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Toward Integrating Trust in Open Innovation
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Since the beginning of open innovation research, trust has been an important theme. However, even though trust is often mentioned as an integral part of the human side of open innovation, it is rarely discussed as a focal topic. This chapter connects the central concepts and advancements in trust research with open innovation research; it discusses their linkages and potential for integrating trust more explicitly in open innovation research. It concludes by emphasizing the role of trust in the contemporary context of digital and global open innovation, in which fast and flexible forms of organizing are increasingly required.Abstract
Since the beginning of open innovation research, trust has been an important theme. However, even though trust is often mentioned as an integral part of the human side of open innovation, it is rarely discussed as a focal topic. This chapter connects the central concepts and advancements in trust research with open innovation research; it discusses their linkages and potential for integrating trust more explicitly in open innovation research. It concludes by emphasizing the role of trust in the contemporary context of digital and global open innovation, in which fast and flexible forms of organizing are increasingly required
Metagovernance and tourism: advocating for a much-needed reframing in the study of tourism politics
No full textTowards stable emerging solar cell through synergistic 1D/2D nanomaterials implementation : advancing charge carrier dynamics and stability through interface passivation in dye-sensitized and flexible perovskite solar cells
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Sustainability and long-term durability are key objectives in the development of renewable energy technologies. Among them, photovoltaics represent one of the most rapidly growing and widely demanded solutions. In particular, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) are attracting significant attention due to their multifunctional potential in applications such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, their advancement toward large-scale commercialization is hindered by challenges, such as including liquid electrolyte leakage and evaporation, insufficient mechanical resilience, limited operational stability, and reduced efficiency. This thesis addresses these challenges by proposing targeted material and interface engineering strategies. For DSSCs, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were introduced as alternative counter electrodes, and 2D MXene was incorporated as a synergistic additive in both copper-complex liquid electrolytes and polymer-based PEO/PVDF-HFP quasi-solid electrolytes. In the case of FPSCs, 2D MoS2 nanosheets combined with 1-dodecanethiol (DT) ligand modifications were employed at the perovskite/HTL interface. These 1D/2D nanomaterials significantly enhanced device performance and stability by improving interfacial charge transfer and suppressing trap-assisted recombination pathways. Overall, the results highlight the pivotal role of 1D/2D nanomaterials in the interface passivation and engineering, providing a viable route toward the design of stable, high-performance emerging solar cell. Original papers Khazraei, S., Mikladal, B. F., Etula, J., Varjos, I., & Hannu, J. (2024). Dry deposited single-walled carbon nanotubes co-assisted with copper redox mediator-based electrolytes for photo-stability of dye-sensitized solar cells. Electrochimica Acta, 488, 144221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2024.144221 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2024.144221 Self-archived version Khazraei, S., Palosaari, J., Peräntie, J., Selent, A., Freitag, M., & Hannu, J. (2025). Synergistic enhancement of DSSC performance via Ti3C2 MXene-modified copper redox electrolytes: Mechanistic insights into charge transfer and recombination. Journal of Power