Value-transforming financial, carbon and biodiversity footprint accounting

Transformative changes in our production and consumption habits are needed to enable the sustainability transition towards carbon neutrality, no net loss of biodiversity, and planetary well-being. Organizations are the way we humans have organized our everyday life, and much of our negative environmental impacts, also called carbon and biodiversity footprints, are caused by organizations. Here we show how the financial accounts of any organization can be exploited to develop an integrated carbon and biodiversity footprint account. As a metric we utilize spatially explicit potential global loss of species which, we argue, can be understood as the biodiversity equivalent, the utility of which for biodiversity is similar to what carbon dioxide equivalent is for climate. We provide a global Biodiversity Footprint Database that organizations, experts and researchers can use to assess consumption-based biodiversity footprints. We also argue that the current integration of financial and environmental accounting is superficial, and provide a framework for a more robust financial value-transforming accounting model. To test the methodologies, we utilized a Finnish university as a living lab. Assigning an offsetting cost to the footprints significantly altered the financial value of the organization. We believe such value-transforming accounting is needed in order to draw the attention of senior executives and investors to the negative environmental impacts of their organizations

The effect of buffer strip width and selective logging on riparian forest microclimate

Riparian forests have cool and humid microclimates, and one aim of leaving forested buffer strips between clear-cut areas and streams is to conserve these microclimatic conditions. We used an experimental study set up of 35 streamside sites to study the impacts of buffer strip width (15 or 30 m) and selective logging within the buffer strips on summer-time air temperature, relative air humidity and canopy openness 12 years after logging. The buffer strip treatments were compared to unlogged control sites. We found that 15-meter buffer strips with or without selective logging and 30-meter buffer strips with selective logging were insufficient in maintaining temperature, relative humidity and canopy openness at similar levels than they were in control sites. In contrast, 30-meter buffer strips differed only little from control sites, although they did have significantly lower mean air humidity. Microclimatic changes were increased by southern or southwestern aspect of the clear-cut, and by logging on the opposite side of the stream. We also tested how the cover of three indicator mosses (Hylocomium splendens, Pseudobqum cinclidioides and Polytrichum commune) had changed (from pre-logging to 12 years post-logging) in relation to post-logging air temperature, relative air humidity and canopy openness. We found that each of the species responded to at least one of these physical conditions. Air humidity was the most significant variable for explaining changes in the cover of the indicator moss species, suggesting that the changes in this microclimatic component has biological impacts. We conclude that to preserve riparian microclimatic conditions and species dependent on those, buffer strips should exceed 30 m in width, and not be selectively logged. Wider buffer strips are required if the clear-cut is towards south or southwest, or if the two sides of the stream are logged at the same time or during subsequent years.Peer reviewe

Progress in patient couselling practices in Finnish community pharmacies

Access restricted by publisherObjective The aim of this study was to assess progress in patient counselling practices in Finnish community pharmacies during a national four-year program (TIPPA) from 2000–2003 promoting enhanced pharmacist–customer communication about medicines. Method A pseudo customer method was applied. Four visits with four different scenarios were conducted in a convenience sample of 60 Finnish community pharmacies of different size and geographic location. In total there were 240 visits during each time point measured (baseline in 2000 and three annual follow-ups, n = 960). The pseudo customers presented three scenarios related to self-medication and one related to a prescription medicine with a new prescription (baseline and the second follow-up) or a repeat prescription of the same medication (the first and the third follow-up). A structured data form customised to each scenario was used to record the interaction. Key findings Baseline scores were generally low. In two of the four scenarios (one self-medication and one prescription) a statistically significant improvement (P < 0.05) was found in total scores between the baseline and the third follow-up. Aggregation of the scores of the three self-medication scenarios did not show any change in counselling practices between the baseline and the third follow-up, measured as mean total scores (P = 0.439). Conclusions Some improvements were found in pharmacists' counselling performance in relation to customers' requests for advice about nasal products and also when prescription scenarios were presented. However, pharmacists' counselling rates were low in relation to a repeat prescription or when a request was made to buy a specific medicine. Further attention needs to be paid to the latter two types of consultation

Shape coexistence at the proton drip-line: First identification of excited states in 180Pb

Excited states in the extremely neutron-deficient nucleus, 180Pb, have been identified for the first time using the JUROGAM II array in conjunction with the RITU recoil separator at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaskyla. This study lies at the limit of what is presently achievable with in-beam spectroscopy, with an estimated cross-section of only 10 nb for the 92Mo(90Zr,2n)180Pb reaction. A continuation of the trend observed in 182Pb and 184Pb is seen, where the prolate minimum continues to rise beyond the N=104 mid-shell with respect to the spherical ground state. Beyond mean-field calculations are in reasonable correspondence with the trends deduced from experiment.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.

