Asiantuntijalausunto lakivaliokunnalle

HE 45/2005 vp työntekijän eläkelaiksi ja eräiksi siihen liittyviksi laeiks

Change in the occurrence of common vascular plants in Finland between 1960–2000 and 2001–2019

Data from a national vascular plant atlas, containing species occurrence data from 1-km squares in different parts of Finland over a period of 60 years, were used for detecting change in the commonness of 712 species. The dataset was divided into two parts, one containing squares inventoried between 1960 and 2000 (Period A, 4 596 squares) and the other containing squares from 2001 to 2019 (Period B, 3 692 squares). Of the 712 species analysed, we observed 124 species that showed consistent increase in commonness from Period A to Period B. Only eight species showing a decline from Period A to Period B were found. Our results indicate that human activities have been the main driving force behind the floristic change in Finland during the study period. The successful competitors are mostly alien and apophytic native species that are able to utilize habitats modified by cultural influence.Peer reviewe

Change in the occurrence of common vascular plants in Finland between 1960–2000 and 2001–2019

Data from a national vascular plant atlas, containing species occurrence data from 1-km squares in different parts of Finland over a period of 60 years, were used for detecting change in the commonness of 712 species. The dataset was divided into two parts, one containing squares inventoried between 1960 and 2000 (Period A, 4 596 squares) and the other containing squares from 2001 to 2019 (Period B, 3 692 squares). Of the 712 species analysed, we observed 124 species that showed consistent increase in commonness from Period A to Period B. Only eight species showing a decline from Period A to Period B were found. Our results indicate that human activities have been the main driving force behind the floristic change in Finland during the study period. The successful competitors are mostly alien and apophytic native species that are able to utilize habitats modified by cultural influence.Peer reviewe

Kasviatlas kaipaa tekijöitä : Atlas of the vascular flora of Finland: a review

Collection of presence-absence data from 1sq-km squares from different parts of Finland began in 1985. Here we present an overview of the project and its future prospects. The main challenge for the Atlas is to find new field workers in the future, when the active period of current data collectors is approaching the end.Non peer reviewe

Muutosta Kasviatlaksen kartoilla : Mapping changes in the Atlas data

Changes in the distribution and abundance of vascular plants in Finland were analysed by dividing the plant atlas data into two temporal subsets. The first period contained 1 km2 squares inventoried between 1958 and 1999 (4 248 squares), and the second period contained squares inventoried between 2000 and 2020 (4 132 squares). The results indicate that the number of species showing increase in abundance between the periods is much higher than the number of declining species. Most of the species showing fastest expansion are mostly neophytes and archaeophytes, as well as a group of apophytic native species. Sample maps for species representing each of the groups are shown. Overall, human influence seems to be the main factor explaining the dynamics of the vascular flora of Finland during recent decades.Non peer reviewe

Kasviatlaksen kolmas ulottuvuus

Collection of field data for the Atlas of the vascular flora of Finland started in 1985. The original mapping period was planned to be 1985–1990, but the field work has continued yearly since then. Now, after 37 years of field work, it is important to take into account possible changes in the distribution and abundance of the species during the mapping period. We calculated distribution maps for the species based on the atlas data collected by the end of 1990 and 2020, respectively. For those species showing little change in abundance between the years, the maps are surprisingly similar. The main difference is greater detail of small-scale variation in 2020 compared with 1990. For documenting true change in the abundance and distribution of the species, we have calculated distribution maps separately for the atlas data collected in 1958–1999 and in 2000–2020. These maps will be published online on the Atlas website (kasviatlas.fi) in June 2022. Transforming the function of the Atlas from mapping to monitoring is discussed. The most valuable information might be available by resurveying some of the Atlas squares originally surveyed in 1985–1999. A pilot study is planned for the summer of 2022.Non peer reviewe

Sixty years of the national floristic database in Finland

Kastikka, a national floristic database in Finland, was established in 1963, when the entry into punched cards of occurrence records from collections in botanical museums and the published literature commenced. Over one million records were entered before the data were moved onto magnetic tapes. In the early 1980s, the data were transferred from the tapes into an Oracle relational database, where they are located still today. In the 21st century, records from museum collections and literature have been overwhelmed by records collected directly in the field every year. The location accuracy of the records has also improved over time. Old records were mostly located within 10 × 10 km2 squares, whereas the accuracy of current records is usually 1 km2 or better. Currently, we are experiencing the last years of Kastikka as an independent system. In the future, Kastikka will be integrated into a national collection management system maintained by the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility.Non peer reviewe

Characterization of membrane–foulant interactions with novel combination of Raman spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance and molecular dynamics simulation

Adsorptive fouling, by phenolic compounds, is a serious issue regarding the development and use of membrane based filtration technologies for water purification and wastewater treatment. We have developed a novel, combined, protocol of Raman spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments, along with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, to study the interaction of vanillin, a model phenolic compound, with the polyethersulfone (PES) surface of a membrane. The adsorption of vanillin to the PES surface was found to be highly pH dependent; the source of this was determined, by MD simulation, to be the stronger interaction with the protonated form of vanillin, predominant at low pH. Vanillin interacts with the PES surface, both through entropy driven, hydrophobic, interactions and, for the case of the protonated form, H-bonding of the hydroxyl group with the sulphur oxygens of the PES molecules. In addition to general insight into the fouling process that can be used to develop new methods to inhibit adsorptive fouling, our results also elucidate the specific interaction of the PES membrane with vanillin that can be used in the development of anti-fouling coatings, based on the structure of vanillin.Peer reviewe

The Associations of Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms, Five-Factor Model Personality Dimensions, and Personality Fragmentation among Depressed Inpatients

Peer reviewe

An Infancy-Onset 20-Year Dietary Counselling Intervention and Gut Microbiota Composition in Adulthood

The randomized controlled Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP) has completed a 20-year infancy-onset dietary counselling intervention to reduce exposure to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors via promotion of a heart-healthy diet. The counselling on, e.g., low intake of saturated fat and cholesterol and promotion of fruit, vegetable, and whole-grain consumption has affected the dietary characteristics of the intervention participants. By leveraging this unique cohort, we further investigated whether this long-term dietary intervention affected the gut microbiota bacterial profile six years after the intervention ceased. Our sub-study comprised 357 individuals aged 26 years (intervention n = 174, control n = 183), whose gut microbiota were profiled using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. We observed no differences in microbiota profiles between the intervention and control groups. However, out of the 77 detected microbial genera, the Veillonella genus was more abundant in the intervention group compared to the controls (log(2) fold-change 1.58, p < 0.001) after adjusting for multiple comparison. In addition, an association between the study group and overall gut microbiota profile was found only in males. The subtle differences in gut microbiota abundances observed in this unique intervention setting suggest that long-term dietary counselling reflecting dietary guidelines may be associated with alterations in gut microbiota