Intensity, productivity and efficiency in agriculture in Finland and implications for N and P fertiliser management

The purpose of this study was to evaluate intensity, productivity and efficiency in agriculture in Finland and show implications for N and P fertiliser management. Environmental concerns relating to agricultural production have been and still are focused on arguments about policies that affect agriculture. These policies constrain production while demand for agricultural products such as food, fibre and energy continuously increase. Therefore the importance of increasing productivity is a great challenge to agriculture. Over the last decades producers have experienced several large changes in the production environment such as the policy reform when Finland joined the EU 1995. Other and market changes occurred with the further EU enlargement with neighbouring countries in 2005 and with the decoupling of supports over the 2006-2007 period. Decreasing prices a decreased number of farmers and decreased profitability in agricultural production have resulted from these changes and constraints and of technological development. It is known that the accession to the EU 1995 would herald changes in agriculture. Especially of interest was how the sudden changes in prices of commodities on especially those of cereals, decreased by 60%, would influence agricultural production. The knowledge of properties of the production function increased in importance as a consequence of price changes. A research on the economic instruments to regulate productions was carried out and combined with earlier studies in paper V. In paper I the objective was to compare two different technologies, the conventional farming and the organic farming, determine differences in productivity and technical efficiency. In addition input specific or environmental efficiencies were analysed. The heterogeneity of agricultural soils and its implications were analysed in article II. In study III the determinants of technical inefficiency were analysed. The aspects and possible effects of the instability in policies due to a partial decoupling of production factors and products were studied in paper IV. Consequently connection between technical efficiency based on the turnover and the sales return was analysed in this study. Simple economic instruments such as fertiliser taxes have a direct effect on fertiliser consumption and indirectly increase the value of organic fertilisers. However, fertiliser taxes, do not fully address the N and P management problems adequately and are therefore not suitable for nutrient management improvements in general. Productivity of organic farms is lower on average than conventional farms and the difference increases when looking at selling returns only. The organic sector needs more research and development on productivity. Livestock density in organic farming increases productivity, however, there is an upper limit to livestock densities on organic farms and therefore nutrient on organic farms are also limited. Soil factors affects phosphorous and nitrogen efficiency. Soils like sand and silt have lower input specific overall efficiency for nutrients N and P. Special attention is needed for the management on these soils. Clay soils and soils with moderate clay content have higher efficiency. Soil heterogeneity is cause for an unavoidable inefficiency in agriculture.

Större frihet - bättre lokalt anpassad service? : Förvaltningsreformer och kommunernas service för utvecklingsstörda 1994-2000

In the beginning of the 1990s the legislation regarding the municipalities and the system of central government transfers were reformed in Finland. This resulted in a move from detailed governmental control to increased municipal autonomy. The purpose of this decentralization was to enable the municipalities to better adapt their administration and service supply to local needs. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of the increased municipal autonomy on the organization of services for people with intellectual disabilities. Did the increased autonomy cause the municipalities to alter their service supply and production and did the services become more adapted to local needs? The data consists of statistical information on service use and production, and also of background data such as demographics, economics and political elections on 452 municipalities in Finland from the years 1994 and 2000. The methods used are cluster analysis, discriminant analysis and factor analysis. The municipalities could be grouped in two categories: those which offered mainly one kind of residential services and others which had more varied mixes of services. The use of institutional care had decreased and municipalities which used institutional care as their primary form of service were mostly very small municipalities in 2000. The situation had changed from 1994, when institutional care was the primary service for municipalities of all sizes. Also the service production had become more differentiated and the municipalities had started using more varied ways of production. More municipalities had started producing their own services and private production had increased as well. Furthermore, the increase in local autonomy had opened up possibilities for local politics to influence both the service selection and methods of production. The most significant motive for changes in the service structure was high unemployment and an increasing share of elderly people in the population, particularly in sparsely populated areas. Municipalities with a low level of resources had made more changes in their service organization while those with more resources had been able to carry on as before. Key words: service structure, service for people with intellectual disabilities, municipalities, contingency theory, New Public Management

