and racing horses were shown there. At that time, there was only competition in one category of gæðingar, which was a category of universal gæðingar, as well as racing and breeding shows.

After that, Landsmót was held every four years, until at the annual meeting of Landssamband Hestamannafélagi 1995 it was agreed to hold Landsmót every two years. The first tournament held according to those rules, i.e. Every two years, Landsmót was held in Reykjavík in 2000.

The tournaments have grown enormously in scope, especially in terms of the competition part and the number of horses. It is interesting, however, that at the first Landsmót for horsemen at Þingvellir in 1950, about 10,000 guests attended the tournament. A attendance record was set at Gaddstaðaflatur in 2008, where nearly 14,000 guests, riders, employees and volunteers gathered.  

Landsmót hestamanna has been the largest sporting event in the country since the beginning, as Landssamband hestamannafélagi is the third largest special association within ÍSÍ, with over 11,000 members.

An interesting production takes place on the balcony of Matís' headquarters. There are plant boxes in which to grow, there are various delicious things. Most recently, the spinach was harvested and the chives will be used soon.

Employees who were at lunch on the day the harvest was cooked got the freshest vegetables in question, as the spinach ends up being tasty and full of vitamins and minerals.

Here you can see some pictures from the boxes and from the canteen and it is safe to say that they speak for themselves.

Fish is one of the most sensitive foods and therefore great emphasis is placed on preserving its freshness and avoiding damage. The importance of carefully cooling fish immediately after they are caught is undisputed.

The food legislation contains various provisions on the cooling of fish and other foods. It clearly stipulates that an unbroken cooling chain should be kept from fishing, to and during food processing, and that it should be cooled as soon as possible.

Surveys in Iceland have shown that cooling of landed demersal fish catches is insufficient in many cases and many examples of fish being landed poorly frozen or even unfrozen. This is especially true of catches from fishing trips lasting less than 24 hours. It is also too common for fish stored outdoors not to be protected from the sun and external pollution, as good production methods stipulate.

Therefore, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture has issued a regulation to remove any doubts about what rules apply in this regard. The Regulation does not enter into force until 1 September 2012 in order to give those parties who have not complied with its provisions scope to set up the necessary equipment in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation.

Regulation on (4th) amendment to Regulation no. 104/2010 on the entry into force of Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EC) no. 853/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs of animal origin, as amended.

_{The news first appeared on the website of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, www.sjavarutvegsraduneyti.is.}

Today, 18 June, an introductory meeting will be held on Matís' operations and the company's new office. The meeting takes place in the community center in Bíldudalur and starts at 17.

Experts from Matís in Reykjavík, Snæfellsnes and the southern Westfjords will be on site to present the activities and the possibilities involved in opening Matís' offices in the southern Westfjords and in Snæfellsnes.

All who are interested are invited to the meeting to get to know Matís 'activities and what possibilities are available for Matís' research and assistance in developing the economy in the area. Matís is a knowledge and research company that works on development and innovation in the food industry, biotechnology and food safety. Matís provides advice and services to companies in the fisheries and agriculture sectors, as well as the Icelandic state. For example, Matís is involved in the development of new products and processes for companies and has an important role to play in terms of food quality and safety.

Matís will work with companies, local authorities and individuals in the area who will be able to use Matís' expertise to build their own operations. Matís' operations in Breiðafjörður are based on a solid and strong collaboration with the locals, as they have taken the initiative in the development that Matís is currently embarking on.

There are great opportunities for increased value creation in the area. The fishing industry is a key industry in constant development, but in addition there are opportunities for the development of aquaculture and the utilization of other raw materials in the area. In the south of the Westfjords, there is a great growth in aquaculture and a strong development in that field. Matís 'operations will support the necessary research and development in connection with aquaculture, but it is expected that services for aquaculture-related activities will be one of the main challenges for Matís' employees in the area. As the largest cost item of aquaculture lies in feed and feeding, the development of feed costs is not least considered.