Sources, 642, 237019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.237019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.237019 Self-archived version Khazraei, S., Karimipour, M., Halonen, N., Lira-Cantu, M., Johansson, E. M. J., Freitag, M., & Hannu, J. (2025). The impact of PVDF-HFP/MXene on quasi-solid DSSC with copper complex redox electrolyte on charge transfer and indoor and outdoor stability. Manuscript submitted for publication. Karimipour, M., Khazraei, S., Kim, B. J., Boschloo, G., & Johansson, E. M. J. (2022). Efficient and bending durable flexible perovskite solar cells via interface modification using a combination of thin MoS2 nanosheets and molecules binding to the perovskite. Nano Energy, 95, 107044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2022.107044 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2022.107044 Self-archived version Tiivistelmä
Kestävyys ja pitkäaikainen kestävyys ovat keskeisiä tavoitteita uusiutuvien energiateknologioiden kehittämisessä. Niiden joukossa aurinkosähkö edustaa yhtä nopeimmin kasvavista ja laajimmin kysytyistä ratkaisuista. Erityisesti väriaineherkistetyt aurinkokennot (DSSC) ja joustavat perovskiittiaurinkokennot (FPSC) herättävät merkittävää huomiota niiden monitoiminnallisen potentiaalin vuoksi sovelluksissa, kuten rakennuksiin integroidussa aurinkosähkössä (BIPV) ja esineiden internetissä (IoT). Niiden kehitystä kohti laajamittaista kaupallistamista kuitenkin haittaavat haasteet, kuten nestemäisen elektrolyytin vuotaminen ja haihtuminen, riittämätön mekaaninen kestävyys, rajoitettu toiminnallinen vakaus ja alentunut hyötysuhde. Tämä väitöskirja käsittelee näitä haasteita ehdottamalla kohdennettuja materiaali- ja rajapintaratkaisuja. DSSC-laitteissa yksiseinäiset hiilinanoputket (SWCNT) otettiin käyttöön vaihtoehtoisina vastaelektrodeina, kun taas 2D MXene sisällytettiin synergistisenä lisäaineena sekä kuparikompleksi-neste-elektrolyytteihin että polymeeripohjaisiin PEO/PVDF-HFP kvasikiinteisiin elektrolyytteihin. FPSC-laitteissa käytettiin 2D MoS2-nanolevyjä yhdessä 1-dodekaanitioli (DT) -ligandimuutosten kanssa perovskiitin/HTL-rajapinnassa. Nämä 1D/2D-nanomateriaalit paransivat merkittävästi laitteiden suorituskykyä ja vakautta parantamalla rajapinnan varauksensiirtoa ja estämällä loukkuavusteisia rekombinaatioreittejä. Kaiken kaikkiaan tulokset korostavat 1D/2D-nanomateriaalien keskeistä roolia rajapintapassivoinnissa ja -suunnittelussa, tarjoten käyttökelpoisen reitin kohti vakaiden, korkean suorituskyvyn omaavien uusien aurinkokennojen suunnittelua. Osajulkaisut Khazraei, S., Mikladal, B. F., Etula, J., Varjos, I., & Hannu, J. (2024). Dry deposited single-walled carbon nanotubes co-assisted with copper redox mediator-based electrolytes for photo-stability of dye-sensitized solar cells. Electrochimica Acta, 488, 144221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2024.144221 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2024.144221 Rinnakkaistallennettu versio Khazraei, S., Palosaari, J., Peräntie, J., Selent, A., Freitag, M., & Hannu, J. (2025). Synergistic enhancement of DSSC performance via Ti3C2 MXene-modified copper redox electrolytes: Mechanistic insights into charge transfer and recombination. Journal of Power Sources, 642, 237019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.237019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.237019 Rinnakkaistallennettu versio Khazraei, S., Karimipour, M., Halonen, N., Lira-Cantu, M., Johansson, E. M. J., Freitag, M., & Hannu, J. (2025). The impact of PVDF-HFP/MXene on quasi-solid DSSC with copper complex redox electrolyte on charge transfer and indoor and outdoor stability. Manuscript submitted for publication. Karimipour, M., Khazraei, S., Kim, B. J., Boschloo, G., & Johansson, E. M. J. (2022). Efficient and bending durable flexible perovskite solar cells via interface modification using a combination of thin MoS2 nanosheets and molecules binding to the perovskite. Nano Energy, 95, 107044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2022.107044 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2022.107044 Rinnakkaistallennettu versio Academic dissertation to be presented with the assent of the Doctoral Programme Committee of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering of the University of Oulu for public defence in Martti Ahtisaari auditorium (L2), Linnanmaa, on 16 January 2026, at 12 noonAbstract
