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(2020)This study examines Finnish consumer and beef producer preferences for eight process-related beef credence attributes. A direct ranking preference method was used in surveys conducted during spring of 2019. An analysis of rank means and shares of first rankings revealed differences and similarities between respondent rankings. Ordered logistic regression was also used to analyse how rankings differ within respondent groups. The results suggest that antibiotic-free beef production was ranked as most important by consumers and second by beef producers, suggesting that such production methods may have significant market potential in the future. The results also suggest that environmentally friendly production was ranked relatively high by Finnish consumers, and higher compared to previous similar studies from other countries. In contrast to earlier studies, this study innovates with also exploring farmer preferences for credence attributes, so as to provide novel insights by contrasting consumer and producer valuations from the same country (Finland) for such attributes.
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(2019)Elintarvikkeiden komponenttien välillä olevat vuorovaikutukset voivat vaikuttaa elintarvikkeiden valmistusprosesseihin, säilyvyyteen ja terveysvaikutuksiin. Tärkkelys ja beetaglukaani molemmat sitovat vettä, ja niiden vaikutus gluteenittoman leivän rakenteen muodostumisessa on olennaista. Gluteenittoman leivän suurin haaste on rakenteen säilyminen paiston jälkeen, mikä aiheuttaa hävikkiä. Vuorovaikutuksien tuntemisen ansiosta prosessit voitaisiin optimoida niin, että gluteenittoman leivän rakenne säilyisi pidempään hyvänä. Kokeellisen työn tavoitteena oli selvittää reologisilla menetelmillä, onko tärkkelyksen ja beetaglukaanin geeliytymisessä eroja, kun näiden muodostamien seosten kuumennusaikaa ja lämpötilaa vaihdeltiin.Vuorovaikutuksia tutkittiin mittaamalla seosten viskositeettia Rapid Visco Analyzerilla (RVA), ja geelien reologiaa mitattiin taajuuspyyhkäisymittauksella. Beetaglukaania sisältävän tärkkelysliuoksen RVA:lla saadun liisteröitymiskäyrän huippuviskositeetti ja loppuviskositeetti olivat korkeampia kuin ilman beetaglukaania valmistetun tärkkelysliuoksen. Beetaglukaania ja tärkkelystä sisältävillä geeleillä oli myös vahvempi rakenne kuin pelkästä tärkkelyksestä valmistetulla geelillä. Beetaglukaanin ja tärkkelyksen liuottaminen yhdessä ei kuitenkaan johtanut vahvemman geelin muodostumiseen, kun liuosta kuumennettiin levyllä noin kahden tunnin ajan. Tutkimuksessa haluttiin tutkia tarkemmin sitä, miten liuotusaika ja -lämpötila vaikuttavat geelirakenteeseen. Kahden tunnin ajan 85 ˚C lämpötilassa liuotetun beetaglukaanin ja gelatinoidun tärkkelyksen sekoituksesta valmistetun geelin ominaisuuksia vertailtiin 15 minuuttia korkeintaan 37 ˚C:ssa liuotetun beetaglukaanin ja liisteröidyn tärkkelyksen sekoituksesta valmistettuun geeliin, ja havaittiin ettei beetaglukaanin parempi liukeneminen johtanut vahvemman geelin muodostumiseen. Tutkimuksen tulokset viittasivat siihen, että laimean beetaglukaaniliuoksen geeliytymisen taustalla on osittainen liukeneminen, mikä on todistettu jo aiemmissa tutkimuksissa. Tutkimuksen tuloksien soveltamisesta gluteenittoman leivän valmistuksessa voitaisiin saada hyötyä, kun rakenne säilyisi hyvänä pidempään prosessien optimoinnin seurauksena.
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(2014)Syanobakteerit tuottavat bioaktiivisia sekundääri- eli erikoismetabolian tuotteita. Syanobakteerien bioaktiivisia yhdisteitä on rakenteiltaan lukuisia erilaisia ja ne voidaan jakaa pääryhmiin peptidit, polyketidit, alkaloidit ja lipopolysakkaridit. Yhdisteistä on löydetty muun muassa antibakteerisia, antifungaalisia ja antiviraalisia ominaisuuksia. Lisäksi näihin bioaktiivisiin aineisiin kuuluu terveysriskin aiheuttavia toksisia yhdisteitä. Planktiset syanobakteerit ovat saaneet runsaasti huomiota niiden muodostamien massaesiintymien vuoksi, mutta myös benttiset eli sedimentissä tai erilaisilla pinnoilla elävät syanobakteerit voivat aiheuttaa terveysriskin. Benttisillä syanobakteereilla on myös potentiaalia uusien bioaktiivisten yhdisteiden löytymisessä biotekniikan tai lääketeollisuuden tarkoituksiin. Tutkimuksessa seulottiin Itämeren ja järven benttisten syanobakteerien tuottamia bioaktiivisia yhdisteitä. Syanobakteerikannat tunnistettiin 16S rRNA geenin avulla ja niiden bioaktiivisuutta tarkasteltiin maljadiffuusiomenetelmän avulla, PCR:n avulla etsittiin tunnettuja biosynteesigeenejä. Bioaktiivisia yhdisteitä pyrittiin tunnistamaan LC/MS-menetelmällä. Tunnistetut syanobakteerit muodostivat monipuolisen benttisille syanobakteereille tyypillisen lajikirjon, jossa bioaktiivisia ominaisuuksia havaittiin 24 % tutkituista kannoista. Bioaktiivisia ominaisuuksia löydettiin niin meri- kuin järviympäristöistä eristetyiltä kannoilta. Useita bioaktiivisuuksia esiintyi muun muassa Nostoc- ja Anabaena-syanobakteereilla. Benttiset syanobakteerit tuottivat antifungaalisia yhdisteitä, kuten hassallidiinia ja skytofysiiniä sekä sytotoksista anabaenolysiiniä. Lisäksi löydettiin useita syanobaktiinien biosynteesigeenejä. Benttisiltä syanobakteereilta ei havaittu mikrokystiinin tai anatoksiini-a:n biosynteesigeenejä. Antimikrobisia ominaisuuksia löydettiin kahdesta syanobakteerikannasta, joiden tuottamia bioaktiivisia yhdisteitä ei vielä tunnistettu. Benttiset syanobakteerit tuottavat siis useita tunnettuja bioaktiivisia yhdisteitä ja ovat myös potentiaalinen uusien bioaktiivisten yhdisteiden lähde.
