Climate anxiety : Conceptual considerations, and connections with climate hope and action

Climate anxiety is a phenomenon which raises growing attention. Based on a national survey of climate-related feelings and behaviors (N = 2070) in Finland, we analyzed and discussed the concept of climate anxiety and its relationship with hope and action. We found that all our measures for climate anxiety (including worry and some stronger manifestations of anxiety) and hope (including efficacy beliefs) correlated positively with each other and climate action. Furthermore, climate anxiety and hope explained unique parts of variance in self-reported climate action. We propose that, in line with the Extended Parallel Process model (EPPM) that was used as a framework, the interplay of emotions needs to be considered when studying and explaining their effect on climate action. In conclusion, the results provide support for seeing climate anxiety and hope as intertwined and adaptive feelings, which could be needed to motivate humankind in finding solutions to climate change.Peer reviewe

Response style and severity and chronicity of depressive disorders in primary health care

Background: Response styles theory of depression postulates that rumination is a central factor in occurrence, severity and maintaining of depression. High neuroticism has been associated with tendency to ruminate. We investigated associations of response styles and neuroticism with severity and chronicity of depression in a primary care cohort study. Methods: In the Vantaa Primary Care Depression Study, a stratified random sample of 1119 adult patients was screened for depression using the Prime-MD. Depressive and comorbid psychiatric disorders were diagnosed using SCID-I/P and SCID-II interviews. Of the 137 patients with depressive disorders, 82% completed the prospective five-year follow-up with a graphic life chart enabling evaluation of the longitudinal course of episodes. Neuroticism was measured with the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI-Q). Response styles were investigated at five years using the Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ-43). Results: At five years, rumination correlated significantly with scores of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (r = 0.54), Beck Depression Inventory (r = 0.61), Beck Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.50), Beck Hopelessness Scale (r = 0.51) and Neuroticism (r = 0.58). Rumination correlated also with proportion of follow-up time spent depressed (r = 0.38). In multivariate regression, high rumination was significantly predicted by current depressive symptoms and neuroticism, but not by anxiety symptoms or preceding duration of depressive episodes. Conclusions: Among primary care patients with depression, rumination correlated with current severity of depressive symptoms, but the association with preceding episode duration remained uncertain. The association between neuroticism and rumination was strong. The findings are consistent with rumination as a state-related phenomenon, which is also strongly intertwined with traits predisposing to depression. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Isolation of Clostridium limosum from an outbreak of metritis in farmed mink

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of sudden death of pregnant farmed mink in Finland occurred during the busiest whelping period in the spring of 2013. The affected farms were all located in western Finland in a rather narrow geographic area, Ostrobothnia. Dead mink from 22 farms were submitted for laboratory diagnostics to the Finnish Food Safety Authority (Evira). The carcasses were necropsied and tissue specimens were prepared for histology. Samples of internal organs and peritoneal fluid were cultured bacteriologically. RESULTS: Major pathological findings included hemorrhagic vaginal discharge, severely inflamed uteri with luminal hemorrhagic exudate and dead fetuses. Dead fetuses were present in the peritoneal cavity and associated severe peritonitis occurring as sequela of uterine rupture were found in most minks. Histological findings included hemorrhages, neutrophil infiltrations, degenerative inflammatory cells, edema, fibrin and rod-shaped bacteria on all layers of the uterine wall. In most samples abundant and pure anaerobic bacterial growth of Clostridium limosum was found. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of C. limosum associated metritis in farmed mink. Disease was only observed in pregnant females and the uterus was the primary site of infection. The source of infection and the route of transmission remained unclear, but feed borne transmission was suspected

Global warming will affect the maximum potential abundance of boreal plant species

Forecasting the impact of future global warming on biodiversity requires understanding how temperature limits the distribution of species. Here we rely on Liebig's Law of Minimum to estimate the effect of temperature on the maximum potential abundance that a species can attain at a certain location. We develop 95%‐quantile regressions to model the influence of effective temperature sum on the maximum potential abundance of 25 common understory plant species of Finland, along 868 nationwide plots sampled in 1985. Fifteen of these species showed a significant response to temperature sum that was consistent in temperature‐only models and in all‐predictors models, which also included cumulative precipitation, soil texture, soil fertility, tree species and stand maturity as predictors. For species with significant and consistent responses to temperature, we forecasted potential shifts in abundance for the period 2041–2070 under the IPCC A1B emission scenario using temperature‐only models. We predict major potential changes in abundance and average northward distribution shifts of 6–8 km yr−1. Our results emphasize inter‐specific differences in the impact of global warming on the understory layer of boreal forests. Species in all functional groups from dwarf shrubs, herbs and grasses to bryophytes and lichens showed significant responses to temperature, while temperature did not limit the abundance of 10 species. We discuss the interest of modelling the ‘maximum potential abundance’ to deal with the uncertainty in the predictions of realized abundances associated to the effect of environmental factors not accounted for and to dispersal limitations of species, among others. We believe this concept has a promising and unexplored potential to forecast the impact of specific drivers of global change under future scenarios.202

