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Employee wellbeing : a computational review on the consequences of workplace automation
No full textThe integration of automation into workplaces presents complex implications for employee wellbeing. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study reviews how automation-enabling technologies generate new job demands and resources across four dimensions of employee wellbeing: performance, physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, and workplace relationships. Combining a computational literature review with qualitative content analysis, we identify and synthesize a multidisciplinary body of related literature. Our analysis reveals that automation disproportionately introduces new or intensified demands-particularly in performance, mental and relational dimensions-while resources tend to cluster around performance and physical wellbeing. Further, we show how these effects often spill across wellbeing dimensions, with technologies designed to improve efficiency often resulting in unintended cognitive, emotional, or social strain. Our synthesis extends the JD-R framework to better capture the distribution, alignment, and cross-domain effects of automation-induced changes in job characteristics, offering a structured agenda for future research and highlighting practical implications for human-centric technology design, organizational management, and employee support.Peer reviewe
Reflexive Law as a Pathway to Sustainable Development : Insights from China’s River Chief System as a Model of Water Governance and Circular Economy Practice
No full textThis dissertation examines how reflexive law – a legal approach emphasising procedural openness, stakeholder participation, feedback, and continuous adaptation – can shape environmental governance, enhance resource efficiency, and support incremental transitions toward a circular economy (CE). In response to escalating global environmental challenges, it explores how legal frameworks can move beyond rigid command-and-control models toward more flexible and collaborative forms of regulation.
The analysis focuses on China’s River Chief System (RCS) as a case study. The RCS illustrates how reflexive mechanisms operate within a hybrid governance structure that combines hierarchical political accountability with transparency, feedback, and participatory channels. This design enables local authorities to adjust policies in real time, respond to environmental crises, and engage businesses and communities through digital monitoring platforms. Although these interventions are often compliance-driven, they have stimulated incremental corporate investments in recycling, efficiency, and closed-loop processes. This mechanism, theorised in this study as compliance-driven circularity, demonstrates how regulatory pressure can evolve into innovation aligned with CE principles.
Methodologically, the dissertation is anchored in doctrinal legal research, systematically interpreting statutory and regulatory instruments in China and the European Union (EU), including China’s Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law and EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). This analysis is complemented by interpretive, comparative, and contextual approaches, and applies reflexive law through four evaluative criteria: openness, feedback, inclusiveness, and learning capacity.
The dissertation makes three key contributions. First, it operationalises reflexive law through four evaluative criteria and demonstrates their analytical value when applied to concrete institutional frameworks such as the RCS. Second, it develops a contextualised understanding of reflexive governance, showing that its effectiveness depends on institutional capacity, transparency, and participatory safeguards. Third, it introduces the concept of compliance-driven circularity, explaining how stringent environmental standards can catalyse incremental CE practices even in the absence of explicit CE mandates.
Overall, the study shows that reflexive law is not a universally superior model but a context-dependent governance framework whose effectiveness relies on enforceable legal standards and safeguards against symbolic participation. By clarifying the conditions under which reflexive law succeeds or fails, the dissertation provides guidance for designing governance models that balance hierarchy with adaptability, compliance with innovation, and local needs with international sustainability goals.Tässä väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan, miten refleksiivinen oikeus – oikeudellinen lähestymistapa, joka korostaa menettelyllistä avoimuutta, sidosryhmien osallistumista, palautemekanismeja ja jatkuvaa sopeutumista – voi muovata ympäristöhallintaa, parantaa resurssitehokkuutta ja tukea asteittaisia siirtymiä kohti kiertotaloutta. Vastauksena kasvaviin globaaleihin ympäristöhaasteisiin tutkimus analysoi, miten oikeudelliset kehykset voivat siirtyä jäykistä käsky- ja valvontamalleista kohti joustavampia ja yhteistyöhön perustuvia sääntelymuotoja.
