Simulated nitrogen leaching, nitrogen mass field balances and their correlation on four farms in south-western Finland during the period 2000-2005

Nitrogen (N) gross balance is one of the indicators designed for following developments in agriculture in the European Union. A nutrient surplus occurs when the quantity of a nutrient applied in fertilizers is greater than that removed during harvest. In this study the usefulness of N balance in studying the fate of N and controlling N leaching from agricultural fields in south-western Finland was evaluated. To estimate N leaching in 2000–2005 the mathematical, process-based model COUP was applied to twelve fields representing four agricultural production sectors. The fields represented conventional cereal production, organic cereal production and both conventional cattle and pig husbandry. Simulated N leaching was lowest from cereal production fields with a low N balance. Higher N leaching from pig and cattle production farms might be reduced by decreasing the N balance but also by applying manure in spring instead of autumn. Both N balance and simulated N leaching from organic farm were relatively high compared to low N application rate to the fields. N balance appears to be a rather useful indicator of N leaching over longer periods of time. In the short term, N leaching depends mainly on precipitation and on cultivation practices, like timing and amount of fertilizer application. Statistical evaluation indicated significant positive correlation between calculated N balance and simulated N leaching, especially when supported by constant values of precipitation and N mineralization rate. Decrease of N balance by 1 kg ha–1yr–1 decreased N leaching by 0.3 kg ha–1yr–1. High positive N balances are conducive to abundant accumulation of residual N in soil and consequently to a high risk of N leaching during rainy seasons

Dietary fibre in legumes, seeds, vegetables, fruits and mushrooms : Comparing traditional and semi-automated filtration techniques

The method AOAC 2011.25 was used to analyze all the dietary fibre (DF) components included in the latest definition by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (2009). The traditional filtration technique, described in the method AOAC 2011.25, was compared with a new semi-automated filtration technique using Fibertec" 1023 system. For the comparisons, a statistical similarity approach was chosen to evaluate the results of six food matrixes (wheat flour, edible boletus, strawberry, tomato, green pea and horse radish). The total DF contents of the tested matrixes fit within 16% tightest data-induced similarity limit of the manual mean, with one exception (strawberry; 30%). Thus, it was concluded that both techniques are suitable for use with the method AOAC 2011.25, and therefore either technique was used to analyze a wide selection of legumes, seeds, vegetables, fruits and mushrooms (44 foods). Seeds were excellent sources of total DF, as well as water-insoluble (IDF) and water-soluble (SDFP) polysaccharides. A substantial amount of oligosaccharides (SDFS) was found in red onions. Generally, the DF contents were higher in this study than in earlier studies. Higher DF results can be partially explained by the more effective analytical method, and partly by changed varieties.Peer reviewe

Tilastollinen tarina empiirisestä tutkimuksesta ?

ei saatavill

The Guide-Dog approach : a methodology for ecology

In ecology the central problem is not the lack of theory or the lack of data but the lack of research able to link them systematically and critically. The description and analysis of such an integrated research process is the focus of the present study. Our approach is called the Guide-Dog approach, because we hope that it is able to guide all those who are blinded or perplexed by the increasing technical sophistication and fragmentation of modern science

Pitfall trap efficiency: do trap size, collecting fluid and vegetation structure matter?

Apart from experimental design, the selection of pitfall trap size, collecting fluid and habitat type sampled may also influence the capture efficiency of the method. We combined three field studies from two very different geographic areas, in which the efficiency of pitfall traps, using carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), is evaluated. First, we showed that ethylene-glycol is a more efficient collecting fluid compared to commercial anti-freeze, paraffin and salt water in collecting beetles in a forest patch in South Africa. Second, we showed that larger traps (90 mm mouth diameter) are more efficient in collecting carabids than small traps (65 mm) in a meadow in Finland. We also showed that for these large traps, commercial vinegar was a better collecting fluid than propylene-glycol, but that for small traps, propylene-glycol was superior to vinegar in collecting carabids. Finally, we showed that the trappability of Pterostichus oblongopunctatus and Carabus hortensis differed in enclosures placed into two different habitat types (a forest and a clear-cut in Finland), while trappability did not differ significantly for two other species (Calathus micropterus and Pterostichus niger) in these habitat types. However, for the two Pterostichus species studied, the catches in traps placed in the centre of the enclosures were slightly higher in the clear-cut, compared to the forest, and catches were higher in enclosures with rich field-layer vegetation, compared to enclosures with poor vegetation. The three studies re-emphasise the uncertainties of using pitfall traps in ecological studies. However, with careful planning and standardisation to help avoid erroneous interpretations, pitfall trapping is an invaluable method for the field ecologist

Advanced utilization of big data for real-time monitoring and data analytics in Sundom smart grid

Modern technologies are increasingly used in many protection, control and monitoring solutions for power distribution grids. Voltage and current measurements are nowadays usually converted to digital signals, which are further processed and stored in different locations depending on the application. At the same time, when data processing and storing capacity is increasing, the number of new data sources also increases. This means that the data transfer capacity may also need to be increased at different levels in future distribution network management and protection architectures. This paper presents how IEC 61850-9-2 standard based raw data streamed from the Sundom Smart Grid can be processed and utilized for power quality monitoring and analytics applications. Digitalization also enables several other parallel applications since the same data stream can be used for several targets when the connectivity, interoperability and data quality are sufficient. In this paper some of these potential parallel applications are also introduced.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Interpreting the terms odds and odds ratio : "exposure to low level of immunoglobulin G in blood doubles the odds of pneumonia ( pneumonia pressure) in calves"

Peer reviewe

Mitä uutta Ewingin sarkooman hoidossa?

Teema : luukasvaimet. English summaryPeer reviewe

European pension funds and sustainable development : trade-offs between finance and responsibility

Pension funds try to account for sustainable development in their operations. This mainly translates in socially responsible investing. We investigate how this interacts with the financial objectives. We use a survey among more than 250 pension funds based in 15 European countries. Multinomial logistic regression is used to find out how pension funds trade off sustainable development and financial objectives. Our findings suggest that pension funds that have not included responsibility in their strategy and investments have a clear priority for financial performance, whereas pension funds who integrate sustainable development in their strategy can bring balance between finance and responsibility.PostprintPeer reviewe