Sustainability and long-term durability are key objectives in the development of renewable energy technologies. Among them, photovoltaics represent one of the most rapidly growing and widely demanded solutions. In particular, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) are attracting significant attention due to their multifunctional potential in applications such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, their advancement toward large-scale commercialization is hindered by challenges, such as including liquid electrolyte leakage and evaporation, insufficient mechanical resilience, limited operational stability, and reduced efficiency. This thesis addresses these challenges by proposing targeted material and interface engineering strategies. For DSSCs, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were introduced as alternative counter electrodes, and 2D MXene was incorporated as a synergistic additive in both copper-complex liquid electrolytes and polymer-based PEO/PVDF-HFP quasi-solid electrolytes. In the case of FPSCs, 2D MoS2 nanosheets combined with 1-dodecanethiol (DT) ligand modifications were employed at the perovskite/HTL interface. These 1D/2D nanomaterials significantly enhanced device performance and stability by improving interfacial charge transfer and suppressing trap-assisted recombination pathways. Overall, the results highlight the pivotal role of 1D/2D nanomaterials in the interface passivation and engineering, providing a viable route toward the design of stable, high-performance emerging solar cell.Tiivistelmä
Kestävyys ja pitkäaikainen kestävyys ovat keskeisiä tavoitteita uusiutuvien energiateknologioiden kehittämisessä. Niiden joukossa aurinkosähkö edustaa yhtä nopeimmin kasvavista ja laajimmin kysytyistä ratkaisuista. Erityisesti väriaineherkistetyt aurinkokennot (DSSC) ja joustavat perovskiittiaurinkokennot (FPSC) herättävät merkittävää huomiota niiden monitoiminnallisen potentiaalin vuoksi sovelluksissa, kuten rakennuksiin integroidussa aurinkosähkössä (BIPV) ja esineiden internetissä (IoT). Niiden kehitystä kohti laajamittaista kaupallistamista kuitenkin haittaavat haasteet, kuten nestemäisen elektrolyytin vuotaminen ja haihtuminen, riittämätön mekaaninen kestävyys, rajoitettu toiminnallinen vakaus ja alentunut hyötysuhde. Tämä väitöskirja käsittelee näitä haasteita ehdottamalla kohdennettuja materiaali- ja rajapintaratkaisuja. DSSC-laitteissa yksiseinäiset hiilinanoputket (SWCNT) otettiin käyttöön vaihtoehtoisina vastaelektrodeina, kun taas 2D MXene sisällytettiin synergistisenä lisäaineena sekä kuparikompleksi-neste-elektrolyytteihin että polymeeripohjaisiin PEO/PVDF-HFP kvasikiinteisiin elektrolyytteihin. FPSC-laitteissa käytettiin 2D MoS2-nanolevyjä yhdessä 1-dodekaanitioli (DT) -ligandimuutosten kanssa perovskiitin/HTL-rajapinnassa. Nämä 1D/2D-nanomateriaalit paransivat merkittävästi laitteiden suorituskykyä ja vakautta parantamalla rajapinnan varauksensiirtoa ja estämällä loukkuavusteisia rekombinaatioreittejä. Kaiken kaikkiaan tulokset korostavat 1D/2D-nanomateriaalien keskeistä roolia rajapintapassivoinnissa ja -suunnittelussa, tarjoten käyttökelpoisen reitin kohti vakaiden, korkean suorituskyvyn omaavien uusien aurinkokennojen suunnittelua
Fatigue Strength and Mechanical Properties of Laser Welded Wire Arc Additive Manufactured (WAAM) 316L Butt Joints
No full textAbstract