Analyysi keskittyy Kiinan jokipäällikköjärjestelmään (River Chief System, RCS) tapaustutkimuksena. RCS havainnollistaa, miten refleksiiviset mekanismit toimivat hybridissä hallintorakenteessa, jossa hierarkkinen poliittinen vastuu yhdistyy avoimuuteen, palautekanaviin ja osallistumismahdollisuuksiin. Järjestelmä mahdollistaa paikallisviranomaisille politiikkatoimien reaaliaikaisen mukauttamisen, reagoinnin ympäristökriiseihin sekä yritysten ja yhteisöjen osallistamisen digitaalisten seurantajärjestelmien kautta. Vaikka toimenpiteet ovat usein sääntelyn noudattamiseen perustuvia, ne ovat edistäneet yritysten asteittaisia investointeja kierrätykseen, resurssitehokkuuteen ja suljettuihin tuotantokiertoihin. Tätä mekanismia kutsutaan tässä tutkimuksessa nimellä compliance-driven circularity, ja se osoittaa, miten sääntelypaine voi kehittyä kiertotalouden periaatteita tukevaksi innovaatioksi.
Menetelmällisesti väitöskirja perustuu lainopilliseen tutkimukseen, jossa tulkitaan systemaattisesti keskeisiä Kiinan ja Euroopan unionin säädöksiä ja ohjausasiakirjoja, mukaan lukien Kiinan vesien pilaantumisen ehkäisyä ja torjuntaa koskeva lainsäädäntö sekä EU:n yritysvastuuta koskevat raportointi- ja huolellisuusvelvoitteet. Tätä analyysiä täydennetään tulkitsevilla ja vertailevilla lähestymistavoilla, ja refleksiivista oikeutta arvioidaan neljän kriteerin avulla: avoimuus, palaute, osallistavuus ja oppimiskyky.
Väitöskirja tuo esiin kolme keskeistä kontribuutiota refleksiivisen oikeuden ja ympäristöhallinnan tutkimukseen. Ensinnäkin se operationalisoi refleksiivisen oikeuden neljäksi arviointikriteeriksi ja osoittaa niiden analyyttisen arvon konkreettisten institutionaalisten järjestelmien, kuten RCS:n, tarkastelussa. Toiseksi tutkimus kehittää kontekstualisoidun käsityksen refleksiivisestä hallinnasta ja osoittaa, että sen toimivuus riippuu institutionaalisesta kapasiteetista, avoimuudesta ja osallistumista turvaavista rakenteista. Kolmanneksi tutkimus esittelee käsitteen compliance-driven circularity ja selittää, miten tiukat ympäristöstandardit voivat edistää asteittaisia kiertotalouskäytäntöjä myös ilman nimenomaisia kiertotalousvelvoitteita.
Kokonaisuutena tutkimus osoittaa, että refleksiivinen oikeus ei ole yleispätevästi ylivertainen hallintomalli, vaan kontekstisidonnainen lähestymistapa, jonka toimivuus edellyttää täytäntöönpanokelpoisia oikeudellisia normeja ja suojakeinoja näennäisosallistumista vastaan. Tunnistamalla ne olosuhteet, joissa refleksiivinen oikeus onnistuu tai epäonnistuu, väitöskirja tarjoaa ohjeita sellaisten hallintomallien suunnitteluun, jotka tasapainottavat hierarkian ja sopeutumiskyvyn, sääntelyn noudattamisen ja innovaation sekä paikalliset tarpeet ja globaalit kestävyyspäämäärät
Elucidating the Role of STK4 in MSU-induced Inflammation
No full textInflammation-related diseases and mortality are increasing due to an aging population. One contributing factor to this is clonal hematopoiesis (CH), an age-associated phenomenon in which hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) acquire mutations. Some of these mutations give the HSC a growth advantage, leading to the expansion of this cell, eventually forming a clone. CH is known to contribute to the development of blood cancers and various inflammatory conditions. It can be divided into clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and mosaic chromosomal alterations (mCAs). CHIPs are point mutations in cancer driver genes in the absence of blood cancer, and mCAs are larger chromosomal changes where parts of the chromosome are gained, lost, or recombined.
Although CHIP has been linked to inflammatory diseases, including gout, the role of mCAs remains less well understood. Emerging research has identified an association between mCAs and various inflammatory diseases, gout being one of them. A common deleted region (CDR) within a specific chromosomal loss, shared by most affected individuals, includes the gene STK4, which has been implicated in hematologic malignancies and in the regulation of inflammation in monocytes. STK4 codes for a protein important in the Hippo Kinase pathway, and its downstream effector, YAP, has been shown to regulate interleukin 1β (IL-1β) secretion from macrophages in response to monosodium urate (MSU) crystals.