Strengthening food production will play a key role in increased value creation in the southern Westfjords and by Breiðafjörður. Individuals and companies interested in the production of food from raw materials from the area are especially invited to the meeting to get to know Matís' work and the opportunities it has to offer for further product development and production. Product processing creates valuable products and increased income opportunities, as well as a more diverse economy and a wider range of products. The southern Westfjords have great potential for more processing from the raw materials produced here for sea and land, and without a doubt there are many ideas among the residents of the area that are well worth implementing.

Matís staff encourages all interested parties to come and get to know the operations, meet the staff and discuss issues. We look forward to tackling upcoming projects with the local communities, businesses and all locals and welcome you to the meeting.

Matís, Vínlandsleið 12, Reykjavík, 422-5000, matis@matis.is and Matís staff in the south of the Westfjords.

For further information:
Lilja Magnúsdóttir, 858-5085, liljam@matis.is
Hólmgeir Reynisson, 867-4553, holmgeir@matis.is

Two doctoral students in pharmacology at the University of Iceland, the Indians Varsha A. Kale at Matís and Vivek S. Gaware, received a grant from the Bergþóra and Þorsteinn Scheving Thorsteinsson Pharmacy Prize Fund yesterday, Monday 4 June. Their research has already led to new knowledge in pharmacology.

This is the seventh time that awards have been given from the fund to doctoral students in pharmacology at the University of Iceland for outstanding research. The total amount of the grant is ISK 700,000 and each grant recipient will receive ISK 350,000.

Vörsha A. Kale's research project aims to isolate cartilage sugars from Icelandic sea otters and determine their molecular structure. It has also grown marine bacteria that produce sugar-cleaving biocatalysts. Varsha has already isolated three different types of such sugars and demonstrated their immune-regulating activity. Utilization of the project involves the production of new bioactive sugars and catalysts. The project is carried out in collaboration with Matís. Varsha was born in India in 1985 and graduated with a master's degree in drug chemistry in 2004 from SRTM University in Nanded, India. She began her doctoral studies in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Iceland in 2009 and her main supervisor is Sesselja S. Ómarsdóttir, associate professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, and co-supervisor Guðmundur Óli Hreggviðsson, associate professor at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences and subject director at Matís.

In her doctoral dissertation, Vivek S. Gaware develops special nanomaterials that can be stimulated by light and thus eradicate cancerous tumors. The project is carried out in collaboration with researchers at Radium hospital in Oslo and the company PCI Biotech. Vivek has already succeeded in constructing and defining well over fifty new materials in this project. The results of tests in Norway have given good results and indicate that the substances are very active against cancer. Vivek was also born in India in 1981, and graduated with a master's degree in organic chemistry from the University of Pune in his home country in 2004. Vivek began his doctoral studies in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Iceland in 2008 and his main supervisor is Már Másson, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy.About the Bergþóra and Þorsteinn Scheving Thorsteinsson Pharmacy Prize Fund

The Bergþóra and Þorsteinn Scheving Thorsteinsson Pharmacy Prize Fund was established in 2001. The aim of the fund is to award prizes for scientific achievements and to support research and postgraduate studies in pharmacology. It was Bent Scheving Thorsteinsson who founded the fund in memory of his father, Þorstein Scheving Thorsteinsson, a pharmacist at Reykjavíkurapóteki, and his wife, Bergþóra Patursson.

The Bergþóra and Þorsteinn Scheving Thorsteinsson Prize Fund is one of three funds that Bent has established at the University of Iceland. The others are the Óskar Þórðarson Pediatrician Award Fund, which aims to award prizes for scientific achievements, research, dissertations and related activities in the field of pediatrics, and the Margaret and Bent Scheving Thorsteinsson Scholarship Fund, which is intended to support research on bullying. Bent has donated a total of ISK 60 million to the University of Iceland through financial contributions to the three funds.

For further information, contact Varsha and Guðmundur Óli Hreggviðsson at Matís.

^{This article first appeared on the University of Iceland website (www.hi.is/frettir/doktorsnemar_i_lyfjafraedi_hljota_styrk).}