Importing raw wood from Russia: How to develop Customs’ common rules and increase importing

The purpose of this thesis was to find out what procedures are needed to import raw wood from Russia to Finland. The goal was to possibly develop the existing procedures for both Customs’ employees and clients. One of the authors is currently working and pursuing a career in Finnish Customs. The information for this thesis was gathered mostly on the Internet because it was such a recent topic and only updated information could be used. The used literature was Customs’ codex and legislation books. Furthermore, the inside information from the Customs was an important asset. The research was done by a questionnaire that was handed personally to the randomly picked sample group. Contrary to expectations, the sample group was small itself and only half of them ended up responding which weakened the validity of the research

The effects of ecology, environment and sex on parasite communities of sympatric Icelandic three-spine stickleback

Adaptive radiation is an important mechanism of evolution, which can lead to emergence of sympatric species or morphotypes. Among other biological interactions, parasitic pressure can have significant evolutionary implications for host populations by reducing the fitness of the host individuals. Parasite community structure of fishes is typically strongly dependent on both host ecology (e.g. habitat and feeding behaviour) and environmental factors (e.g. water quality and temperature). However, the relative importance of these factors for parasite-mediated speciation is not known. Also, host gender-specific differences in parasite communities can have an effect on the differentiation of host morphs. In this Master's thesis, I focused on differences in parasite communities of sympatric morphs of three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in two large Icelandic lakes, Thingvallavatn and Mývatn. In these lakes, the habitats of sympatric mud and lava morphs are the same (soft/hard bottom), but the habitat water temperatures are opposite between the lakes. In this unique system, it is thus possible to compare between the effects of host ecology and water temperature on parasite community structure and strength of parasite-mediated selection. Additionally, I studied the effect of host sex on the parasitic pressure. There is also a third stickleback morph, Nitella morph, inhabiting the cold limnetic habitats in Lake Thingvallavatn. I sampled the stickleback morphs from both lakes and identified their parasite species. I discovered a total of five parasite genera: trematodes Apatemon and Diplostomum, and cestodes Diphyllobothrium, Proteocephalus and Schistocephalus. Most of the observed parasites have negative effects on health and fitness of the host. I found more parasites in sticklebacks living in higher temperature in both lakes regardless of the morph. When comparing the cold water morphs in Thingvallavatn, parasite abundance was higher in the limnetic Nitella morph than in the shallow water lava morph. Fish gender had an effect on parasitism only in Thingvallavatn as males of both lava and Nitella morphs were more heavily infected with cestodes. Similarities in parasite communities with water temperature indicate that water temperature mainly determines parasite infections in this system instead of host ecology. As similar fish morphotypes exist in different lakes under opposite parasitic pressure, parasitism has unlikely initiated host differentiation, but differences in infection probably have emerged secondary to the ecological specialization of the morphs to different habitats. These results are among the first to tackle the key question in parasite-mediated divergent selection: at which point of the speciation process parasite communities become differentiated and thus can have an effect on speciation. However, the comparison between the cold water morphs (lava and Nitella) indicates that although water temperature seems to be the main factor controlling infections in this system, its effect may still be over ridden by host ecology. Sex-depended