First observation of excited states in 173Hg

The neutron-deficient nucleus 173Hg has been studied following fusion-evaporation reactions. The observation of gamma rays decaying from excited states are reported for the first time and a tentative level scheme is proposed. The proposed level scheme is discussed within the context of the systematics of neighbouring neutron-deficient Hg nuclei. In addition to the gamma-ray spectroscopy, the alpha decay of this nucleus has been measured yielding superior precision to earlier measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Search for Fingerprints of Tetrahedral Symmetry in 156Gd^{156}Gd

Theoretical predictions suggest the presence of tetrahedral symmetry as an explanation for the vanishing intra-band E2-transitions at the bottom of the odd-spin negative parity band in $^{156}Gd$. The present study reports on experiment performed to address this phenomenon. It allowed to determine the intra-band E2 transitions and branching ratios B(E2)/B(E1) of two of the negative-parity bands in $^{156}Gd$.Comment: presented by Q.T. Doan at XLII Zakopane School of Physics: Breaking Frontiers: Submicron Structures in Physics and Biology, May 2008. 5 pages, minor corrections. To be published in the proceeding

Sources of pro-cyclicality in east Asian financial systems

Procyclicality is a normal feature of economic systems, but financial sector weaknesses can exacerbate it sufficiently to pose a threat to macroeconomic and financial stability. These include shortcomings in bank risk management and governance, in supervision and in terms of dependence on volatile sources of funds. The paper tests econometrically for the importance of such features leading to pro-cyclicality in the financial systems of 11 East Asian countries. This analysis makes it possible to identify specific policy measures for East Asian countries that could limit the extent to which financial systems exacerbate pro-cyclicality

Julkisten hankintojen luontojalanjälki

Hanke käynnistyi kesäkuussa 2023 Jyväskylän yliopiston Resurssiviisausyhteisön (JYU.Wisdom), Ympäristöministeriön, Hansel Oy:n ja Valtiokonttorin yhteistyönä. Tavoitteena hankkeessa oli tuottaa laajempi tietopohja julkisten hankintojen ekologisista vaikutuksista JYU.Wisdomissa kehitetyllä luontojalanjäljen laskentamenetelmällä. Luontojalanjälkeä mitataan osuutena kaikista maailman lajeista, joka todennäköisesti häviää maailmanlaajuisesti (potentially disappeared fraction of species globally) eli niin sanottuna luontoekvivalenttina (biodiversity equivalent, BDe). Julkisten hankintojen luontojalanjälki oli 26 171 nBDe vuonna 2021 ja 25 048 vuonna 2022. Suurin luontojalanjälki vuonna 2022 aiheutui rakentamis- ja kunnossapitopalveluista (20 %), rakennusten energian kulutuksesta (14 %), sosiaali- ja terveyspalveluista (10 %) sekä lääkkeistä ja hoitotarvikkeista (10 %). Hankintojen luontohaittaintensiteettiin (BDe/€) ja määrään (€) perustuvan analyysin mukaan merkittävin potentiaali luontojalanjäljen pienentämiseen on rakentamis- ja kunnossapitopalveluissa, lääkkeissä ja hoitotarvikkeissa, rakennusten energian kulutuksessa sekä ravitsemus- ja majoituspalveluissa. Raportti osoittaa, että hiili- ja luontojalanjälkiä pystytään tarkastelemaan rinnakkain. Systemaattisen seurannan avulla voidaan kehittää mitattavia tavoitteita jalanjälkien pienentämiseksi. Julkinen sektori voi merkittävänä toimijana näyttää suuntaa hankintojen luontojalanjäljen seurannassa ja pienentämisessä