Cooperation and conflict in conspecific brood parasitism : an alternative reproductive tactic

Interactions among individuals give rise to both cooperation and conflict. Individuals will behave selfishly or altruistically depending on which gives the higher payoff. The reproductive strategies of many animals are flexible and several alternative tactics may be present from which the most suitable one is applied. Generally, alternative reproductive tactics may be defined as a response to competition from individuals of the same sex. These alternative reproductive tactics are means by which individuals may fine-tune their fitness to the reigning circumstances and which are shaped by the environment individuals are occupying as well as by the behaviour of other individuals sharing the environment. By employing such alternative ways of achieving reproductive output, individuals may alleviate competition from others. Conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) is an alternative reproductive strategy found in several egg laying animal groups, and it is especially common among waterfowl. Within this alternative reproductive strategy, four reproductive options can be identified. These four options represent a continuum from low reproductive effort coupled with low fitness returns, to high reproductive effort and consequently high benefits. It may not be evident how individuals should allocate reproductive effort between eggs laid in their own nest vs. in nests of others, however. Limited fecundity will constrain the number of eggs donated by a parasite, but also the tendency for hosts to accept parasitic eggs may affect the allocation decision. Furthermore, kinship, individual quality and the costs of breeding may play a role in complicating the allocation decision. In this thesis, I view the seemingly paradoxical effects of kinship on conflict resolution in the context of alternative reproductive tactics, examining the resulting features of cooperation and conflict. Conspecific brood parasitism sets the stage for investigating these questions. By using both empirical and theoretical approaches, I examine the nature of CBP in a brood parasitic duck, the Barrow's goldeneye (Bucephala islandica). The theoretical chapter of this thesis gives rise to four main conclusions. Firstly, variation in individual quality plays a central role in shaping breeding strategies. Secondly, kinship plays a central role in the evolution of CBP. Thirdly, egg recognition ability may affect the prevalence of parasitism. If egg recognition is perfect, higher relatedness between host and parasite facilitates CBP. Finally, I show that the relative costs of egg laying and post-laying care play a so far underestimated role in determining the prevalence of parasitism. The costs of breeding may outweigh possible inclusive fitness benefits accrued from receiving eggs from relatives. Several of the patterns brought out by the theoretical work are then confirmed empirically in the following chapters. Findings include confirmation of the central role of relatedness in determining the extent of parasitism as well as inducing a counterintuitive host clutch reduction. Furthermore, I demonstrate a cost of CBP inflicted on hosts, as well as results suggesting that host age reflects individual quality, affecting the ability to overcome costs inflicted by CBP. In summary, I demonstrate both theoretically and empirically the presence of cooperation and conflict in the interactions between conspecific parasites and their hosts. The field of CBP research has traditionally been divided, but the first steps have now been taken toward the acceptance of the opposite side of the divide. Especially the theoretical findings of chapter 1 offer the possibility to view seemingly contrasting results of various studies within the same framework, and may direct future research toward more general features underlying differences in the patterns of CBP between populations or species.

Diabetesassocierade autoantikroppar hos barn med nydiagnostiserad typ 1 diabetes i relation till demografiska och kliniska faktorer