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(2014)The aim of this study was to examine how different enrichment objects affect the behaviour of finishing pigs towards enrichment objects and other pigs and also the occurrence of tail- and ear-biting within the pens. Another aim of this study was to examine the stress level of finishing pigs by two different methods. This experiment was carried out in two piggeries; in Huittinen and Pöytyä. The pens were divided into different treatments depending on which enrichment object was in the pen. There was a straw rack in every pen and in Huittinen there was also a simple metal chain in every pen. In the control pens of both piggeries there were no other objects besides these. The enrichment objects in Huittinen were wooden pieces of young birch in different lengths, polythene pipe, simple metal chain and branching metal chain. In Pöytyä the enrichment objects were wooden pieces of young birch and polythene pipe. Data collected in both piggeries were tail and ear lesions and tear staining under the eyes. Only in Huittinen the pigs were videotaped to observe behaviours during contact with each enrichment object and oral manipulation of other pigs. Only in Pöytyä the pigs were measured the latency to approach an unfamiliar human to assess fear of humans. Statistical analysis was accomplished by SPSS-software. In Huittinen the prevalence of tail- and ear-biting and also tear staining was lower in pens with wooden enrichment objects. The use of enrichment objects was the most active in pens with wood and with polythene pipe. There were no differences between the enrichment objects on the oral manipulation of other pigs. In Pöytyä the prevalence of ear-biting was also lower in pens with wooden enrichment objects. However, in tail-biting there was only a tendency for an improvement. Also in tear staining there was only a tendency for an improvement on the left eye in pens with polythene pipe compared to the control pens and there were no differences on the right eye between the enrichment objects. Pigs in pens with wooden enrichment objects were less fearful than those with other enrichment objects and approached the unfamiliar human faster. According to this study wood had the greatest impact as enrichment object for finishing pigs. Polythene pipe as enrichment object was used as frequently as wooden enrichment objects but its efficacy in lowering the prevalence of tail- and ear-biting and also stress level was less. Metal chain was used by the pigs least and there was no difference in the activity of use when a simple metal chain was compared to a branching metal chain. There was less tail- and ear-biting and also lower stress level in pens with wooden enrichment objects compared to other pens.
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(2015)Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is a lactic acid bacterium that is widely used as probiotic products in the dairy industry. To gain insights into the genome stability of the L. rhamnosus GG in the human gastrointestinal tract and the possible adaption mechanism under different stresses, we first examined the genotype and phenotype of the L. rhamnosus GG grown over 1000 generations under various stresses, including bile salts, osmotic stress or shearing forces. Immunoblotting analysis of L. rhamnosus grown over 1000 generations showed that the production of mucus-binding pili by L. rhamnosus GG was the most impaired when exposed to bile salts. Complementary PCR screening of 13 highly variable chromosomal regions in GG confirmed that the pilus gene cluster had been lost when exposed to bile stress over time. In vitro bile-induced genomic changes observed in GG possibly reflects the genome plasticity and stability of GG in the human intestinal tract. Still, we showed that these changes only occurred after more than 100 generations, a period of time relatively long compared to the observed time of persistence and transit of GG in the intestinal tract. Although damages and stresses may be caused by bile salts, L. rhamnosus GG still has the ability to tolerate bile salts. The resistance mechanism is still unclear but, based on previous studies, we identified one ABC transporter encoded by the gene operon called tauABC that may be involved in bile resistance. In an effort to demonstrate its function, a tauB-null mutant derivative was generated and phenotypically characterized in terms of metabolic, signaling and functional properties. The data revealed that the tauB-null mutant significantly grow slower than L. rhamnosus GG wild-type strain in the presence of ox bile extracts. Additional screenings using various bile conjugates specifically revealed that two compounds of bile salts, i.e. taurodeoxycholic and taurochenodeoxycholic acid, may be processed by the TauABC transporter, contributing at least partially to the tolerance of GG to bile salts. Overall, we showed that bile salts constitute an important stress factor for GG that causes genomic alterations, although it has bile tolerance mechanisms to bile, such as the newly-characterized tauABC operon.
