Microbiological changes in smoked and charred Baltic herrings during storage

Reprinted with permission from the Journal of Food Protection. Copyright held by the International Association for Food Protection, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A

External Scientific Report - Updated food composition database for nutrient intake

This report is the final report of the EFSA contract CFT/EFSA/DCM/2011/03. The aim of the project was to provide EFSA with an updated food composition database covering approximately 1750 foods in combination with additional FoodEx2 facet descriptors included in the EFSA FoodEx2 classification system, and to expand the dataset to include harmonised information on the most common composite recipes of European countries and harmonised information on food supplements. Proposals for models of nutrient composition, composite dishes and food supplement databases were developed as well as guidelines for mapping food data in national datasets to EFSA FoodEx2 codes and facet descriptors. A model for data transfer, compatible with the EuroFIR technical annex and CEN Food Data Standard, and the EFSA data structure was developed and tested. Fourteen national food database compiler organisations supplied initial food lists mapped to the EFSA food list. Information on commonly consumed composite dishes was provided by compilers from thirteen countries and information on food supplements was provided by compilers from eight countries. Datasets compatible with EFSA‟s data structure were produced based on the models. In addition, guidelines developed and limitations of the data produced are discussed.EFS

Ownership and governance of Finnish infrastructure networks

This research report investigates and analyzes the pros and cons of different ownership and governance models of infrastructure networks. The report covers most infrastructure networks: transportation networks (roads, streets, railways, airports, harbors) and utility networks (water and sewage, energy and electricity). There is no unifying solution that would fit all sectors in terms of the most efficient ownership model. However, in many sectors reforms are needed towards more elaborated client-supplier frameworks to ensure greater efficiency and cost transparency. Surprisingly, traditional organizational structures do not seem to impact on financial returns of those networks that provide user-financed services. In Finland technical infrastructure networks are typically owned, administered and managed by the public sector as they are considered public goods and critical assets for the wellbeing of citizens. In many ways the sectors have remained passive and with little interaction towards more innovative service provision solutions or organizational models. In terms of developing the networks’ services and their profitability, the greatest business opportunity would result from allowing open entry to market and competition in contracting. This would mean abandonment of negotiated contracts and proactive evolution of functional markets. The scope of business opportunities will increase in all aspect of service delivery; from management to engineering and economic studies, asset management systems, construction and maintenance works, and the labor to do all that

Fluctuating asymmetry and autumn migration in Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus L.

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) reflects the ability of animals to cope with environmental and genetic stress. Studies made so far have not yet focused and discussed FA's possible effects on migrating birds. In migrating passerines, FA may reflect an individual's overall condition and dominance during the moulting and pre-migratory period . We studied how FA correlates with the timing of migration in one common migratory species, the Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus L.) . In our study, adult females that migrated earlier have more asymmetrical outermost tail feathers than those migrating later. In males, there was no significant correlation between FA and timing of migration. Adult females moult later than males and thus may suffer from time constraints in their moult before migration. Competition for food resources in contemporary migrating females may explain why more asymmetrical, probably low quality females, may have to migrate first