Syftet med studien var att undersöka sambanden mellan de diabetesassocierade autoantikropparna ICA, IAA, GADA, IA-2A och klinisk manifestation, HLA-genotyp, släktanamnes samt demografiska faktorer såsom ålder och kön hos finländska barn under 15 år med nydiagnostiserad typ 1 diabetes. Analyserna baserades på ett utdrag ur det finländska pediatriska diabetesregistret (2257 barn). Antikroppsfrekvenserna fastställdes utgående från halterna i serum. Alla barn HLA-genotypades och indelades i DR3- och DR4-positiva. Småbarnen (?5 år) hade ofta 3-4 positiva antikroppar. Äldre barn hade färre autoantikroppar men en allvarligare metabolisk dekompensering vid diagnostillfället. Diabetisk ketoacidos var vanligare hos flickor. I gruppen med endast en positiv autoantikropp var IA-2A-barnen oftare acidotiska, i övrigt påverkade inte antikroppsprofilen den kliniska bilden. Högriskgenotypen DR4/non-DR3 var associerad med IA-2A, som verkar fungera som en markör för betacelldestruktion. Det omfattande patientmaterialet gav stöd åt tidigare rapporter om samband mellan autoantikroppar och ålder, kön samt genotyp. Den allvarligare metaboliska dekompenseringen hos äldre barn tyder på att de inte diagnostiseras lika snabbt som småbarn.

Druvan - Den personalekonomiska nyttan av mångdimensionell företagshälsovårds- och personalutvecklingsverksamhet baserad på Metal Age-konceptet i Dragsfjärds kommun (2002-2005)

Under åren 2002-2005 förverkligades Druvan-projektet i Dragsfjärds kommun, vilket innebar en dramatisk ökning av företagshälsovårdsinsatserna. Företagshälsovårdsutgifterna ökade från 20 € per anställd till över 400 €. Den totala satsningen på personalens hälsa ökade ännu mer. Innehållet i Druvan baserade sig på den s.k. Metal Age-metoden. Metoden går ut på att arbetsgemenskapen tillsammans identifierar utvecklingsbehov och –åtgärder. Projektet ledde till en stor mängd utvecklingsåtgärder och därpå följande effekter på personalens hälsa, trivsel och samarbete. Som en del av åtgärderna utarbetade kommunen en personalrapport för de aktuella åren. Under projekttiden utvecklades personalens arbetsförmåga betydligt gynnsammare än förväntat. Den ekonomiska analysen visade att det investerade kapitalet gav en avkastning på 46%. Nyttan uppkom som resultat av minskad sjukfrånvaro och färre förtidspensioneringar. Druvan-projektet stöder de tidigare bedömningarna, enligt vilka det finns ett klart utrymme för att öka satsningarna på företagshälsovård i vårt land. Detta gäller speciellt arbetsplatser vars satsningar på företagshälsovård är betydligt under genomsnittet. Dragsfjärds kommun har beslutat göra Druvan till en bestående struktur inom kommunen. Guy Ahonen är professor i Knowledge Management, speciellt personalekonomi vid institutionen för företagsledning och organisation vid Hanken. Ove Näsman är ledande företagsläkare vid Dalmed OyAb i Dalsbruk i sydvästra Finland. Båda har forskat i årtionden kring effekterna av ökat välbefinnande i arbetet.

Medieberättelser om den politiska retoriken om invandring - Hur konstrueras vår bild av invandring genom nyhetsrapportering?

