Climate change impacts on crop risks and agricultural production in Finland

Climate Change is expected to improve crop production conditions significantly in northern Europe. In some studies a significant increase in agricultural production is expected in northern Europe while drought is becoming gradually more severe in Southern Europe and France due to climate change. Our analysis provides one of the first steps in evaluating the possible scale of changes in agricultural production and use of farm land in Finland, so far one of the least favoured agricultural areas in Europe. Drought in early summer and low temperature sum during growing period are currently the main growth limiting factors in Finland. Even though the early part of the growing period is likely to be dry also in the future, both mean and variance of crop yields are expected to increase in Finland. However the changes are likely to be very different for different crops. We use mean-variance analysis and a sector level, regionally disaggregated, optimisation-based economic model in evaluating the likely impacts increasing mean and variance of crop yields on agricultural production and land use in Finland. Our sector level analysis takes into account important supply-demand conditions, e.g. changes in feed crop use, limited domestic demand, and imperfect substitution. Sector models including risk are relatively few in recent literature of agricultural economics. In our first analysis we use mean-variance approach in including crop yield risk and risk aversion explicitly in our dynamic recursive sector model. Increasing mean and variability of crop yields change the relative profitability of crops. For example, increasing feed crop yields may drive up animal production, especially if export prices of meat remain strong. On the other hand, if the demand is relatively inelastic, land area of some less competitive crops may clearly decrease despite increasing yields. Consequently, climate change may trigger changes on the production structure of agriculture. Farm income is relatively little affected by higher crop yields, on the average, while income may increase significantly on some individual farms. Our preliminary analysis also shows that policy measures aimed at reducing crop risks may be relatively efficient in increasing or sustaining production of many crops. Even if policy measures for reducing risks are commonly perceived less production-linked compared to price and area based subsidies, we show that their impact on production volume will most likely increase in on-going climate change. However in further research we need to test alternative approaches for better representation and modelling of crop risks. Albeit simple, we consider optimisation and risk aversion necessary techniques and assumptions in producing consistent evaluations of economic behaviour in long-term economic adaptations and risks.Climate change, agriculture, risk aversion, mean-variance analysis, sector models, optimization, crop production, Finland, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty,

PACSIN proteins in vivo : Roles in development and physiology

Protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neurons (PACSINs), or syndapins (synaptic dynamin-associated proteins), are a family of proteins involved in the regulation of cell cytoskeleton, intracellular trafficking and signalling. Over the last twenty years, PACSINs have been mostly studied in the in vitro and ex vivo settings, and only in the last decade reports on their function in vivo have emerged. We first summarize the identification, structure and cellular functions of PACSINs, and then focus on the relevance of PACSINs in vivo. During development in various model organisms, PACSINs participate in diverse processes, such as neural crest cell development, gastrulation, laterality development and neuromuscular junction formation. In mouse, PACSIN2 regulates angiogenesis during retinal development and in human, PACSIN2 associates with monosomy and embryonic implantation. In adulthood, PACSIN1 has been extensively studied in the brain and shown to regulate neuromorphogenesis, receptor trafficking and synaptic plasticity. Several genetic studies suggest a role for PACSIN1 in the development of schizophrenia, which is also supported by the phenotype of mice depleted of PACSIN1. PACSIN2 plays an essential role in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis and participates in kidney repair processes after injury. PACSIN3 is abundant in muscle tissue and necessary for caveolar biogenesis to create membrane reservoirs, thus controlling muscle function, and has been linked to certain genetic muscular disorders. The above examples illustrate the importance of PACSINs in diverse physiological or tissue repair processes in various organs, and associations to diseases when their functions are disturbed.Peer reviewe

Osallistumisen muodot, tilat ja mahdollisuudet tiedon yhteistuottamisessa: Näkökulmia osallistuvasta budjetoinnista ja lähiön yhteiskehittämisestä

Tarkastelemme artikkelissa tiedon yhteistuottamista asuinalueiden kehittämisessä. Asuinalueiden kehittämishankkeet tuovat yhteen erilaisia toimintakulttuureita, toimijoita ja tiedon muotoja, mikä synnyttää tarpeen tarkastella, millaisen tiedon tai kenen asiantuntijuuden pohjalta asuinalueita kehitetään ja millaisia menetelmiä ja valmiuksia tämä edellyttää. Tarkastelemme kahdessa tamperelaisessa lähiökehittämishankkeessa, miten tietoa asuinaluekehityksessä yhteistuotetaan. Tesoman osallistuvan budjetoinnin ja Annala-Kaukajärven yhteiskehittämishankkeen aineisto on kerätty toimintatutkimuksella ja havainnoimalla. Jäsennämme tiedon yhteistuottamisprosessia teema-areenan käsitteellä teeman luonnetta ja kontekstia, toimijoita, vuorovaikutuksen paikkoja ja keskustelun kulkua analysoimalla. Tiedon yhteistuottaminen edellyttää organisaatiolta epävarmuuden sietoa ja yhteistuottamisen ymmärtämistä kahdensuuntaisena vuorovaikutusprosessina. Se vaatii resursseja, vastuiden määrittelyä ja strategista suunnittelua. Organisaatioiden sisäiset vuorovaikutus- ja viestintäprosessit ja tiedon yhteistuotannosta vastaavien ammattilaisten vuorovaikutustaidot vaikuttavat prosessin onnistumiseen

Editorial : Podocyte Pathology and Nephropathy-An Update

Non peer reviewe

Implementing a New Electronic Health Record System in a University Hospital : The Effect on Reported Medication Errors

Closed-loop electronic medication management systems (EMMS) have been seen as a potential technology to prevent medication errors (MEs), although the research on them is still limited. The aim of this paper was to describe the changes in reported MEs in Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) during and after implementing an EPIC-based electronic health record system (APOTTI), with the first features of a closed-loop EMMS. MEs reported from January 2018 to May 2021 were analysed to identify changes in ME trends with quantitative analysis. Severe MEs were also analysed via qualitative content analysis. A total of 30% (n = 23,492/79,272) of all reported patient safety incidents were MEs. Implementation phases momentarily increased the ME reporting, which soon decreased back to the earlier level. Administration and dispensing errors decreased, but medication reconciliation, ordering, and prescribing errors increased. The ranking of the TOP 10 medications related to MEs remained relatively stable. There were 92 severe MEs related to APOTTI (43% of all severe MEs). The majority of these (55%, n = 53) were related to use and user skills, 24% (n = 23) were technical failures and flaws, and 21% (n = 21) were related to both. Using EMMS required major changes in the medication process and new technical systems and technology. Our medication-use process is approaching a closed-loop system, which seems to provide safer dispensing and administration of medications. However, medication reconciliation, ordering, and prescribing still need to be improved.Peer reviewe

Estimating forest leaf area index using satellite images : comparison of k-NN based Landsat-NFI LAI with MODIS-RSR based LAI product for Finland

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Implementing a New Electronic Health Record System in a University Hospital : The Effect on Reported Medication Errors

Closed-loop electronic medication management systems (EMMS) have been seen as a potential technology to prevent medication errors (MEs), although the research on them is still limited. The aim of this paper was to describe the changes in reported MEs in Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) during and after implementing an EPIC-based electronic health record system (APOTTI), with the first features of a closed-loop EMMS. MEs reported from January 2018 to May 2021 were analysed to identify changes in ME trends with quantitative analysis. Severe MEs were also analysed via qualitative content analysis. A total of 30% (n = 23,492/79,272) of all reported patient safety incidents were MEs. Implementation phases momentarily increased the ME reporting, which soon decreased back to the earlier level. Administration and dispensing errors decreased, but medication reconciliation, ordering, and prescribing errors increased. The ranking of the TOP 10 medications related to MEs remained relatively stable. There were 92 severe MEs related to APOTTI (43% of all severe MEs). The majority of these (55%, n = 53) were related to use and user skills, 24% (n = 23) were technical failures and flaws, and 21% (n = 21) were related to both. Using EMMS required major changes in the medication process and new technical systems and technology. Our medication-use process is approaching a closed-loop system, which seems to provide safer dispensing and administration of medications. However, medication reconciliation, ordering, and prescribing still need to be improved.Peer reviewe

Miten diabeettinen munuaistauti syntyy?

Vertaisarvioitu. English summary.Diabeettinen munuaistauti kehittyy jopa joka toiselle diabetesta sairastavalle. Siihen liittyy suurentunut riski sairastua sekä kuolla sydän- ja verisuonitauteihin. Diabeettisen munuaistaudin syntyyn vaikuttavat sekä ympäristötekijät että geneettinen alttius. Suurentunut verenglukoosipitoisuus, epäedulliset rasva-arvot ja korkea verenpaine johtavat moniin solutason muutoksiin, jotka vaikuttavat sairauden kehittymiseen ja etenemiseen. Näihin kuuluvat muun muassa insuliiniresistenssi, lievä tulehdus, hypoksia, oksidatiivinen stressi, lipotoksisuus, endoplasmakalvoston stressi ja epigeneettiset muutokset. Diabeettiselle munuaistaudille ei ole kohdennettua hoitoa eikä sen syntymistä voida estää, mutta useat jo käytössä olevat lääkkeet hidastavat sen etenemistä. Monet molekulaariset mekanismit ja signalointikaskadit liittyvät sairauden kulkuun. Niiden tarkempi ymmärtäminen luo mahdollisuuksia kehittää räätälöityjä, munuaistautiin kohdennettuja hoitoja.Peer reviewe

Glucose Transporters in Diabetic Kidney Disease-Friends or Foes?

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes and a common cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. DKD manifests as an increased urinary protein excretion (albuminuria). Multiple studies have shown that insulin resistance correlates with the development of albuminuria in non-diabetic and diabetic patients. There is also accumulating evidence that glomerular epithelial cells or podocytes are insulin sensitive and that insulin signaling in podocytes is essential for maintaining normal kidney function. At the cellular level, the mechanisms leading to the development of insulin resistance include mutations in the insulin receptor gene, impairments in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway, or perturbations in the trafficking of glucose transporters (GLUTs), which mediate the uptake of glucose into cells. Podocytes express several GLUTs, including GLUT1, GLUT2, GLUT3, GLUT4, and GLUT8. Of these, the most studied ones are GLUT1 and GLUT4, both shown to be insulin responsive in podocytes. In the basal state, GLUT4 is preferentially located in perinuclear and cytosolic vesicular structures and to a lesser extent at the plasma membrane. After insulin stimulation, GLUT4 is sorted into GLUT4-containing vesicles (GCVs) that translocate to the plasma membrane. GCV trafficking consists of several steps, including approaching of the GCVs to the plasma membrane, tethering, and docking, after which the lipid bilayers of the GCVs and the plasma membrane fuse, delivering GLUT4 to the cell surface for glucose uptake into the cell. Studies have revealed novel molecular regulators of the GLUT trafficking in podocytes and unraveled unexpected roles for GLUT1 and GLUT4 in the development of DKD, summarized in this review. These findings pave the way for better understanding of the mechanistic pathways associated with the development and progression of DKD and aid in the development of new treatments for this devastating disease.Peer reviewe