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(2015)Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a microbiota-related disease. Typically, antibiotic-induced perturbation of gut microbiota precedes the infection, while a healthy gut microbiota provides protection, i.e. colonization resistance, against it. Furthermore, in the case of recurrent CDI that is not resolved by antibiotics, restoring the gut microbiota with a fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is among the few treatment options that really work. Although FMT is effective in the treatment of CDI, the factors behind treatment success remain unclear. Both, the key species and the functions that are necessary to restore the healthy microbiota and eradicate C. difficile, are a matter of speculation. This study was based on the hypothesis that the adherence of some commensal bacteria to the gut epithelial cells could play a role in eradicating C. difficile by competing for epithelial binding with it. Furthermore, the isolation of those bacteria from the donor feces would enable more detailed mechanistic studies and development of a bacterial product for the treatment of CDI in the future. As a pre-selection step, bacterial adhesion to Caco-2 cells was utilized to isolate and cultivate epithelium-adherent bacteria from the donor feces. Microbiota composition of fecal sample, and the adhered and cultured sub-populations thereof, was determined by partial 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing using MiSeq method. The pre-selection approach was successful, since the obtained populations were different, both after the adhesion and cultivation, as compared to the original fecal sample. In addition, most obtained pure isolates adhered well to enterocytes. The ability of fecal bacteria to compete with C. difficile for binding to gut epithelial cells in vitro was also studied. Isolated bacteria from Caco-2-adhered populations were applied in competition and exclusion assays with C. difficile as purified or multi-species cultures, and reduction in C. difficile binding was observed due to the certain bacteria or bacterial populations. These assays still need developing and the results must be confirmed with more repetitions. However, the results are promising and a useful ground for future work in developing bacteriotherapeutic formulations for the treatment of CDI.
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(2015)Compared to many other countries, Salmonella prevalence in finnish poultry, bovines and pigs are at a low level. This low level has been obtained because of the national salmonella control programme. However, Salmonella still occur in feeds and at broiler farms in Finland and EU. Bioactive glass (Bioglass) could be a potential feed additive for preventing Salmonella in poultry since many new feed additives have got EU ac-ceptance. Bioactive glasses have been found bactericidic when used in dentistry and artificial tissue technology as implant material. The aim of this thesis was to study if and how bioglass effects Salmonella enterica bacteria in chicken feed and gut contents. Further, the purpose was to determine if bioglass can reduce the amount of Salmonella in the sample matrixes using the spread plate method. Six strains of Salmonella enter-ica from Hambi culture collection (HAMBI 1111, 1112, 1306, 1513, 2317 ja 2331) was added to the matrixes. Commercial XLD medium was used to determine the amount of Sal-monella in each time point of the test. 0 - 10 % of bioglass was tested for bactericidic effects. The ability of bioglass to inhibit the growth of Salmonella was attempted to demonstrate with transmission electron microscopy and using gram staining and light microscopy. The results indicate that the bactericidic effects of bioglass work in the sample matrix-es nearly as well as in liquids. The added amount of Salmonella was significantly re-duced with the higher concentrations of bioglass. Lower levels of bioglass did not show bactericidic effects or the inhibition of the growth of Salmonella was minor. The bacte-ricidic effect is thought to be based on the rise of pH and the adherence to bacterial cell wall. TEM imagines illustrated the attachment of the bioglass particles to degrad-ing cells of Salmonella Typhimurium (HAMBI 1112). Bioglass could be a potential feed additive for the prevention of Salmonella in broilers.
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(2016)Sustainable development and fluctuating petroleum prices encourage manufacturing packaging materials in a more natural and cost-effective way. Green economy utilizes renewable raw materials from the nature which can be used in larger scale applications such as packaging industry. Barrier properties can be enhanced by manufacturing multilayer structures with a coating made of organic materials such as cellulose nanofibrils (CNF). With CNF it is possible to provide barrier and mechanical improvement to packaging material at low added cost. Together with hydrophobic films (e.g., HDPE, LDPE) also the low water vapor permeability and heat sealing properties can be enhanced. The aim of this thesis was to utilize CNF as a barrier layer for bio-based flexible food packaging pouches. A study consisted of examining 1-layer bio-HDPE film, 2-layer bio-HDPE/CNF film and 3-layer HDPE/CNF/LDPE film and testing their permeability (for oxygen, water vapor and aroma), sealability, tensile strength, influence of irradiation and aroma compounds (clove), and suitability for modified atmosphere packaging, MAP (with hazelnuts). The 2- and 3-layer multilayer films provided very good oxygen barrier under dry conditions, although aroma exposure increased the oxygen permeability rates. Pouches made of the 2-layer film were the most feasible for MAP, even though the 3-layer film would also have been an alternative if the film quality had been optimal. The oxidation of fatty acids in hazelnuts could be slowed down by using multilayer structure including CNF barrier under modified atmospheric conditions. This study helps to verify the feasibility of the bio-based multilayer films as a new food packaging material, and demonstrates the use of CNF as a high-barrier layer in a laminate. Bio-HDPE/CNF/bio-LDPE multilayer has potential for utilizing it in flexible food packaging pouches if the manufacture process is standardized leading into homogeneous film quality.