I min pro gradu-avhandling undersöker jag hur media bidrar till att konstruera bilden av invandring till Finland. Mitt material består av tre nationella tidningar, varav Helsingin Sanomat och Huvudstadsbladet representerar dagstidningar och Iltalehti kvällspressen. Bakgrunden för undersökningen är en tre månaders period under vintern 2008-2009, då invandring låg högt på den politiska agendan. Under denna period skärptes den politiska retoriken mot invandring. Detta tillskrivs främst sannfinländarnas valframgång i kommunalvalet hösten 2008. Materialet består av s.k. hårda nyheter om invandring från tidningarnas inrikessidor samt åsiktsjournalistik i form av ledare och kolumner. Tidigare forskning i medierapportering om invandring och den finländska politiska debatten om invandring utgör den teoretiska bakgrunden för avhandlingen. Långvariga kartläggningsprojekt av medierapporteringen om invandring har utförts av Centret för forskning om etniska relationer och nationalism, gällande finlandssvenska tidningar (se Haavisto 2007) och av Journalismin tutkimuskeskus, gällande finskspråkiga tidningar (se Raittila & Vehmas 2005). Dessa utgör bakgrundskunskap som jag bygger vidare på. Andra viktiga källor är Kaarina Horstis (2005) avhandling, som handlar om medierapporteringen om asylsökande och mångkulturalism och Outi Lepolas (2008) avhandling gällande riksdagsdebatter om invandring och mångkulturalism på 1990-talet. I analysen använder jag kritisk diskursanalys, men tar inslag ur ramanalys och retorikanalys. Ett centralt begrepp i min avhandling är nyhetsgenre och jag undersöker hur nyhetens konventioner påverkar sättet på vilket frågor om invandring presenteras. Media bygger upp olika tolkningar av den sociala verkligheten genom att beskriva berättelser. Jag analyserar rapporteringen av den politiska debatten ur detta perspektiv och ser på vilka talarpositioner ges åt de olika politiska aktörerna i debatten. I rapporteringen om invandrargruppers ankomst till Finland var en krisinramning dominerande. Genom negativa metaforer konstrueras invandring som ett hot mot det finska samhället. Frågan om asylsökande, framom andra invandrargrupper, får mycket utrymme i tidningarna och bidrar till att rama in diskussionen om invandring i stort. I rapporteringen om den politiska debatten från perioden förekommer tillspetsad retorik mot invandring också från politiker ur de stora partierna. Genom denna retorik konstruerar man invandring som ett hot. Denna retorik tillhör den invandrarkritiska diskursen. Andra diskurser genom vilka man behandlar invandring i materialet är den arbetsrelaterade diskursen och den mångkulturella diskursen. Argument som stödjer sig mot dessa diskurser är dock mycket färre och hamnar i skymundan av den invandrarkritiska diskursen.

Um certo Aluísio Azevedo além ou aquém do naturalismo

Ao contrário do que propaga a maioria da crítica, Aluísio Azevedo não foi um escritor exclusivamente naturalista. Em sua diversificada produção literária encontramos peças teatrais, escritas individualmente, em parceria com o irmão Artur Azevedo ou com o amigo Emílio Rouède; romances-folhetim, que asseguravam sua sobrevivência; narrativas que podem inscrever-se no gênero fantástico, como os contos Demônios e O impenitente, bem como o romance A mortalha de Alzira; e ainda uma surpreendente novela policial, Mattos, Malta ou Matta? Toda a sua obra, seja ela dramatúrgica ou narrativa, revela-nos um escritor em conflito, dividido entre a necessidade de ganhar dinheiro e o desejo de escrever de acordo com suas próprias convicções. Este trabalho busca destacar e discutir algumas vertentes estéticas de sua obra literária relegadas pela crítica e em geral pouco conhecidas: a narrativa romântica, a policial, a fantástica e sua criação teatral

Audiences and Receptions of Sexual Violence in Contemporary Cinema

Barkre, M.; Mathijs, E.; Sexton, J.; Egan, K.; Hunter, R. and Selfe, M. (2007). Audiences and Receptions of Sexual Violence in Contemporary Cinema. London: British Board of Film Classification. RAE2008

Scalar glueballs: Constraints from the decays into η or η′

We study the mixing of the scalar glueball into the isosinglet mesons f0(1370), f0(1500), and f0(1710) to describe the two-body decays to pseudoscalars. We use an effective Hamiltonian and employ the two-angle mixing scheme for η and η′. In this framework, we analyze existing data and look forward to new data into η and η′ channels. For now, the f0(1710) has the largest glueball component and a sizable branching ratio into ηη′, testable at BESIII.

