Ympäristömittausten laadun varmentaminen Porvoon jalostamolla

Diplomityön tarkoituksena on selvittää tämänhetkiset Fortum Oil and Gas Oy:n Porvoon öljynjalostamolla suoritettavat ympäristömittaukset ja –määritykset. Samalla arvioidaan täyttävätkö ympäristömittaukset ja –määritykset niille ympäristölainsäädännössä jo asetetut ja lähiaikoina voimaan tulevat vaatimukset. Työssä esitetyissä jalostamoa koskevissa uusissa lainsäädännön velvoitteisssa päästötiedontuotannon laadun varmennuksella on suuri rooli. Työn ensimmäisessä osassa selvitetään ympäristömittausten nykykäytäntö Porvoon jalostamolla. Nykykäytännön selvitys perustuu jalostamon olemassa oleviin toimintajärjestelmän ohjeisiin ja henkilöhaastatteluihin. Samalla tarkastellaan jalostamon toimintaa koskevia uusia lainsäädännön tuomia velvoitteita päästöjen tarkkailulle ja raportoinnille. Työn toisessa osiossa esitetään käytetyt laadunvarmennusmenetelmät mittausten ja määritysten eri tiedontuotantoketjujen vaiheissa. Samalla verrataan toteutettuja päästö- ja ympäristömittauksia uusiin lainsäädännön tuomiin vaatimuksiin, toimintajärjestelmän ohjeistukseen, standardeihin ja tarkkailun parhaan käyttökelpoisen tekniikan vertailuasiakirjaan (Monitoring-BREF). Selvityksen tuloksia voidaan käyttää jalostamon päästötietojen keräysmenetelmien ja tiedontuotantoketjujen laadun varmentamisen saattamiseksi vastaamaan niille asetettuja vaatimuksia. Selvityksen perusteella lupaehdoissa Porvoon jalostamolle asetetut nykyiset vaatimukset päästöjen ja ympäristövaikutusten seurannalle täyttyvät. Jalostamolla on tehtävä parannuksia päästöjentarkkailu ja –raportointimenetelmiin, jotta tulevat lainsäädännön vaatimukset tulevat täytetyksi. Jalostamon päästömittausten tiedontuotantoketjut eivät kaikissa määrityksissä täytä tarkkailun BREF-asiakirjassa esitettyjä vaatimuksia määritysten laadunvarmennukselle ja läpinäkyvyydelle. Työssä on esitetty korjaavat toimenpiteet.

Establishment of a Representative Practice-based Research Network (PBRN) for the Monitoring of Primary Care in Switzerland.

Data are urgently needed to better understand processes of care in Swiss primary care (PC). A total of 2027 PC physicians, stratified by canton, were invited to participate in the Swiss Primary care Active Monitoring network, of whom 200 accepted to join. There were no significant differences between participants and a random sample drawn from the same physician databases based on sex, year of obtaining medical school diploma, or location. The Swiss Primary care Active Monitoring network represents the first large-scale, nationally representative practice-based research network in Switzerland and will provide a unique opportunity to better understand the functioning of Swiss PC.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of targeted anticancer therapy.

New oral targeted anticancer therapies are revolutionizing cancer treatment by transforming previously deadly malignancies into chronically manageable conditions. Nevertheless, drug resistance, persistence of cancer stem cells, and adverse drug effects still limit their ability to stabilize or cure malignant diseases in the long term. Response to targeted anticancer therapy is influenced by tumor genetics and by variability in drug concentrations. However, despite a significant inter-patient pharmacokinetic variability, targeted anticancer drugs are essentially licensed at fixed doses. Their therapeutic use could however be optimized by individualization of their dosage, based on blood concentration measurements via the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). TDM can increase the probability of therapeutic responses to targeted anticancer therapies, and would help minimize the risk of major adverse reactions.

Values-driven management as perceived by personnel

Organizational values can be used as a tool for improving organization performance. The role of the leaders in building support and developing behaviours consistent with values-driven management is studied through value perceptions by the personnel in the object organization.

Blood monitoring of perfluorocarbon compounds (F-tert-butylcyclohexane, perfluoromethyldecalin and perfluorodecalin) by headspace-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A headspace-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS/MS) method for the trace measurement of perfluorocarbon compounds (PFCs) in blood was developed. Due to oxygen carrying capabilities of PFCs, application to doping and sports misuse is speculated. This study was therefore extended to perform validation methods for F-tert-butylcyclohexane (Oxycyte(®)), perfluoro(methyldecalin) (PFMD) and perfluorodecalin (PFD). The limit of detection of these compounds was established and found to be 1.2µg/mL blood for F-tert-butylcyclohexane, 4.9µg/mL blood for PFMD and 9.6µg/mL blood for PFD. The limit of quantification was assumed to be 12µg/mL blood (F-tert-butylcyclohexane), 48µg/mL blood (PFMD) and 96µg/mL blood (PFD). HS-GC-MS/MS technique allows detection from 1000 to 10,000 times lower than the estimated required dose to ensure a biological effect for the investigated PFCs. Thus, this technique could be used to identify a PFC misuse several hours, maybe days, after the injection or the sporting event. Clinical trials with those compounds are still required to evaluate the validation parameters with the calculated estimations.

Vanhusten hyvä kotona asuminen: tutkimusta kuntatuottavuudesta, älykodeista ja apuvälinepalveluprosesseista

The purpose of the research was to investigate operational processes related to home care of the elderly as well as use of assistive devices in smart home environments, and operational processes that are generally related to use of assistive devices – from the point of view of productivity improvement. The themes were looked into from the points of view of both the elderly and care personnel. In addition, perspectives of near relatives of the elderly, of the larger service system as well as of companies that provided assistive devices to the smart homes were taken into consideration. In the study of home care processes, 32 customer interviews and 17 employee interviews were carried out. This report contains a summary that is based on a separate report of the home care study. The study of home care was conducted in 2006. The use of technological and mechanical assistive devices and the related operational processes were investigated with the help of the smart home pilot in 2007–2008. The study is described in this report. The smart home pilot was implemented in four different housing service units for elderly people at Lahti, Nastola and Hollola. They were in use during short-term housing periods related to, for instance, end of hospitalisation, holidays of caring relatives and assessment of living and housing conditions. More than 60 different assistive devices and technologies were brought to the smart homes. During the pilot period, experiences of customers and personnel as well as processes related to the use of assistive devices were investigated. The research material consisted of 20 survey questionnaires of personnel and customers, four interviews with customers, five interviews with personnel, feedback survey responses from 14 companies, and other data that were collected, for instance, in orientation events. The research results highlighted the need for tailored services based on an elderly person’s needs and wishes, while taking advantage of innovative and technological solutions. As in the earlier home care study, also assistive device-related operational processes were looked into with the help of concepts of ‘resource focus’, ‘lost motion’ and ‘intermediate landing’. The following were identified as central operational processes in assistive device-related services (regardless of the service provider): (1) acquisition process of technologies and assistive devices as well as of rearrangement and rebuilding works in the home, (2) introduction and orientation process (of the elderly, their relatives and care personnel), (3) information and communication process, and (4) service and monitoring process. In addition, the research focused on design and desirability of assistive devices as well as their costs, such as opportunity costs. The process-based points of view gave new knowledge that may be used in the future to develop service processes and clarify their ownership so that separately managed cross-functional processes could be built with participants from different sectors to operate alongside organisations of elderly care. Development of functionality of assistive device-related services is a societally significant issue.

Monitoring spatial and temporal dynamics of bird communities in Mediterranean landscapes affected by largewildfires = Seguimiento de la dinámica espacial y temporal de comunidades de aves en paisajes mediterráneos afectados por grandes fuegos

We presented a bird-monitoring database inMediterranean landscapes (Catalonia, NE Spain) affected by wildfires and we evaluated: 1) the spatial and temporal variability in the bird community composition and 2) the influence of pre-fire habitat configuration in the composition of bird communities. The DINDIS database results fromthemonitoring of bird communities occupying all areas affected by large wildfires in Catalonia since 2000.We used bird surveys conducted from 2006 to 2009 and performed a principal components analysis to describe two main gradients of variation in the composition of bird communities, which were used as descriptors of bird communities in subsequent analyses. We then analysed the relationships of these community descriptors with bioclimatic regions within Catalonia, time since fire and pre-fire vegetation (forest or shrubland).We have conducted 1,918 bird surveys in 567 transects distributed in 56 burnt areas. Eight out of the twenty most common detected species have an unfavourable conservation status, most of them being associated to open-habitats. Both bird communities’ descriptors had a strong regional component and were related to pre-fire vegetation, and to a lesser extent to the time since fire.We came to the conclusion that the responses of bird communities to wildfires are heterogeneous, complex and context dependent. Large-scale monitoring datasets, such as DINDIS, might allow identifying factors acting at different spatial and temporal scales that affect the dynamics of species and communities, giving additional information on the causes under general trends observed using other monitoring systems