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(2022)In order to achieve carbon neutrality and slow down climate change, it is necessary not only to curb greenhouse gas emissions but also to remove carbon from the atmosphere. In agricultural sector, adding biochars to soils has proven to be one of the most effective methods to sequester carbon. Using biochars in urban planting soils could be simple and effective way to create carbon sinks also in urban environment. Wood based biochars are already available in the market and their viability as soil amendment is supported by an extensive body of research. Despite large evidence from agricultural and greenhouse sectors, research focused on biochars in planting soils for urban trees is scarce. To assess and demonstrate viability of biochars as component of urban planting soils, an experiment was established in 2019-2020 in Hyväntoivonpuisto-park in Helsinki. The experiment consists of four tree species and nine different planting soils, seven of which include biochars. Three of the planting soils were structural soils installed below a sealed surface. Tree growth in planting soils was followed and biomass accumulation was estimated with allometric equations. Planting soil nutrient composition was analysed at the time of soil application and nine months later after first growing season. Pyrogenic carbon fractions were analysed by BPCA analysis. Planting soil physical and hydrological properties were analysed by water retention curves with pF range of 0 – 4.2. After two growing seasons, biochars had increased tree growth in two planting soils compared to the control while in other planting soils with biochar, the growth was similar to control. In structural soils biochars had improved growth, but there were no statistically significant pairwise differences between treatments. Biochars increased the macroporosity of planting soils, indicating they could improve aeration and water conductivity in planting soils. Effects to total porosity and water retention capacity were mixed, but highest total porosity and water retention capacity was observed in planting soil with the highest amount of biochar. Planting soil nutrient composition varied a lot due to different raw materials, limiting the possibilities of making mechanistic analysis of effects of biochars. These results indicate that biochars are viable and safe constituent for planting soils which may increase tree growth by improving soil physical properties and improve carbon sinks in urban infrastructure.
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(2017)This research was conducted to examine the effect of biochar on drought tolerance and growth of a grain crop. Biochar is a multipurpose charcoal that heals the soil and promotes crop yield. The experiment was part of University of Helsinki biochar research during the summer and autumn of 2011. The effect of biochar was studied in a greenhouse experiment to determine how well it can improve sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) yield. The experimental factors were amount of water given at low, intermediate and full watering levels, and the absence or presence of Acacia-biochar at level of 10 t/ha in the pots of soil used. The number of leaves per plant, leaf surface area, number of panicles, number of grains per panicle, plant and panicle height, root biomass, and whole plant (above ground) biomass was obtained. The plants were grown in a high greenhouse temperature to mimic the Sudanese extreme weather temperature according to the Khartoum Sudan weather forecast at the time of the experiment. The plants got same amount of water from cultivation until the emergence of 5 leaves. Early drought was proposed to determine its effect as the plant move from vegetative to reproductive stage and the effect of biochar on the soil water holding capacity (WHC). The drought stress started at 5 leaf stage of the plant life cycle. The data were analyzed using 2-way analysis of variance (Anova) statistical tools in SPSS (version 20.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software. Drought stress affected panicle development, grain yield, plant height, leaf surface area and overall biomass yield. Grain yield and whole plant biomass weight was higher in non-stressed plants. The results indicated no relief to drought stress by biochar addition. In this experiment, the addition of low biochar might be responsible for it inefficiency.
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(2016)Plant biomass consists largely of polymeric compounds of which diverse polysaccharides are the main components. Ferulic acid is a ubiquitous phenolic phytochemical in plant cell wall and forms the linkage between plant cell wall polymers. Therefore it is a major aspect in the recalcitrance of cell wall against microbial attack. Ferulic acid esterases (FAEs) are hydrolytic enzymes which participate in plant biomass degradation by removing ferulic acid from the polysaccharides in order to weaken the integrity of the cell wall. By using phylogenetic gene prediction strategy, three putative FAE gene models have been detected from the genome of the ascomycete fungus Aspergillus niger. The codon optimized putative FAE encoding genes have been synthetized for heterologous production in Pichia pastoris GS115. In this work, these three FAEs of A. niger, i.e. FAE796, FAE807 and FAE809, were produced in P. pastoris and their biochemical properties were characterized. The properties included substrate profiling, thermostability, pH optimum and solvent tolerance of the recombinant FAEs. The three A. niger FAEs were successfully produced in P. pastoris resulting as approximately 57 kDa molecular mass proteins. Substrate profiling was performed by using a set of 11 synthetic FAE model substrates and substrates for tannase and lipase activity. FAE796 and FAE809 preferred methoxy substrates, and thus were likely to belong to type A class of FAEs. FAE807 had activity towards a wider range of substrates including methyl sinapate, methyl cinnamate, chlorogenic acid and para-nitrophenyl ferulate, suggesting it to belong to type C class of FAEs. In addition, FAE807 had tannase activity which is a novel property described among the FAEs studied so far. The optimal temperature for FAE796, FAE807 and FAE809 were +37 °C, +55 °C and +55 °C, respectively. FAE809 was the most thermostable enzyme, and retained half of its activity up to +60 °C for 60 min. The studied FAEs were most active at pH 4.0-5.0. FAE809 was relatively stable towards the studied solvents retaining 70%-91% of its activity after solvent treatment.
