Interest and competence in leadership and management among newly qualified specialists in Finland.

Background: Medical faculties in Finland are responsible for the quality and content of continuous medical education programmes that also includes compulsory management studies (10 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System). The aim of this study is to evaluate medical specialists' experiences of the compulsory management studies and their attitudes towards leaders and managers.

Methods: The Universities of Turku and Tampere conducted a survey among doctors who completed their specialist training between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2019.

Development and validation of sustainable employability index among older employees.

Background: Sustainable employability (SE) has become an important factor for keeping people in the labour market and enabling the extension of working life.

Aims: We developed and validated an SE index to predict assured workability in 2 years. Additionally, we developed a scoring tool to use in practice.

Cellulose gelation in NaOH by CO absorption: Effects of holding time and concentration on biomaterial development.

We address the limited solubility and early onset of gelation of aqueous sodium hydroxide to position it as a preferred green solvent for cellulose. For this purpose, we expand the concentration window (up to 12 wt%) by using a CO-depleted air and adjusting the time the dope remains in the given atmosphere, before further processing (holding time) and regeneration conditions. Cellulose solutions are extruded following characteristic (rheology and extrusion) parameters to yield aligned filaments reaching tenacities up to 2.

Cellulose dissolution and gelation in NaOH(aq) under controlled CO atmosphere: supramolecular structure and flow properties.

We investigate the interplay between cellulose crystallization and aggregation with interfibrillar interactions, shear forces, and the local changes in the medium's acidity. The latter is affected by the CO chemisorbed from the surrounding atmosphere, which, combined with shear forces, explain cellulose gelation. Herein, rheology, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), small and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS), and focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) are combined to unveil the fundamental factors that limit cellulose gelation and maximize its dissolution in NaOH(aq).

Quality of work community and workers' intention to retire.

Purpose: To study the workers' perception of the quality of work community and its association with intention to retire early, separately among women and men working in Finnish postal service.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was sent to all Finnish postal services employees aged ≥ 50 years in 2016 and 44% (n = 2096) replied to the survey (mean age 56.3, 40% women).

A Comparative Study on Rapid Wastewater Treatment Response to Refugee Crises.

Large-scale population displacement can overwhelm wastewater treatment facilities and increase environmental pollution in the host communities. Academic research has discussed features that improve wastewater treatment systems' resiliency toward other types of disasters and rapidly changing operation conditions. Concepts that contribute to successful startup, refurbishment, and operation of biological treatment systems during refugee responses are yet to be identified.

Time-triggered calcium ion bridging in preparation of films of oxidized microfibrillated cellulose and pulp.

One of the main trends in developing bio-based materials is to improve their mechanical and physical properties using MFC derived from sustainable natural sources and compatible low-cost chemicals. The strength of anionic MFC based materials can be increased with addition of multivalent cations. However, direct mixing of solutions of multivalent cations with oxidized MFC may result in immediate, uncontrollable fibril aggregation and flock formation.

Nitrous Oxide Production at a Fully Covered Wastewater Treatment Plant: Results of a Long-Term Online Monitoring Campaign.

The nitrous oxide emissions of the Viikinmäki wastewater treatment plant were measured in a 12 month online monitoring campaign. The measurements, which were conducted with a continuous gas analyzer, covered all of the unit operations of the advanced wastewater-treatment process. The relation between the nitrous oxide emissions and certain process parameters, such as the wastewater temperature, influent biological oxygen demand, and ammonium nitrogen load, was investigated by applying online data obtained from the process-control system at 1 min intervals.

N2O emissions from secondary clarifiers and their contribution to the total emissions of the WWTP.

Recent studies have indicated that the emissions of nitrous oxide, N2O, constitute a major part of the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Denitrification occurring in the secondary clarifier basins has been observed by many researchers, but until now N2O emissions from secondary clarifiers have not been widely reported. The objective of this study was to measure the N2O emissions from secondary clarifiers and weigh the portion they could represent of the overall emissions at WWTPs.

Enzymatic hydrolysis combined with mechanical shearing and high-pressure homogenization for nanoscale cellulose fibrils and strong gels.

Toward exploiting the attractive mechanical properties of cellulose I nanoelements, a novel route is demonstrated, which combines enzymatic hydrolysis and mechanical shearing. Previously, an aggressive acid hydrolysis and sonication of cellulose I containing fibers was shown to lead to a network of weakly hydrogen-bonded rodlike cellulose elements typically with a low aspect ratio. On the other hand, high mechanical shearing resulted in longer and entangled nanoscale cellulose elements leading to stronger networks and gels.

Consumption of special diet among Finnish adolescents in 1979-2001: repeated national cross-sectional surveys.

Objective: To study consumption of special diet (disease-related and non disease-related) among Finnish adolescents during 1979-2001.

Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to nationally representative samples of 12- (except in 1979), 14-, 16-, and 18-year-olds in 1979, 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2001.

Results: The total number of respondents was 33998.

Self-assembled polymeric solid films with temperature-induced large and reversible photonic-bandgap switching.

In aqueous solutions the response of polymers and biological matter to external conditions, such as temperature and pH, is typically based on the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance and its effects on the polymer conformation. In the solid state, related concepts using competing interactions could allow novel functions. In this work we demonstrate that polymeric self-assembly, reversibility of hydrogen bonding, and polymer-additive phase behaviour allow temperature response in the solid state with large and reversible switching of an optical bandgap.

One-dimensional optical reflectors based on self-organization of polymeric comb-shaped supramolecules.

We demonstrate that complexation of dodecylbenzenesulphonic acid, DBSA, to a diblock copolymer of polystyrene- block-poly(4-vinylpyridine), PS- block-P4VP, leads to polymeric supramolecules PS- block-P4VP(DBSA)y (y = 1.0, 1.5, and 2.