Sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the landscape: Approach for spatially explicit estimates.

Climate change mitigation is a global response that requires actions at the local level. Quantifying local sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHG) facilitate evaluating mitigation options. We present an approach to collate spatially explicit estimated fluxes of GHGs (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) for main land use sectors in the landscape, to aggregate, and to calculate the net emissions of an entire region.

Controlling for Structural Changes in the Workforce Influenced Occupational Class Differences in Disability Retirement Trends.

We explored occupational class differences in disability retirement trends accounting for structural changes in the workforce induced by the recent economic crisis and the following economic stagnation. Using nationwide register data on the general Finnish population aged 30-59 years, we examined trends in disability retirement due to all causes, musculoskeletal diseases, and mental disorders in 2007, 2010, and 2013. Applying propensity score (PS) matching to control for bias induced by structural changes in the workforce over time, we obtained 885,807 matched triplets.

Boreal forests can have a remarkable role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions locally: Land use-related and anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and sinks at the municipal level.

Ecosystem services have become an important concept in policy-making. Carbon (C) sequestration into ecosystems is a significant ecosystem service, whereas C losses can be considered as an ecosystem disservice. Municipalities are in a position to make decisions that affect local emissions and therefore are important when considering greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation.

Occupational exposure to electric and magnetic fields while working at switching and transforming stations of 110 kV.

The aim of the study was to measure occupational exposure to electric and magnetic fields during various work tasks at switching and transforming stations of 110 kV (in some situations 20 kV), and analyze if the action values of European Union Directive 2004/40/EC or reference values of International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) were exceeded. The electric (n = 765) and magnetic (n = 203) fields were measured during various work tasks. The average values of all measurements were 3.

Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon fractions in boreal forest soil.

Feedback to climate warming from the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems depends critically on the temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition. Still, the temperature sensitivity is not known for the majority of the SOC, which is tens or hundreds of years old. This old fraction is paradoxically concluded to be more, less, or equally sensitive compared to the younger fraction.

Relationship between basal soil respiration rate, tree stand and soil characteristics in boreal forests.

Soil respiration is considered to represent the overall microbial activity reflecting mineralisation of organic matter in soil. It is the most commonly used biological variable in soil studies. In long-term monitoring of forested areas, there is a need for reference values for soil microbiological variables in different forest ecosystems.

The Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPAR gamma 2 gene regulates weight from birth to adulthood.

Objective: The Pro12Ala polymorphism in exon B of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (PPAR gamma 2) gene has been related to obesity, insulin resistance, and risk of type 2 diabetes. In this study, the effect of the Pro12Ala polymorphism on long-term changes in weight and body composition was investigated.

Research Methods And Procedures: The Pro12Ala polymorphism was genotyped in 311 subjects who participated in our previous population-based study.

Effects of different plant protection programs on soil microbes.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of two pesticide regimens (conventional full insurance compared with supervised and reduced pesticide use) and two cultivation techniques (conventional tillage and fertilization compared with no tillage and lower fertilization) on soil microbes in a field study, and to evaluate the results with laboratory tests. The herbicides used were chlorsulfuron, MCPA, and bentazone; the fungicides carboxin-imazalin and propiconazole; and the insecticides dimethoate and pirimicarb. In the field studies, the effects on microbial biota were assessed by measuring biomass (ATP content) and microbial activities related to carbon and nitrogen metabolism (soil respiration, nitrification potential).

The quantitative insulin sensitivity check index QUICKI predicts the onset of type 2 diabetes better than fasting plasma insulin in obese subjects: a 5-year follow-up study.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive value of QUICKI and fasting plasma insulin (FPI0 as predictors of the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We performed a five-year follow-up study in a sample of middle-aged subjects with at least one of the following risk factors; hypertension defined as systolic blood pressure >or=160 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure >or=90 mmHg or medication for hypertensin, obesity defined as a body mass index >or=30 kg/m(2) and/or a waist-to-hip ratio >or=1.00 in men and >or=0.

Relative weight gain and obesity as a child predict metabolic syndrome as an adult.

Objective: To examine whether birth weight, weight gain from birth to the age of seven or body-mass index at the age of seven have any association with metabolic syndrome as an adult.

Design: A population study.

Subjects: 210 men and 218 women out of a total 712 subjects aged 36, 41 or 46 years in Pieksämäki town, Finland.

Effects of growth-promoting antimicrobials on inhibition of Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 by porcine ileal microflora.

The survival of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:3 was examined in an in vitro model of the porcine ileum in the presence of normal ileal microflora using a medium supplemented with the growth-promoting antimicrobials avoparcin, spiramycin, tylosin, carbadox and olaquindox, or without any antimicrobials, at 39 degrees C for 5 d. Growth of Y. enterocolitica was inhibited in all trials in the following order: avoparcin < carbadox < spiramycin < no feed additives < tylosin < olaquindox.

Structure of a microbial community in soil after prolonged addition of low levels of simulated acid rain.

Humus samples were collected 12 growing seasons after the start of a simulated acid rain experiment situated in the subarctic environment. The acid rain was simulated with H2SO4, a combination of H2SO4 and HNO3, and HNO3 at two levels of moderate acidic loads close to the natural anthropogenic pollution levels of southern Scandinavia. The higher levels of acid applications resulted in acidification, as defined by humus chemistry.

Vitality fertilization of Scots pine stands growing along a gradient of heavy metal pollution: short-term effects on microbial biomass and respiration rate of the humus layer.

In 1992 forest vitality fertilization experiments were established on a heavy metal deposition gradient with four treatments in three replications at distances of 0.5, 4 and 8 km from a Cu-Ni smelter in order to estimate their impact on the disturbed forest ecosystem. The increase in Cu concentration in the humus (F/H) layer of the Calluna site type Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands from ca.