Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitizing Epirrita autumnata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) larvae in Fennoscandia with description of Cotesia autumnatae Shaw, sp. n.

The microgastrine subset of hymenopteran parasitoids of the geometrid Epirrita autumnata is investigated in Fennoscandia. Ecology, including population dynamics, of the moth has been intensively studied in northern and mountainous Finland, Norway and Sweden. Recently supported hypotheses about the causes of its cyclic population dynamics stress the role of parasitoids, while the parasitoid complex with some 15 species is insufficiently known. The complex includes four solitarymicrogastrine species, Protapanteles anchisiades (Nixon), P. immunis (Wesmael), Cotesia salebrosa (Marshall) and C. autumnatae Shaw, sp. n. Here, we provide detailed figures for the latter, which is morphologically close to C. jucunda (Marshall), and describe the species as new to science. We also providemore general habitus figures of the other three species, as well as an identification key for the four species, aiming to aid recognition of these species by ecologists dealingwithmicrogastrine parasitoids of E. autumnata and their alternative geometrid hosts

The Burden Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) In Finland: Impact Of Disease Severity And Eosinophil Count On Healthcare Resource Utilization

Purpose: The burden associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is substantial. The objectives of this study were to describe healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and HCRU-associated costs in patients with COPD in Finland, according to disease severity and blood eosinophil count (BEC).Patients and methods: This non-interventional, retrospective registry study (GSK ID: HO-17-17558) utilized data from the specialist care hospital register. Data extraction was from first hospital visit with a COPD diagnosis (index date) from January 1, 2004 until December 31, 2015 or death. Patients (aged >18 years with >= 1 report of post-bronchodilation forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio 50% or = 300 cells/mu L, Results: There were 9042 patients with COPD; 340 non-severe, 326 progressing, 394 severe, and 7982 clinically verified. BEC was available for 31.8% of patients. The mean follow-up time was 3.7-6.5 years in the classified patient-groups. All-cause mortality was 46% during follow-up. Severe COPD was associated with more COPD-related HCRU and higher mortality than non-severe COPD. Patients with BEC >= 300 cells/mu L had higher overall HCRU but improved survival compared with those with BEC Conclusion: This study demonstrated a substantial burden associated with severe and/or eosinophilic COPD for patients in Finland.</div

Associations of physical activity, sedentary time, and cardiorespiratory fitness with heart rate variability in 6- to 9-year-old children: the PANIC study

Abstract: Purpose: To study the associations of physical activity (PA), sedentary time (ST), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with heart rate variability (HRV) in children. Methods: The participants were a population sample of 377 children aged 6–9 years (49% boys). ST, light PA (LPA), moderate PA (MPA), vigorous PA (VPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and PA energy expenditure (PAEE) were assessed using a combined heart rate and movement sensor, maximal power output per kilograms of lean body mass as a measure of CRF by maximal cycle ergometer exercise test, and HRV variables (SDNN, RMSSD, LF, and HF) using 5 min resting electrocardiography. Data were analysed by linear regression adjusted for years from peak height velocity. Results: In boys, ST was inversely associated (β = − 0.185 to − 0.146, p ≤ 0.049) and MVPA, VPA, PAEE, and CRF were directly associated (β = 0.147 to 0.320, p ≤ 0.048) with HRV variables. CRF was directly associated with all HRV variables and PAEE was directly associated with RMSSD after mutual adjustment for ST, PAEE, and CRF (β = 0.169 to 0.270, p ≤ 0.046). In girls, ST was inversely associated (β = − 0.382 to − 0.294, p < 0.001) and LPA, MPA, VPA, MVPA, and PAEE were directly associated with HRV variables (β = 0.144 to 0.348, p ≤ 0.049). After mutual adjustment for ST, PAEE, and CRF, only the inverse associations of ST with HRV variables remained statistically significant. Conclusions: Higher ST and lower PA and CRF were associated with poorer cardiac autonomic nervous system function in children. Lower CRF in boys and higher ST in girls were the strongest correlates of poorer cardiac autonomic function