Julkisten hankintojen luontojalanjälki

Julkisten hankintojen ekologiset tavoitteet -hanke käynnistyi kesäkuussa 2023 Jyväskylän yliopiston Resurssiviisausyhteisön (JYU.Wisdom), Ympäristöministeriön, Hansel Oy:n ja Valtiokonttorin yhteistyönä. Jyväskylän yliopiston tavoitteena hankkeessa oli tuottaa laajempi tietopohja julkisten hankintojen ekologisista vaikutuksista JYU.Wisdomissa kehitetyllä luontojalanjäljen laskentamenetelmällä. Luontojalanjälkeä mitataan osuutena kaikista maailman lajeista, joka todennäköisesti häviää maailmanlaajuisesti (potentially disappeared fraction of species globally) eli niin sanottuna luontoekvivalenttina (biodiversity equivalent, BDe). Julkisten hankintojen luontojalanjälki oli 33 039 nBDe vuonna 2021 ja 32 390 nBDe vuonna 2022. Suurin luontojalanjälki vuonna 2022 aiheutui sosiaali- ja terveyspalveluista (30 %), rakentamis- ja kunnossapitopalveluista (16 %), rakennusten energian kulutuksesta (11 %) sekä lääkkeistä ja hoitotarvikkeista (8 %). Hankintojen luontohaittaintensiteettiin (BDe/€) ja määrään (€) perustuvan analyysin mukaan merkittävin potentiaali luontojalanjäljen pienentämiseen on rakentamis- ja kunnossapitopalveluissa, lääkkeissä ja hoitotarvikkeissa, rakennusten energian kulutuksessa sekä ravitsemus- ja majoituspalveluissa. Mallinnuksen mukaan, julkisten hankintojen luontojalanjäljestä keskimäärin yli 90 % kohdistui maantieteellisesti Suomen rajojen ulkopuolelle. Suomen julkisten hankintojen luontojalanjäljen laskenta viitoittaa tietä suomalaisen yhteiskunnan kestävyysmurrokselle. Raportti osoittaa, että hiili- ja luontojalanjälkiä pystytään tarkastelemaan rinnakkain. Systemaattisen seurannan avulla voidaan kehittää mitattavia tavoitteita jalanjälkien pienentämiseksi. Julkinen sektori voi merkittävänä toimijana näyttää suuntaa sekä Suomessa että kansainvälisesti hankintojen luontojalanjäljen seurannassa ja pienentämisessä.Tämän version korvaa uusi, muutettu aineisto osoitteessa https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-361-371-3

A Fibreoptic Endoscopic Study of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania: a Retrospective Review of 240 Cases.

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is recognized as a common and potentially life-threatening abdominal emergency that needs a prompt assessment and aggressive emergency treatment. A retrospective study was undertaken at Bugando Medical Centre in northwestern Tanzania between March 2010 and September 2011 to describe our own experiences with fibreoptic upper GI endoscopy in the management of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in our setting and compare our results with those from other centers in the world. A total of 240 patients representing 18.7% of all patients (i.e. 1292) who had fibreoptic upper GI endoscopy during the study period were studied. Males outnumbered female by a ratio of 2.1:1. Their median age was 37 years and most of patients (60.0%) were aged 40 years and below. The vast majority of the patients (80.4%) presented with haematemesis alone followed by malaena alone in 9.2% of cases. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alcohol and smoking prior to the onset of bleeding was recorded in 7.9%, 51.7% and 38.3% of cases respectively. Previous history of peptic ulcer disease was reported in 22(9.2%) patients. Nine (3.8%) patients were HIV positive. The source of bleeding was accurately identified in 97.7% of patients. Diagnostic accuracy was greater within the first 24 h of the bleeding onset, and in the presence of haematemesis. Oesophageal varices were the most frequent cause of upper GI bleeding (51.3%) followed by peptic ulcers in 25.0% of cases. The majority of patients (60.8%) were treated conservatively. Endoscopic and surgical treatments were performed in 30.8% and 5.8% of cases respectively. 140 (58.3%) patients received blood transfusion. The median length of hospitalization was 8 days and it was significantly longer in patients who underwent surgical treatment and those with higher Rockall scores (P < 0.001). Rebleeding was reported in 3.3% of the patients. The overall mortality rate of 11.7% was significantly higher in patients with variceal bleeding, shock, hepatic decompensation, HIV infection, comorbidities, malignancy, age > 60 years and in patients with higher Rockall scores and those who underwent surgery (P < 0.001). Oesophageal varices are the commonest cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in our environment and it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The diagnostic accuracy of fibreoptic endoscopy was related to the time interval between the onset of bleeding and endoscopy. Therefore, it is recommended that early endoscopy should be performed within 24 h of the onset of bleeding