This research explores the fatigue resistance and mechanical characteristics of laser-welded butt joints produced by wire arc additive manufacturing, using AISI 316L stainless steel. Two separate sets of welding parameters were used to carry out the laser welding experiments. Analysis of the joints’ microstructure was performed using electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), while optical microscopy was utilized to examine weld morphologies. Hardness tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Moreover, tensile testing was performed to examine the mechanical properties of the joints, while bending fatigue tests were used to determine their fatigue strength. Microstructure analysis revealed that the HAZ was indiscernible, with microstructural changes observed solely in the weld metal. Hardness measurements indicated a slight increase in joint hardness compared to the base material. Welding parameters notably influenced weld morphology. The results of the tensile tests showed that the tensile strength of the laser-welded joints was comparable to that of the base material. However, fatigue tests revealed a significantly lower fatigue limit for the welded joints compared to the base material.Abstract
This research explores the fatigue resistance and mechanical characteristics of laser-welded butt joints produced by wire arc additive manufacturing, using AISI 316L stainless steel. Two separate sets of welding parameters were used to carry out the laser welding experiments. Analysis of the joints’ microstructure was performed using electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), while optical microscopy was utilized to examine weld morphologies. Hardness tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Moreover, tensile testing was performed to examine the mechanical properties of the joints, while bending fatigue tests were used to determine their fatigue strength. Microstructure analysis revealed that the HAZ was indiscernible, with microstructural changes observed solely in the weld metal. Hardness measurements indicated a slight increase in joint hardness compared to the base material. Welding parameters notably influenced weld morphology. The results of the tensile tests showed that the tensile strength of the laser-welded joints was comparable to that of the base material. However, fatigue tests revealed a significantly lower fatigue limit for the welded joints compared to the base material
Research engagement of graduate students of engineering
No full textVahva koulutus on etu sekä ihmisten että yhteiskuntien välisessä kilpailussa. Niinpä yhteiskunnat pyrkivät kouluttamaan yhä enemmän tohtoreita ja yhä useamman ihmisen kannattaa jatkaa opintojaan tohtorikoululaisena. Sekä ihmisen itsensä että yhteiskunnan resursseja kuitenkin tuhlaantuu, mikäli tohtorikouluun lähtenyt ihminen ei valmistu.
Tutkimustyö imun kokeminen auttaa merkittävästi tohtorikoululaista saavuttamaan tohtorin tutkinnon tehokkaasti ja menestyksekkäästi. Tutkimustyön imu on suomenkielinen käännös englanninkieliselle termille research engagement. Tässä opinnäytteessä tutkimustyön imulla tarkoitetaan tutkimuksen tekemisen herättämää positiivista mielentilaa, jossa ihminen kokee olevansa tarmokas, sitoutunut ja uppoutunut.
Vaikka tutkimustyön imua on tutkittu jo useampana vuosikymmenenä, tekniikan tohtorikoululaisien tutkimustyön imusta ei ole olemassa yhtään julkaistua tutkimusta. Tekniset alat ovat kuitenkin aloja, joissa tiedon määrä on paisunut ja yhteiskunnan organisoiman tohtorikoulutuksen määrä on moninkertaistunut.
Tällä tutkimuksella haluttiin selvittää, poikkeaako tekniikan tohtorikoululaisten kokema tutkimustyön imun määrä muiden alojen tohtorikoululaisten kokemasta tutkimustyön imun määrästä. Jatkokysymys oli, voivatko mahdolliset erot selittyä eroista tukiverkostoissa. Tukiverkostoja mitattiin ohjaajan tuki, tiedeyhteisön tuki ja tiedeyhteisön riitaisuus -mittareilla. Vastausta lähdettiin etsimään aineistosta nimeltä Tohtoriopiskelija-kysely. Se kerättiin verkkokyselyllä Oulun yliopiston tohtorikoululaisilta huhtikuussa 2015. Kaikkiaan 402 tohtorikoululaista vastasi kyselyyn ja heistä 62 % oli naisia ja 38 % miehiä. Kyselyssä oli 151 kysymystä, joista suurin osa oli likert tyypin väittämiä. Kysymyksistä 14 oli kontrollimuuttujia. Analyysimenetelmä oli korrelaatiotarkastelu.