The burden of adult asthma in Finland: impact of disease severity and eosinophil count on health care resource utilization

Objective: To describe health care resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs in adult patients referred for specialist asthma care in Southwest Finland, by disease severity and blood eosinophil count (BEC). Methods: This non-interventional, retrospective registry study (GSK ID: HO-17-17558) utilized data from patients >18 years of age on the hospital register of the Hospital District of Southwest Finland. Data extraction was from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2015; the index date was the first hospital visit within this period with an International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnosis code for asthma or acute severe asthma. Patients were categorized by asthma severity (based on medication use) and BEC (= 300 cells/mu L). Total and asthma-related HCRU and estimated costs were recorded the year following index and for calendar years 2004-2015. Results: Overall, 14,398 patients were included; 388 had severe asthma at index. BEC was available for 3781 patients; 1434 had a BEC >= 300 cells/mu L and 2347 had a BEC = 300 cells/mu L). Patients with severe versus non-severe asthma had higher total- and asthma-related outpatient visits, inpatient days, emergency room visits and costs per patient year; those with BEC >= 300 cells/mu L versus Conclusion: This study demonstrated a substantial burden associated with severe and/or eosinophilic asthma for adults in Finland.</div

Can there be water scarcity with abundance of water? : Analyzing water stress during a severe drought in Finland

Severe droughts can affect water security even in countries with ample water resources. In addition, droughts are estimated to become more frequent in several regions due to changing climate. Drought affects many socio-economic sectors (e.g., agriculture, water supply, and industry), as it did in 2018 in Finland. Understanding the basin-wide picture is crucial in drought management planning. To identify vulnerable and water stressed areas in Finland, a water use-to-availability analysis was executed with a reference drought. Water stress was analyzed with the Water Depletion Index WDI. The analysis was executed using national water permits and databases. To represent a severe but realistic drought event, we modelled discharges and runoffs from the worst drought of the last century in Finland (1939–1942). The potential for performing similar analyses in data scarce contexts was also tested using estimates from global models as a screening tool. The results show that the South and Southwest of Finland would have problems with water availability during a severe drought. The most vulnerable areas would benefit from drought mitigation measures and management plans. These measures could be incorporated into the EU River Basin Management Plans

Identification of coherent flood regions across Europe by using the longest streamflow records

This study compiles a new dataset, consisting of the longest available flow series from across Europe, and uses it to study the spatial and temporal clustering of flood events across the continent. Hydrological series at 102 gauging stations were collected from 25 European countries. Five geographically distinct large-scale homogeneous regions are identified: (i) an Atlantic region, (ii) a Continental region, (iii) a Scandinavian region, (iv) an Alpine region, and (v) a Mediterranean region. The months with a higher likelihood of flooding were identified in each region. The analysis of the clustering of annual counts of floods revealed an over-dispersion in the Atlantic and Continental regions, forming flood-rich and flood-poor periods, as well as an under-dispersion in the Scandinavian region that points to a regular pattern of flood occurrences at the inter-annual scale. The detection of trends in flood series is attempted by basing it on the identified regions, interpreting the results at a regional scale and for various time periods: 1900-1999; 1920-1999; 1939-1998 and 1956-1995. The results indicate that a decreasing trend in the magnitude of floods was observed mainly in the Continental region in the period 1920-1999 with 22% of the catchments revealing such a trend, as well as a decreasing trend in the timing of floods in the Alpine region in the period 1900-1999 with 75% of the catchments revealing this trend. A mixed pattern of changes in the frequency of floods over a threshold and few significant changes in the timing of floods were detected

