Vegetated roofs for managing stormwater quantity in cold climate

Vegetated roofs, i.e. green roofs, were continuously measured for runoff to quantify their capacity to manage stormwater in a field experiment in southern Finland, with distinct seasonality and varying weather conditions. Attention was paid to heavy storms to study the potential in mitigating urban flooding. In addition, the impact of biochar amendment (10% v/v) on rainfall retention was studied. Meadow vegetation was established on crushed brick based substrate either by introducing plants as seedlings and seeds or by using pre-grown readymade mats. Annual retention varied from 40% to 70%. The highest retention, ca. 80%, was found in summer even though it was the rainiest season. Wintertime retention was 30-40%. The coarse substrate enabled infiltration even when frozen and, thus, the roofs operated also in winter. Heavy storms occurred mainly in summer, the season with the highest hydrologic performance of the roofs, resulting in >80% peak attenuation and slow release of runoff. In individual rain events, runoff from meadow roofs was largely a function of rainfall depth. However, retention was weakly explained by the amount of rainfall or by other variables, such as rainfall intensity or antecedent dry period, indicating the difficulty in capturing the complex phenomena behind variable weather conditions. Biochar improved retention only slightly, at maximum by ca. 10%. The empirical evidence of this study highlights vegetated roofs as a feasible technology to be applied in urban runoff management even in cold climate.Peer reviewe

Overlapping Jurisdictions between the World Trade Organization and Preferential Trade Agreements

The proliferation of preferential trade agreements has been significant since the establishment of the WTO. These agreements and regional integration schemes provide for rights and obligations that are often identical to those agreed upon in the WTO. Preferential trade agreements also provide for their own dispute settlement mechanism. Due to the parallelism of rights and obligations, trade disputes between members can often be settled under both the WTO dispute settlement mechanism as well as under the dispute settlement mechanism established by the preferential trade agreement. This overlap of jurisdictions may cause parallel or subsequent litigation concerning the same dispute. Members have attempted to solve this issue by including jurisdiction clauses in preferential trade agreements, which prohibit parties to the preferential agreement from initiating the WTO dispute settlement under certain conditions. This thesis examines whether the jurisdiction of a preferential trade agreement can override the jurisdiction of the WTO, and whether the WTO tribunals have the powers to decline to exercise jurisdiction on the basis of the jurisdiction of a preferential trade agreement. I will examine what effects such jurisdiction clauses included in preferential trade agreements could be considered to have on the jurisdiction of the WTO, and other possible ways to solve jurisdictional conflicts. This thesis argues that it is indeed possible for WTO panels to decline to exercise jurisdiction based on the jurisdiction of a tribunal established under a preferential trade agreement. To make this point, alternative solutions to overcome the conflicts are examined. The topic is divided into three main sections. These overlaps are first examined as a normative issue, concentrating on jurisdictional clauses and their potential effects. In this section the overall hierarchy of the two systems and the question of applicable law in the WTO dispute settlement system are studied. The question in this section is, can a PTA jurisdiction clause modify WTO member’s rights and obligations arising from the covered agreements. The second part concentrates on the procedural aspects of the overlaps. Here the focus is on rules of general international law established to govern the procedural issues in international adjudication. The question here is whether a parallel proceeding can by itself prevent WTO litigation. The third part focuses on the powers of the WTO tribunals and their abilities to decline to exercise jurisdiction. In this part the relevant WTO case law regarding this issue is also studied more carefully. The last part of this paper gives a brief outlook of the issue from a policy perspective while also addressing the challenges the situation causes to the whole system

Henriksson, Charlotta. Patenttien arvo ja arvonmääritys

Virallisen vastaväittäjän, professori Petri Kuoppamäen Helsingin yliopiston oikeustieteelliselle tiedekunnalle antama 31.5.2023 päivätty lausunto vähäisin muutoksin

Nuorten kahvin ja energiajuomien käyttö sekä kofeiiniin liittyvät oireet

Nuoret saavat kofeiinia virvoitusjuomista, kahvista ja energiajuomista. Kofeiinilla on terveysvaikutuksia, joita on tutkittu, mutta vähemmän erityisesti nuorten osalta. Kofeiini aiheuttaa herkästi riippuvuutta, ja nuorelle riippuvuus voi syntyä pienemmällä kofeiinimäärällä kuin aikuiselle. Nuori muodostaa pysyviä elintapoja jo varhain. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin nuorten kahvin ja energiajuomien käyttöä, niistä saatavan kofeiinin määrää sekä sen vaikutuksia nuorten terveyteen. Tutkimuksen aineistona oli Nuorten terveystapatutkimus vuosilta 2007 ja 2011. Vastaajia oli yhteensä 10 406. Vastaajina olivat 12-18-vuotiaat nuoret. Aineistoa analysoitiin SPSS-ohjelmistolla tavanomaisin tilastotieteellisin menetelmin kuten ristiintaulukoimalla sekä käyttämällä logistista regressiota. Aineistossa oli 58 % tyttöjä. Pojista 44 % joi kahvia päivittäin ja tytöistä 36 %. Pojista 61 % käytti energiajuomia ja tytöistä 32 %. Kahvin ja energiajuomien käyttöä tarkasteltiin suhteessa kofeiiniin liittyvään oireiluun (päänsärky, univaikeudet, ärtyneisyys, väsymys/heikotus). Energiajuomien käytön ja oireilun välillä oli suhde: oireilu lisääntyi energiajuomien käytön lisääntyessä. Vastaava suhde oli nähtävissä myös kahvin osalta. Oireilun ja kahvin ja energiajuomien käytön yhteyttä, syy-seuraussuhdetta ja mahdollisia suojaavia tekijöitä on tutkittava tarkemmin. Nuorten kofeiininsaannin ja varsinkin energiajuomien päivittäisen käytön rajoittaminen on järkevää. SUMMARY: The effects of caffeine into adolescent healt

Using biochar to purify runoff in road verges of urbanised watersheds: A large-scale field lysimeter study

Peer reviewe

The ability of selected filter materials in removing nutrients, metals, and microplastics from stormwater in biofilter structures

Creative solutions to manage stormwater include ecologically based designs, such as biofilter structures. A laboratory experiment was established to study the ability of biofilters to remove nutrients, metals, total suspended solids (TSS), and total organic C originating from roadside stormwater as melted snow. Special attention was paid to the removal of P. In addition, the fate of microplastics (MPs) in the biofilters was followed. The materials selected for biofilters were (a) crushed light-expanded clay aggregates without biochar or amended with biochar, (b) Filtralite P clay aggregates, (c) crushed concrete, or (d) filter sand. A layer to support grass growth was placed above these materials. Stormwater was rich in TSS with associated P and metals, which were substantially retained by all biofilters. Filtralite and concrete had almost 100% P removal, but the high pH had adverse effects on plants. Light-expanded clay aggregates had lower retention of P, and, when mixed with biochar (30% v/v), the leaching of P increased and N retention was improved. None of the materials was ideal for treating both nutrients and metals, but sand was generally best. Vegetation improved N retention and stormwater infiltration. Plant roots formed preferential pathways for water and associated substances, evidenced by the accumulation of MPs along root channels. No MPs were found in discharge. Given the high loading of suspended solids and associated contaminants in snowmelt from traffic areas and their efficient retention in biofiltration, results of this study suggest the implementation of such stormwater management solutions along road verges.Peer reviewe