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Finland
Kinds of Finland Selected AbstractsCLIMATIC VARIABILITY ALONG A NORTH,SOUTH TRANSECT OF FINLAND OVER THE LAST 500 YEARS: SIGNATURE OF SOLAR INFLUENCE OR INTERNAL CLIMATE OSCILLATIONS?GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2008MAXIM G. OGURTSOV ABSTRACT. Statistical analysis of a multi-centennial dendrochronological proxy dataset of regional climate, constructed across the latitudinal gradient of 1000 km, was performed. It was shown that centennial (c. 100 year), tri-decadal (27-32 year), bi-decadal (17-23 year) and decadal (9-13 year) periodicities governed the climate variability in Finland over the last five centuries. Despite the fact that many of the climatic periodicities bore great resemblance to periodicities of solar cycles, little evidence of actual solar influence on Finnish climate was found when the climate proxy records were subjected to linear correlation analysis with sunspot numbers. Highly non-linear response of Northern Fennoscandian climate to solar forcing might be a cause of this result, as well as influence of terrestrial climatic processes (e.g. effect of other forcing factors and internal dynamics of regional climate). Our results show that the presence of internal climate variability at time-scales of solar activity might distort the solar signature in climatic data and complicate its detection. [source] NATIONWIDE USE OF MEDICINES FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE BY COMMUNITY-DWELLING PERSONS IN FINLANDJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 3 2006Jarmo Ålander MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] THE MESOLITHIC SETTLEMENT IN NE SAVO, FINLANDACTA ARCHAEOLOGICA, Issue 2 2007AND THE EARLIEST SETTLEMENT IN THE EASTERN BALTIC SEA First page of article [source] ORGANIZING THE CORE EXECUTIVE FOR EUROPEAN UNION AFFAIRS: COMPARING FINLAND AND SWEDENPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 3 2010KARL MAGNUS JOHANSSON Examining core executive organization for EU affairs in Finland and Sweden, this article uncovers how change agents used European integration deliberately to strengthen their role in the domestic settings through taking control of EU policy co-ordination. In both countries, EU membership was an exogenous factor that enabled the offices of the PM to secure a more powerful position and advance their own institutional agendas. This strengthened their leadership role and weakened the respective foreign ministries, whose legitimacy in EU co-ordination was undermined by the discourse that matters pertaining to this co-ordination should be treated as domestic policy instead of foreign policy. This discourse proved instrumental in the organizational reforms and core executive restructuring. Both countries also provide evidence of intra-Nordic organizational learning since the Finnish co-ordination system was based on lessons drawn from Denmark whereas the subsequent Swedish reform was inspired and legitimized by changes in Finland. [source] Long-term outcome of classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency: diagnosis, complications and quality of lifeACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 2 2000J Jääskeläinen A nationwide search of patients with classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) was performed in Finland to determine the long-term outcome of the disease. In total, 108 patients were found. Fifty-four patients (50%, 31F, 23M) had deficiency of a salt-wasting form and another 54 (50%, 29F, 25M) had a simple virilizing form of 21-OHD. A significant number of severe complications suggestive of glucocorticoid deficiency was found. There were five deaths (4.6% of all) possibly connected with cortisol deficiency. Ten additional patients (9.3% of all) had been acutely admitted 14 times in all due to symptoms of glucocorticoid deficiency. These symptoms included sudden loss of consciousness, convulsions and severe fatigue. Afterwards, permanent neurological defects were detected in two of these patients. Finally, a cross-sectional study was carried out to establish an estimate of the long-term outcome of the disease. Thirty-two (55%) of the 58 patients aged 16 y or more participated in this study. The patient group did not differ from the general Finnish population in terms of education. Three of the patients (5%) had retired prematurely. Surprisingly, the patients felt that their health-related quality of life, as reported in the RAND-36 questionnaire, was better than that of the general Finnish population (p= 0.023). However, as a significant number of all patients did not participate in this study, the quality of life evaluation results must be interpreted with caution. In conclusion, a significant number of complications was found among patients treated for classical 21-OHD. Nevertheless, the disease has a favourable outcome in terms of quality of life. [source] Area-Based Refinement for Selection of Reserve Sites with the Benefit-Function ApproachCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007ANNI ARPONEN algoritmo de selección de sitios; persistencia; peso de especies; relaciones especies-área; selección de reservas Abstract:,Optimization of resource use is necessary for efficient conservation planning. Many reserve-selection algorithms aim to identify representative but inexpensive networks, which may lead to selecting small sites due to their lower costs and collectively higher species richness. Nevertheless, larger sites would be preferable regarding species' long-term persistence. An area-based refinement can be used to overcome this problem. We used a reserve-planning framework in which continuous benefit functions valued representation (numbers of populations), and differential species weights were based on a species' local rarity and threatened status. We introduced a refinement based on the species-area relationship that provides relatively higher values for larger sites. We applied the proposed method to rich fen vegetation in southern Finland. The species-area refinement resulted in a network of