Glassy phases and driven response of the phase-field-crystal model with random pinning

We study the structural correlations and the nonlinear response to a driving force of a two-dimensional phase-field-crystal model with random pinning. The model provides an effective continuous description of lattice systems in the presence of disordered external pinning centers, allowing for both elastic and plastic deformations. We find that the phase-field crystal with disorder assumes an amorphous glassy ground state, with only short-ranged positional and orientational correlations even in the limit of weak disorder. Under increasing driving force, the pinned amorphous-glass phase evolves into a moving plastic-flow phase and then finally a moving smectic phase. The transverse response of the moving smectic phase shows a vanishing transverse critical force for increasing system sizes

Työhönvalmennus ja sen kehittämistarpeet

Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin Kelan ja työ- ja elinkeinohallinnon ammatilliseen kuntoutukseen sisältyvää työhönvalmennustoimintaa, sen kohdejoukkoa, toteutusta ja tuloksia monimetodisesta näkökulmasta. Aineistoina olivat Kelan ja TE-hallinnon rekisterit, kuntoutujien ja palveluntuottajien lomakekyselyt sekä kuntoutujien ja työnantajien haastattelut. Kelan työhönvalmennukseen osallistuneista pääosa oli ollut ennen valmennusta työvoiman ulkopuolella. TE-hallinnon valmennukseen osallistuneista puolet oli vajaakuntoisia työnhakijoita, puolet ns. vaikeasti työllistyviä. TE-hallinnon asiakkaista noin 70 % arvioi työkykynsä vähintään kohtalaiseksi, kun taas Kelan asiakkaista valtaosa arvioi työkykynsä heikentyneeksi. Osallistujien moninaiset tavoitteet vaihtelivat elämänhallinnan kohentamisesta avoimille työmarkkinoille työllistymiseen. Valmennus arvioitiin ensi sijassa hyödylliseksi. Sekä Kelan että TE-hallinnon työhönvalmennuksen työllistymistulokset olivat kauttaaltaan vaatimattomat. Asiakkaat raportoivat kuitenkin monenlaisia muita hyötyjä. Työmarkkinasiirtymiä ennustivat asiakkaiden koulutustaso ja aikaisempi elämäntilanne, koettu työkyky, pystyvyys ja osallistumismotivaatio. Keskeyttäneiden osuus oli suuri kaikissa valmennusmuodoissa. Puutteita ilmeni yksilöllisessä ohjauksessa, kuntoutussuunnitelman seurannassa, koulutuksen ja työllistymisen tukemisessa sekä valmennuksen jälkeisessä tuessa, siirtymävaiheiden varmistamisessa ja jatkosuunnitelmien toteutumisen seurannassa. Työllistymisen, koulutuksen ja työssä selviytymisen tukeminen olisi syytä eriyttää esiammatillisesta, yleiseen elämänhallintaan liittyvästä valmennuksesta omaksi toimintalohkokseen. Jos työhönvalmennustoiminnasta halutaan kehittää aidosti työllistymistä tukevaa toimintaa, olisi työelämätavoitteita selkiytettävä ja palveluntuottajien kompetensseja vahvistettava yksilöllisen ohjauksen, työnantajayhteistyön ja työn etsinnän alueilla.15,00 euro

Onko osa nuorista vaarassa syrjäytyä pysyvästi? : Nuorten syrjäytymisriskit ja aikuisuuteen siirtymistä tukeva palvelujärjestelmä