Health-related quality of life of primary care patients with depressive disorders

Background: Depressive disorders are known to impair health-related quality of life (HRQoL) both in the short and long term. However, the determinants of long-term HRQoL outcomes in primary care patients with depressive disorders remain unclear. Methods: In a primary care cohort study of patients with depressive disorders, 82% of 137 patients were prospectively followed up for five years. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed with SCID-I/P and SCID-II interviews; clinical, psychosocial and socio-economic factors were investigated by rating scales and questionnaires plus medical and psychiatric records. HRQoL was measured with the generic 15D instrument at baseline and five years, and compared with an age-standardized general population sample (n = 3707) at five years. Results: Depression affected the 15D total score and almost all dimensions at both time points. At the end of follow-up, HRQoL of patients in major depressive episode (MDE) was particularly low, and the association between severity of depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]) and HRQoL was very strong (r = -0.804). The most significant predictors for change in HRQoL were changes in BDI and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores. The mean 15D score of depressive primary care patients at five years was much worse than in the age-standardized general population, reaching normal range only among patients who were in clinical remission and had virtually no symptoms. Conclusions: Among depressive primary care patients, presence of current depressive symptoms markedly reduces HRQoL, with symptoms of concurrent anxiety also having a marked impact. For HRQoL to normalize, current depressive and anxiety symptoms must be virtually absent. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Limiting health-care access to undocumented immigrants: A wise option?

The number of undocumented migrants in high-income countries has increased in recent decades, imposing considerable political, fiscal, and social pressures on governments. This has fostered discussions on whether and to what extent undocumented migrants should get access to public programs and public benefits. Looking at the 2012 Spanish health reform, this is the first paper to document the impacts of a restriction on access to the health-care system for undocumented migrants on health-care utilization, health-care system perceptions, and self-reported health in a high-income country. We show that such restrictions may significantly reduce planned care for undocumented migrants and result in sharp fall in positive opinions about the health-care services still left available to them. We also exploit the heterogeneity in implementing the policy across regions and report stronger effects in regions that enforced the national ban more fully. Furthermore, in the first 3 years since the implementation of the reform, we find suggestive evidence of a worsening in self-assessed health. This study is relevant for policymakers in the developed world, especially in countries that have recently implemented initiatives aimed at reducing the health-care coverage for targeted groups, such as the United Kingdom and the United States

Thermal seasons in northern Europe in projected future climate

Global warming acts to prolong thermal summers and shorten winters. In this work, future changes in the lengths and timing of four thermal seasons in northern Europe, with threshold temperatures 0 and 10 degrees C, are derived from bias-adjusted output data from 23 CMIP5 global climate models. Three future periods and two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios are discussed. The focus is on the period 2040-2069 under RCP4.5, which approximately corresponds to a 2 degrees C global warming relative to the preindustrial era. By the period 2040-2069, the average length of the thermal summer increases by nearly 30 days relative to 1971-2000, and the thermal winter shortens by 30-60 days. The timing of the thermal springs advances while autumns delay. Within the model ensemble, there is a high linear correlation between the modelled annual-mean temperature increase and shifts in the thermal seasons. Thermal summers lengthen by about 10 days and winters shorten by 10-24 days per 1 degrees C of local warming. In the mid-21st century, about two-thirds of all summers (winters) are projected to be very long (very short) according to the baseline-period standards, with an anomaly greater than 20 days relative to the late-20th century temporal mean. The proportion of years without a thermal winter increases remarkably in the Baltic countries and southern Scandinavian peninsula. Implications of the changing thermal seasons on nature and human society are discussed in a literature review.Peer reviewe