significantly larger sites with minor trade-offs with representation (numbers of populations). Giving endangered species higher weights ensured that the trade-off occurred mostly between site size and representation of low-priority species. We recommend using a species-area refinement for practical, maximum-coverage conservation planning. Resumen:,La optimización del uso de recursos es necesaria para la planificación eficiente de la conservación. Muchos algoritmos para la selección de reservas tratan de identificar redes representativas pero poco costosas, que pueden conducir a la selección de sitios pequeños debido a sus costos menores y mayor riqueza de especies colectiva. Sin embargo, los sitios grandes serían preferibles para la persistencia de las especies a largo plazo. Para sobreponerse a este problema se puede utilizar un refinamiento basado en el área. Utilizamos un marco de referencia para la planificación de reservas en el que las funciones de beneficio continuas valoraron la representación (número de poblaciones), y los pesos diferenciales de las especies se basaron en la rareza local de una especie y en su estatus de amenaza. Introdujimos un refinamiento basado en la relación especies-área que proporciona valores relativamente mayores a los sitios grandes. Aplicamos el método propuesto a la rica vegetación de ciénegas en el sur de Finlandia. El refinamiento de las especies-área resultó en una red de sitios significativamente más grandes con desequilibrios menores en la representación (número de poblaciones). La asignación de valores más altos a las especies en peligro aseguró que el desequilibrio ocurriera principalmente entre el tamaño del sitio y la representación de especies de prioridad baja. Recomendamos la utilización de de un refinamiento de especies-área para una planificación de la conservación de cobertura máxima. [source] Cost-Efficiency of Decaying Wood as a Surrogate for Overall Species Richness in Boreal ForestsCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006ARTTI JUUTINEN biodiversidad; gestión de bosques; indicadores de riqueza de especies; seleccion de sitios Abstract:,Decaying wood is one of the most important elements for species richness in boreal forests. We tested how well reserve selection based on the amount and quality of decaying wood results in a representation of four ecologically different taxa (beetles, birds, wood-inhabiting fungi, and vascular plants). We also compared the cost-efficiency of the use of dead-wood indicators with comprehensive species inventory. Our database included 32 seminatural old-forest stands located in northern Finland. Decaying wood was a relatively good indicator of saproxylic species but not overall species richness. Even though dead wood did not reflect accurately overall species richness, our results indicated that the use of decaying wood as an indicator in site selection was more cost-efficient than using information from large-scale species inventories. Thus, decaying wood is a valuable surrogate for species richness, but other cost-efficient indicators that reflect the requirements of those species which are not dependent on decaying wood should be identified. Resumen:,La madera en descomposición es uno de los elementos importantes para la riqueza de especies en bosques boreales. Probamos como resulta la selección de reservas con base en la cantidad y calidad de madera en descomposición en la representación de cuatro taxa ecológicamente distintos (escarabajos, aves, hongos habitantes en la madera y plantas vasculares). También comparamos la rentabilidad del uso de indicadores de madera muerta con inventarios integrales de especies. Nuestra base de datos incluyó 32 sitios de bosque maduro seminatural localizados en el norte de Finlandia. La madera en descomposición fue un indicador relativamente bueno de especies saproxílicas pero no de la riqueza total. Aunque la madera en descomposición no reflejó la riqueza total con precisión, nuestros resultados indicaron que el uso de madera en descomposición como un indicador en la selección de sitios fue más rentable que el uso de información de inventarios de especies de gran escala. Por lo tanto, la madera en descomposición es un sustituto valioso de la riqueza de especies, pero se deben identificar otros indicadores rentables que reflejen los requerimientos de aquellas especies que no dependen de la madera en descomposición. [source] Communication via responsibility reporting and its effect on firm value in FinlandCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2010Hannu Schadewitz Abstract n this paper, we first analyzed the responsibility reporting literature with an emphasis on the linkage between responsibility reporting and a firm's performance and valuation. Based on the literature review, we developed a research question: How does communication via responsibility reporting affect firm value? We analyzed the market valuation of listed Finnish firms through a conventional valuation model combined with responsibility reporting. The starting point for our valuation was the Ohlson model. We expanded upon the conventional valuation by studying whether communication via responsibility reporting is related to firm valuation. Our research question is linked to the broader academic question of whether earnings worth as an information source has been erased over the last few years. In addition, we contribute to the literature that tries to understand the link between corporate social responsibility and firm performance/share performance. Specifically, we focused on responsibility reporting according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and especially on whether the existence of these reports provides a further explanation for firm value. Our sample was a population type that covered all listed Finnish firms that have adopted GRI. No other responsibility reporting practice was used by listed firms in their responsibility reporting communication during the years 2002,2005. The other necessary information for valuation models was obtained from Thomson Financial Services (commercial database). The applied model supported the conclusion that communication via GRI responsibility reporting is an important explanatory factor for a firm's market value. The result indicates that responsibility reporting is a part of a firm's communication tools in order to decrease information asymmetry between managers and investors. In other words, GRI responsibility reporting is called for in order to produce a more precise market valuation of a firm. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Regional industrial recycling network in energy supply,the case of Joensuu city, FinlandCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2002Jouni Korhonen Industrial recycling networks offer an example of the practical application of some of the industrial ecology (IE) principles. In the industrial ecosystem and eco-industrial park approaches the material cycles and energy cascades in a natural ecosystem serve as the metaphoric vision for a local/regional industrial system in which waste material and waste (residual) energy are utilized through cooperation between the actors in the system. In this paper, a local/regional recycling network scenario is presented with the energy supply system of the city of Joensuu in Finland. The conditions of success include the co-production of heat and electricity (heat and power, CHP), waste energy utilization for industrial steam and renewable flow use as fuel. Some difficulties in the industrial ecosystem-type development of the system are discussed. Methodological suggestions for industrial ecosystem and eco-industrial park case studies are considered and the experience from this Finnish case is discussed in terms of wider application of IE in local/regional economic energy systems. For future research on the theme, it is suggested that regional industrial ecology may benefit from regional economics theory and, vice versa, regional economics theory may find a new area of application in regional industrial ecology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment. [source] Changes over time in homicides by women: a register-based study comparing female offenders from 1982 to 1992 and 1993 to 2005CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 5 2008Hanna Putkonen Background,The contribution of women to violent offending, including homicide, may be increasing as society changes. Aims,The aim of this paper was to test for trends in homicide by women in Finland. Methods,A retrospective register-based study was conducted by comparing two national cohorts: one from 1982 to 1992 and the other from 1993 to 2005. Results,There was a small increase in the proportion of homicides committed by women over time, but the most striking difference between the cohorts was in the significantly higher frequency of alcohol abuse/dependence in the later cohort and of being under the influence of alcohol during the crime. Fewer perpetrators were regarded as lacking or being of diminished responsibility in the later cohort. The victims of the earlier cohort were emotionally closer to the offender than those of the later one. Conclusions,In Finland, there have been changes in characteristics of women who commit homicide and their crimes over time, with the apparent development of a subgroup of women who kill who are much more like men who kill than women in the 1980s and early 1990s. Preventing substance abuse and marginalization are likely to be important ways of preventing homicide by both female and male perpetrators. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Child behaviour and adult personality: comparisons between criminality groups in Finland and SwedenCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2000Professor Lea Pulkkinen Background; Lately there has been an increasing interest in whether personality traits are associated with criminal behaviour in male and female subjects. Criminality and alcohol abuse are often associated. Delinquent adolescents are impulsive and danger seeking. Childhood aggression may be a precursor of adult criminality. Method Using longitudinal data, adult personality and childhood behaviours were examined for groups of non-criminals and criminals of Finnish (n = 268) and Swedish (n + 169) samples, and crime groups were compared in the two cultures. Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) were given at adult age and the participants had been observed and rated by their teachers in respect of behaviour in childhood (at age 8 years and 13 years, respectively). Results Male offenders with alcohol problems (Finnish and Swedish) had significantly higher scores on psychopathy-related personality traits in adulthood than other subgroups, as indicated by higher impulsivity, muscular tension and lower socialization. They also displayed higher scores on teacher-rated aggressiveness in childhood than the non-criminal groups. The female subgroup displaying criminal activity was small. It did not differ significantly from non-offenders in adult personality characteristics. Female offenders, however, showed early indications of lower sociability (in Finland) and higher aggressiveness and disharmony in childhood than non-offenders (in Sweden). Discussion The study suggests that early problem behaviours are precursors of subsequent criminal activity in at least two cultures. The results emphasize the importance of longitudinal research programmes. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Have the causes of maxillofacial fractures changed over the last 16 years in Finland?DENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2005An epidemiological study of 725 fractures Abstract,,, A retrospective study was undertaken to assess causes of maxillofacial fractures in Helsinki in 1981 and 1997. Hospital records of 725 patients were analyzed according to several factors including age, sex, cause of fracture and time of the injury. The time intervals between the accident and hospital examination were also evaluated. Number of maxillofacial fractures was 318 in 1981 and 407 in 1997 (27.9% increase) and most patients were men. The male to female ratio was 2.8:1 in 1981, 3:1 in 1997. In 1981, most affected patients were in the age group of 31,40 years (33.2% of men, 28.9% of women). Sixteen years later the most affected age group was 41,50 years (23.3% of men, 30.4% of women). Assault was the cause of the injury in 42% of patients followed by traffic accidents (26%) and fall (17%). During the study period violence had become more severe in nature. Kicking as the cause of maxillofacial fracture increased by 7.3% and use of a weapon by 5.7% between the years studied. Bicycle accidents increased by 19.3% but motor vehicle accidents decreased by 31.6% between the years. Falls, and bicycle and pedestrian accidents were the causes that accounted for most of the increase in maxillofacial fracture. In 1997, maxillofacial fractures were slightly more common from June to August and from Friday to Sunday than at other times (45.2 and 50%, respectively). [source] Outcome after prolonged convulsive seizures in 186 children: low morbidity, no mortalityDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 1 2004Piia Metsäranta BM Prolonged convulsive seizures are a common neurological emergency and a potential cause of neuronal damage and functional sequelae. We explored the role of seizure duration and various background factors for neurological sequelae in children with prolonged convulsive seizures. The population-base of this study was all children (age < 16 years) who had been admitted to the Tampere University Hospital, Finland between 1993 and 1999 with convulsive seizures lasting more than 5 minutes. Patients were followed up individually (mean length of follow-up 2 years 1 month, range 0 to 7 years 8 months). All available data on the prolonged seizure episodes and clinical follow-up were analyzed retrospectively by a detailed review of all medical charts and records. In 186 children (94 males, 92 females; mean age 4 years 5 months, SD 3 years 10 months, range 1 month to 15 years 4 months) there were 279 separate convulsive seizure episodes lasting over 5 minutes, yielding an annual incidence of 47.5 out of every 100000 episodes. Seizure aetiology was idiopathic in 26.2% of episodes, febrile in 41.9%, remote symptomatic in 28%, and acute symptomatic in 3.9% of episodes. Mean duration of all seizure episodes was 42.5 minutes (SD 46.1 minutes) and was significantly correlated with the aetiology: shortest in the febrile group (mean 35.4 minutes) and longest in the acute symptomatic group (mean 88.6 minutes; p < 0.001). There was no mortality related directly to these acute seizure episodes. The most common sequela was an onset of epilepsy in 40 children (22%). Permanent neurological sequelae were noted in only four patients (2.2%; mean seizure duration 16 minutes) and non-permanent sequelae in six patients (3.2%; mean seizure duration 38 minutes). Neurological sequelae of prolonged convulsive seizures in children are rare and are related to aetiological factors rather than the duration of a single seizure. The role of acute seizures in the evolution of epilepsy in children remains obscure. [source] Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus: prognostic significance and trackingDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 1 2001J. Kaukua Summary Aim Little attention has been paid to the prognostic significance and tracking effect of risk factor clusters characteristic of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We studied the clustering of eight cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, high body mass index, elevated systolic blood pressure, high serum, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high serum LDL triglycerides, low serum, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, high fasting blood glucose and high plasma insulin concentration) and their effect on the prognosis and the tracking effect. Methods This study is a population-based prospective follow-up of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic subjects (n = 133, aged 45,64 years) in Eastern Finland. The following end points were used: all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and incidences of first myocardial infarction and first stroke. Furthermore, we studied the ,tracking effect' of the risk factor clusters during the 10-year follow-up period. Results When the clustering of risk factors typical of type 2 diabetes mellitus was taken into account, all-cause mortality increased from 28.6% to 50.0% (p <,0.05) and cardiovascular disease mortality increased from 14.3% to 50.0% (p <,0.01) depending on the number of risk factors present. The incidence of first myocardial infarction increased from 0% to 40.0% (p <,0.05) as the number of risk factors increased from 0 to 5. In survivors, the proportion of individuals with no risk factors decreased and the proportion on individuals with three to four risk factors increased during the 10-year follow-up period despite the high mortality among the group with many risk factors. Conclusions The risk factor clusters among type 2 diabetic subjects are of great predictive value and when not aggressively treated, show a relentless increase despite selective mortality. [source] Diabetes trends in EuropeDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue S3 2002Philippe Passa Abstract Estimates and projections suggest an epidemic expansion of diabetes incidence and prevalence in Europe. To evaluate trends in type 1 and type 2 diabetes in seven European countries (Finland, Denmark, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy), a variety of information is available, including population-based studies on small or large cohorts of subjects representative of the general population in a particular country, European co-operative studies, and sales figures for insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents that allow extrapolation of the number of pharmacologically treated diabetic patients. The incidence of type 1 diabetes in young people is increasing in most European countries, as is its prevalence in all age groups. Type 2 diabetes is the major contributor to the epidemic rise in diabetes. From 1995 to 1999, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes increased considerably, particularly in the UK, Germany, and France. Costs of ambulatory and in-hospital diabetic care (including antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and hypolipidemic agents) have increased even more rapidly than has the number of affected patients. Diabetes trends in Europe are alarming; health care professionals involved in diabetes care must be made aware of these detrimental trends, and health care delivery to patients with diabetes must be improved. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Zinc and nitrate in the ground water and the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in FinlandDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 3 2004E. Moltchanova Abstract Aims In Finland, the risk of childhood Type 1 diabetes varies geographically. Therefore we investigated the association between spatial variation of Type 1 diabetes and its putative environmental risk factors, zinc and nitrates. Methods The association was evaluated using Bayesian modelling and the geo-referenced data on diabetes cases and population. Results Neither zinc nor nitrate nor the urban/rural status of the area had a significant effect on the variation in incidence of childhood Type 1 diabetes. Conclusions The results showed that although there was no significant difference in incidence between rural and urban areas, there was a tendency to increasing risk of Type 1 diabetes with the increasing concentration of NO3 in drinking water. The fact that no significant effect was found may stem from the aggregated data being too crude to detect it. [source] Metabolic effects of metformin in patients with impaired glucose toleranceDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 7 2001M. Lehtovirta Abstract Aims To assess the effect of metformin on insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance and components of the metabolic syndrome in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Methods Forty first-degree relatives of patients with Type 2 diabetes fulfilling WHO criteria for IGT and participating in the Botnia study in Finland were randomized to treatment with either metformin 500 mg b.i.d. or placebo for 6 months. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and a euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp in combination with indirect calorimetry was performed at 0 and 6 months. The patients were followed after stopping treatment for another 6 months in an open trial and a repeat OGTT was performed at 12 months. Results Metformin treatment resulted in a 20% improvement in insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism (from 28.7 ± 13 to 34.4 ± 10.7 µmol/kg fat-free mass (FFM)/min) compared with placebo (P = 0.01), which was primarily due to an increase in glucose oxidation (from 16.6 ± 3.6 to 19.1 ± 4.4 µmol/kg FFM; P = 0.03) These changes were associated with a minimal improvement in glucose tolerance, which was maintained after 12 months. Conclusions Metformin improves insulin sensitivity in subjects with IGT primarily by reversal of the glucose fatty acid cycle. Obviously large multicentre studies are needed to establish whether these effects are sufficient to prevent progression to manifest Type 2 diabetes and associated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Diabet. Med. 18, 578,583 (2001) [source] Species,area relationships of red-listed species in old boreal forests: a large-scale data analysisDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 5 2009Olli-Pekka Tikkanen Abstract Aim, Species,area relationships are often applied, but not generally approved, to guide practical conservation planning. The specific species group analysed may affect their applicability. We asked if species,area curves constructed from extensive databases of various sectors of natural resource administration can provide insights into large-scale conservation of boreal forest biodiversity if the analyses are restricted only to red-listed species. Location, Finland, northern Europe. Methods, Our data included 12,645 records of 219 red-listed Coleoptera and Fungi from the whole of Finland. The forest data also covered the entire country, 202,761 km2. The units of species,area analyses were 224 municipalities where the red-listed forest species have been observed. We performed a hierarchical partitioning analysis to reveal the relative importance of different potential explanatory variables. Based on the results, for all red-listed species, species associated with coniferous trees and for Fungi, the area of economically over-aged forests explained the best the variation in data. For species associated with deciduous trees and Coleoptera, the forest area explained better variation in data than the area of old forests. In the subsequent log,log species,area regression analyses, we used the best variables as the explanatory variable for each species group. Results, There was a strong relationship between the number of all red-listed species and the area of old forests remaining, with a z -value of 0.45. The area explained better the number of species associated with conifer trees and Fungi than the number of species associated with deciduous trees and Coleoptera. Main conclusions, The high z -values of species,area curves indicate that the remaining old-growth patches constitute a real archipelago for the conifer-associated red-listed species, since lower values had been expected if the surrounding habitat matrix were a suitable habitat for the species analysed. [source] Implementation of brief alcohol intervention in primary health care: do nurses' and general practitioners' attitudes, skills and knowledge change?DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 6 2005MAURI AALTO Abstract Brief alcohol intervention reduces heavy drinking, but its implementation has been challenging. The purpose was to evaluate self-reported changes in attitudes, skills and knowledge regarding brief intervention among nurses and general practitioners (GPs) during an implementation project. A