Environmental and crown related factors affecting street tree transpiration in Helsinki, Finland

We investigated the drivers of street tree transpiration in boreal conditions, in order to better understand tree water use in the context of urban tree planning and stormwater management. Two streets built in Helsinki in 2002, hemiboreal zone that had been planted either with Tilia x vulgaris or Alnus glutinosa f. pyramidalis were used as the study sites. Tree water use was measured from sap flow over the 2008-2011 period by the heat dissipation method. Penman-Monteith based evapotranspiration models of increasing complexity were tested against the tree water use measurements to assess the role of environmental and tree related factors in tree transpiration. Alnus and Tilia respectively used 1.1 and 0.8 l of water per m(2) of leaf area per day under ample water conditions, but the annual variation was high. The Penman-Monteith evapotranspiration estimate and soil water status changes explained over 80 % of the variation in tree transpiration when the model was parameterized annually. The addition of tree crown surface area in the model improved its accuracy and diminished variation between years and sites. Using single parameterization over all four years instead of annually varying one did not produce reliable estimates of tree transpiration. Tree transpiration, scaled to different canopy cover percentages, implied that the columnar Alnus trees could transpire as much as all annual rainfall at or less than 50 % canopy cover.Peer reviewe

High carbon losses from established growing sites delay the carbon sequestration benefits of street tree plantings - A case study in Helsinki, Finland

We assessed the net carbon (C) sequestration dynamics of street tree plantings based on 10 years of measurements at two case study sites each with different tree species in Helsinki, Finland. We assessed C loss from tree soils and tree C accumulation, tested the applicability of pre-existing growth and biomass equations against observations, and estimated the time point for the beginning of net C sequestration for the studied street tree plantings. The tree woody biomass C accumulation in the first 10 years after planting was 18-32 kg per tree. At the same time the C loss from the growth media was at least 170 kg per growth media volume (25 m(3)) per tree. If this soil C loss was accounted for, the net C sequestration would begin, at best, approximately 30 years after planting. Biomass equations developed for traditional forests predicted more stem biomass and less leaf and branch biomass than measured for the species examined, but total aboveground biomass was generally well predicted.Peer reviewe

Irreversible diameter change of wood segments correlates with other methods for estimating frost tolerance of living cells in freeze-thaw experiment: a case study with seven urban tree species in Helsinki

International audienceAbstractKey messageWe assessed tree frost tolerance using electrolyte leakage and a method based on irreversible diameter change of branches. It was shown that irreversible diameter change correlates with electrolyte leakage and USDA hardiness rating and is a good indicator of frost tolerance.ContextThe number of potential tree species for urban green planning is low in northern latitudes where cold tolerance is a critical factor. High cost of urban tree establishment calls for reliable and preferably non-destructive methods for determining their cold tolerance.AimsWe studied the cellular damage occurring during freezing and thawing in branches of seven broadleaved tree species using electrolyte leakage and a method based on branch diameter changes.MethodsCellular damage in branches was studied during the cold-hardy stage in winter and the dehardening stage in early spring in laboratory conditions using both monitoring of frost-induced diameter changes and the common electrolyte leakage method during temperature decrease to −25 °C.ResultsFrost-induced irreversible diameter shrinkage correlated positively with electrolyte leakage. Out of the seven studied species, Quercus palustris and Crataegus monogyna had the highest frost tolerance during the dehardening stage in early spring, whereas Pterocarya fraxinifolia was the least frost tolerant.ConclusionIrreversible shrinkage of branch diameter due to freezing stress is a good and non-destructive method to indicate frost tolerance. It also correlates well with the USDA plant hardiness rating that is based on the minimum temperature range in which the studied species prevail in the USA

Who is expected to make contact? Interpretative repertoires related to an intergroup encounter between Finnish majority mothers and immigrant mothers

Although the benefits of contact for positive intergroup relations are widely acknowledged, less is known about how group members construct the agency and responsibility of contact participants in intergroup encounters. Using critical discursive psychology, we analysed the interpretative repertoires that Finnish majority mothers (N = 13) and mothers with an immigrant background (N = 10) used when talking about a hypothetical intergroup encounter among Finnish and immigrant mothers in a ‘family café’ (a group for mothers and children). Our analysis identified five interpretative repertoires that differed in terms of the levels of categorization used (individual, group, motherhood) and how agency and responsibility for initiating contact were discursively attributed to the parties in the intergroup encounter. Overall, constructing someone as agentic did not automatically result in their being portrayed as more responsible for making contact. Respondents described contact to occur with only two repertoires, in which both agency and responsibility for initiating contact were discursively attributed to the same party. This highlights the need to consider both agency and sense of responsibility as possible factors preceding intergroup contact.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Interleukin 1 receptor-like 1 rs13408661/13431828 polymorphism is associated with persistent post-bronchiolitis asthma at school age

AimInterleukin (IL) 1 receptor-like 1, encoded by the IL1RL1 gene, is a receptor for IL-33. In European birth cohorts, IL1RL1 rs102082293, rs10204137 (rs4988955), rs13424006 and rs13431828 (rs13048661) variations were associated with asthma at school age. In a Dutch multi-centre study, IL1RL1 rs1921622 variation was associated with severe bronchiolitis. We evaluated the associations of these five IL1RL1 variations with asthma and lung function at school age after hospitalisation for bronchiolitis in infancy.MethodsFollow-up data, including impulse oscillometry at age 5–7 and flow-volume spirometry at age 11–13 years, and the IL1RL1 genotype data were available for 141 children followed until 5–7 and for 125 children followed until 11–13 age years after bronchiolitis in infancy. The IL1RL1 rs10204137 and rs4988955, and the IL1RL1 rs13048661 and rs13431828, are 100% co-segregating in the Finnish population.ResultsThe variant IL1RL1 rs13048661/13431828 genotype was constantly associated with increased asthma risk by various definitions at 5–7 and 11–13 years of ages. The result was confirmed with analyses adjusted for current confounders and early-life environment-related factors. Statistical significances were lost, when maternal asthma and atopic dermatitis in infancy were included in the model.ConclusionIL1RL1 rs13048661/13431828 variation was associated with post-bronchiolitis asthma outcomes at school age.</p