Tässä tutkimuksessa siirtymävaihetta nuoruudesta aikuisuuteen tutkittiin nuorten elämäntilanteen, palvelujärjestelmän ja toteutuneiden toimenpiteiden näkökulmista. Tutkimme ilmiötä väestötasolla. Aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa työelämästä syrjäytymisen riskiryhminä on pidetty vähän koulutettuja, psyykenlääkkeitä käyttäviä, työkyvyttömyysetuuksia saaneita sekä kodin ulkopuolelle sijoitettuja nuoria. Tutkimus tarkastelee nuorten aikuisuuteen siirtymistä elämänkulun näkökulmasta, erityisesti hyödyntäen työmarkkinoiden muutosten ja muutoksenhallinnan sekä uusia sosiaalisten riskien teorioita. Rekisteriaineistot kerättiin useista hallinnollisista rekistereistä (Tilastokeskus, Kela, TEM, THL). Seurasimme vuosina 1983–1985 syntyneiden nuorten (60 %:n otos; n = 119 600) siirtymää nuoruudesta aikuisuuteen kymmenen vuotta. Kodin ulkopuolelle sijoitetuille tehty kysely (n = 150) selvitti nuorten elämäntilannetta, koulunkäyntiä ja tulevaisuuden tavoitteita. Palvelujärjestelmän edustajien haastatteluilla (n = 52) syvennettiin tietoja syrjäytymisriskissä olevien nuorten palveluista. Työmarkkinaurat vakiintuivat tutkimuksen kymmenvuotisseurannan aikana suurimmalla osalla nuorista. Keskeinen tavoite oli tarkastella työstä syrjäytymisen riskiryhmiin kuuluvia nuoria tai niitä nuoria, jotka olivat seurannan päättyessä olennaisesti muuta väestöä huonommassa asemassa. Koulutukseen ja työhön kiinnittymisen ongelmat olivat suurimmat niillä nuorilla, joilla oli useita syrjäytymiseen vaikuttavia riskitekijöitä samanaikaisesti. Ongelmat koulutukseen ja työhön kiinnittymisessä olivat sekä yksilötasoisia että institutionaalisia. Tutkimuksessa kiinnitetään huomiota siihen, että palvelukokonaisuuden toimintamalleja tulee integroida siten, että niihin käytetyillä resursseilla saadaan nykyistä useammin luotua kestäviä työmarkkinauria myös heikoimmassa asemassa oleville nuorille.39,00 euro

Titmice are a better indicator of bird density in Northern European than in Western European forests

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Population sizes of many birds are declining alarmingly and methods for estimating fluctuations in species’ abundances at a large spatial scale are needed. The possibility to derive indicators from the tendency of specific species to co-occur with others has been overlooked. Here, we tested whether the abundance of resident titmice can act as a general ecological indicator of forest bird density in European forests. Titmice species are easily identifiable and have a wide distribution, which makes them potentially useful ecological indicators. Migratory birds often use information on the density of resident birds, such as titmice, as a cue for habitat selection. Thus, the density of residents may potentially affect community dynamics. We examined spatio-temporal variation in titmouse abundance and total bird abundance, each measured as biomass, by using long-term citizen science data on breeding forest birds in Finland and France. We analyzed the variation in observed forest bird density (excluding titmice) in relation to titmouse abundance. In Finland, forest bird density linearly increased with titmouse abundance. In France, forest bird density nonlinearly increased with titmouse abundance, the association weakening toward high titmouse abundance. We then analyzed whether the abundance (measured as biomass) of random species sets could predict forest bird density better than titmouse abundance. Random species sets outperformed titmice as an indicator of forest bird density only in 4.4% and 24.2% of the random draws, in Finland and France, respectively. Overall, the results suggest that titmice could act as an indicator of bird density in Northern European forest bird communities, encouraging the use of titmice observations by even less-experienced observers in citizen science monitoring of general forest bird density.Peer reviewe

Do large-scale associations in birds imply biotic interactions or environmental filtering?

Aim There has been a wide interest in the effect of biotic interactions on species' occurrences and abundances at large spatial scales, coupled with a vast development of the statistical methods to study them. Still, evidence for whether the effects of within-trophic-level biotic interactions (e.g. competition and heterospecific attraction) are discernible beyond local scales remains inconsistent. Here, we present a novel hypothesis-testing framework based on joint dynamic species distribution models and functional trait similarity to dissect between environmental filtering and biotic interactions. Location France and Finland. Taxon Birds. Methods We estimated species-to-species associations within a trophic level, independent of the main environmental variables (mean temperature and total precipitation) for common species at large spatial scale with joint dynamic species distribution (a multivariate spatiotemporal delta model) models. We created hypotheses based on species' functionality (morphological and/or diet dissimilarity) and habitat preferences about the sign and strength of the pairwise spatiotemporal associations to estimate the extent to which they result from biotic interactions (competition, heterospecific attraction) and/or environmental filtering. Results Spatiotemporal associations were mostly positive (80%), followed by random (15%), and only 5% were negative. Where detected, negative spatiotemporal associations in different communities were due to a few species. The relationship between spatiotemporal association and functional dissimilarity among species was negative, which fulfils the predictions of both environmental filtering and heterospecific attraction. Main conclusions We showed that processes leading to species aggregation (mixture between environmental filtering and heterospecific attraction) seem to dominate assembly rules, and we did not find evidence for competition. Altogether, our hypothesis-testing framework based on joint dynamic species distribution models and functional trait similarity is beneficial in ecological interpretation of species-to-species associations from data covering several decades and biogeographical regions.Peer reviewe

Biomarkers and fluctuating asymmetry as indicators of pollution-induced stress in two hole-nesting passerines.

Summary 1. The stress caused by air pollutants was studied at biochemical, morphological and ecological levels in the Pied Flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca , and Great Tit, Parus major , nestlings in 10 study sites along the pollution gradient of a copper smelter. 2. First, stress was measured using four biomarkers from blood and liver: ethoxyresorufin O -deethylase (EROD) enzyme, haemoglobin, stress protein Hsp70 and deltaaminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-d) enzyme. Second, the amount of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in the length of the 3rd primary and the outermost rectrix (in P. major ) and the length and thickness of the tarsus were measured. These stress indicators were further examined in relation to the breeding performance of birds, i.e. the ecological response. 3. EROD activity was increased in F. hypoleuca nestlings near the pollution source. In P. major , it was not related to the pollution gradient but correlated well with the proportion of starved nestlings, i.e. the nutritional stress during the nestling period. The variations in haemoglobin, Hsp70 and ALA-d enzyme activity were not significantly related to pollution gradient. 4. The tarsus length of F. hypoleuca nestlings and primary length of P. major nestlings showed increased asymmetry in the vicinity of the pollution source. Breeding success decreased towards the pollution source in both species. 5. In F. hypoleuca , the pollution-related stress was verified at all three target levels. In P. major , pollution-related effects were found at morphological and ecological levels but not at the biochemical level, which suggests that direct toxic effect of heavy metals was not the main mechanism in this species

Integrated governance for managing multidimensional problems : Potentials, challenges, and arrangements

The implementation challenge of ecosystem-based (fisheries) management (EB(F)M) has entailed calls for integrated governance (IG) approaches in the marine field. We arranged an expert workshop to study the preconditions and applicability of IG, and to suggest how IG could be arranged in practice. Focusing on the management of the dioxin problem shared by the herring and salmon fisheries in the Baltic Sea, and using a coupled ‘insight network’- SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) methodology, we evaluated two scenarios: 1) IG of herring and salmon fisheries to benefit from collaboration between these fisheries that suffer from the same problem, and 2) IG between the fisheries sector and the food/public health sector to incorporate food safety in fisheries governance. Our results demonstrate that a variety of societal, political, institutional, operational, instrumental, and biological factors affect the applicability of IG in marine contexts, and work as preconditions for IG. While societal needs for IG were obvious in our case, as major challenges for it we identified the competing cross-sectoral objectives, path dependencies, and limitations of experts to think and work across fields. The study suggests that establishing an IG framework by adding new aspects upon the current governance structures may be easier to accept and adapt to, than creating new strategic or advisory bodies or other new capacities. Viewing IG as a framework for understanding cross-sectoral issues instead of one that requires a defined level and form of integrated assessment and management may be a way towards social learning, and thereby towards the implementation of more sophisticated, open and broad EB(F)M frameworks.Peer reviewe

Oversigt over ringmærknings- og genfundsdata for ederfugl i Østersø/Nordsøområdet

Ederfuglen er i alvorlig tilbagegang i Østersøen og Nordsøen, kønsbalancen er skæv med et stort overtal af hanner, og derfor er en international forvaltningsplan er under udarbejdelse i regi af Vandfugleaftalen (AEWA). Bæredygtig forvaltning kræver opdateret viden om bestandens trækforhold og dødelighed, og den bedste kilde til denne viden er ringmærkning. Denne rapport giver et overblik over det omfattende materiale om ringmærkede og genmeldte ederfugle i Østersø/Nordsøområdet, i alt næsten 18.000 genmeldinger af mere end 125.000 ringmærkede fugle siden 1970. Detaljerede statistiske analyser af dette materiale vil kunne give vigtig ny viden om hvor ynglefugle fra forskellige områder tilbringer vinteren, og om dødeligheden hos begge køn og alle aldersklasser

Effects of Natura 2000 on nontarget bird and butterfly species based on citizen science data

ABSTRACT The European Union's Natura 2000 (N2000), is one of the largest international networks of protected areas. One of its aims is to secure the status of a pre-determined set of (targeted) bird and butterfly species. However, also non-target species may benefit from N2000. We evaluated how the terrestrial component of this network relates to the abundance of non-targeted, more common bird and butterfly species using data from long-term volunteer-based monitoring programs in 9,602 sites for birds and 2,001 sites for butterflies. In almost half of the 155 bird species assessed, and particularly among woodland specialists, abundance increased with the proportion of N2000 sites in the landscape. The corresponding positive relationship was found for 27 of the 104 butterfly species, although most of these species were generalists. These positive relationships disappeared for most of the species when land-cover covariates were taken into account, hinting that land-cover is a primary factor defining the positive effects of the N2000 network. The increase in abundance with N2000 was correlated with the specialization index for bird species, but not for butterfly species. Although the N2000 network supports higher abundance of a large spectrum of species, the low number of specialist butterfly species showing a positive association stresses the need to implement management plan improving the quality of habitats of N2000 areas potentially harboring openland butterfly specialists. For a better understanding of the processes involved, we advocate for a standardized collection of data on N2000 sites. Article impact statement: Across Europe the abundance of a majority of nontarget birds and a quarter of nontarget butterflies increased with Natura 2000 coverage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reservedpeerReviewe

Global warming and Bergmann’s rule: do central European passerines adjust their body size to rising temperatures?

Recent climate change has caused diverse ecological responses in plants and animals. However, relatively little is known about homeothermic animals’ ability to adapt to changing temperature regimes through changes in body size, in accordance with Bergmann’s rule. We used fluctuations in mean annual temperatures in south-west Germany since 1972 in order to look for direct links between temperature and two aspects of body size: body mass and flight feather length. Data from regionally born juveniles of 12 passerine bird species were analysed. Body mass and feather length varied significantly among years in eight and nine species, respectively. Typically the inter-annual changes in morphology were complexly non-linear, as was inter-annual variation in temperature. For six (body mass) and seven species (feather length), these inter-annual fluctuations were significantly correlated with temperature fluctuations. However, negative correlations consistent with Bergmann’s rule were only found for five species, either for body mass or feather length. In several of the species for which body mass and feather length was significantly associated with temperature, morphological responses were better predicted by temperature data that were smoothed across multiple years than by the actual mean breeding season temperatures of the year of birth. This was found in five species for body mass and three species for feather length. These results suggest that changes in body size may not merely be the result of phenotypic plasticity but may hint at genetically based microevolutionary adaptations