Gout is an inflammatory disease with joint inflammation, common in the elderly. Its pathogenesis is primarily driven by MSU crystals that are formed in joints when serum urate levels exceed their solubility threshold. Joint-resident macrophages secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β as the key effector, when encountering MSU crystals, leading to acute inflammation.
This study aimed to investigate the role of STK4 in MSU-induced inflammation. We hypothesize that deletion of STK4 increases YAP activity, leading to elevated IL-1β production in macrophages in response to MSU crystals. Two approaches were employed to study this: MST1 inhibitors, in both a monocytic cell line and primary monocytes/macrophages, and STK4 knockout. YAP levels were measured with Western blotting, and IL-1β levels with ELISA.
While results from the monocytic cell line were inconsistent, MST1 inhibition increased IL-1β secretion in primary cells after MSU-stimulation. These findings suggest a potential role for STK4 in regulating inflammatory responses in gout. However, further studies using complementary approaches are needed to confirm these results. Elucidating the mechanisms through which age-related inflammation occurs can help the development of targeted therapies, reduce the economic burden of inflammatory diseases, and improve quality of life in aging populations
Transitioning paediatric empyema management : Comparative efficacy analysis of tPA and DNase versus surgical interventions
No full textIntroduction: Empyema significantly impacts paediatric morbidity and imposes a financial burden on healthcare systems. This study evaluates the efficacy of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and dornase alpha (DNase) combination in fibrinolytic therapy compared with surgical interventions (VATS/thoracotomy) in children with empyema. Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort consisted of 87 consecutive patients from January 2018 to December 2024, of whom 43 underwent surgical treatment and 44 received tPA + DNase therapy. The fibrinolytics group was divided into two subgroups to assess the learning curve: initial period (n = 22) and latest period (n = 22). The primary outcome was the hospitalisation duration. The secondary outcome measures included intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate, reintervention rate, costs of treatment, and empyema relapse within 30 days. Results: The median age was 3.9 years (range 0.7-17.3). The median duration of hospitalisation was 11 [9-14] days in VATS/thoracotomy group and 10 [7-13] days in fibrinolytics group (p = 0.086). The ICU admission rate was significantly lower in the fibrinolytics group (34.8 % vs. 13.6 %, p = 0.019), as were the costs of treatment (32,628 [25,386 - 44,504] vs 27,523 [19,264 - 34,662], p = 0.011). Two empyema relapses were observed in each group. No readmissions occurred. The fibrinolytics group demonstrated higher reintervention rate compared to VATS/thoracotomy group (22.7 % vs. 7.0 %, p = 0.038) but significantly decreased in the latest period compared to the initial period (9.1 % vs. 36.0 %, p = 0.034), indicating a clear learning curve. Conclusion: tPA + DNase therapy is a safe and effective management option for paediatric empyema. (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe
Degrowth and postgrowth : A systematic literature review of growth-critical science
No full textThis article is a systematic review of the bourgeoning field of studies employing growth-critical concepts, namely degrowth and postgrowth. First, it demonstrates how these concepts are used across disciplines, and how they consequently have varying approaches to theory, subject matter, and policy. Secondly, it maps the topography of growth-critical science to demonstrate the topical differences and similarities in these studies. By topic modelling, a natural-language processing machine-learning method, the study finds 20 focal topics from 943 articles. The critiques of growth appear in various combinations, allowing the article to compile the main topics and to demonstrate how they span across studies. The article challenges the assumption that growth-critical science forms a united political or scholarly agenda beyond being critical towards perpetual economic growth.Peer reviewe
Environmental determinants of immune tolerance in asthma and allergy
