Prediction of Duration Limited Exposure for Participants Wearing Chemical Protective Clothing in the Cold

The suitability of the IREQ (insulation required) index for predicting the thermal responses of 6 participants wearing chemical protective clothing was tested during exercise at -20 and -25 °C. IREQ was used to calculate duration limited exposure (DLE). Measured DLE correlated (r= .899, p < .001) with the predicted DLE. In exposures exceeding 40 min, however, the predicted DLE tended to be 10-20 min too short compared to the measured one. During short exposures the prediction was 5-20 min too long. The results show that IREQ overestimated the cold strain in participants wearing chemical protective clothing during cold exposures longer than 40 min. Nevertheless, predicted DLE never exceeded measured times and thus the prediction was always safe from the occupational point of view.     

Exposure to chlorinated acetic acids: Responses of peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase activity in pine needles

During long-term exposure of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings to trichloro- and monochloroacetic acids via root uptake or acid mist treatments, both substances were removed from the plant tissues by metabolic activity. None of the treated plants exhibited visible stress symptoms at the concentrations used. In addition, the exposure to both substances led to dramatic changes in the activity of xenobiotic detoxification enzymes (peroxidase and gluthatione S-transferase) in the needles of the plants.     

Highly educated but occupationally differentiated: the members of Finland’s Green League

The socio-demographic profiles and occupations of the members of the Green League and other Finnish political parties are examined using survey data collected from the members of Finland’s six major political parties (n = 12,427). Significant differentiation in occupational structure is revealed among Green party members. The importance of understanding how Green party members differ by background is emphasised while providing new approaches to studying party members’ interests and goals.     

Natural Oil-Based Alkyd-Acrylic Copolymers: New Candidates for Barrier Materials

The feasibility of using alkyd-acrylic copolymers as a barrier material was studied. Copolymers of tall oil fatty acid or rapeseed oil-based alkyd resin and polyacrylates were synthesized and films of these copolymers were prepared. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that after copolymerization the proportion of double bonds in alkyd resin was diminished due to grafting reactions. The mechanical properties, such as strength and flexibility, of the copolymer films were tested, and the performance of the films as water, oil, and oxygen barrier was evaluated. An increased amount of alkyd resin made the films more brittle and increased their oxygen permeability, however, at the same time their hydrophobicity was increased.     

Response of wheat and barley seedlings on soil contamination with bromides

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Environmental pollution is becoming one of the most important global problems. Understanding the main factors affecting accumulation of toxic trace elements...     

Spatially realistic theory of metapopulation ecology

Much of spatial ecology since the late 1960s has been dominated by two theories, the dynamic theory of island biogeography and the classical metapopulation theory. The latter theory largely replaced the former one in the 1980s, especially in conservation applications. It is only recently that ecologists have fully realized that a relatively simple general theory can be readily constructed that makes some of the simplifying assumptions of the two earlier theories unnecessary. The spatially realistic metapopulation theory thereby provides a more unified framework for spatial ecology than the island theory or the classical metapopulation theory. This article describes the application of the spatially realistic metapopulation theory to real metapopulations living in highly fragmented landscapes. I discuss the principal messages for population ecology and conservation biology, and I also place this theory into a broader context of other approaches to spatial ecology.     

Degradation of potassium formate in the unsaturated zone of a sandy aquifer

This paper presents results from a lysimeter experiment on the fate of potassium formate, an alternative deicing agent. The experiment was performed through the winter and spring to identify any thermal sensitivity in the transport and biodegradation of formate in the lysimeter. Ninety-eight percent of the total quantity of formate applied was degraded while percolating through the 1.7-m-thick unsaturated sand layer within the lysimeter. Concomitantly, the bicarbonate concentration of the percolating water increased. The low concentrations of nitrogen (0.02 mg L(-1)) and phosphorous (<0.002 mg L(-1)) in the percolated water, however, potentially limited microbial activity. During the study period, 99% of the applied potassium was retained in the lysimeter, and the ion exchange between the potassium and a variety of monovalent and divalent ions was assumed to be responsible for the leaching of barium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium from the soil material. Except for manganese, the concentrations of the studied metals in the percolated water did not exceed the threshold values set for drinking water by the Council of the European Union. By contrast, the application of potassium formate had a detrimental effect on the vegetation on the lysimeter. To conclude, formate was effectively degraded in the sandy lysimeter and its application did not cause major undesirable changes in the quality of the percolating water. Further research at field scale is, however, needed for instance on the biodegradation of potassium formate and on its impacts on roadside vegetation.     

Assessing the impact of CO2 emission control scenarios in Finland on radiative forcing and greenhouse effect

Carbon dioxide emission reduction scenarios for Finland are compared with respect to the radiative forcing they cause (heating power due to the absorption of infrared radiation in the atmosphere). Calculations are made with the REFUGE system model using three carbon cycle models to obtain an uncertainity band for the development of the atmospheric concentration. The future emissions from the use of fossil fuels in Finland are described with three scenarios. In the reference scenario (business-as-usual), the emissions and the radiative forcing they cause would grow continuously. In the scenario of moderate emission reduction, the emissions would decrease annually by 1% from the first half of the next century. The radiative forcing would hardly decrease during the next century, however. In the scenario of strict emission reductions, the emissions are assumed to decrease annually by 3%, but the forcing would not decrease until approximately from the middle of the next century depending on the model used. Still, in the year 2100 the forcing would be considerably higher than the forcing in 1990. Due to the slow removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere by the oceans, it is difficult to reach a decreasing radiative forcing only by limiting fossil CO₂ emissions. The CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels in Finland contribute to the global emissions presently by about 0.2%. The relative contribution of Finnish CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels to the global forcing due to CO₂ emissions is presently somewhat less than 0.2% due to relatively smaller emissions in the past. The impact of the nonlinearity of both CO₂ removal from the atmosphere and of CO₂ absorption of infrared radiation on the results is discussed.