The feasibility of working memory tablet tasks in predicting scholastic skills in classroom settings

Cognitive assessment in natural group settings facilitates data collection but poses threats to the validity. In this study, tablet‐based working memory (WM) tasks, the counting span, and reading span were used in predicting 12‐year‐old children's (N = 837) scholastic skills and fluid intelligence in a classroom with environmental noise. WM tasks had excellent internal consistency, correlated with scholastic skills, and accounted for more of the variance in cognitive performance (grade point average, fluid intelligence, scholastic skills) compared with individually administered (n = 190) digit span task. Furthermore, the multilevel analysis revealed that compared with the classrooms with no noise, when naturally occurring speech or nonspeech types of environmental noises were present during assessment, WM scores or the reliability estimates were not lower. In contrast, when both types of noises were present, the relationships between some of the WM and achievement scores were even stronger. Thus, assessments in natural classroom contexts may promote revealing the individual differences in WM.Peer reviewe

Low prevalence of zoonotic multidrug-resistant bacteria in veterinarians in a country with prudent use of antimicrobials in animals

The occurrence of multidrug-resistant zoonotic bacteria in animals has been increasing worldwide. Working in close contact with livestock increases the risk of carriage of these bacteria. We investigated the occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and plasmidic AmpC beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL/pAmpC-PE) and livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in Finnish veterinarians (n = 320). In addition to microbiological samples, background information was collected. Bacterial whole genome sequencing was performed to deduce sequence types (STs), spa types and resistance genes of the isolates. In total, 3.0% (9/297) of the veterinarians carried ESBL producing Escherichia coli, with one ESBL producing E. coli isolate producing also AmpC. Seven different STs, sequences of several different plasmid groups as well as several different bla(ESBL/pAmpC )genes existed in different combinations. No carbapenemase or colistin resistance genes were detected. MRSA was detected in 0.3% (1/320) of the samples. The strain belonged to LA-MRSA clonal complex (CC) 398 (ST398, spa type 011, lacking Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes). In conclusion, this study shows low carriage of multidrug-resistant zoonotic bacteria in Finnish veterinarians. However, finding LA-MRSA for the first time in a sample from a veterinarian in a country with prudent use of animal antimicrobials and regarding the recent rise of LA-MRSA on Finnish pig farms, a strong recommendation to protect people working in close contact with animals carrying LA-MRSA CC398 is given. Further studies are needed to explain why the prevalence of LA-MRSA in veterinarians is lower in Finland than in other European countries.Peer reviewe

Significant decrease in the rate of fatal alcohol poisonings in Finland validated by blood alcohol concentration statistics

Background: Alcohol may cause death directly by acute poisoning, as well as induce illnesses or accidents that lead to death. Our research question was whether the current decreasing trend in acute fatal alcohol poisonings in Finland is a real phenomenon or an artefact caused by possible changes in the process of determining the cause of death. Methods: All cases in the national post-mortem toxicology database in which the underlying cause of death was acute alcohol poisoning in 1987-2018 were investigated in terms of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), age and gender. The number of acute alcohol poisonings was compared to the number of deaths from alcohol induced illness in the post-mortem toxicology database. Results: A total of 12 126 acute alcohol poisoning cases were retrieved. Between 2004 and 2017 the number of acute alcohol poisonings decreased 60.1 %. At the same time the number of alcohol induced illnesses in the study material remained stable or decreased marginally. The median BAC in all acute alcohol poisonings was 3.2 g/kg. The annual median BAC values showed a small but significant decrease over the study period. The proportion of women in acute alcohol poisonings increased significantly over the study period, from 17.1%-22.3%. Women were on average 2.5 years older than men. Conclusions: On grounds of the BAC statistics and supporting evidence, we conclude that the significant decrease in the number of fatal alcohol poisonings is true and likely reflects changes in the overall consumption of alcohol.Peer reviewe

Alcohol Consumption and Dietary Patterns: The FinDrink Study

The aim of this population-based study was to investigate differences in dietary patterns in relation to the level of alcohol consumption among Finnish adults. This study was part of the FinDrink project, an epidemiologic study on alcohol use among Finnish population. It utilized data from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. A total of 1720 subjects comprising of 816 men and 904 women aged 53–73 years were included in the study in 1998–2001. Food intake was collected via a 4-day food diary method. Self-reported alcohol consumption was assessed with quantity-frequency method based on the Nordic Alcohol Consumption Inventory. Weekly alcohol consumption was categorized into three groups: non-drinkers (<12 grams), moderate drinkers (12–167.9 grams for men, 12–83.9 grams for women) and heavy drinkers (≥168 grams for men, ≥84 grams for women). Data were analyzed for men and women separately using multiple linear regression models, adjusted for age, occupational status, marital status, smoking, body mass index and leisure time physical activity. In women, moderate/heavy drinkers had lower fibre intake and moderate drinkers had higher vitamin D intake than non-drinkers. Male heavy drinkers had lower fibre, retinol, calcium and iron intake, and moderate/heavy drinkers had higher vitamin D intake than non-drinkers. Fish intake was higher among women moderate drinkers and men moderate/heavy drinkers than non-drinkers. In men, moderate drinkers had lower fruit intake and heavy drinkers had lower milk intake than non-drinkers. Moderate drinkers had higher energy intake from total fats and monosaturated fatty acids than non-drinkers. In contrast, energy intake from carbohydrates was lower among moderate/heavy drinkers than non-drinkers. In conclusion, especially male heavy drinkers had less favorable nutritional intake than moderate and non-drinkers. Further studies on the relationship between alcohol consumption and dietary habits are needed to plan a comprehensive dietary intervention programs in future

The role of governance in realising the transition towards sustainable societies

It is widely known that governance is central to the successful implementation of sustainable development policies and measures. Yet, there is a paucity of research which explore the links between governance and sustainability. This paper attempts to address this research need by providing an analysis of the role of governance in enabling – and to some extent – fostering a transition towards sustainable societies. A set of indicators for assessing the capacity for and willingness and commitment to transition to a more sustainable society is presented, enabling identification of direction of change. This paper presents the results of a study, in the context of which sustainability governance has been comparatively investigated in a sample of European countries with, by methodological purpose, very different economic, environmental, political and social conditions (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland). Lessons learnt and examples of good practice – which may be replicable elsewhere-are outlined. For instance, it is discussed that limited knowledge about sustainable development amongst municipal development planners and decision-makers, deficiencies in policy integration, intersectoral cooperation, municipality and stakeholder cooperation and urban management practices are major reasons for weak governance practices in sustainable development. Furthermore, some recommendations on the role of sustainability governance are made, so as to allow the integration of the principles of governance into sustainability practice and hence provide a more general basis upon which a transition towards sustainable societies may become a reality in different types of European countries and societies. The scientific value of this paper lies in identifying opportunities for integrating principles of governance into sustainability practice, as well as outlining the basis for sustainability transitions, providing a general picture of required policy measures. The paper offers a unique comparative analysis of sustainability governance in the Baltic Sea countries, outlining some of the challenges in sustainability governance in the Baltic Sea region