No full textPrevalence of allergic diseases has increased globally, reflecting environmental and behavioral changes. The exposome concept encompasses cumulative chemical, microbial, nutritional, psychosocial, and physical exposures across the life course, offering a unifying framework to understand how immune tolerance is shaped or disrupted. Emerging evidence highlights that early-life exposures are particularly critical. Pollutants, endocrine disruptors, microbial deprivation, dietary shifts, and psychosocial stress contribute to barrier dysfunction, dysbiosis, and immune dysregulation, favoring Th2 dominance and allergy development. In contrast, exposures that enhance biodiversity, microbial diversity, pollution-free air, and balanced nutrition support active tolerance development, especially via regulatory T cells. Mechanistic insights point to the barrier-microbiota-immune axis as central pathways linking the environment to allergic outcomes. Translational studies, including biodiversity enrichment interventions, maternal and infant dietary strategies, and microbiome-based therapies, illustrate the potential of exposome-informed approaches to allergy prevention. However, major challenges remain in measuring complex exposure mixtures, identifying causal pathways, and integrating exposome data with systems immunology. This review synthesizes current knowledge on how the exposome modulates immune tolerance and outlines future research directions toward precision prevention. A deeper understanding of these interactions is essential to address the rising global allergy burden.Peer reviewe
Luonnollinen ja lääkkeellisesti ohjelmoitu kierto pakastetun alkion siirrossa: mahdollisesti suurentunut keskenmenoriski lääkkeellisessä kierrossa – retrospektiivinen analyysi
No full textFrozen embryo transfer (FET) can be performed using various protocols: natural cycle (NC), modified natural cycle (mNC), stimulated cycle (SC), or programmed cycle (PC). Recent data comparing the endometrial preparation protocols have not demonstrated the superiority of any single protocol on life birth rate (LBR) or other pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine whether there is a difference in live birth rate between natural cycle and programmed cycle frozen embryo transfer (FET), and what confounding factors impact this outcome.
This retrospective cohort study at a tertiary university clinic analysed 5435 FETs in 1913 subjects during 2016-2020. Altogether 1735 cycles were cancelled, mostly due to an anovulatory cycle or a weekend in a 5-day clinic, resulting in a total of 3700 FETs performed (2581 NC and 1119 PC). Data collected included demographic information, underlying health conditions, causes of infertility, endometrial thickness, embryo quality, and pregnancy outcomes. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-squared test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and a generalized linear mixed model.
The NC group exhibited a higher LBR (29.1%) than the PC group (23.3%; OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.58-0.93). However, after adjusting for significant confounders, such as female age, embryo quality, and tubal factor, the effect of the FET protocol on LBR diminished. Miscarriage rate was higher in the PC group (12.4%) than in the NC group (7.2%; OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.44-2.55), but no significant differences emerged in the other secondary outcomes of biochemical pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy.
LBR was higher in the NC group than in the PC group; however, this difference was attributed to confounding factors and an increase miscarriage rate in PC group. While initial analyses suggested higher LBRs in the NC group, adjustments for confounding factors reduced these differences, underscoring the importance of individual patient and cycle characteristics in FET outcomes.Pakastetun alkion siirto voidaan toteuttaa usealla eri menetelmällä: alkio voidaan siirtää kohtuun ajoittamalla siirto luonnolliseen kuukautiskiertoon, lääkkeellisesti muokattuun luonnolliseen kiertoon tai täysin lääkkeellisesti ohjelmoituun kiertoon. Viimeaikaiset tutkimukset eivät ole osoittaneet yksittäisen menetelmän olevan muita parempi raskaustulosten suhteen. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, onko luonnollisen ja lääkkeellisesti ohjelmoidun kierron välillä eroja raskaustuloksissa sekä mitkä sekoittavat tekijät tähän mahdollisesti vaikuttavat.
Tutkimuksessa analysoitiin vuosina 2016-2020 tehtyjä pakastetun alkion siirtoja. Tuolla aikavälillä kiertoja raportoitiin 5435, joista 1735 peruttiin. Perumisen yleisimmät syyt olivat anovulatorinen kierto sekä viikonloppuun tai pyhäpäivään osunut siirtopäivä. Alkion siirtoon edettiin 3700 kierrossa, joista 2581 tehtiin luonnolliseen ja 1119 lääkkeelliseen kiertoon. Aineisto sisälsi potilaan ja kumppanin demografisia tietoja sekä tietoja infertiliteetin syistä, alkion laatuluokituksesta, kohdun limakalvon paksuudesta ja raskaustuloksista.
