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Developing Criteria for an Emerging Land Use - Sphagnum Moss Harvesting - Through Stakeholder Engagement and Consequent Potential Sphagnum Harvesting Area in Finland
No full textSphagnum mosses are a dominant plant group in boreal and temperate peatlands, significantly contributing to peat accumulation and, consequently, terrestrial carbon stock. Sphagnum moss as a potentially renewable alternative for peat is an emerging raw material in the horticultural growing medium industry – hence Sphagnum is harvested or farmed in multiple countries worldwide. In Finland, Sphagnum harvesting is a new land use of peatlands, currently conducted on a small scale, preferentially on sites previously affected by other types of land use. However, with ample suitable harvesting areas available, such as forestry drained peatlands with low timber production, Sphagnum harvesting has the potential to become a significant land use practice. To assess the available Sphagnum harvesting land resources in Finland, we employed collaborative working methods, including repeated workshops with stakeholders and semi-structured interviews to establish criteria for site selection. Through stakeholder engagement, the criteria were selected, further modified, and used in spatial analysis to delineate potential harvesting areas and estimate land area. The criteria formulation involved several stages, including identifying existing land-use restrictions and other possible constraints on peatlands, and assessing where suitable Sphagnum yield and production costs can be achieved. The resulting area estimate ─ 241,000 hectares of potential Sphagnum harvesting area ─ is substantial, accounting for up to 3% of all peatland areas in Finland. It also exceeds the estimated area needed for Sphagnum harvesting to replace peat as a growing medium in Finland. The stakeholder engagement process revealed the need for further regulation of Sphagnum harvesting if the activity is upscaled
Experiences of student supervisors in guiding the practical training of healthcare students – Systematic review
No full textInstitutionaalisen luottamuksen rapautuminen hoitoalan työehtosopimusneuvotteluissa - Kriittinen diskurssianalyysi uutisaineistosta
No full textThis study examines the dynamics of institutional trust and power relations during a labour dispute in the healthcare sector through national news media. The study is a qualitative document analysis, where critical discourse analysis and the model of trustworthiness serve as the framework for examining institutional trust and power relations. The research data consisting of 124 news articles from Yle were analysed using critical discourse analysis. Three main discourses were identified: ‘Patient safety guaranteed by slave law’, ‘Who will take care of you?’ and ‘A united front’. These discourses revealed the erosion of institutional trust driven by power imbalances that hindered trust building. This study highlights the importance of negotiating relationships and maintaining mutual trust for successful negotiations and post-agreement cooperation
Exploring Inquiry-Based Susainability Education in Finnish Primary Schools: Teachers' Insights on Opportunities and Challeneges
No full textThe role of fuel and environmental conditions on the amount and composition of primary, fresh, and aged aerosol emissions originating from diesel- and gasoline-operated auxiliary heaters of passenger cars
No full textFuel-operated auxiliary heaters (AHs) are potentially significant additional sources of particle- and gas-phase pollution from vehicles, but information on their emissions is scarce. In particular, an understanding of secondary aerosol formation originating from AH exhaust is lacking. In this study, we measured the gas and particle emissions, including secondary emissions, of diesel- and gasoline-operated AHs used in passenger cars. Investigation revealed the importance of peak emissions during start and shutdown events of the heaters and differences between emissions of gasoline- and diesel-fuelled AHs: gasoline-operated AHs also produced particles under steady-state operating conditions, while their diesel counterparts did not. Furthermore, ambient air temperature was observed to impact the emission profiles, with, for example, higher nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particle mass emissions but lower particle number (PN) emissions observed in outdoor (−19 to −7 °C) measurements compared to laboratory measurements (+25 °C). However, further quantification is necessary to fully connect the temperature-related effects and AH emissions. Our findings highlight the importance of also characterizing the atmospherically aged aerosols, specifically secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, which was simulated here both by an environmental chamber and by an oxidation flow reactor (OFR). The particle mass in photochemically aged aerosols surpassed the fresh exhaust particulate mass emissions by 1 to 3 orders of magnitude, with the increase depending mainly on fuel, combustion conditions, and ageing methods. Further research into formation pathways of secondary aerosols from precursors is still needed, along with the quantification of vehicle AH emissions at the fleet level, to enable the estimation of atmospheric and air quality effects of AH usage
A comparison of anthropometric indicators in predicting the incidence of diabetes and intermediate hyperglycaemia in Finland: a 22-year observational study
No full textBackground
Given the rising global prevalence of obesity and its strong association with type 2 diabetes, this study aims to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of various anthropometric indicators in predicting the incidence of type 2 diabetes and intermediate hyperglycaemia (IH) over a 22-year period. Due to the limitations of body mass index as a predictive marker, the study assesses alternative metrics, including waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist circumference (WC), and relative fat mass (RFM), to determine their predictive power for type 2 diabetes and intermediate hyperglycaemia.
Methods
The cohort comprised 1168 adults (aged ≥ 50 years) from Savitaipale, Finland. Data collection included clinical and laboratory assessments and questionnaires at baseline and at the 10-, and 22-year follow-ups. The incidence of type 2 diabetes and IH was assessed via a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test and health care registry data. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) metrics were used to evaluate the predictive power of each indicator, stratified by sex.
Results
WHR had the highest predictive accuracy for type 2 diabetes in men (AUC = 0.70), whereas RFM and WHtR were equally predictive in women (AUC = 0.68). For IH, RFM and WHR were most predictive in men, and WHtR in women. Combining multiple indicators improved the sensitivity of type 2 diabetes prediction.
Conclusions
Alternative anthropometric indicators offer comparable predictive value and show potential for individualised type 2 diabetes and IH risk assessment. Sex-specific cutoffs and a multi-indicator approach could be used to improve screening and early intervention strategies, potentially improving public health management of diabetes risk
The functionality of self-licensing and its association with other dimensions of eating behavior
No full textFrequencies and Averages Miss the Point of SRL Evolution: A Complex Dynamic Systems Approach
No full textSelf-regulated learning (SRL) is a complex phenomenon with many interacting components and phases that evolve over time. As such, it requires an analytical lens that takes into account those characteristics. In this study, we investigate how the dynamics between the different SRL components evolve throughout four blended-learning courses. We use psychological networks —a computational method commonly used to model complex systems— to map the interaction between SRL components at the beginning and at the end of the courses. Our results show significant differences in students’ SRL processes at the two time points. These findings have implications that can inform interventions that target students’ SRL