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(2016)Actin is known as abundant cytoplasmic protein, which functions as a component of the cytoskeleton and in cell motility together with motor protein myosins. However, actin is also present in the nucleus, where it has been shown to take part in the control of gene expression, both independently and as part of chromatin remodeling complexes. An important aspect in the study of nuclear actin is to identify other nuclear proteins interacting with actin and to confirm these interactions in biochemical experiments. Through these interactions actin can be linked to various nuclear processes. The aim of this master’s thesis study was to express and purify five nuclear proteins that have been suggested to bind actin and to study the binding in detail both with actin filaments and monomers. The proteins of interest include four actin-related proteins (ARPs) Arp4, Arp5, Arp6 and Arp8 as well as RNA polymerase II subunit Rpb8. Out of the proteins selected for this study, the expression and purification of Arp4 and Rpb8 was successful. Neither one did bind monomeric actin with high affinity, but interestingly Rpb8 did bind actin filaments. On the other hand, Rpb8 did not have any effect on actin polymerization. These results provide new insights into nuclear actin function. It has been suggested earlier that Arp4 would form a heterocomplex with actin, but the results of this study do not support this. The binding between Rpb8 and actin in RNA polymerase II complex has not been extensively studied before, so the results provide new information about the function of actin in the polymerase complex.
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(2016)Mulching, as a cultivation technique, has been adopted since the early twentieth century in agriculture for improving various aspects of crop production. However, the use of mulching was boosted by the introduction of plastic mulch, which has been reported as a harmful substance to the farm environment. Therefore, the need for an environmentally benign mulch material is obvious. The present study investigated the effects of paper and biodegradable plastic mulches on the cucumber yield, soil temperature and moisture content (at 10 cm depth), and the control of weed growth in an agricultural field located at the University of Helsinki in Southern Finland. The degradability of mulches was also investigated. The null hypothesis was that all the mulches would have a similar effect on the abovementioned aspects. Four paper mulches, i.e., BP, KB, CK, and OB, accompanied by biodegradable mulch (BIO) and a bare soil (BG) treatment were under investigation. Each of these treatments had 4 replicates, and a randomized complete block design (RCBD) was adopted. Sensors were installed at 10 cm depth in each study plot to measure the soil temperature and moisture content. In addition, the experimental plots were watered by drip irrigation. All the attained data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The results of the study revealed noteworthy positive effects (P<0.05) of mulch application on cucumber yields together with soil temperature, early fruiting, and weed growth regulation compared to the un-mulched bare ground, exclusive of soil moisture content. The daytime soil temperature (DST) was higher than at night (NST), indicating a positive association of the mulch effect with plant growth and crop earliness. However, no suggestive improvement in soil moisture was found through mulch application during the study period. Edge degradation was only found for paper mulches during the study period, suggesting their environment friendliness. The CK and KB papers were the most effective and most environmentally positive mulch materials, and could be a suitable choice for Finnish vegetable growers. The findings of this study could assist paper manufacturers in improving the qualities of mulch papers regarding vegetable production. Future research aims at assessing the effects of mulches on the physiology of plants studied under mulched techniques together with the development of cheaper and more environmentally benign mulch materials.
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(2023)Among financial institutions, there is a growing concern about risks in their portfolios related to biodiversity, and its closely related affiliate, climate change. Investors are demanding greater transparency and biodiversity management in order to make informed investment decisions in listed equity and to act as responsible shareholders. The aim of this thesis is to explore, from the Nordic pension investor point of view, how the risk related to biodiversity loss is assessed and managed in the financial markets. Following qualitative approach, primary data was collected with 14 semi-structured in-depth interviews of two target groups: pension investors in the Nordic countries and ESG specialists which refers to specialists in sustainable finance or biodiversity related sustainability fields. The results were analyzed using template analysis. The results show that taking biodiversity into consideration in investment processes is constantly evolving and Nordic pension investors are paying close attention to the topic. Among drivers to incorporate biodiversity into investment decision-making, risk management was the most important. ESG specialists' experience of institutional investors' means to influence biodiversity loss mitigation differed from pension investors' perspective. Nordic pension investors are not fully aware of the existing methods for analyzing the risks and impacts of biodiversity loss in their own investment portfolio. However, they are highly motivated to find reliable ways to manage portfolio risks. Integrating biodiversity risks and impacts into the investment process can be challenging due to a lack of investment tools and best practices. Investors are preparing for increasing statutory and voluntary regulation. Both ESG specialists and Nordic pension investors see that lack of comparable, transparent, reliable data is an essential barrier when it comes to listed-equity investments and biodiversity loss mitigation. The data available lacks financial materiality and the impacts of biodiversity loss on the real-world return expectations, and return-risk-profiles are unknown. To solve problems regarding the lack of data in general and especially transparent and comparable data, companies are expected to disclose material nature-related dependencies and impacts, and report associated metrics and targets.