Ensimmäinen tulos oli, että tekniikan tohtorikoululaisten kokema tutkimustyön imu ei poikennut muiden kovien alojen tohtorikoululaisten kokemasta tutkimustyön imusta. Kovat alat on suomenkielinen vastine englanninkieliseen määritelmään STEM eli science, technology, engineering ja mathematics. Pehmeät alat jaettiin kahteen ryhmään tutkimuksen aikana: lääketieteellisiin aloihin ja muut pehmeät alat. Toinen tulos onkin kaksiosainen. Tekniikan tohtorikoululaisten kokema tutkimustyön imu ei poikennut lääketieteellisen alojen tohtorikoululaisten kokemasta tutkimustyön imusta. Toisaalta tekniikan tohtorikoululaisten kokema tutkimustyön imu oli pienempi kuin niiden tohtorikoululaisten kokema tutkimustyön imu, jotka kuuluivat pehmeisiin aloihin, joista lääketieteelliset alat oli rajattu pois. Ero kahden edellä mainitun tohtorikoululaisryhmän kokemassa tutkimustyön imussa näyttäisi johtuvan erosta tukiverkostoissa ja eritysesti niin että tutkimusyhteisö on riitaisampi tekniikan aloilla kuin pehmeillä aloilla pl. lääketieteelliset alat.Good education is an advantage in competition between persons and between societies. Therefore, societies try to educate more and more doctors and more and more persons choose to continue their studies as PhD students. However, both personal and public resources are wasted if the PhD student does not achieve the goal.
The experience of research engagement helps a PhD student to achieve his degree efficiently and successfully. In this thesis research engagement is a positive state of mind towards doing research. When a person is research engaged, he is vigorous, dedicated and absorbed.
Although research engagement has been researched for some decades, there are no research articles on research engagement of engineering PhD students. This is surprising as technical fields are fields where amount of new knowledge has exploded and the number of PhD student positions publicly available has increased strongly.
In this thesis there were three questions that sought answers. Firstly, does research engagement of engineering PhD students differ from other graduate students of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)? Secondly does research engagement of engineering PhD students differ from non-STEM PhD students? And finally, if differences are found, do differences in social support (supervisory support, research community support or frictions) explain the difference? To find the answers a Doctoral experience-survey was analyzed. The survey was sent to all doctoral students in University of Oulu Graduate Scholl in April 2015. All together 402 doctoral students answered to the survey and 62 % of the were female and 38 % were male. Survey had 151 questions, and most were likert type statements. Out of 151 questions there were 14 background questions. Method of analysis was correlation analysis.
First result is research engagement of engineering PhD students does not differ from other STEM graduate students or from PhD students of medicine. But engineering PhD students have lower engagement than the non-STEM & non-medicine group. The difference of the last two groups could come from social support and especially research community frictions as this quantity was lower for engineering PhD students than the non-STEM & non-medicine group
Habitat requirements of the Willow tit (Poecile montanus) in winter urban forests : tools for urban planning
No full textLuonnon monimuotoisuus on vähentynyt voimakkaasti ympäri maapalloa useamman vuosikymmenen ajan. Ihmisten aiheuttamat maankäytön muutokset edesauttavat luontokadon etenemistä aiheuttaen elinympäristöjen laadullisia ja määrällisiä muutoksia. Viimeisen vuosisadan ajan kaupungistumisella on lisäksi ollut maailmanlaajuisesti suuria vaikutuksia elinympäristöihin, johtaen elinympäristöjen täydelliseen muutokseen. Ihmisen aiheuttamien elinympäristömuutosten vaikutusten ymmärtäminen onkin ratkaisevassa asemassa luontokadon pysäyttämisessä.
Yksi maankäytön muutosten ja kaupungistumisen myötä viime vuosikymmeninä vähentynyt laji on hömötiainen (Poecile montanus). Laji on esiintynyt Oulussa aikaisemmin runsaslukuisena, mutta sitä tavataan nykyään yhä vähemmän. Valtakunnallisesti laji on erittäin uhanalainen. Oulun kaupungin kasvaminen aiheuttaa painetta hömötiaisen kaltaisille havumetsälajeille. Kaupunkisuunnittelun ratkaisuilla voidaan vähentää tätä painetta, kunhan ne kohdistetaan oikeille alueille.