differences in parasitic pressure, on the other hand, are likely to reflect specific characteristics of each fish population and lake. These results suggest complex interactions between host ecology and abiotic environment, such as water temperature, in determining the parasite community structure. Hence both factors have to take into consideration when studying the role of parasites in speciation processes. In future, it is necessary to pinpoint the stage of the host speciation process when parasite infections become differentiated in replicated systems to gain comprehensive understanding of the role of parasites in adaptive radiations.Adaptiivinen radiaatio eli sopeutumislevittäytyminen on tärkeä evoluutiomekanismi, jonka seurauksena voi syntyä sympatrisia lajeja tai ekotyyppejä. Loisinta voi muiden biologisten interaktioiden ohella edesauttaa lajiutumisprosessia isännän kelpoisuuden heikentymisen ja luonnonvalinnan kautta. Loisyhteisöihin ja niiden aiheuttamiin valintapaineisiin vaikuttavat isännän ekologian (esimerkiksi habitaatin ja ravinnonkäytön) lisäksi abioottiset ympäristötekijät, kaloilla esimerkiksi veden laatu ja lämpötila. Näiden tekijöiden välisten vaikutussuhteiden merkitystä loisten aiheuttamassa lajiutumisprosessissa ei tunneta. Myös isännän sukupuolten loisyhteisöerot voivat vaikuttaa lajiutumiseen. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastelen sympatristen kolmipiikkiekotyyppien (Gasterosteus aculeatus) sekä kolmipiikin naaras- ja koirasyksilöiden välisiä loisyhteisöeroja Thingvallavatn- ja Mývatn-järvissä Islannissa. Sympatriset muta- ja laavaekotyypit elävät järvissä ekotyypeittäin samanlaisissa habitaateissa, mutta päinvastaisissa veden lämpötiloissa. Tämä mahdollistaa loisyhteisörakenteen vertailun isännän ekologian ja veden lämpötilan suhteen. Thingvallavatn-järvessä elää edellisten lisäksi kylmän veden pelagiaalinen nitellaekotyyppi. Pyydystin molemmista järvistä otoksen kustakin kolmipiikkiekotyypistä ja määritin kalojen loislajiston. Loiset kuuluivat viiteen eri sukuun: imumadot Apatemon ja Diplostomum sekä heisimadot Diphyllobothrium, Proteocephalus ja Schistocephalus. Havaitsemistani loisista suurimmalla osalla on haitallisia vaikutuksia kalan yleiskuntoon ja kelpoisuuteen. Veden lämpötila vaikutti samalla tavoin loisten kokonaismäärään molemmissa tutkimusjärvissä; lämpimämmässä vedessä elävillä kaloilla oli enemmän imu- ja heisimatoja ekotyypistä riippumatta. Havaitsin myös, että Thingvallavatn-järven kylmän veden ekotyypeistä pelagiaalisella nitellaekotyypillä oli enemmän loisia kuin laavaekotyypillä. Kalan sukupuoli vaikutti loisten kokonaismäärään ainoastaan Thingvallavatn-järven laavajanitellaekotyypeillä siten, että koirailla oli naaraita enemmän heisimatoja. Tulokseni osoittivat samankaltaisuuksia yhtenevissä lämpötiloissa elävien kolmipiikkien loisyhteisöissä ekotyypistä riippumatta, mikä osoittaa, että ympäristö vaikuttaa loisintaan enemmän kuin isännän ekologia. Järvissä on siis syntynyt samankaltaisia ekotyyppejä päinvastaisen loisintapaineen alla. Tämä taas tukee ajatusta, että loiset eivät todennäköisesti ole aloittaneet kolmipiikkiekotyyppien erilaistumisprosessia, vaan erot loisinnassa ovat syntyneet prosessin myöhemmässä vaiheessa. Tämä on yksi ensimmäisistä tutkimuksista, joka ottaa kantaa keskeiseen kysymykseen siitä, missä isännän eriytymisen vaiheessa loisyhteisöt erilaistuvat ja siten voivat vaikuttaa lajiutumisprosessiin. Kylmän veden nitella- ja laavaekotyyppien vertailu kuitenkin osoittaa, että myös isännän ekologialla on usein merkittävä rooli loisyhteisöjen muodostumisessa. Sukupuolten väliset erot loisaltistuksessa ovat taas todennäköisesti yhteydessä kunkin kalapopulaation ja järven erityispiirteisiin. Tutkimukseni tulokset viittaavat siihen, ettei loisten merkitystä evoluutiotekijänä voi määritellä pelkästään ekologisten tai ympäristömuuttujien perusteella. Tulevaisuudessa onkin keskeistä selvittää yksityiskohtaisesti, missä lajiutumisprosessin vaiheessa loisyhteisöt alkavat eriytyä. Tämän tiedon avulla voidaan muodostaa ehyempi kokonaiskuva loisten merkityksestä adaptiivisessa radiaatiossa