questionnaire survey was used before and after the implementation to all nurses and GPs working at the time in the seven primary health-care centres of the city of Tampere, Finland. Several positive changes indicate an increased amount of knowledge regarding brief intervention among the professionals during the implementation. This was found especially among the nurses. The success in increasing the knowledge can also be seen in a decrease of training needs. Instead, attitudes and skills among the professionals did not seem to develop positively. Increasing motivational skills especially seems to be the future challenge. [source] Comparative evaluation of quality of doxycycline formulations registered in Estonia to those registered in the Russian FederationDRUG DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008A. Meos Abstract The in vitro properties of four Estonian drug market (manufactured in Austria, Germany, and Finland) and four Russian Federation drug market (manufactured in Belarussia and Russian Federation) doxycycline formulations were evaluated using the estimation of the quantitative content and purity of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and the dissolution test. Tolerance limits were set according to the European Pharmacopoeia (for the content and purity of the API) and USP (for the dissolution test) doxycycline monographs. All Estonian drug market doxycycline formulations complied with the tolerance limits in all tests and assays. Most of the Russian Federation drug market doxycycline formulations also passed the tolerance limits, with two minor exceptions: one formulation contained quantitatively API below the USP limit (83.7% instead of the 90%), but all the API was readily released in the dissolution test, the other formulation (capsules) released 80% of API in 39,min instead of 30,min. The general conclusion of the study is that despite some deviations, the Russian Federation drug market doxycycline formulations are comparable with those purchased from the Estonian drug market. Drug Dev Res 69: 58,68, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Contrasting seasonal dynamics in fleas of the Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) in FinlandECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2007VOITTO HAUKISALMI Abstract 1.,The seasonal and spatial variation of the adult flea fauna (Siphonaptera) was examined in connection with live-trapping studies of the Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) in three study areas in southern Finland between 1997 and 2005. 2.,The numerically dominant flea species of the Siberian flying squirrel were Tarsopsylla octodecimdentata octodecimdentata and Ceratophyllus (Monopsyllus) indages indages (Ceratophyllidae); the latter being a host specialist of the Siberian flying squirrel. Tarsopsylla octodecimdentata, which also commonly occurs on the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), infected a large proportion of the host population throughout the winter, whereas C. indages occurred predominantly during the summer and autumn, being practically the only flea species in nests during the flying squirrels' breeding season and on juveniles still inhabiting their natal nest. 3.,The use of nest boxes by flying squirrels did not have any positive effects on flea populations, but it may have had a negative impact on T. octodecimdentata. 4.,The potentially vulnerable C. i. indages is a predictable, widespread component in the flea fauna of the Siberian flying squirrel at various spatial scales, and it is likely to occur in most of the permanent flying squirrel populations in Finland. [source] Smoking-based selection and influence in gender-segregated friendship networks: a social network analysis of adolescent smokingADDICTION, Issue 7 2010Liesbeth Mercken ABSTRACT Aims The main goal of this study was to examine differences between adolescent male and female friendship networks regarding smoking-based selection and influence processes using newly developed social network analysis methods that allow the current state of continuously changing friendship networks to act as a dynamic constraint for changes in smoking behaviour, while allowing current smoking behaviour to be simultaneously a dynamic constraint for changes in friendship networks. Design Longitudinal design with four measurements. Setting Nine junior high schools in Finland. Participants A total of 1163 adolescents (mean age = 13.6 years) who participated in the control group of the ESFA (European Smoking prevention Framework Approach) study, including 605 males and 558 females. Measurements Smoking behaviour of adolescents, parents, siblings and friendship ties. Findings Smoking-based selection of friends was found in male as well as female networks. However, support for influence among friends was found only in female networks. Furthermore, females and males were both influenced by parental smoking behaviour. Conclusions In Finnish adolescents, both male and female smokers tend to select other smokers as friends but it appears that only females are influenced to smoke by their peer group. This suggests that prevention campaigns targeting resisting peer pressure may be more effective in adolescent girls than boys. [source] Contrasting alternative hypotheses about rodent cycles by translating them into parameterized modelsECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 3 2001Peter Turchin Ecologists working on population cycles of arvicoline (microtine) rodents consider three ecological mechanisms as the most likely explanations of this long-standing puzzle in population ecology: maternal effects, interaction with specialist predators, and interaction with the food supply. Each of these hypotheses has now been translated into parameterized models, and has been shown to be capable of generating second-order oscillations (that is, population cycles driven by delayed density dependence). This development places us in a unique situation for population ecology. We can now practice "strong inference" by explicitly and quantitatively comparing the predictions of