Kelan monimuotoisen perhekuntoutuksen kehittämistyö : Palveluntuottajien näkökulma

Kelan Lasten perhekuntoutuksen kehittämishankkeissa (LAKU- ja Etä-LAKU-hankkeet) on kehitetty monimuotoista perhekuntoutusta 5–12-vuotiaille lapsille ja heidän perheilleen. Kehittämistyötä on toteutettu vuosina 2012–2018, minkä jälkeen kuntoutuspalvelu jalkautetaan soveltuvin osin Kelan valtakunnalliseen kuntoutustoimintaan. Kehittämistyön aikana on saatu paljon arvokasta tietoa niin asiakkailta, palveluntuottajilta kuin yhteistyökumppaneiltakin. Tieteellisen seurantatutkimuksen keskeiset tulokset julkaistaan erillisessä raportissa. Tässä raportissa kuvataan lyhyesti hankkeen taustaa sekä kuntoutuksen sisältöä. Pääpaino on kuitenkin palveluntuottajien kirjoittamissa teksteissä, jossa he kuvaavat omin sanoin työryhmän, asiakkaiden sekä yhteistyötahojen kokemuksia LAKU- ja Etä-LAKU-kuntoutuksesta. Lapsen kuntoutuksessa on tärkeää ottaa mukaan koko perhe sekä arjen toimintaympäristö, kuten koulu ja päiväkoti. Tämä mahdollistui LAKU-kuntoutuksessa. Yhteistyö hoitavan tahon kanssa oli joissakin tapauksissa haasteellista mm. aikataulujen suhteen, mutta toteutui pääasiassa hyvin. Kuntoutus sisältää joustavuutta niin käyntikertojen rakenteessa kuin sisällössäkin. Sitä toivottiin kuitenkin jatkossa lisää, koska perheiden haasteet ovat erilaisia. LAKU- ja Etä-LAKU-kuntoutukseen kuuluivat perheiden kuntoutusviikonloput, joita pidettiin toimivina. Niissä korostui erilaiset ryhmätoiminnat sekä erityisesti vertaistuki. Asiakkaat toivoivat enemmän kuin kaksi viikonloppua kuntoutusprosessin aikana, mutta palveluntuottajien näkemyksen mukaan määrä oli riittävä. Etä-LAKU-hankkeessa kuntoutus tapahtui pääasiassa perheen kotona niillä paikkakunnilla, joissa etäisyydet ovat pitkiä ja palveluita vähän. Malli haastoi työntekijät, mutta myös antoi paljon. Perheet olivat tyytyväisiä ja hyvin sitoutuneita kotona tehtävään kuntoutukseen. Asiakasperheet, yhteistyökumppanit että työntekijät kokivat LAKU- ja Etä-LAKU-kuntoutuksen pää-sääntöisesti hyödylliseksi ja lapsen sekä perheen toimintakykyä parantavaksi kuntoutusmuodoksi. Yhtenäisenä toiveena oli, että kuntoutus jatkuisi Kelan vakiintuneena toimintana hankkeiden jälkeen

Randomised Trial of Adjuvant Radiotherapy Following Radical Prostatectomy Versus Radical Prostatectomy Alone in Prostate Cancer Patients with Positive Margins or Extracapsular Extension

Background: It remains unclear whether patients with positive surgical margins or extracapsular extension benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy. Objective: To compare the effectiveness and tolerability of adjuvant radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy. Design, setting, and participants: This was a randomised, open-label, parallel-group trial. A total of 250 patients were enrolled between April 2004 and October 2012 in eight Finnish hospitals, with pT2 with positive margins or pT3a, pN0, M0 cancer without seminal vesicle invasion. Intervention: A total of 126 patients received adjuvant radiotherapy at 66.6 Gy. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The primary endpoint was biochemical recurrence-free survival, which we analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression. Overall survival, cancer-specific survival, local recurrence, and adverse events were secondary endpoints. Results and limitations: The median follow-up time for patients who were alive when the follow-up ended was 9.3 yr in the adjuvant group and 8.6 yr in the observation group. The 10-yr survival for biochemical recurrence was 82% in the adjuvant group and 61% in the observation group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.26 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.14-0.48], p <0.001), and for overall survival 92% and 87%, respectively (HR 0.69 [95% CI 0.29-1.60], p = 0.4). Two and four metastatic cancers occurred, respectively. Out of the 43 patients with biochemical recurrence in the observation group, 37 patients received salvage radiotherapy. In the adjuvant group, 56% experienced grade 3 adverse events, versus 40% in the observation group (p = 0.016). Only one grade 4 adverse event occurred (adjuvant group). A limitation of this study was the number of patients. Conclusions: Adjuvant radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy is generally well tolerated and prolongs biochemical recurrence-free survival compared with radical prostatectomy alone in patients with positive margins or extracapsular extension. Patient summary: Radiotherapy given immediately after prostate cancer surgery prolongs prostate-specific antigen progression-free survival, but causes more adverse events, when compared with surgery alone. (C) 2019 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe