Italian Ryegrass and Barley Mixture for Forage Production: Effect of Harvesting Time on Yield and Quality in Northern Latitudes

In northern latitudes forage cereal and Italian ryegrass (IRG) mixtures provide a good source of forage in situations where perennial swards have suffered winter damages (Nissinen, 1994). In this experiment harvesting time of the first cut of an IRG-barley mixture was studied to optimise the yield and quality in the growing season. The objective of the study was to assess if harvesting an IRG-barley mixture later than two weeks after heading, as currently recommended, offers benefits

Italian Ryegrass and Whole Crop Cereal Mixture: Effect of Sowing Rate and Maturity on Variety on Yield and Botanical Composition in Northern Latitudes

The profitability of a dairy farm using whole crop cereals (WCC) is better in Finland than that of a farm producing combine harvested cereals and grass silage (Turunen, 2000). The main reason for that is the decrease in the machinery costs. However, quality of the WCC yield can vary considerably depending on the ear- straw ration. This may lead to problems in feeding. In this experiment we studied the effect of sowing rate and growing time of the cereal cultivar on the botanical composition, quality and yield of the WCC harvest. The objective was to study if it would be possible to increase the grass component in the WCC harvest by cultivation management to such a level that the WCC yield would be feasible to be used in feeding with pure grass silage. In this paper we present results of the botanical composition of the WCC harvest

The Effect of Forage Legumes on Mineral Nitrogen Content in Soil

The cultivation of forage legumes is often suggested as a possibility to improve nitrogen (N) utilisation in farming. However, previous studies have indicated examples in which the cultivation of legumes such as white clover has led to accumulation of large amounts of N in soil (Adams & Pattison, 1985). In this study the potential risks of N leaching were estimated by determining amount of mineral N in the soil

Developing LCA-based benchmarks for sustainable consumption - for and with users

This article presents the development process of a consumer-oriented, illustrative benchmarking tool enabling consumers to use the results of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) to make informed decisions. Active and environmentally conscious consumers and environmental communicators were identified as key target groups for this type of information. A brochure presenting the benchmarking tool was developed as an participatory, iterative process involving consumer focus groups, stakeholder workshops and questionnaire-based feedback. In addition to learning what works and what does not, detailed suggestions on improved wording and figures were obtained, as well as a wealth of ideas for future applications

Immune activation in the small intestine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives: To determine whether inflammation in the gut associated immune system is activated in rheumatoid arthritis ( RA). The expression of chemokine receptor- (CCR4, CCR5) and cytokine- ( interleukin (IL) 2, IL10, interferon gamma (IFNgamma), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), and transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta)) specific mRNA in intestinal biopsy samples from patients with RA was examined. Methods: Duodenal biopsy samples from 13 patients with RA and 15 control subjects were studied. The mRNA expression of CCR4, CCR5, IL2, IL10, IFNgamma, TNFalpha, and TGFb in intestinal biopsy samples was demonstrated by real time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Results: The mRNA expression of CCR4, CCR5, and IL10 in intestinal biopsy samples was increased in patients with RA in comparison with control subjects ( p = 0.001, p = 0.046, p = 0.019). No difference in the expression levels of IL2, IFNgamma, TNFalpha, or TGFbeta was seen between patients with RA and controls. Conclusions: The increased intestinal mRNA expression of IL10, CCR5, and CCR4 suggests that gut associated immune cells are activated in patients with RA.Peer reviewe

Ompelijattarista taistoon:naisten toimijuus Oulun Työväenyhdistyksen naisosastossa vuosina 1899–1905

Tiivistelmä. Kandidaatintutkielmassani tarkastelen Oulun Työväenyhdistyksen (OTY) naisosaston naisten toimijuutta 1900-luvun ensimmäisen vuosikymmenen aikana. Naisosasto syntyi vuonna 1899. Tällöin Suomessa niin työ- kuin naisväkikin alkoi järjestäytyä ja aiempaa ideologisempi sävy alkoi näkyä Työväenliikkeen kuin myös OTY:n sisällä. Päätutkimuskysymyksenä on, mikä oli naisten rooli OTY:n naisosastossa, huvitoimikunnassa ja ompelijatar -osastossa. Mainitut toimikunnat ja osastot ovat vahvasti kytköksissä toisiinsa ja limittäytyvät jäsenistöllään toisiinsa. Naisosaston alkuvuodet oli vaihderikkaita ja paikoittain epäaktiivisia. Tarkastelu ajankohtani aikana osaston toiminta koki hiipumisen kertaalleen. Naiskysymys ja ja heidän oikeutensa yhteiskunnallisessa päätöksenteossa olivat alkutekijöissään. Tämä epävarmuus ja rohkeus asettua esiin näkyy myös aineistossani ja pyrin tutkielmassani tuomaan esiin kohtia jossa heidän toimijuutensa oli proaktiivista