Sää- ja ilmastoriskit Suomessa - Kansallinen arvio

Tähän raporttiin on koottu ajantasainen arvio sään ja ilmaston aiheuttamista riskeistä eri toimialoille Suomessa. Arviossa otettiin huomioon sekä muuttuvan ilmaston että yhteiskunnallisen kehityksen vaikutus riskin muodostumiseen nykyhetkessä ja tulevaisuudessa. Sää- ja ilmastoriskejä pyrittiin hahmottamaan vaaratekijän (riskiä aiheuttava sääilmiö), altistumisen (riskin kohteen sijainti) ja haavoittuvuuden (riskin kohteen ominaisuudet) yhdistelmänä. Sääilmiöt aiheuttavat Suomessa riskejä jo nykyilmastossa. Muun muassa rajuilmat, helleaallot ja rankkasateet aiheuttavat taloudellisia ja terveydellisiä vaikutuksia sekä yleistä haittaa. Tulevaisuudessa riskit muuttuvat ilmastonmuutoksen muuttaessa haitallisia sääilmiöitä. Ilmastonmuutos tuo vähitellen kasvavia riskejä erityisesti ekosysteemeille ja infrastruktuurille. Muualla maailmalla tapahtuvat ilmastonmuutoksen vaikutukset voivat heijastua epäsuorasti Suomeen globaalien tavara-, energia-, raha- ja ihmisvirtojen kautta. Näiden riskien systemaattinen arviointi on vasta aloitettu. Raportin tavoitteena on tukea yhteiskunnan riskeihin varautumista ja ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutumista eri hallinnon tasoilla ja toimialoilla. Arvio perustuu pääosin kirjallisuudesta löytyviin tutkimuksiin ja selvityksiin sekä asiantuntija-arvioihin. Työ tehtiin “Sää- ja ilmastoriskien arviointi ja toimintamallit” (SIETO)- hankkeessa vuosina 2017–2018

Generic Business Process Model for SMEs in M-Commerce Based on Talabat’s Case Study

SMEs face a variety of challenges in their attempts to keep up with the cyber revolution, even though SMEs are a major part of the world economy. In a previous publication, the authors established that ‘B2C’ model does not accurately represent or support SMEs in M-Commerce. Instead, the authors reviewed SMEs and SME supporting apps from mobile app marketplaces and suggested a model called ‘B2i2C’. In this model, the ‘i’, in the form of intermediary business entity are playing a vital role in SMEs breakthrough into M-Commerce. Following on, this paper reviews business processes to generate a generic model adaptable to a variety of SME related products and services. This paper presents the case study of Talabat, one of the most successful GCC e-business models that supports SMEs to have come out from Kuwait. The information collected from online resources, student placements and feedback from operation managers attempt to emulate the business process model for a variety of ‘B2i2C’ business models. The generic model is then tested against three different scenarios to identify the level of similarity. The results demonstrate a high degree of adaptability of the model and a major opportunity to explore in the area of SME supporting app in M-Commerce

Identification of coherent flood regions across Europe by using the longest streamflow records

This study compiles a new dataset, consisting of the longest available flow series from across Europe, and uses it to study the spatial and temporal clustering of flood events across the continent. Hydrological series at 102 gauging stations were collected from 25 European countries. Five geographically distinct large-scale homogeneous regions are identified: (i) an Atlantic region, (ii) a Continental region, (iii) a Scandinavian region, (iv) an Alpine region, and (v) a Mediterranean region. The months with a higher likelihood of flooding were identified in each region. The analysis of the clustering of annual counts of floods revealed an over-dispersion in the Atlantic and Continental regions, forming flood-rich and flood-poor periods, as well as an under-dispersion in the Scandinavian region that points to a regular pattern of flood occurrences at the inter-annual scale. The detection of trends in flood series is attempted by basing it on the identified regions, interpreting the results at a regional scale and for various time periods: 1900-1999; 1920-1999; 1939-1998 and 1956-1995. The results indicate that a decreasing trend in the magnitude of floods was observed mainly in the Continental region in the period 1920-1999 with 22% of the catchments revealing such a trend, as well as a decreasing trend in the timing of floods in the Alpine region in the period 1900-1999 with 75% of the catchments revealing this trend. A mixed pattern of changes in the frequency of floods over a threshold and few significant changes in the timing of floods were detected