Fine particle emissions, emission reduction potential and reduction costs in Finland in 2020

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the atmosphere have been associated with severe human health effects. This report explores future emissions of primary PM2.5, their reduction potential and related reduction costs in Finland. One activity pathway of 2020 of the Finnish Climate Strategy was studied with two different PM emission control utilization scenarios: (1) "Baseline" which involves PM control technology utilization complying with current legislation, and (2) "Reduction" which assumes the use of maximum technically and economically feasible emission reduction measures. The studied sectors included stationary combustion and industrial activities. The work was performed using the Finnish Regional Emission Scenario (FRES) model of Finnish environment institute (SYKE). Total emission reduction potential below "Baseline" was estimated at 6.7 Gg(PM2.5) a-1, or 22% of the total emissions. The biggest relatively cost-efficient reductions (marginal cost below 5000 € Mg-1) can be achieved by the use of small electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) in domestic wood log boilers, 2.0 Gg a-1. In large-scale combustion installations in power plants and industry the reduction of 1.2 Gg a-1 is possible by fabric filter installations instead of ESPs. A comparable reduction with slightly higher costs can be achieved in small (below 5 MWth) industrial boilers by the introduction of ESPs. For industrial processes potential occurs in few individual plants. The uncertainties in emission reduction and cost estimates are biggest for domestic combustion and industrial processes. This report presents cost-efficiency estimates of future emission reductions per mass of PM2.5 reduced. However, the magnitude of health benefits gained from emission reductions are different for different emission sources, depending on e.g. the altitude of emission release, the emission location in relation to the location of population etc. The results of this study are used in the integrated assessment modeling framework developed in the KOPRA project in order to link the information of emission reductions and costs, atmospheric dispersion and induced health impacts

What are the effects of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on boreal forest biodiversity in Fennoscandia and European Russia? A systematic review protocol

Biodiversity is vital for human well-being, but is threatened by human actions world-wide. In the boreal zone, harvesting and management of forests on an industrial scale is the most important factor driving habitat change and degradation. Over time different forest management regimes have been implemented but their impact on biodiversity at different spatial and temporal scales has not been systematically reviewed although non-systematic reviews on the topic exist. The aim of this article is to describe a protocol for a systematic review to synthesise and compare the impacts of two different forest management systems on biodiversity at different spatial and temporal scales. The topic for the systematic review arose from the discussions with the Finnish forestry sector and was further defined in a stakeholder workshop. Research questions addressed by the systematic review protocol are: (1) What are the stand-level effects of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on boreal forest biodiversity in Fennoscandia and European Russia? (2) What is the effect of these same forest management systems on biodiversity at landscape level?Peer reviewe

What are the effects of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on boreal forest biodiversity in Fennoscandia and European Russia? A systematic review

Background: Forest harvesting changes forest habitat and impacts forest dependent species. Uneven-aged management is often considered better for biodiversity than even-aged management, but there is an ongoing discourse over the benefits and disadvantages of different silvicultural systems. This systematic review contributes to the public discussion and provides evidence for policy making by synthesising current evidence on impacts of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on biodiversity in boreal forests of Fennoscandia and European Russia. In this review even-aged and uneven-aged forest management are compared directly to each other as well as to natural forest to provide a broad basis for public discussion. Methods: Both peer-reviewed and grey literature were searched in bibliographical databases, organizational webpages and internet search engines in English, Finnish, Swedish and Russian. Articles were screened for relevance by their title/abstract and again by full text. The inclusion of studies was assessed against pre-defined criteria published in an a priori protocol. A narrative synthesis and meta-analysis were conducted to describe the evidence base and to compare species richness and abundance between differently managed forests. The influence of habitat specialism, taxon, years since harvesting, deadwood availability and harvesting intensity on species richness and abundance were also tested. Review findings: Searching identified 43,621 articles of which 137 articles with 854 studies had independent data and were included in the narrative synthesis. Of those, 547 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The most studied taxa were arthropods, vascular plants, bryophytes, fungi, and lichens. Results showed that forests with less disturbance (uneven-aged and mature even-aged) host more forest dependent species than young even-aged forests ( 80 years old). Uneven-aged forest had similar number of species and individuals than natural forest whereas even-aged forest had less species than natural forest. Open habitat species and their individuals were more numerous in young even-aged forests and forests undergone retention harvest. Effect sizes found were mostly large indicating strong and uniform impact of forest management based on species' habitat preferences. In addition to habitat specialism, years since harvest explained some of the differences found in species richness and abundance due to increase of open habitat species in the early successional stages and forest dependent species in late successional stages. Taxon had limited explanatory power. Conclusions: Habitat preferences determine species' response to different harvesting methods and the magnitude of effect is large. Less disturbance from harvesting is better for forest dependent species whereas opposite is true for open habitat species. Uneven-aged and mature even-aged forests (> 80 years old) are important to maintain biodiversity in boreal forests. However, the results also highlight that natural forests are needed to ensure the future of forest dependent species in Fennoscandia and European Russia. Given that a broader set of biodiversity aspects are to be protected, best overall biodiversity impacts for a variety of species at landscape level can be achieved by ensuring that there is a mosaic of different forests within landscapes.Peer reviewe

