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The use of sourdough has numerous benefits, including improvement of the sensory attributes of baked bread in terms of flavour, texture, volume, enhanced nutritional value and extended shelf life of bread. To achieve the desired sourdough performance and bread with optimal quality and improved flavour, it is essential to understand how the starter cultures behave in specific conditions. In a previous part of this research, the metabolic traits of lactic acid bacteria starters and yeast from the food company S.P.C. (S. Korea) were studied. This thesis aimed to explore the pro-technological properties of the selected starter associations of bacteria/yeast, i.e., Lactiplantibacillus plantarum + Fructilactibacillus sanfransciscensis + Saccharomyces cerevisiae (PSY) and Latilactobacillus curvatus + Levilactobacillus brevis + Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CBY). Consequently, analysis of acidification, proteolysis analysis (including free amino acids), and volatile compound profile were done. PSY and CBY grew at the expected cell density. pH of the sourdoughs fermented by PSY decreased along the same line and slower than that of CBY over the course of 24 h. PSY sourdough had the highest TTA value (11.12 ± 0.03 ml) and organic acid production (148.6 ± 2.4 mmol/kg and 25.1 ± 1.5 mmol/kg) than CBY sourdough TTA value (9.01 ± 0.11 ml) and organic acid production (110.6 ± 1.6 mmol/kg and 20.2 ± 0.9 mmol/kg). This shows PSY as having a relatively high capacity for producing acids during sourdough fermentation among the two associations. After assessing their proteolysis capabilities, PSY sourdough had a presumptively higher peptide content while CBY produced the highest free amino acid content (i.e., Orn having a potential repercussion on bread flavour). Several volatile compounds belonging to different chemical classes, such as acids, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters, and other compounds, were produced by PSY and CBY. In PCA, the control sourdough had a distinctive volatile profile from PSY and CBY. Both PSY and CBY show much correlation with about 4% variation. Ethanol, acetic acid, benzene ethanol, 2(3H)-furanone, dihydro-5-pentyl showed their strongest influence on both sourdoughs as they are found in high amount. Finally, during sourdough fermentation, the associations performed in a desired way, and they showed differences in acidity and content of free amino acids that might have a strong influence on bread flavour. Less differences were observed in the volatile profile compounds of the two associations. Proper sensory analysis and consumer test (by the company) will be the most revealing of the differences observed in this experimental study.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging global health threat with the growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) having the alarming potential to return humanity to the pre-antibiotic era. Intensive animal production is globally one of the biggest sectors using antibiotics. It has been studied that fertilizing fields with animal manure spreads antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in natural environments. The aim of this study was to determine the host range of three ARGs tetM, strB and qacE∆1 in soil and manure samples collected from a Finnish swine farm. In addition, the microbial communities in the same soil and manure samples were studied and compared. Six different sample types were taken, four from soil and two from manure. Soil samples included unfertilized soil, fertilized soil, soil two weeks after fertilization and soil six weeks after fertilization. Manure samples were taken from fresh and stored manure. Host range analysis was done by using Emulsion, Paired Isolation and Concatenation PCR (epicPCR). EpicPCR enables to link a gene of interest to the 16S rRNA gene of the bacterium that carries the gene in its genome. Microbial communities in soil and manure were analyzed and compared with the traditional 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Host range analysis with epicPCR revealed various bacterial genera as carriers for studied ARGs. Fertilized soil had the highest number of genera carrying the ARGs. This indicates that land application with animal manure increases the ARG load in soil. Microbial communities were found significantly different in soil and manure according to the 16S rRNA gene sequences. The results of epicPCR indicate that epicPCR has also potential for solid samples such as soil and manure as according to publications it has been mainly used for different water samples e.g., wastewaters. As a method epicPCR still requires optimization if applied for these sample materials in the future. A clear reduction in the number of genera carrying the ARGs was observed in six weeks after fertilization. Therefore, fertilizing fields only before cropping season, instead of fertilizing the fields year-round, might be one solution for reducing the ARG dissemination in soil in countries with high antibiotic consumption.