the three rival hypotheses with data. In this review, we contrast the ability of each hypothesis to explain various empirically observed features of rodent cycles, with a particular emphasis on the well-studied case of Microtus agrestis and other small rodents in Fennoscandia (Finland, Sweden and Norway). Our conclusion is that the current evidence best supports the predation hypothesis. [source] Pike predation on hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon smolts in a northern Baltic riverECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH, Issue 1 2008J. Kekäläinen Abstract,,, The effect of pike Esox lucius predation on the mortality of newly stocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts was investigated in the Pyhäjoki River, Finland. The number of smolts eaten by pike was assessed by estimating the size of the pike population (mark,recapture experiment) and studying the stomach contents of pike. Before recapturing the pike, approximately 39,700 smolts were stocked upstream of the 2.5-km-long (89-ha) research area. The estimated size of the >40-cm pike population was 1507 (95% CL 1012,4731) individuals (17 pike and 29.8 kg·ha,1). Pike were estimated to eat 29% of the released smolts during 1 week. The diet of the pike in the research area consisted almost entirely of smolts, whereas in the reference area with no stocked smolts, the meal sizes were significantly smaller and the importance of smolts as prey was substantially lower. Pike <40 cm had not eaten any smolts, probably indicating a size refuge for the smolts, or alternatively fear of intraspecific interactions or cannibalism of pike. [source] Long-term variation in brown trout, Salmo trutta L., stocking success in a large lake: interplay between availability of suitable prey and size at releaseECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH, Issue 4 2005P. Hyvärinen Abstract , Factors affecting long-term variation in brown trout, Salmo trutta L., stocking success were examined in a large lake, Lake Oulujärvi, in central Finland. Brown trout were stocked in spring (late May to early June) in 1974,1991 and in summer (late June to early July) in 1992,2001. The biomass of the vendace, Coregonus albula (L.), population (prey) at release time had the largest positive effect on stocking success within both periods: biomass of adult vendace in spring and both 0+ and adult vendace in summer. Increasing the size of stocked fish had a positive effect if the vendace available at release were only adults. The increasing trend of predator-catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) [combined CPUE of northern pike Esox lucius L., burbot Lota lota (L.), and pike-perch Stizostedion lucioperca (L.)] through the study period and its negative effect on trout stocking success suggested an increasing effect of predation within the entire time series. Resumen 1. Dado lo impredecible que son los resultados de las repoblaciones, se hace necesario conocer los mecanismos que afectan el éxito de los peces soltados para minimizar los riesgos de error en altas inversiones de repoblaciones. Podría existir una ventana óptima para las sueltas que produzca las condiciones más favorables - tales como la ausencia de predadores en la zona de suelta y la disponibilidad de presas apropiadas - bajo las que cualquier pez soltado pueda sobrevivir y generar una producción máxima. El fin de este estudio fue examinar como factores tales como la abundancia de las poblaciones de presas y predadores, y las tasas, tamaños y estaciones de repoblación pueden explicar las variaciones anuales a largo plazo (años 1974,1991) en el éxito de repoblación de Salmo trutta L. en el Lago Oulujärvi (928 km2, Finlandia central). 2. Individuos de S. trutta fueron repoblados en primavera (finales de Mayo , principios de Junio) durante los años 1974,1991 y en verano (finales de Junio , principios de Julio) durante los años 1992,2001. Los resultados de análisis de regresión por pasos mostró que la biomasa de Coregonus albula (L.) adultos (i.e., presas) en el momento de la suelta tuvieron el mayor efecto positivo sobre el éxito de la repoblación en dos períodos: la biomasa de adultos de C. albula en primavera y ambos dos, juveniles 0+ y adultos en verano. Incrementar el tamaño de los peces repoblados tuvo un efecto positivo si los C. albula disponibles en el momento de la suelta fueron solamente adultos (repoblaciones primaverales). La tendencia a incrementar los CPUE-predadores (CPUE combinadas de Esox lucius L., Lota lota (L.), y Stizostedion lucioperca (L.)) a lo largo del periodo de estudio y su efecto negativo sobre el éxito de las repoblaciones de S. trutta sugirió un mayor efecto de la predación sobre la series temporales completas. 3. Concluimos que el momento de la repoblación juega un papel más importante como determinante de la mejor ventana para la repoblación de S. trutta de lagos. Individuos de S. trutta de tamaños <200 g deberían ser repoblados solo si presas de pequeño tamaño (individuos 0+ de C. albula en verano) son también abundantes en el momento y en el área de la suelta. Si las presas disponibles son solos grandes (adultos de C. albula en primavera), el tamaño de repoblación debería ser mayor con individuos de S. trutta claramente mayores de 200 g porque el mayor tamaño amplia el rango de tamaños de las presas disponibles. [source] Rent seeking and collusion in the military allocation decisions of Finland, Sweden, and Great Britain, 1920,381ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 1 2009JARI ELORANTA Analysis of military acquisition policies in Finland, Sweden, and Great Britain in the period from 1920 to 1938 produces evidence of rent seeking, both quantitative and qualitative, in all three cases. The Finnish institutional environment offered the most extensive rents and collusion opportunities, which translated into tangible price advantages for domestic producers. The Swedish and British domestic producers operated under more efficient institutions and thus had to settle for more moderate rents. Evolving institutional environments determined the extent