A case study on the re-establishment of the cyanolichen symbiosis : where do the compatible photobionts come from?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In order to re-establish lichen symbiosis, fungal spores must first germinate and then associate with a compatible photobiont. To detect possible establishment limitations in a sexually reproducing cyanolichen species, we studied ascospore germination, photobiont growth and photobiont association patterns in Pectenia plumbea. METHODS: Germination tests were made with ascospores from 500 apothecia under different treatments, and photobiont growth was analysed in 192 isolates obtained from 24 thalli. We determined the genotype identity [tRNALeu (UAA) intron] of the Nostoc cyanobionts from 30 P. plumbea thalli from one population. We also sequenced cyanobionts of 41 specimens of other cyanolichen species and 58 Nostoc free-living colonies cultured from the bark substrate. KEY RESULTS: Not a single fungal ascospore germinated and none of the photobiont isolates produced motile hormogonia. Genetic analyses revealed that P. plumbea shares Nostoc genotypes with two other cyanolichen species of the same habitat, but these photobionts were hardly present in the bark substrate. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the inability of both symbionts to thrive independently, the establishment of P. plumbea seems to depend on Dendriscocaulon umhausense, the only cyanolichen species in the same habitat that reproduces asexually and acts as a source of appropriate cyanobionts. This provides support to the hypothesis about facilitation among lichens.Peer reviewe

Lasten merkitykselliset paikat:mitä ne ovat ja mistä ne rakentuvat?

Tiivistelmä. Paikka ja tila ovat maailmamme perusrakennusosia, joten ne nähdään usein itsestään selvinä ja ilman suurempaa merkitystä. Paikkojen syvällisempi tarkastelu kuitenkin osoittaa, että ne ovat monin eri tavoin sidoksissa ihmisiin ja ihmiset niihin. Paikka on keskeinen osa ihmistä, hänen identiteettiään ja elämäänsä. Paikkoihin liittyvät kokemukset ja niihin kohdistuva kiintymys muokkaavat sitä, keitä ja millaisia me olemme. Tässä kandidaatintutkielmassa selvitetään, mitkä paikat ovat lapsille tärkeitä ja merkityksellisiä. Lisäksi kuvataan niitä tekijöitä, jotka vaikuttavat paikkojen merkityksen muodostumiseen. Tutkielman tutkimuskysymykset ovat siis ”minkälaiset paikat ovat lapsille merkityksellisiä?” ja ”mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat paikkojen merkityksen rakentumiseen?”. Tutkielma on toteutettu kuvailevana kirjallisuuskatsauksena, jossa käytetään lähteenä kansainvälisiä ja kotimaisia tieteellisiä julkaisuja. Lähdemateriaalien pohjalta jäsennetään ja luodaan kokonaiskuvaa siitä, mitkä paikat ovat lapsille tärkeitä. Vastaavasti kuvataan myös paikkojen merkityksellisyyden taustalla olevia syitä ja tekijöitä. Lapsille merkityksellisiä paikkoja ovat koti ja oma huone, harrastuksiin liittyvät paikat sekä erilaiset luonnonympäristön paikat. Myös sellaiset paikat, joita lapset voivat itse muokata, ovat monille merkityksellisiä. Paikat, joissa on mahdollisuus olla muilta piilossa tai näkymättömissä, ovat niin ikään tärkeitä. Merkitykselliset paikat voivat olla myös kokonaan tai osittain kuviteltuja. Paikkojen merkityksen muodostumisessa on oleellista niiden tarjoama tilaisuus rauhoittumiseen ja omien ajatusten selvittelyyn. Paikkoihin liittyvät sosiaaliset toiminnot ja yhdessäolo ovat huomattava tekijä siinä, että paikka nähdään merkityksellisenä. Monien paikkojen kohdalla merkityksellisyys rakentuu niiden mahdollistamien aktiviteettien kautta. Myös paikkojen tarjoamat kontrollin ja toimijuuden tunteet tekevät niistä merkityksellisiä. Lapset siis kiinnittyvät moniin erilaisiin paikkoihin ja monista eri syistä. Lasten paikkojen monet muodot ja merkitykset kuvaavat vahvasti sitä, että lapset ovat osaavia ja kykeneviä sosiaalisia toimijoita. Lapset valitsevat paikkoja omien tarpeidensa, ajatustensa ja mieltymystensä mukaan. Lasten merkityksellisiä paikkoja tai syitä niiden tärkeyteen on mahdotonta määrittää ilman, että tarkastelussa huomioidaan lasten omat näkemykset asiasta