Oulun kaupunkimetsissä selvitettiin hömötiaisen talvisen reviirin elinympäristövaatimuksia sekä kaupunkialueen eri vyöhykkeiden tiaisyhteisöjen koostumusta. Tärkeimmäksi hömötiaisen elinympäristövaatimukseksi kaupunkiympäristössä osoittautui metsälaikkujen kytkeytyneisyys viherkäytäviksi, havaintotodennäköisyyden romahtaessa yli 50 m päässä viherkäytävästä. Myös sopivan talvielinympäristön osuus osoittautui merkitseväksi. Ennusteiden vastaisesti hömötiaiset eivät suosineet pyöreämuotoisia laikkuja. Hömötiaisten määrä parvessa oli tulosten mukaan 1,9 yksilöä ja sitä vastaava keskimääräinen reviirikoko noin 13 hehtaaria.
Hömötiainen muodostaa muiden tiaiskillan lajien kanssa talviparvia, joiden yhteisörakenne vaihteli kaupungin eri vyöhykkeillä. Metsävyöhyke osoittautui monimuotoisimmaksi, ydinkeskustan edustaessa yksipuolista lajistoa. Lähiövyöhyke osoittautui tärkeäksi kaupungin monimuotoisuutta tukevaksi alueeksi muodostaen parhaimmillaan viherkäytäväverkoston metsävyöhykkeeltä pitkälle lähiövyöhykkeen sisään.
Kaupungissa metsälaikut ovat monesti pieniä ja pirstoutuneita, joten näiden kytkeytyneisyyteen tulee kaupunkisuunnittelussa kiinnittää huomiota. Lisäksi laajoja ja laadukkaita kaupunkimetsiä tulisi säilyttää. Yhteneväinen pyöreä laikku ei ole välttämätön, vaan kaupunkimetsälaikut voivat olla pitkulaisia, mikäli laikkujen yhteiskoko ja muut ominaisuudet ovat sopivia. Tutkimuksessa havaitut tekijät ja raja-arvot tarjoavat työkaluja kaupunkisuunnitteluun. Tutkittuun tietoon pohjautuvat kaupunkisuunnittelun ratkaisut voivat mahdollistaa kaupunkiympäristössäkin luonnon monimuotoisuuden kasvun ja luontokadon kääntymisen elpymistolalle
ML-Aided Indoor Illumination Estimation for Supercapacitor-Based ZE-IoT with Photovoltaic Energy Harvesting
No full textAbstract
Accurate estimation of indoor illumination is critical for sustaining the operation of battery-free Photovoltaic (PV) Energy-Harvesting (EH) based Zero-Energy Internet of Things (ZE-IoT) nodes. Most of these nodes rely on supercapacitors for energy storage, which offer high cycle life but exhibit low energy density compared to batteries. Consequently, the available runtime depends heavily on the limited optical power density typically found in indoor environments. Using dedicated optical sensors to monitor illumination increases node complexity, raises energy overhead, and is susceptible to noise. To address these challenges, this work proposes a novel Machine Learning (ML) approach that estimates indoor incident illumination on ZE-IoT nodes from supercapacitor voltage variations, thereby eliminating the need for dedicated illumination sensors. For concept evaluation, a Random Forest regressor with Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation (LOO-CV) is employed to infer optical power availability from the supercapacitor’s discharge behavior. Experimental validation using a ZE-IoT prototype based on the LIoT platform demonstrates an average estimation error of ±29.8 lux. By transferring illumination estimation to the network side, the proposed method reduces node complexity, supports energy-constrained operation, and enables proactive outage mitigation in sustainable ZE-IoT deployments.Abstract
Accurate estimation of indoor illumination is critical for sustaining the operation of battery-free Photovoltaic (PV) Energy-Harvesting (EH) based Zero-Energy Internet of Things (ZE-IoT) nodes. Most of these nodes rely on supercapacitors for energy storage, which offer high cycle life but exhibit low energy density compared to batteries. Consequently, the available runtime depends heavily on the limited optical power density typically found in indoor environments. Using dedicated optical sensors to monitor illumination increases node complexity, raises energy overhead, and is susceptible to noise. To address these challenges, this work proposes a novel Machine Learning (ML) approach that estimates indoor incident illumination on ZE-IoT nodes from supercapacitor voltage variations, thereby eliminating the need for dedicated illumination sensors. For concept evaluation, a Random Forest regressor with Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation (LOO-CV) is employed to infer optical power availability from the supercapacitor’s discharge behavior. Experimental validation using a ZE-IoT prototype based on the LIoT platform demonstrates an average estimation error of ±29.8 lux. By transferring illumination estimation to the network side, the proposed method reduces node complexity, supports energy-constrained operation, and enables proactive outage mitigation in sustainable ZE-IoT deployments
Health disparities among LGBTQ+ adults aged 33-35 in northern Finland: findings from the NFBC1986 cohort
No full textAbstract
Background:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) individuals experience elevated health-related risks and a higher prevalence of physical diseases, often attributed to minority stress resulting from discrimination and victimization related to their minority status.