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(2022)Since the 1980s, international funding provided by diverse and changing donors has significantly changed Madagascar’s conservation landscape. The various challenges and development needs related to biodiversity conservation and its international funding have long been known to the international community and solutions have been sought. Despite this, deforestation and the destruction of the environment in Madagascar continue. The aim of this study was to identify the perceptions of various stakeholders on the current challenges and development needs for biodiversity conservation and its international funding in Madagascar by using qualitative methods. This study was based on 26 semi-structured interviews. The interviewees represented stakeholders involved in internationally funded biodiversity conservation projects in Madagascar. 14 of these interviews were conducted specifically for this study. The remaining, 12 interviews were from the material collected for the research project “Conservation Legacies: Understanding the Long-term Impacts of Private Foundation Investment in International Biodiversity Conservation”. The qualitative content analysis combining a deductive and inductive approach revealed a number of different challenges and development needs that were strongly interlinked. The identified challenges were related to, for example, weak governance and its different indicators, political instabilities, poverty and internal migration, donor requirements, insufficient amount of funding, funding gaps, dependency of international funding, donor-driven priority setting, lack of coordination, and the challenges posed by the operating environment. The identified development needs included the need for longer funding cycles, flexibility, stronger local participation, more holistic and cross-sectoral approaches, and involvement of private sector. Extensive cooperation across actors and sectors is still needed to tackle the challenges and put development needs into practice. Without this, there is a risk that the objectives for conserving biodiversity and making development aid more effective will not be achieved. Achieving these objectives would be supported by research into how the prioritisation and ownership of biodiversity conservation could be increasingly transferred to the local level, while ensuring that all aspects of sustainable development - social, ecological and economic – are considered.
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(2021)The purpose of this study was to study the current biodiversity management practices in three large size companies and to study the biggest challenges the case companies are facing regarding biodiversity management. Biodiversity loss has been discussed for decades, but in only in recent years biodiversity has been more discussed also from more strategic point of view in the corporate world. The private sector has a considerable impact on biodiversity as well as a large part of the capacity to slow down and change the direction of biodiversity loss. Therefore, it is important that also the private sector considers and manages its impacts on biodiversity. The study was conducted as a qualitative case study including three case companies. The data was gathered through half-structured questionnaires through Microsoft Forms, a one-hour distance discussion with each of the companies, and from the latest annual reports in the fall of 2020. The results showed that biodiversity is considered to be an important topic among the case companies and that they are increasingly considering their impact on biodiversity as well. All case companies expect regulation on biodiversity to increase in the future and also the stakeholder demand around the topic has increased. However, only one of the companies has considered their impacts on biodiversity for years already; they have a management plan and they are following a specific reporting framework. Two of the companies have started to consider biodiversity separately or as a part of their other sustainability topics but they do not yet have biodiversity management plans in place nor do they follow any specific reporting framework. Regarding the biggest difficulties, the results show that especially finding suitable indicators and measuring the impacts on biodiversity are considered difficult. The results also show that understanding the concept of biodiversity and how biodiversity is related to the business is difficult. Companies also see that there is a lot of information regarding biodiversity available, but knowledge on how to use it for managing biodiversity is lacking. The results as well as the literature review indicate that impacts on biodiversity is increasingly managed but there are difficulties that need to be overcome. There are several biodiversity management frameworks that can be used for assessing the impacts and building suitable management plans. The better understanding companies have on their impacts biodiversity and vice versa, the better. It must be noted that the results indicate the views of large size (over 40 million € net revenue) companies in sectors that have rather direct impact on biodiversity. Therefore, the results may differ when studying companies of different sizes and from other sectors.
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(2014)In this study the economic values for the breeding goal traits for Finnish Ayrshire cattle were determined by the bioeconomical model. Additionally, the economic value was determined for a new trait, feed efficiency, which was modelled as residual feed intake (RFI). Feed efficiency was added to breeding goals because of intrest in reduction of harmful environmental effects of dairy cattle production. The effect of increasing feed costs on the economic weights was also studied. Economic values were determined by the program ECOWEIGHT. The bioeconomical model included 21 traits, which can be divided a few categories: milk production traits, growth and carcass traits and functional traits (calving difficulty, stillbirth, calf mortality in the rearing period, fertility traits, productive lifetime of cows, incidence of clinical mastitis, somatic cell score (SCS) and residual feed intake (RFI)). Economic values and standardized economic weights were defined for the traits. Profitability of the milk production was negative (?13,3%), when the subsidies were not included in the calculations. Adding RFI didn’t have any effect on the economic values of the other traits and it didn’t change the order of the traits in standardized economical weight. The marginal economic values for RFI of cows and heifers were ?55,8 and ?24,9 €/kg/d, respectively. The highest relative economic weights was found for 305-d milk (36%), protein (14%), fat (9%), mature weight (7%) and calving interval (5%). Relative economic weights for RFI of cows and heifers were 4,6% and 1,5%, respectively. An increase in the feeding costs (10, 30 and 50%) changed the order of the traits in standardized economical weights. The weights of milk production traits were decreased and the weights of growth traits, RFI and calving interval were increased. RFI of cows was the fifth important trait when feeding costs increased 30%. According to the results of this study would be beneficial, especially if the relative im-portance of feed efficiency will increase in the future due to increasing feed costs or in-creasing requirements to mitigate the environmental impact of milk production. However, more research will be needed before adding RFI to the breeding goals.