In forest inventories, the field data is needed as a reference data, calibration and for assessing the accuracy. Gathering the field data needs resources, such as work forces, equipment and data management operations. This means that time and budget as well as quality must be carefully considered when National Forest Inventory activities are to be planned. Therefore, the development of cost efficient, simpler, safer and more accurate and reliable field data measurement methods and tools are topics of great interest. One of the field measurement variables is the upper stem diameter, which has been part of the NFI field data set until the 11th NFI. The measured upper stem diameter helps to produce more reliable tree stem volumes with 3-parameter Laasasenaho volume model. However, only if the quality of the measurements is on an adequate level. The upper stem diameter has been traditionally measured with parabolic caliper assembled in the top of the 5-meter aluminium rod. This equipment combination takes time to assemble and disassemble, it is not very compact to be carried around as well as it can be a health and safety issue during the thunderstorm. Therefore Criterion, laser-based dendrometer performance was further examined in this study as an optional measurement equipment for future upper stem diameter field measurements. The Criterion upper stem as well as dbh measurement precision was analysed based on the 326 sample tree measurements with Sonar, Caliper and Criterion. The standard error for Criterion was 17,26 mm in dbh measurements for all species and 10,36 mm in d6 measurements for all species. The reference standard errors from earlier studies were 2,70 mm for dbh with Steel Caliper and 7,00 mm for d6 with Caliper. When analysing the Criterion performance with reference to mean of the measurements, the standard error in dbh measuements for all species was 9,72 mm and for d6 measurements 7,07 mm. Furthermore, the accuracy and precision were analysed with Bland-Altman technique, which is a suitable method for comparing two measurements of the same variable when both have some errors. The Bland-Altman results supported the earlier findings. Within and between observer analysis showed that the impact in measurement accuracy or precision is not caused by the observers. The comparison of the sample tree volumes produced the results that the relative standard error was increased by 2,13 % for all species when 2-parameter volume model was compared with 3-parameter model. Likewise, the relative bias was increased by 1,53 %. In efficiency experiment the scenario where only one sample tree with measured d6 was chosen from each of the sample plot and dbh percentile of p70 was providing most accurate and precise sample plot volumes with RMSE of 3,92 m3/ha and bias -0.78 m3/ha. The results show that there is a real challenge to achieve reliable and accurate upper stem diameter measurements and therefore new measurement methods need to be further studied and analysed.

The conversion of vegetated land cover to impervious surfaces has made stormwater runoff into a major hydrological concern due to its capacity to deteriorate water quality and stream health in cities. Urban forests are capable of reducing the amount of potential stormwater runoff by regulating throughfall via canopy rainfall interception. The lack of stand-scale studies of urban throughfall hinders realistic estimates of the benefits of urban trees for stormwater regulation. Urban forests are extremely variable with regard to canopy cover and species composition and are to a large extent managed by private residents with varying landscape preferences. To quantify the amount of rainfall interception by vegetation in an urban forest we measured throughfall in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA between July and November 2010. We further analyzed 16 residential yards with varying levels of canopy cover to evaluate the relative importance of different descriptive measures of vegetation in influencing throughfall in an urban watershed. Throughfall comprised 89.7 % (StdErr=0.005) of gross precipitation in the study area. Canopy cover (p<0.0001) and the percentage of coniferous trees (p=0.0305) were the most influential vegetation variables explaining throughfall whereas leaf area index (LAI) was not found to be significant. Throughfall varied significantly among yards (p<0.0001) ranging from 84.0 % (80.2 % canopy cover) to 98.2 % (60.3 % canopy cover). Differences in vegetation between front and backyards resulted in 3.1 % less throughfall in backyards. Thus, residents‘ management choices at yard-level affect the amount of throughfall reduced at the landscape scale.

The usage of assortment pricing in roundwood trade creates a clear conflict of financial interests between the buyer and the seller, since sellers only get about a quarter of their total stumpage earnings from pulpwood, while its demand is likely to stay high or to increase. This thesis studies two possible alternatives to assortment pricing, stem and fractional stem pricing. In both methods, the buyer’s bucking decision and the pricing are separated from each other. This study aims to assess the usability of the alternative pricing methods by comparing how actual stand values differ between assortment, stem and fractional stem pricing when they are equally valued in pre-harvest trade offers. The premise of this study is that the smaller the actual stand value difference between assortment pricing and the alternative pricing methods, the more usable they are in the roundwood trade. This is because neither side wants to take the possible monetary risk affiliated with switching away from assortment pricing. The comparison was conducted by determining equally valued assortment pricing, stem pricing and fractional stem pricing (according to Luke’s 2016 method proposition) for 27 study stands, on the basis of Trestima-based pre-harvest data and well-known taper curve and stem length models. With the resulting unit prices, all three pricings were again conducted for the same stands, this time constructed from harvester data by using the same taper curve and stem length models. Based on the results, switching to stem pricing or fractional stem pricing creates on average from one to three percent higher stand values than assortment pricing. Stem pricing however deviated more than fractional stem pricing, so it could be considered to be slightly riskier method. Overall, both alternative pricing methods are usable in roundwood trade, and their usage should be encouraged.