Aim:
This cross-sectional study examined health-related risk factors (socioeconomic status, obesity, substance abuse, and physical inactivity), self-rated health, functional limitations, and physical morbidity among LGBTQ+ participants aged 33-35 in the population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986).
Methods:
Data were drawn from NFBC1986 and were entirely self-reported. Assessed health parameters included sociodemographic and behavioral factors considered as health-related risk factors (current marital status, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol use, physical activity), current self-rated health, functional limitations due to medical conditions in the past 6 months, and lifetime physical morbidity. Independent samples’ t-tests, Mann–Whitney U-tests for non-normal distributions, and binary logistic regression were used to compare outcomes between LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual participants. The study population comprised 2841 participants: 2721 (95.8%) cisgender heterosexual and 120 LGBTQ+ participants. Among the cisgender heterosexual participants, 1720 (63.2%) were women and 1001 men. Of the LGBTQ+ group, 103 (85.8%) belonged to cisgender sexual minority group, and 17 belonged to gender minority group.
Outcomes:
LGBTQ+ participants experience poorer health outcomes than cisgender heterosexual participants, which may be linked to minority stress related to stigma, discrimination, and victimization.
Results:
LGBTQ+ participants reported significantly poorer self-rated health than cisgender heterosexual participants in both assigned female at birth (AFAB; P < .001), and assigned male at birth (AMAB; P = .030) groups, and were more often unpartnered (AFAB: P = .003; AMAB P < .001). AFAB LGBTQ+ participants also had lower socioeconomic status (P = .012), higher BMI (P = .006), and greater functional limitations (P = .022). AMAB LGBTQ+ participants were more likely non-smokers compared to cisgender heterosexual participants (P = .026). No significant differences were observed in physical morbidity between the groups.
Clinical Implications:
This study highlights the need for further consideration of the health of LGBTQ+ population and the implementation of healthcare interventions aimed at improving the health of this specific group.
Strengths and Limitations:
This study’s main strength is the rich lifelong health data from the NFBC1986 cohort, while its limitation lies in the moderate sub-sample sizes.
Conclusion:
At ages 33-35, LGBTQ+ participants faced lower socioeconomic status, higher likelihood of being unpartnered, higher BMI, poorer self-rated health, and greater functional limitations, though no difference in physical morbidity was found compared to cisgender heterosexual participants.Abstract
Background:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) individuals experience elevated health-related risks and a higher prevalence of physical diseases, often attributed to minority stress resulting from discrimination and victimization related to their minority status.
Aim:
This cross-sectional study examined health-related risk factors (socioeconomic status, obesity, substance abuse, and physical inactivity), self-rated health, functional limitations, and physical morbidity among LGBTQ+ participants aged 33-35 in the population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986).
Methods:
Data were drawn from NFBC1986 and were entirely self-reported. Assessed health parameters included sociodemographic and behavioral factors considered as health-related risk factors (current marital status, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol use, physical activity), current self-rated health, functional limitations due to medical conditions in the past 6 months, and lifetime physical morbidity. Independent samples’ t-tests, Mann–Whitney U-tests for non-normal distributions, and binary logistic regression were used to compare outcomes between LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual participants. The study population comprised 2841 participants: 2721 (95.8%) cisgender heterosexual and 120 LGBTQ+ participants. Among the cisgender heterosexual participants, 1720 (63.2%) were women and 1001 men. Of the LGBTQ+ group, 103 (85.8%) belonged to cisgender sexual minority group, and 17 belonged to gender minority group.