Multiple paternity and its consequences in the white campion " Silene latifolia "

Summary Several studies have demonstrated that the number of pollen donors siring seeds of individual fruits is frequently greater than one and, consequently, that plants have multiple mates. Multiple paternity can have important consequences at the population level. It influences the genetic variability of a population, the reproductive success of males and the fitness of females and future generations. It also influences male-male interactions for fertilization and it is fundamental in providing opportunity of female choice. I investigated the occurrence and the importance of multiple paternity within fruits in natural populations of the dioecious Silene latifolia using microsatellite DNA markers, especially developed for this study. I found that multiple paternity occurs in all populations investigated in the European range of the species, varying from one to nine sires per fruit with a mean of three, suggesting that multiple paternity is highly prevalent in natural populations. In the presence of multiple paternity I investigated if there was a female genotype influence on siring success of the males. I used the same pollen mixture from two males and applied it to three replicate females of different relatedness (two full sisters and one unrelated). I found female genotype influence in one of the two populations investigated, which might reflect different population history. Since these results suggested some degree of female choice, we investigated whether the occurrence of multiple paternity and post-pollination selection could provide opportunity for inbreeding avoidance. First, I measured inbreeding depression at different life-cycle stages for offspring obtained by single-donor crosses with brothers or unrelated males replicated on distinct flowers on the same female plant. To address inbreeding avoidance, I determined paternity in crosses using mixed pollen loads of the two males. I found significant inbreeding depression in the studied population, even under benign experimental conditions, and although the unrelated male did not sire significantly more offspring, there was an effect of genetic dissimilarity on paternity. This suggests that paternity is affected by relatedness among mates, but maybe additionally affected by other factors such as pollen competitive ability or male-female interactions. Using inbred and outbred crosses, I further investigated sex ratio bias inheritance in this species, and found that sex ratio bias of the parental generation was significantly correlated to pollen germination success of the F2 generation, which suggests that sex ratio bias in this species results from the specific X/Y combination and not only on Y performance. An effect of X and Y is consistent with sex chromosome meiotic drive. In conclusion, I found multiple paternity to be widespread in the study species and that females of similar genotype produce similar paternity shares. I found that inbreeding depression is substantial, therefore receiving pollen from several donors might lead to fewer inbred offspring, I also found an effect of genetic dissimilarity on paternity shares, which indicates that there is some ability to discriminate against related pollen, although this seems not to be the only determinant of paternity outcome. Finally I found sex ratio bias to be dependent on both X and Y chromosomes as predicted by sex chromosome meiotic drive. Résumé Plusieurs études ont démontré qu'il n'était pas rare que les graines contenues dans un même fruit soient issues de la fécondation par plusieurs pollens provenant de mâles différents, ce qui sous-entend que les plantes peuvent avoir plusieurs partenaires sexuels. La paternité multiple peut avoir d'importantes conséquences au niveau populationnel dans la mesure où elle peut influencer le degré de variabilité génétique de la population, le succès reproducteur des mâles, la fitness des femelles et des futures générations. La paternité multiple peut également avoir un impact sur les interactions mâle-mâle lors de la fertilisation et peut être considérée comme fondamentale vis-à-vis de la femelle, qui y trouve alors une opportunité de choisir son ou ses partenaires. Dans le cadre de ce travail de thèse j'ai cherché à déterminer si la paternité multiple était un phénomène observable et important dans les populations naturelles de l'espèce dioïque, Silene latifolia. Pour ce faire, j'ai utilisé des marqueurs microsatellites, spécialement développés pour cette étude. J'ai observé des phénomènes de paternité multiple dans toutes les populations de l'étude, réparties dans l'aire de distribution européenne de l'espèce. Le