Out-of-home care and diagnosed mental and behavioral disorders among youth with and without prenatal substance exposure – a longitudinal register-based cohort study

A majority of youths with prenatal substance exposure (PSE) have experienced out-of-home care (OHC), but there is a lack of studies on its association with mental health in adolescence and adulthood. The main aim of this retrospective longitudinal cohort study was to explore whether type of OHC (family/institutional) and number of OHC placements are associated with mental and behavioral disorders among youth with PSE (n=393) and unexposed controls (n=147) after controlling for the effect of important confounding factors. Before these anal-yses, characteristics of OHC and factors associated with the age at entry to care were ana-lyzed separately in both groups. Data from hospital medical records and nine registers were merged and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and multivariate Cox regression models. Exposed youths entered OHC earlier in life, and the lifetime duration of OHC was longer with more placements and a higher proportion of family-type OHC. Despite these differences in OHC history, a high number of placements was associated with behav-ioral and emotional disorders with onset in childhood and adolescence (International Statisti-cal Classification of Diseases ICD-10, F90-F98) among both the exposed and controls. Among the exposed, the number of placements and institutional care were also associated with later appearing mental and behavioral disorders (F10-F69). The results suggest that in-terventions to support placement stability and favor family-type care could be beneficial in the promotion of mental health among children and youth entering OHC.Peer reviewe

Mood and neurotic disorders among youth with prenatal substance exposure : A longitudinal register-based cohort study

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The AuthorsBackground: Prenatal substance exposure is associated with mood and neurotic disorders but this association is complex and understudied. This study investigated the recorded use of specialised healthcare services for mood and neurotic disorders among youth with prenatal substance exposure in comparison with an unexposed matched cohort. Furthermore, the influence of adverse maternal characteristics and out-of-home care (OHC) is investigated. Methods: This longitudinal register-based matched cohort study included 594 exposed and 1735 unexposed youth. Cox proportional hazard regression models were applied to study the first episode of mood and neurotic disorders in specialised healthcare from 13 years of age, and the influence of adverse maternal characteristics and OHC. Mediation analysis was applied to study the mediating effect of OHC on the association between prenatal substance exposure and the disorders. Results: The exposed cohort had a two-fold higher likelihood of being treated at specialised healthcare for mood and neurotic disorders compared with the unexposed cohort (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.86–2.95), but this difference was attenuated to non-significant levels (AHR 1.29, 95% CI 0.92–1.81) following adjustments with adverse maternal characteristics and OHC. OHC mediated 61% (95% CI 0.41–0.94) of the association between prenatal substance exposure and youth's mood and neurotic disorders. Limitations: Register data likely include more severe cases of disorders, and as an observational study, causality cannot be assessed. Conclusion: Mood and neurotic disorders are more common following prenatal exposure to substances and interlinked with significant adversities in the postnatal caregiving environment and OHC.Peer reviewe

Prenatal substance exposure, adverse childhood experiences and diagnosed mental and behavioral disorders - A longitudinal register-based matched cohort study in Finland

Both prenatal substance exposure (PSE, alcohol/drugs) and experiences during the first years of life have powerful effects on brain development. However, only a few studies have investigated the combined effect of PSE and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on mental and behavioral disorders among exposed adolescents and adults. This longitudinal register-based cohort study 1) compared the nature and extent of diagnosed mental and behavioral disorders among youth with PSE and matched unexposed controls, and 2) investigated the influence of PSE, health in infancy and ACEs (maternal risk factors and out-of-home care, OHC) on diagnoses of mental and behavioral disorders. The data consisted of 615 exposed youth aged 15-24 years and 1787 matched unexposed controls. Data from hospital medical records and nine registers were merged for the analysis. Descriptive analysis methods and Cox regression were used. The results showed that the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders was twice as high among exposed compared with controls. The highest levels of mental and behavioral disorders and ACEs were found among exposed with at least one OHC episode. The difference in the risk of mental and behavioral disorders between exposed and controls diminished after controlling for the effect of ACEs. Low birth weight, maternal risk factors, and OHC were the strongest predictors of mental and behavioral disorders. The results suggest that PSE alone does not explain poorer mental health among exposed youth. Risk factors accumulate, and low birth weight and ACEs are strongly associated with increased risk of mental and behavioral disorders.Peer reviewe