Are small protected habitat patches within boreal production forests effective in conserving species richness, abundance and community composition? A systematic review

Background: In boreal zone forest management is changing and degrading forest habitats, which has caused declines in biodiversity. To mitigate these harmful effects in production forests, small-scale habitats with high biodiversity values have been protected within them. These habitats include woodland key habitats, and other small habitat patches protected by voluntary conservation actions. In this systematic review we synthesize the evidence on the value of small protected habitat patches (SPHP) within production forest landscapes for biodiversity. Review question: Are small protected habitat patches within boreal production forests effective in conserving species richness, abundance, and community composition? Methods: Both peer-reviewed and grey literature were searched from bibliographical databases, organizational websites and internet search engines in English, Finnish, Swedish and Russian. Articles were screened at two stages (title/abstract and full text) and the validity of the included studies were assessed. Screening and validity assessment were based on predetermined criteria. After data extraction, narrative and quantitative syntheses were conducted. Influences of effect modifiers were tested, and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Review findings: During the searches 19,458 articles were found. After duplicate removal and title/abstract screening 336 articles remained. During full text screening 41 articles were included and 35 of them (174 studies) were included in narrative synthesis. 28 articles with 127 studies had suitable data for meta-analysis. SPHPs had significantly higher species richness compared to production forests. When compared to natural forests, there was no significant difference. Forest management in areas surrounding SPHPs did not have impact on species richness of these patches. Individual abundance was significantly higher in SPHPs compared to natural or production forests. There was significantly more dead wood in SPHPs compared to production forests, but when compared to natural forests there was no significant difference. Community composition was different between SPHPs and both production and natural forests. Conclusions: The findings of this review show that small protected patches within production forests are important part of biodiversity conservation. They cannot substitute larger protected areas but supplement the protected area network. However, there were gaps both in geographical distribution of the studies as well as in the selection of target species of the studies. Therefore, generalization of the results must be done carefully.Peer reviewe

