Uusia menetelmiä viljelijöiden päätoimisuusasteen määrittelyyn

Viljelijäväestön tulotasoa ja sen muutoksia tutkittaessa joudutaan usein tarkastelemaan myösharjoitetun maatalouden merkitystä viljelijän kokonaistulonmuodostuksessa. Suomalaisissa tarkasteluissamaatilat on useimmiten jaettu neljään ryhmään sen perusteella, mikä osuus viljelijäpuolisoidentuloista tulee maataloudesta. Suora, tulo-osuuteen perustuva, ryhmittely kuitenkin huomioi herkästiväliaikaisten tulonvaihteluiden (esim. katovuosi, eläintaudit) vaikutuksen luokittelussa. Luokittelunsatunnainen vaeltelu aiheuttaa ylimääräistä virhettä aikasarjatarkasteluihin. Vakaamman luokittelijanmuodostamiseksi on tulotasotutkimuksen yhteydessä tutkittu mahdollisuutta hyödyntää tulotietojenlisäksi myös työpanoksen käyttötietoja maatalouden päätoimisuusasteen määrittelyssä.Luokitus muodostettiin vuoden 2003 verolomakkeilta saatavien viljelijöiden tulotietojen ja samanavuonna MMM/TIKE:n keräämien Maatalouden rakennetutkimuksen työvoimankäyttötietojenperusteella. Tulo- ja työnkäyttötietojen pohjalta tilat jaettiin ryhmittelyanalyysillä samankaltaistentilojen ryhmiin. Vastaavan tyyppistä analyysiä on sovellettu tekijöiden aiemmassa tutkimuksessa vuoden2000 tietoihin. Aiempaan tutkimukseen verrattuna tässä tutkimuksessa käytettiin yksinkertaisempaaanalyysimenettelyä ja suppeampaa aineistoa. Aiemmassa tutkimuksessa vuoden 2000 tiedot olikäytettävissä n. 8000 tilalta kun taas tässä vastaavat tiedot oli saatavissa vain n. 4200 tilalta lähtöaineistojenerilaisen keruutavan vuoksi.Analyysimenetelmien osalta merkittävimmät muutokset olivat tarkastelussa käytettävien muuttujienmäärän huomattava vähentäminen (2000 75kpl – 2003 3 kpl) sekä aineiston analysoiminen suoraanklusterianalyysillä. Analyysissä käytettiin muuttujina maataloustulojen osuutta kokonaistuloistaja viljelijäpuolisoiden työajankäyttöä TIKE:n kyselyn 7-portaisen luokituksen mukaan. Vuoden 2000tietojen analyysissä oli käytetty suurempaa joukkoa yksityiskohtaisempia tietoja maataloudesta, tulosta,menoista ja omaisuudesta. Tätä muuttujajoukkoa oli ”tiivistetty” faktorianalyysillä ennen klusterianalyysiä.Klusteroinnin perusteella aineisto jaettiin kuuteen ryhmään, jotka edustavat erityyppisiä maatiloja.Tulosten mukaan viljelijäpuolisoiden tiloista 35 % voidaan katsoa olevan sekä tulo että työajankäytönsuhteen päätoimisia kotieläintiloja. Näillä tiloilla maatalouden osuus kokonaistuloista on n. 86% ja molempien puolisoiden työaika käytetään miltei kokonaan maataloudessa. Tiloista 19 %:lla hankitaankeskimäärin 55 % kokonaistuloista palkkatyöstä ja työajan perusteella molemmat viljelijäpuolisoistaovat ainakin sivutoimisesti tilan ulkopuolella töissä. Loput 46 % tiloista jakautui neljään suunnilleensamankokoiseen ryhmään, joiden voidaan katsoa sijoittuvan maatalouden päätoimisuuden asteenperusteella em. ääriryhmien väliin. Täten voidaan todeta aiempaan verrattuna huomattavasti selkeämmälläanalysointitavalla saavutettavan asetettujen luokitustavoitteiden mukaisia tuloksia

Recommended reading list of early publications on atomic layer deposition-Outcome of the "Virtual Project on the History of ALD"

Atomic layer deposition (ALD), a gas-phase thin film deposition technique based on repeated, self-terminating gas-solid reactions, has become the method of choice in semiconductor manufacturing and many other technological areas for depositing thin conformal inorganic material layers for various applications. ALD has been discovered and developed independently, at least twice, under different names: atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) and molecular layering. ALE, dating back to 1974 in Finland, has been commonly known as the origin of ALD, while work done since the 1960s in the Soviet Union under the name "molecular layering" (and sometimes other names) has remained much less known. The virtual project on the history of ALD (VPHA) is a volunteer-based effort with open participation, set up to make the early days of ALD more transparent. In VPHA, started in July 2013, the target is to list, read and comment on all early ALD academic and patent literature up to 1986. VPHA has resulted in two essays and several presentations at international conferences. This paper, based on a poster presentation at the 16th International Conference on Atomic Layer Deposition in Dublin, Ireland, 2016, presents a recommended reading list of early ALD publications, created collectively by the VPHA participants through voting. The list contains 22 publications from Finland, Japan, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States. Up to now, a balanced overview regarding the early history of ALD has been missing; the current list is an attempt to remedy this deficiency. (C) 2016 Author(s).Peer reviewe