Effects of long-range transported air pollution from vegetation fires on daily mortality and hospital admissions in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland

Introduction: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions from vegetation fires can be transported over long distances and may cause significant air pollution episodes far from the fires. However, epidemiological evidence on health effects of vegetation-fire originated air pollution is limited, particularly for mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. Objective: We examined association between short-term exposure to long-range transported PM2.5 from vegetation fires and daily mortality due to non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory causes and daily hospital admissions due to cardiovascular and respiratory causes in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. Methods: Days significantly affected by smoke from vegetation fires between 2001 and 2010 were identified using air quality measurements at an urban background and a regional background monitoring station, and modelled data on surface concentrations of vegetation-fire smoke. Associations between daily PM2.5 concentration and health outcomes on i) smoke-affected days and ii) all other days (i.e. non smoke days) were analysed using Poisson time series regression. All statistical models were adjusted for daily temperature and relative humidity, influenza, pollen, and public holidays. Results: On smoke-affected days, 10 mu g/m(3) increase in PM2.5 was associated with a borderline statistically significant increase in cardiovascular mortality among total population at a lag of three days (12.4%, 95% CI -0.2% to 26.5%), and among the elderly (>= 65 years) following same-day exposure (13.8%, 95% CI -0.6% to 30.4%) and at a lag of three days (11.8%, 95% CI -2.2% to 27.7%). Smoke day PM2.5 was not associated with non-accidental mortality or hospital admissions due to cardiovascular causes. However, there was an indication of a positive association with hospital admissions due to respiratory causes among the elderly, and admissions due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma among the total population. In contrast, on non-smoke days PM2.5 was generally not associated with the health outcomes, apart from suggestive small positive effects on non-accidental mortality at a lag of one day among the elderly and hospital admissions due to all respiratory causes following same-day exposure among the total population. Conclusions: Our research provides suggestive evidence for an association of exposure to long-range transported PM2.5 from vegetation fires with increased cardiovascular mortality, and to a lesser extent with increased hospital admissions due to respiratory causes. Hence, vegetation-fire originated air pollution may have adverse effects on public health over a distance of hundreds to thousands of kilometres from the fires. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.Peer reviewe

Restorative effects of urban green environments and the role of urban-nature orientedness and noise sensitivity: A field experiment

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Psychosocial factors and indoor environmental quality in respiratory symptom reports of pupils : a cross-sectional study in Finnish schools

Objectives Poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in schools is related to higher respiratory symptoms of pupils, but little is known about the importance of other factors. This study examined the associations between different psychosocial factors and other pupils’ individual and allergic characteristics, beyond school IEQ, and reporting of respiratory symptoms in pupil-administered and parent-administered questionnaires. Setting All primary and secondary schools in two areas of Helsinki, Finland. Participants Primary school pupils (grade 3–6, n=8775, 99 school buildings) and secondary school pupils (grade 7–9, n=3410, 30 school buildings) reported their respiratory symptoms, as well as psychosocial factors and individual characteristics. Parents of primary school pupils (grade 1–6, n=3540, 88 school buildings) also filled in questionnaires, but the response rate was low (20% in 2017 and 13% in 2018). Main outcome measure Respiratory symptoms were reported in relation to the school environment and in general (without such relation) by pupils or parents. Results Worry about IEQ and low school satisfaction, and asthma and hay fever were related to higher reporting of respiratory symptoms in three samples. The variance between schools in respiratory symptoms was low (intraclass correlation=0.6%–2.4%). Psychosocial factors, especially worry about school’s IEQ, explained more of the variance between schools in symptoms than IEQ among secondary school pupils and parents, but not among primary school pupils for symptoms in general. Worry about IEQ also modified the associations between IEQ and respiratory symptoms, but only in parental reports. Conclusion In addition to IEQ, psychosocial factors and pupils’ individual and allergic characteristics were related to higher reporting of respiratory symptoms in all three samples. Psychosocial factors explained more variance between schools than IEQ, although it was 2.4% at most. Other factors beyond IEQ should be considered when interpreting symptom reporting in indoor air questionnaires.Peer reviewe