of the rent seeking. [source] Weakening of one more alcohol control pillar: a review of the effects of the alcohol tax cuts in Finland in 2004ADDICTION, Issue 4 2009Pia Mäkelä ABSTRACT Aims To review the consequences of the changes in Finnish alcohol policy in 2004, when quotas for travellers' tax-free imports of alcoholic beverages from other European Union (EU) countries were abolished, Estonia joined the EU and excise duties on alcoholic beverages were reduced in Finland by one-third, on average. Design A review of published research and routinely available data. Setting Finland. Measurements Prices of alcoholic beverages, recorded and unrecorded alcohol consumption, data on criminality and other police statistics, alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations, service use. Findings Alcohol consumption increased 10% in 2004, clearly more than in the early 2000s. With few exceptions, alcohol-related harms increased. Alcohol-induced liver disease deaths increased the most, by 46% in 2004,06 compared to 2001,03, which indicates a strong effect on pre-2004 heavy drinkers. Consumption and harms increased most among middle-aged and older segments of the population, and harms in the worst-off parts of the population in particular. Conclusions Alcohol taxation and alcohol prices affect consumption and related harms, and heavy drinkers are responsive to price. In Finland in 2004, the worst-off parts of the population paid the highest price in terms of health for cuts in alcohol prices. The removal of travellers' import quotas, which was an inherent part of creating the single European market, had serious public health consequences in Finland. [source] Adaptation of a generalist moth, Operophtera brumata, to variable budburst phenology of host plantsENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 2 2002Olli-Pekka Tikkanen Abstract The adaptation of three allopatric populations of a generalist moth, Operophtera brumata (L.), on two tree species, Prunus padus (L.) and Quercus robur (L.) which represent the extremes of the timing of budburst in spring, was studied in Finland and Sweden. The synchrony of the hatching and budbursting was monitored, and its importance to dispersal and growth of larvae was assessed by rearing cohorts of larvae, whose hatching dates were manipulated, on both hosts. In addition, the realised heritability of the hatching time was estimated. Experimental populations hatched in approximate synchrony with the budburst of their original host species. As a result of the manipulation of the hatching dates of larvae, the growth rates of larvae decreased and the dispersal rates increased on both hosts in relation to the ageing of foliage. The realised heritability of hatching times was rather high (0.63). There were fewer differences in the host use efficiency and behaviour of the experimental populations than in the hatching phenology. The synchrony of hatching with the budburst of the local dominant host plant is probably a result of stabilising selection. [source] Culture-independent evidence for the persistent presence and genetic diversity of microcystin-producing Anabaena (Cyanobacteria) in the Gulf of FinlandENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009David P. Fewer Summary The late summer mass occurrences of cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea are among the largest in the world. These blooms are rarely monotypic and are often composed of a diverse assemblage of cyanobacteria. The toxicity of the blooms is attributed to Nodularia spumigena through the production of the hepatotoxic nodularin. However, the microcystin hepatotoxins have also been reported from the Baltic Sea on a number of occasions. Recent evidence links microcystin production in the Gulf of Finland directly to the genus Anabaena. Here we developed a denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) method based on the mcyE microcystin synthetase gene and ndaF nodularin synthetase gene that allows the culture-independent discrimination of microcystin- and nodularin-producing cyanobacteria directly from environmental samples. We PCR-amplified microcystin and nodularin synthetase genes from environmental samples taken from the Gulf of Finland and separated them on a denaturing gradient gel using optimized conditions. Sequence analyses demonstrate that uncultured microcystin-producing Anabaena strains are genetically more diverse than previously demonstrated from cultured strains. Furthermore, our data show that microcystin-producing Anabaena are widespread in the open Gulf of Finland. Non-parametric statistical analysis suggested that salinity plays an important role in defining the distribution of microcystin-producing Anabaena. Our results indicate that microcystin-producing blooms are a persistent phenomenon in the Gulf of Finland. [source] Old enough for a beer?ADDICTION, Issue 9 2008Compliance with minimum legal age for alcohol purchases in monopoly, Norway, other off-premise outlets in Finland ABSTRACT Aim To assess whether government monopoly outlets comply better with minimum legal age for purchase of alcohol compared to other off-premise outlets for alcohol sales. Methods Under-age-appearing 18-year-olds attempted to purchase alcohol in off-premise outlets applying identical procedures in Finland (n = 290) and Norway (n = 170). Outcomes were measured as whether or not the buyers were asked to present an identity (ID) card and whether or not they succeeded in purchasing alcohol. Results The buyers were asked to present an ID card in slightly more than half the attempts, and they succeeded in purchasing alcohol in 48% of the cases. The buyers were more likely to be requested to present an ID card and less likely to succeed in purchasing alcohol in monopoly outlets compared to other types of outlets, and also when other outcome predictors, such as age and gender of salesperson and crowdedness in the outlet, were taken into account. Conclusion Monopoly outlets may facilitate compliance with minimum legal age for purchase of alcohol. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||