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(2019)Nykyinen jälkiteollinen ihmiskunta tuottaa energiansa pääasiassa fossiilisilla polttoaineilla. Pariisin ilmastosopimuksen osapuolet sitoutuivat pitämään ilmaston lämpenemisen alle kahdessa celsiusasteessa verrattuna esiteolliseen aikaan ja muuttamaan energiantuotantotapojaan. Yhtenä ratkaisuna nähdään uusiutuvat energianlähteet, joita kuuluvat muun muassa biopolttoaineet. Bioetanoli on maailmanlaajuisesti käytetyin liikenteen biopolttoaine, jonka tuotanto on huomattavasti kasvanut 1980-luvulta lähtien. Tällä hetkellä bioetanolia tuotetaan etupäässä ruoantuotannon kanssa kilpailevista sokeri- ja tärkkelyspitoisista viljelykasveista, mutta niin kutsuttujen toisen sukupolven biopolttoaineiden tuotanto olisi ihmiskunnan ja maapallon kannalta kestävämmällä pohjalla. Toisen sukupolven bioetanolia valmistetaan kasvi- ja puupohjaisesta jätemateriaalista, kuten maa- ja metsätalouden sekä elintarviketeollisuuden jätteistä. Aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa hyväksi lignoselluloosan ja puuperäisten jätteiden hajottajaksi ja monipuoliseksi entsyymien tuottajaksi tunnistettu, valkolahottajiin kuuluva kääpämäinen kantasieni rusorypykkä Phlebia radiata kykenee samanaikaiseen kiinteän kasvualustan hajotukseen ja etanolifermentaatioon. Tämän vuoksi rusorypykän etanolin tuottoa ja siihen liittyviä perusaineenvaihduntareittejä haluttiin tutkia tarkemmin. Sienen rihmastoa kasvatettiin jätelignoselluloosamateriaaleilla hapettomiksi muuttuvissa fermentaatio-olosuhteissa. Etanolin tuoton ja kasvualustan pilkkoutumisen lisäksi tutkittiin käänteistranskription kvantitatiivisella PCR-reaktiolla lignoselluloosan hajotukseen ja etanolifermentaatioon liittyviä entsyymejä koodaavia geenejä ja näiden geenien ilmentymistä eri kasvuaikapisteissä. Tulosten perusteella havaittiin rusorypykän tuottavan noin 13,5 massa-% etanolia kasvualustan hiilihydraattien sokeripitoisuuden perusteella lasketusta teoreettisesta maksimiarvosta. Lignoselluloosan hajotukseen ja etanolin fermentointiin oleellisesti liittyvien entsyymien geenit ilmentyivät kasvatusten aikana jätelignoselluloosalla tilastollisesti merkitsevin eroin eri aikapisteissä, mikä osoitti hajotustoiminnan, rihmaston kasvun ja etanolin tuoton olevan muuttuvia ja toisiinsa vaikuttavia prosesseja. Sieni pystyi hyödyntämään kiinteää kasvualustaansa irrottaen siitä käyttöönsä sokereita. Rihmaston kasvusta ja elävästä sienibiomassasta viitteitä antavaa ergosterolia havaittiin koko kuukauden pituisen kasvatuksen ajan. Lisäksi kaasukehässä havaittiin odotettuja fermentaatiomuutoksia, kuten hiilidioksidin kertymistä, ja happikaasu oli neljässä viikossa lähes kulutettu loppuun. Tulosten perusteella rusorypykkä osoittautui tehokkaaksi jätelignoselluloosan pilkkojaksi ja kestäväksi etanolin tuottajaksi. RNA-eristys kiinteältä kasvualustalta sekä aineenvaihduntageenien ilmentymisen analysointi RT-qPCR-menetelmällä mahdollistivat rusorypykän transkriptomin jatkotutkimuksen geenien säätelyn selvittämiseksi fermentoivissa ja lähes hapettomissa olosuhteissa.