nombre de pères par fruit varie de un à neuf, avec un nombre moyen de trois, ce qui signifie que la paternité multiple est très répandue dans les populations naturelles. En raison de ces résultats, je me suis demandée si le génotype de la femelle influence le succès de paternité des mâles. J'ai alors réalisé des pollinisations manuelles sur la base d'un mélange de pollens issus de deux mâles, que j'ai appliqué sur trois femelles (réplicats) présentant différents degrés d'apparentement (deux soeurs. et une femelle étrangère). Il ressort de cette expérience que le génotype de la femelle peut influencer la paternité dans l'une des deux populations étudiées, ce qui pourrait refléter des différences en terme d'histoire des populations. Dans la mesure où ces résultats suggèrent un certain degré de choix chez la femelle, j'ai cherché à savoir si la paternité multiple et la sélection post-pollinisation pouvaient être des moyens d'éviter les croisements consanguins. Dans un premier temps, j'ai évalué la dépression de consanguinité à différentes étapes du cycle de vie chez des descendants issus de croisements à un seul donneur, celui-ci étant alternativement un frère ou un étranger, répliqués sur plusieurs fleurs d'une même plante femelle. Afin d'estimer l'évitement de croisements consanguins, j'ai effectué des croisements dont le pollen était un mélange des deux mâles (frère et étranger), puis j'ai déterminé la paternité dans les fruits obtenus. J'ai pu mettre en évidence un effet de dépression de consanguinité- significatif dans les populations étudiées, même dans des conditions expérimentales moins rudes qu'à l'extérieur. Bien que le mâle étranger n'ait pas engendré un nombre significativement plus important de graines, il y avait un effet de dissimilarité génétique sur la paternité. Ceci suggère que la paternité est affectée par le degré d'apparentement entre les partenaires, mais qu'elle peut aussi être affectée par d'autres facteurs tels que la compétitivité du pollen ou encore par les interactions mâles-femelles. L'utilisation de croisements consanguins et hybrides m'a également permis d'étudier l'héritabilité du biais de sex ratio chez cette espèce. Il s'est avéré que le biais de sex ratio de la génération parentale était significativement corrélé au succès de germination du pollen de la génération F2, ce qui signifie que, chez cette espèce, le biais de sex ratio résulte d'une combinaison spécifique de X/Y et non uniquement de la performance de Y. Un effet de X et Y est compatible avec l'hypothèse de distorsion de ségrégation méiotique des chromosomes sexuels. En conclusion, il ressort de mes résultats que la paternité multiple est un phénomène largement répandu chez S. latifolia et la paternité accomplie par un mâle est plus similaire entre soeurs qu'avec une femelle étrangère J'ai également mis en évidence que la dépression de consanguinité a un impact considérable; aussi, recevoir du pollen de plusieurs donneurs différents pourrait permettre à la femelle de produire moins de descendants consanguins. J'ai aussi trouvé un effet de la dissimilarité génétique sur le partage de paternité, ce qui indique que la discrimination contre le pollen d'apparentés est possible, bien que cela ne semble pas être le seul facteur déterminant dans le résultat de la paternité. Enfin, j'ai trouvé que le biais de sex ratio est dépendant des deux chromosomes X et Y, conformément à la théorie de distorsion de ségrégation méiotique des chromosomes sexuels.

« Les croniques du roy tres cristien Loys douziesme de ce nom, commencées à l'an mil VC et ung et continuées jusques à l'an mil VC et six », par JEAN D'AUTON.

En tête de cette chronique est une table, qui occupe les feuillets 1 à 5. Puis vient (fol. 6) une espèce de prologue en vers intitulé : « L'exorde de ce present livre » dont le premier vers est : « Affin que tous les faictz de nostre temps ... ». Le texte en prose débute (fol. 7) par : « La descripcion des oeuvres recommandables et commemorables gestes de très cristien roy de France Loys doziesme de ce nom, redigée en escript et mise en lumière par moy frère Jehan d'Auton, de l'ordre Sainct Benoist, historiographe du roy nostred. souverain seigneur. Après avoir par volumes abregez ostencion faicte des actes gallicanes et ultransmontaines choses encommancées à la fin de l'an mille quatre cens quatre vingts dix huyt et icelles continuées ... » et finit (fol. 230) par : « ... et puys très devotement celebra la joyeuse feste de Pasques, sur laquelle mectray paille à mon escript, jucques à temps, en faisant fin au recit de ce present historial volume contenant les faictz de France de l'an mille cincq cens et ung continuant jucques à l'an mille cincq cens et six ».