Luonnollisen kierron ryhmässä elävänä syntyneiden osuus oli suurempi (29,1 %) kuin ohjelmoidun kierron ryhmässä (23,3 %; OR 0,73, 95 % CI 0,58–0,93). Kun analyysin lisättiin sekoittavia tekijöitä, kiertomenetelmän vaikutus lopputulokseen heikkeni. Keskenmenojen osuus oli ohjelmoidussa kierrossa suurempi (12,4 %) kuin luonnollisessa kierrossa (7,2 %; OR 1,87, 95 % CI 1,44–2,55), eikä sekoittavat tekijät vaikuttaneet siirtomenetelmän merkitsevyyteen. Muiden raskaustulosten osalta ei havaittu merkitseviä eroja.
Elävänä syntyneiden lasten osuus oli merkitsevästi suurempi luonnollisen kierron kuin ohjelmoidun kierron ryhmässä, mutta eroa selittivät sekoittavat tekijät ja ohjelmoitujen kiertojen suuremmalla keskenmenoriskillä. Tulokset viittaavat siihen, että potilaan yksilölliset ominaisuudet voivat vaikuttaa hoitomenetelmään ja lopputulokseen, minkä vuoksi siirtomenetelmä tulisi valita yksilöllisesti
Forest canopy interactions with aerosols : important considerations in approaching future impacts and climate management
No full textAerosols influence forest ecosystems through changes in radiation and climate affecting plant physiology and structure. Conversely, forests also contribute to aerosol formation. They emit primary aerosol particles and volatile organic compounds, which promote secondary organic aerosol formation in the atmosphere. This forest-aerosol coupling is highly dynamic, influenced by temperature, radiation, humidity, and trace gases. Wildfires add further complexity via smoke plumes altering radiation and ecosystem functioning, tropospheric ozone levels and stratospheric chemistry. Aerosols modify the quantity, directionality, and composition of solar radiation. The type of diffuse light produced by aerosol particles is however strongly dissimilar to the one produced under clouds, and the relevance of the traditional diffuse/direct binary paradigm is discussed. Therefore, potential benefits from increased diffuse radiation are contingent on aerosol load, canopy structure, and prevailing environmental conditions. Beyond photosynthetic responses, aerosols alter forest water-use efficiency and microclimate, yet their long-term effects on plant development, architecture, and community composition remain poorly understood. This review highlights significant knowledge gaps and recent advances in understanding aerosol-forest interactions across temporal and spatial scales. We underline the urgent need for improved experiments with realistic diffuse shading, extensive in situ observations, mechanistic model intercomparison, and global validation to guide future research and policy.Peer reviewe
Establishing a chimeric mouse model for the study for Schizophrenia patient iPSC-derived microglia-like cells : A Proof of Concept
No full textBackground: With the high societal impact of the neurodevelopmental disorder schizophrenia and limited pharmaceutical interventions, it is important to get an understanding of this disorder’s aetiology. The "two-hit hypothesis" proposes that schizophrenia arises from genetic predisposition combined with environmental insults, such as maternal immune activation (MIA). The Koistinaho laboratory has conceived a model from this hypothesis where human-derived microglia-like cells from schizophrenic patients are transplanted in E14 mouse pups, preceding immune stimulation in the mother at E17. This model would allow research on microglial overactivation and behavioural effects in a physiologically relevant manner.
Methods: To establish the model, two facets of experiments have been performed. Non-pregnant mice were immune stimulated with poly(I:C) to confirm similar immune reactions between C;129S4-Rag2tm1.1Flv Csf1tm1(CSF1)Flv Il2rgtm1.1Flv/J and C57BL/6J mice. Blood plasma was sampled before and after the stimulus and analysed for IL-6 and TNF cytokine concentrations using CBA. The survivability of transplanted iMGLs was tested at P0 via dPCR, western blot and immunocytochemistry. Brain clearing was optimized for iMGL visualization in the whole brain.
Results: IL-6 and TNF cytokine levels showed a similar reaction in both C;129S4-Rag2tm1.1Flv Csf1tm1(CSF1)Flv Il2rgtm1.1Flv/J as well as C57BL/6J mice after poly(I:C) immune stimulation. iMGLs survivability in transplanted P0 mouse pups was simultaneously confirmed by the presence of human markers for GAPDH and IBA-1 in the RNA and via the presence of human TREM2 proteins. Immunocytochemistry confirmed presence of iMGLs but needs further observation in cleared brains to give information concerning placement and migration