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(2014)Biochar has been proposed to a promising future product as a carbon sink in carbon sequestration and as a soil conditioner. The aim of this master thesis is to clarify, how biochar affects on the crop formation and yield of faba bean Vicia faba in Southern-Finland. The research includes 3 growing seasons (2010-2012), but the biochar was spred in spring 2010. The study was carried out at the fields of the Viikki research farm, owned by the University Of Helsinki. The study was a split plot experiment, in which as the main plot factor was biochar rate (0, 5, 10 t ha?1). As the sub-plot factor was used fertilizing rate (12, 26 and 40 kg ha?1). To analyzing the yield components, the crop mass samples from the vegetation of every experimental plot were taken. The samples were taken at the end of crop maturation, at the development stage of > 85 (BBCH). Then the samples were dried. The yield components from the samples were separated, such as vegetative (leaves, stalks) and generative parts (pods). After that these parts were weighed. Pods were also calculated and seeds were separated from the pods, and then they were weighed. From obtained data, it was then possible to calculate the key number of yield com-ponents. And finally, the statistical analysis were done with these data. Biochar reduced the plant density at dry growing seasons 2010-2011. But at the same time it enhanced the number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod. At moist year 2012 there were no significant differences in these components. Biochar didn’t affect significantly on the seed yield of faba bean. Fertilizing didn’t affect significantly on any yield component. Biochar and fertilizing affected significantly together only on 1 000 seeds weight on the year 2010. The lack of statistically significant affects was possibly due to the high fertility of the experimental field. There was evidence that biochar may enhance yield formation of faba bean through the ability of plants to compensate the decreased plant density during dry years. In this situation, a plant in-creases the other yield components. Due to biochar, the tolerance of plants to drought stress can become better. As a conclusion, biochar can be remarkable soil conditioner in the future, in particular during dry growing seasons. However, in fertile soils of Southern-Finland, there are no expected big yield increases in the first three years.
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(2022)Runsas väkilannoitetypen käyttö kasvien typen tarpeen tyydyttämiseksi ja runsaampien satojen saamiseksi sekä karjatalouden keskittyminen tietyille alueille, ovat lisänneet maataloudesta aiheutuvaa typen vesistökuormitusta. Lisääntynyt ympäristötietoisuus on kuitenkin nostanut kestävyyden ja ilmastoviisaan ruoantuotannon osaksi maatalouden tavoitteita, mikä on lisännyt eloperäisten tai kierrätysaineista valmistettujen tai yhteiskunnan sivuvirroista valmistettujen maanparannusaineiden käyttöä. Maanparannusaineina käytettävien tuotteiden kenttä on laaja ja niiden vaikutukset moninaiset, mutta biohiilestä on etsitty ratkaisua liukoisen nitraatin (NO3-) ympäristökuorman vähentämiseksi. Tämän maisterintutkielman tavoitteena oli kartoittaa kahden kaupallisen biohiilen sekä synteettisen hiilipolymeerin vaikutusta nitraatin pidättymiseen, ja toisaalta pidättymisen vaikutusta nitraatin käyttökelpoisuuteen kasveille. Tutkimus koostui kahdesta osasta, josta ensimmäisessä osassa tutkittiin maanparannusaineiden kykyä pidättää maanparannusaineisiin esimuhitettua nitraattia peräkkäisten uuttojen avulla. Toinen osa koostui kasvatuskokeesta, jossa tarkasteltiin maanparannusaineisiin mahdollisesti pidättyneen nitraatin käyttökelpoisuutta ohralle kasvin kasvun ja klorofyllipitoisuuksien avulla. Uuttokokeen perusteella saksanpähkinänkuoresta valmistettu biohiili (Biohiili 1) osoitti kykyä pidättää nitraattia, koska kahden ensimmäisen uuton aikana biohiilestä ei vapautunut käytännössä lainkaan esimuhituksessa lisätystä nitraatista. Sen sijaan kuusesta valmistettu biohiili (Biohiili 2) ja hiilipolymeeri vapauttivat merkittävästi ja asteittain vähemmän nitraattia peräkkäisissä uutoissa. Kolmen peräkkäisen uuton jälkeen Biohiili 1:sta uuttui vain 1,8 % esimuhituksessa lisätystä typestä, kun taas Biohiili 2:sta uuttui 80 %. Hiilipolymeerillä uuttuneen nitraatin määrä oli yli 100 %, josta osa NO3-N oli peräisin itse tuotteesta. Kasvatuskokeen perusteella typpi ei todennäköisesti ollut ohrien kasvua rajoittava tekijä, ja vaikka Hiilipolymeeri sisälsi itsessään merkittävästi enemmän epäorgaanista typpeä, se ei johtanut korkeam-paan biomassaan. Erot ohrien biomassan ja klorofyllin kehityksessä liittyvät todennäköisimmin muihin ympäristötekijöihin. Mahdollisia selityksiä ovat fysikaalis-kemialliset erot kasvualustassa, mukaan lukien kasvualustan pH (biohiilillä emäksinen ja Hiilipolymeerillä hapan), irtotiheys ja huokoisuus, mutta lisäksi kesällä 2021 koettu poikkeuksellisen kuuma sää vaikutti todennäköisesti myös ohran kasvuun. Biohiilet ovat potentiaalisia maanparannusaineita vähentämään maataloudesta aiheutuvaa typen ympäristökuormitusta, ilman että ne vaikuttavat kasveille käyttökelpoisen typen määrään merkittävästi. Biohiilen valmistuksessa käytetty raaka-aine sekä valmistusprosessi vaikuttavat kuitenkin merkittävästi lopulliseen tuotteeseen, minkä vuoksi tarvitaan lisää tutkimusta ominaisuuksista, jotka vaikuttavat nitraatin pidättymisen tehokkuuteen.
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