Malnutrition is a common problem in Peruvian highlands and in Bolivia. Amaranth, quinoa and kañiwa are pseudocereals cultivated in these areas and regarded as good sources of protein and non-saturated fatty acids. The literature review deals with the nutritional and technological properties of amaranth, quinoa and kañiwa. The aim of this investigation was to: (1) prepare gluten free corn-based extrudates containing amaranth, quinoa and kañiwa (20% of solids), (2) study the effects of independent extrusion variables on the physical properties of the extrudates and (3) evaluate lipid stability during storage by measuring hexanal production. Extrudates were made in 4 separate trials using a small scale co-rotating twin screw extruder. Experiments were performed using Box-Behnken?s experimental design in which independent extrusion variables were water content of mass (15, 17 and 19%), screw speed (200, 350 and 500 rpm) and temperature of the die (150, 160 and 170 °C). Samples were collected and their physical properties were analyzed (sectional expansion index, hardness and water content). Ground and whole extrudate samples were stored in open headspace vials at 11 and 76% RH for a week (exposure time) before being sealed and stored for 0, 2, 5 and 9 weeks at room temperature in the absence of light. Hexanal content was analyzed using headspace gas chromatography. The highest sectional expansion index (SEI) and the lowest hardness were achieved when the water content of mass was 15%, screw speed 500 rpm and temperature of the die 160 °C. Extrudates containing amaranth had the highest SEI (7.6) while extrudates containing quinoa and kañiwa had SEIs of 6.1 and 5.1, respectively. Pure corn extrudates (reference sample) had the lowest SEI (4.5). Extrudates containing kañiwa and pure corn extrudates presented the lowest (28 N/mm) and highest hardness (89 N/mm), respectively. In storage studies, ground extrudates (except samples containing quinoa) showed comparatively higher hexanal production than whole extrudates exposed to 11 and 76% RH. Whole extrudates exposed to 76% RH showed very low hexanal production during storage. This study proved that it was possible to add amaranth, quinoa and kañiwa to extruded corn snacks and achieve higher expansion than that of pure corn extrudates. Indeed, the results obtained from the evaluation of lipid oxidation during storage suggest a remarkable stability of whole extrudates after being exposed to high relative humidity. Further studies on lipid stability for longer storage would be highly desirable.

The study focuses on the potential roles of the brick making industries in Sudan in deforestation and greenhouse gas emission due to the consumption of biofuels. The results were based on the observation of 25 brick making industries from three administrative regions in Sudan namely, Khartoum, Kassala and Gezira. The methodological approach followed the procedures outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). For predicting a serious deforestation scenario, it was also assumed that all of wood use for this particular purpose is from unsustainable sources. The study revealed that the total annual quantity of fuelwood consumed by the surveyed brick making industries (25) was 2,381 t dm. Accordingly, the observed total potential deforested wood was 10,624 m3, in which the total deforested round wood was 3,664 m3 and deforested branches was 6,961 m3. The study observed that a total of 2,990 t biomass fuels (fuelwood and dung cake) consumed annually by the surveyed brick making industries for brick burning. Consequently, estimated total annual emissions of greenhouse gases were 4,832 t CO2, 21 t CH4, 184 t CO, 0.15 t N20, 5 t NOX and 3.5 t NO while the total carbon released in the atmosphere was 1,318 t. Altogether, the total annual greenhouse gases emissions from biomass fuels burning was 5,046 t; of which 4,104 t from fuelwood and 943 t from dung cake burning. According to the results, due to the consumption of fuelwood in the brick making industries (3,450 units) of Sudan, the amount of wood lost from the total growing stock of wood in forests and trees in Sudan annually would be 1,466,000 m3 encompassing 505,000 m3 round wood and 961,000 m3 branches annually. By considering all categories of biofuels (fuelwood and dung cake), it was estimated that, the total emissions from all the brick making industries of Sudan would be 663,000 t CO2, 2,900 t CH4, 25,300 t CO, 20 t N2O, 720 t NOX and 470 t NO per annum, while the total carbon released in the atmosphere would be 181,000 t annually.