Spatiotemporal Aspects of Environmental Monitoring in the Complex Coastal Region of Southwest Finland

The management and conservation of coastal waters in the Baltic is challenged by a number of complex environmental problems, including eutrophication and habitat degradation. Demands for a more holistic, integrated and adaptive framework of ecosystem-based management emphasize the importance of appropriate information on the status and changes of the aquatic ecosystems. The thesis focuses on the spatiotemporal aspects of environmental monitoring in the extensive and geomorphologically complex coastal region of SW Finland, where the acquisition of spatially and temporally representative monitoring data is inherently challenging. Furthermore, the region is subject to multiple human interests and uses. A holistic geographical approach is emphasized, as it is ultimately the physical conditions that set the frame for any human activity. Characteristics of the coastal environment were examined using water quality data from the database of the Finnish environmental administration and Landsat TM/ETM+ images. A basic feature of the complex aquatic environment in the Archipelago Sea is its high spatial and temporal variability; this foregrounds the importance of geographical information as a basis of environmental assessments. While evidence of a consistent water turbidity pattern was observed, the coastal hydrodynamic realm is also characterized by high spatial and temporal variability. It is therefore also crucial to consider the spatial and temporal representativeness of field monitoring data. Remote sensing may facilitate evaluation of hydrodynamic conditions in the coastal region and the spatial extrapolation of in situ data despite their restrictions. Additionally, remotely sensed images can be used in the mapping of many of those coastal habitats that need to be considered in environmental management. With regard to surface water monitoring, only a small fraction of the currently available data stored in the Hertta-PIVET register can be used effectively in scientific studies and environmental assessments. Long-term consistent data collection from established sampling stations should be emphasized but research-type seasonal assessments producing abundant data should also be encouraged. Thus a more comprehensive coordination of field work efforts is called for. The integration of remote sensing and various field measurement techniques would be especially useful in the complex coastal waters. The integration and development of monitoring system in Finnish coastal areas also requires further scientific assesement of monitoring practices. A holistic approach to the gathering and management of environmental monitoring data could be a cost-effective way of serving a multitude of information needs, and would fit the holistic, ecosystem-based management regimes that are currently being strongly promoted in Europe.

Monitoring Fatigue Status with HRV Measures in Elite Athletes : An Avenue Beyond RMSSD?

Among the tools proposed to assess the athlete's "fatigue," the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) provides an indirect evaluation of the settings of autonomic control of heart activity. HRV analysis is performed through assessment of time-domain indices, the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals (RMSSD) measured during short (5 min) recordings in supine position upon awakening in the morning and particularly the logarithm of RMSSD (LnRMSSD) has been proposed as the most useful resting HRV indicator. However, if RMSSD can help the practitioner to identify a global "fatigue" level, it does not allow discriminating different types of fatigue. Recent results using spectral HRV analysis highlighted firstly that HRV profiles assessed in supine and standing positions are independent and complementary; and secondly that using these postural profiles allows the clustering of distinct sub-categories of "fatigue." Since, cardiovascular control settings are different in standing and lying posture, using the HRV figures of both postures to cluster fatigue state embeds information on the dynamics of control responses. Such, HRV spectral analysis appears more sensitive and enlightening than time-domain HRV indices. The wealthier information provided by this spectral analysis should improve the monitoring of the adaptive training-recovery process in athletes.

Abnormal Error Monitoring in Math-Anxious Individuals: Evidence from Error-Related Brain Potentials.

This study used event-related brain potentials to investigate whether math anxiety is related to abnormal error monitoring processing. Seventeen high math-anxious (HMA) and seventeen low math-anxious (LMA) individuals were presented with a numerical and a classical Stroop task. Groups did not differ in terms of trait or state anxiety. We found enhanced error-related negativity (ERN) in the HMA group when subjects committed an error on the numerical Stroop task, but not on the classical Stroop task. Groups did not differ in terms of the correct-related negativity component (CRN), the error positivity component (Pe), classical behavioral measures or post-error measures. The amplitude of the ERN was negatively related to participants" math anxiety scores, showing a more negative amplitude as the score increased. Moreover, using standardized low resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) we found greater activation of the insula in errors on a numerical task as compared to errors in a nonnumerical task only for the HMA group. The results were interpreted according to the motivational significance theory of the ERN.