Peruskorjaaminen haasteena kohtuuhintaiselle asumiselle

Raportissa selvitetään vuokratalojen peruskorjausten taloudelliset edellytykset kartoittamalla kahdeksan vuokrataloyhteisön nykyisestä lainakannasta ja tulevista peruskorjauksista aiheutuvat rahoituskustannukset vuosille 2011–2040. Raportissa selvitetään yhteisöjen nykyistä lainakantaa sekä arvioidaan tulevista peruskorjaustarpeista aiheutuvan lainakannan vaikutuksia vuokratasoihin. Raportin tavoitteena on kiinnittää vuokrataloyhteisöjen huomiota peruskorjaustarpeen arviointiin ja siihen, että yhteisöt varautuisivat tuleviin korjauksiin myös vuokranmäärityksessä. Selvityksen merkittävimmät havainnot ovat seuraavat: yhteisöjen tulisi arvioida tulevat peruskorjaustarpeet ja varautua peruskorjauksien omarahoitusosuuden kartuttamiseen heti rakennuksen käyttöönoton alusta. Tämän selvityksen perusteella varautumiseen tarvittaisiin noin 0,60 €/m²/kk (nykyrahassa), mutta olosuhteista johtuen yhteisökohtaiset erot voivat kuitenkin olla suuria. Lisäksi nykyisen korkotukilainajärjestelmän lyhennysaikataulu olisi nähtävä hitaimpana mahdollisena vaihtoehtona, jota nopeampaan takaisinmaksuun yhteisöjen tulisi järjestelmällisesti pyrkiä aina, kun yleinen korkotaso, kiinteistöjen käyttöaste ja muut tekijät sen sallivat

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Modulate Transcriptional Signatures Involved in Proliferation, Differentiation and Metastasis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are known to increase tumor growth and to stimulate invasion and metastasis. Increasing evidence suggests that CAFs mediate response to various treatments. HNSCC cell lines were co-cultured with their patient-matched CAFs in 2D and 3D in vitro models, and the tumor cell gene expression profiles were investigated by cDNA microarray and qRT-PCR. The mRNA expression of eight candidate genes was examined in tumor biopsies from 32 HNSCC patients and in five biopsies from normal oral tissue. Differences in overall survival (OS) were tested with Kaplan–Meier long-rank analysis. Thirteen protein coding genes were found to be differentially expressed in tumor cells co-cultured with CAFs in 2D and 81 in 3D when compared to tumor cells cultured without CAFs. Six of these genes were upregulated both in 2D and 3D (POSTN, GREM1, BGN, COL1A2, COL6A3, and COL1A1). Moreover, two genes upregulated in 3D, MMP9 and FMOD, were significantly associated with the OS. In conclusion, we demonstrated in vitro that CAF-derived signals alter the tumor cell expression of multiple genes, several of which are associated with differentiation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, and metastasis. Moreover, six of the most highly upregulated genes were found to be overexpressed in tumor tissue compared to normal tissue

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Modulate Transcriptional Signatures Involved in Proliferation, Differentiation and Metastasis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are known to increase tumor growth and to stimulate invasion and metastasis. Increasing evidence suggests that CAFs mediate response to various treatments. HNSCC cell lines were co-cultured with their patient-matched CAFs in 2D and 3D in vitro models, and the tumor cell gene expression profiles were investigated by cDNA microarray and qRT-PCR. The mRNA expression of eight candidate genes was examined in tumor biopsies from 32 HNSCC patients and in five biopsies from normal oral tissue. Differences in overall survival (OS) were tested with Kaplan–Meier long-rank analysis. Thirteen protein coding genes were found to be differentially expressed in tumor cells co-cultured with CAFs in 2D and 81 in 3D when compared to tumor cells cultured without CAFs. Six of these genes were upregulated both in 2D and 3D (POSTN, GREM1, BGN, COL1A2, COL6A3, and COL1A1). Moreover, two genes upregulated in 3D, MMP9 and FMOD, were significantly associated with the OS. In conclusion, we demonstrated in vitro that CAF-derived signals alter the tumor cell expression of multiple genes, several of which are associated with differentiation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, and metastasis. Moreover, six of the most highly upregulated genes were found to be overexpressed in tumor tissue compared to normal tissue

trans-Tetra­chloridobis(diphenyl­aceto­nitrile)platinum(IV)

In the title compound, [PtCl4(C14H11N)2], the Pt atom lies on an inversion center and has a distorted octa­hedral environment. The main geometric parameters are Pt—N = 1.960 (5) Å, and Pt—Cl = 2.3177 (12) and 2.3196 (12) Å. The N C bond is a typical triple bond [1.137 (7) Å]. The Pt—N C—C unit is almost linear, with Pt—N—C and N—C—C angles of 174.6 (4) and 177.1 (6)°, respectively