New products are being introduced to the markets constantly and a big portion of them fail within the first few years of launch (Sivadas & Dwyer 2000). Lack of market understanding is a commonly mentioned cause of new product failure (Baker & Hart 1999, 356). Dynamic launch strategies allow for changes to be made to the launch strategy based on market information at the time of the actual launch in attempt to improve the success of it. New technologies offer new ways of interacting with consumers and acquiring timely consumer and market information. This thesis looked at the perquisites that affect the usability of QR codes as a way to acquire consumer information during a dynamic new product launch. Cui et al. (2011) dynamic model of a new product launch was used as the basis of the theoretical framework of the study. An online survey was constructed with questions on factors affecting consumers’ willingness to use QR codes on a new product package and factors affecting their willingness to give personal information through a QR code. The survey yielded 104 responses that were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS modeler. The findings of the study suggest that perceived ease of use of QR codes has an effect on consumer’s likelihood of scanning codes. In addition to ease of use there needs to be relevant incentives for consumers to be willing to scan QR codes and give personal information. Findings suggest that opportunity to receive a discount coupon, acquire more information about a product or an opportunity to give feedback about the product could work as incentives for scanning a QR code on a new product package. These were not however seen as strong incentives for giving personal information, indicating that stronger benefits are needed to motivate consumers. This study gives insight into the usability of QR codes, but the skewed demographic background of the respondents and limited findings related to incentives of giving personal information indicate that more research is needed on the topic.

Universal Internet has a major role in facilitating information search for consumers. What visitors do online, how their behaviour can be predicted and influenced are one of the most important questions that web site developers and marketing specialists try to figure out. A comprehensive understanding of online behaviour has become a necessity for the success of websites. As there are more and more websites offering similar products to consumers, it is significant to increase the usability of the website and make it easy to find. While some consumers go directly to websites, some use search engines to reach desired websites and others browse websites via referral links. The main research question for this thesis was to analyse what kind of insight Web Analytics reveals about the characteristics of website visitors. The aim for this case study was to highlight with different metrics, the amount of traffic the current marketing tactics have generated and to discuss possible improvements. The theoretical framework of the study was based on the key aspects of the consumer decision process, which focuses on the search of information and the comparison of alternatives before the actual purchase transaction. The study of online purchase behaviour and information search by Comegys et. al. (2006) was in central role of the theoretical framework. As understanding and analysing key metrics played a pivotal role in this research, Plaza (2009) views on the proposed importance of adopting key metrics were used as the basis for the main research question. A pharmaceutical company was the cooperative company of this thesis. The research of the thesis was based on a case study inspecting the web analytics data of the case company’s Finnish and Danish websites. The characteristics of web site visitors were investigated through Google Analytics and web site visitors’ actions on the sites depending on their traffic source were also examined. All the relevant data concerning of consumer behaviour and decision process was collected from the Google Analytics data. The case study of this thesis examined eleven different web metrics collected from two websites during a period of twelve months. With Google Analytics data, the number of visits on a web site and the source of traffic, including organic results from search engines, links from referral web pages or direct access by entering the URL into the web browser was analysed. All these three traffic sources were viewed as different kinds of consumer behaviour. The findings in this study showed that for the case company’s Finnish website, visits generated by search engines bring the most traffic among the selected traffic sources followed by direct traffic and referral traffic. As for Danish web site, the organic traffic remains the source of most traffic while referral visits are the second largest group leaving direct traffic to be the smallest group. The findings from the data show that as the theoretical literature proposed, return visitors did spend a longer time on the site and viewed more pages than new visitors. Both visitor groups - new and returning visitors - spent more time at the web site when they used direct traffic. Findings show that case company websites were highly comparable. Key findings relating to traffic sources and demographics showed only minor differences and can therefore be compared with full confidence.

Formation of methane as a biogas from acetate through methanogenesis could be very energy efficient and economically feasible. The acetate utilisation through aceticlastic pathway in methanogenic archaea Methanosarcina is well understood, yet the regulation of acetate utilisation is mainly unknown. The study focused on determination of the time frame of the initiation periods of protein syntheses via bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) and copper catalysed click chemistry in Methanosarcina acetivorans and Methanosarcina barkeri, during a long lag phase (around 25 days) after growth substrate was shifted from methanol to acetate. In two experiments the proteins translated after the substrate shift (newly synthetised proteins) were labelled with methionine surrogates via BONCAT and tagged with fluorescent dye and a biotin tag via click chemistry for further detections. To have more complete understanding of the substrate shift acetate concentrations were observed via nuclear magnetic resonance and cell density was monitored via optical density measurements. Only rough time frames of the initiation periods of protein syntheses in both organisms could be estimated from the gel detection of fluorescent tagged proteins. The results indicate that acetate consumption and de-novo protein translation occurs early after substrate switch. In conclusion, the overall utilisation of BONCAT in the labelling of newly synthetised proteins to provide information about the beginning of protein synthesis after substrate shift in Methanosarcina was successful. I was able to detect newly synthetised proteins in both experiments and estimate time windows for beginning of protein syntheses. The information of time windows helps further research to identify the proteins in substrate shift and understand the regulation of substrate shift in Methanosarcina.