Outcomes:
LGBTQ+ participants experience poorer health outcomes than cisgender heterosexual participants, which may be linked to minority stress related to stigma, discrimination, and victimization.
Results:
LGBTQ+ participants reported significantly poorer self-rated health than cisgender heterosexual participants in both assigned female at birth (AFAB; P < .001), and assigned male at birth (AMAB; P = .030) groups, and were more often unpartnered (AFAB: P = .003; AMAB P < .001). AFAB LGBTQ+ participants also had lower socioeconomic status (P = .012), higher BMI (P = .006), and greater functional limitations (P = .022). AMAB LGBTQ+ participants were more likely non-smokers compared to cisgender heterosexual participants (P = .026). No significant differences were observed in physical morbidity between the groups.
Clinical Implications:
This study highlights the need for further consideration of the health of LGBTQ+ population and the implementation of healthcare interventions aimed at improving the health of this specific group.
Strengths and Limitations:
This study’s main strength is the rich lifelong health data from the NFBC1986 cohort, while its limitation lies in the moderate sub-sample sizes.
Conclusion:
At ages 33-35, LGBTQ+ participants faced lower socioeconomic status, higher likelihood of being unpartnered, higher BMI, poorer self-rated health, and greater functional limitations, though no difference in physical morbidity was found compared to cisgender heterosexual participants
Incidence and Mortality of Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome: A Nationwide Registry Study in Finland
No full textAbstract
This study investigated the incidence, mortality, and causes of death in Finnish patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) or Sezary syndrome (SS). The study population consisted of 450 patients with MF and 23 with SS and their 1:1 matched controls. Data were collected from nationwide Finnish healthcare registries. The average incidence of MF was 0.38 and of SS 0.02 per 100,000 persons in 2007–2019 and was highest among older adults. Patients with SS had a low 5-year overall survival of 33.5% vs 64.5% in their controls (p = 0.0046), whereas 62.3% of patients with MF were alive 10 years after diagnosis vs 71.4% of their controls (p = 0.0011). SS diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] 11.85 [5.08, 27.65]; p < 0.001) and higher age (HR 1.07 [1.01, 1.12]; p = 0.01) were risk factors of poorer disease-specific survival. Moreover, patients with MF had a 2.38-fold [1.07, 5.27] risk of thyroid diseases (p = 0.033) and over 1.5-fold [1.17, 2.07] risk of cardiovascular diseases (p = 0.002) compared with controls. In conclusion, in the Finnish population, patients with MF or SS had a higher incidence and mortality and more late comorbidities than controls. More awareness, earlier diagnostic tools, and more effective treat-ment for MF/SS are needed.Abstract
This study investigated the incidence, mortality, and causes of death in Finnish patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) or Sezary syndrome (SS). The study population consisted of 450 patients with MF and 23 with SS and their 1:1 matched controls. Data were collected from nationwide Finnish healthcare registries. The average incidence of MF was 0.38 and of SS 0.02 per 100,000 persons in 2007–2019 and was highest among older adults. Patients with SS had a low 5-year overall survival of 33.5% vs 64.5% in their controls (p = 0.0046), whereas 62.3% of patients with MF were alive 10 years after diagnosis vs 71.4% of their controls (p = 0.0011). SS diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] 11.85 [5.08, 27.65]; p < 0.001) and higher age (HR 1.07 [1.01, 1.12]; p = 0.01) were risk factors of poorer disease-specific survival. Moreover, patients with MF had a 2.38-fold [1.07, 5.27] risk of thyroid diseases (p = 0.033) and over 1.5-fold [1.17, 2.07] risk of cardiovascular diseases (p = 0.002) compared with controls. In conclusion, in the Finnish population, patients with MF or SS had a higher incidence and mortality and more late comorbidities than controls. More awareness, earlier diagnostic tools, and more effective treat-ment for MF/SS are needed