Reduced Estradiol-Induced Vasodilation and Poly-(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase (PARP) Activity in the Aortas of Rats with Experimental Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance, both of which have been connected to atherosclerosis. Indeed, an increased risk of clinical manifestations of arterial vascular diseases has been described in PCOS. On the other hand endothelial dysfunction can be detected early on, before atherosclerosis develops. Thus we assumed that vascular dysfunction is also related directly to the hormonal imbalance rather than to its metabolic consequences. To detect early functional changes, we applied a novel rodent model of PCOS: rats were either sham operated or hyperandrogenism was achieved by implanting subcutaneous pellets of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). After ten weeks, myograph measurements were performed on isolated aortic rings. Previously we described an increased contractility to norepinephrine (NE). Here we found a reduced immediate relaxation to estradiol treatment in pre-contracted aortic rings from hyperandrogenic rats. Although the administration of vitamin D3 along with DHT reduced responsiveness to NE, it did not restore relaxation to estradiol. Poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activity was assessed by poly-ADP-ribose immunostaining. Increased PAR staining in ovaries and circulating leukocytes from DHT rats showed enhanced DNA damage, which was reduced by concomitant vitamin D3 treatment. Surprisingly, PAR staining was reduced in both the endothelium and vascular smooth muscle cells of the aorta rings from hyperandrogenic rats. Thus in the early phase of PCOS, vascular tone is already shifted towards vasoconstriction, characterized by reduced vasorelaxation and vascular dysfunction is concomitant with altered PARP activity. Based on our findings, PARP inhibitors might have a future perspective in restoring metabolic disorders in PCOS

Genetically predicted cortisol levels and risk of venous thromboembolism

Introduction - In observational studies, venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been associated with Cushing’s syndrome and with persistent mental stress, two conditions associated with higher cortisol levels. However, it remains unknown whether high cortisol levels within the usual range are causally associated with VTE risk. We aimed to assess the association between plasma cortisol levels and VTE risk using Mendelian randomization. Methods - Three genetic variants in the SERPINA1/SERPINA6 locus (rs12589136, rs11621961 and rs2749527) were used to proxy plasma cortisol. The associations of the cortisol-associated genetic variants with VTE were acquired from the INVENT (28 907 cases and 157 243 non-cases) and FinnGen (6913 cases and 169 986 non-cases) consortia. Corresponding data for VTE subtypes were available from the FinnGen consortium and UK Biobank. Two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses (inverse-variance weighted method) were performed. Results - Genetic predisposition to higher plasma cortisol levels was associated with a reduced risk of VTE (odds ratio [OR] per one standard deviation increment 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62–0.87, p Conclusions - This study provides evidence that genetically predicted plasma cortisol levels in the high end of the normal range are associated with a decreased risk of VTE and that this association may be mediated by blood pressure. This study has implications for the planning of observational studies of cortisol and VTE, suggesting that blood pressure traits should be measured and accounted for

Atomic Layer Deposition of 2D Metal Dichalcogenides for Electronics, Catalysis, Energy Storage, and Beyond

2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are among the most exciting materials of today. Their layered crystal structures result in unique and useful electronic, optical, catalytic, and quantum properties. To realize the technological potential of TMDCs, methods depositing uniform films of controlled thickness at low temperatures in a highly controllable, scalable, and repeatable manner are needed. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a chemical gas-phase thin film deposition method capable of meeting these challenges. In this review, the applications evaluated for ALD TMDCs are systematically examined, including electronics and optoelectonics, electrocatalysis and photocatalysis, energy storage, lubrication, plasmonics, solar cells, and photonics. This review focuses on understanding the interplay between ALD precursors and deposition conditions, the resulting film characteristics such as thickness, crystallinity, and morphology, and ultimately device performance. Through rational choice of precursors and conditions, ALD is observed to exhibit potential to meet the varying requirements of widely different applications. Beyond the current state of ALD TMDCs, the future prospects, opportunities, and challenges in different applications are discussed. The authors hope that the review aids in bringing together experts in the fields of ALD, TMDCs, and various applications to eventually realize industrial applications of ALD TMDCs.Peer reviewe

Genet Epidemiol

Although recent Genome-Wide Association Studies have identified novel associations for common variants, there has been no comprehensive exome-wide search for low-frequency variants that affect the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). We conducted a meta-analysis of 11 studies comprising 8,332 cases and 16,087 controls of European ancestry and 382 cases and 1,476 controls of African American ancestry genotyped with the Illumina HumanExome BeadChip. We used the seqMeta package in R to conduct single variant and gene-based rare variant tests. In the single variant analysis, we limited our analysis to the 64,794 variants with at least 40 minor alleles across studies (minor allele frequency [MAF] ~0.08%). We confirmed associations with previously identified VTE loci, including ABO, F5, F11, and FGA. After adjusting for multiple testing, we observed no novel significant findings in single variant or gene-based analysis. Given our sample size, we had greater than 80% power to detect minimum odds ratios greater than 1.5 and 1.8 for a single variant with MAF of 0.01 and 0.005, respectively. Larger studies and sequence data may be needed to identify novel low-frequency and rare variants associated with VTE risk