Search results for "ympäristö"

Using change trajectories to study the impacts of multi-annual habitat loss on fledgling production in an old forest specialist bird

2017

The loss and subdivision of habitat into smaller and more spatially isolated units due to human actions has been shown to adversely affect species worldwide. We examined how changes in old forest cover during eight years were associated with the cumulative number of fledged offspring at the end of study period in Eurasian treecreepers (Certhia familiaris) in Central Finland. We were specifically interested in whether the initial level of old forest cover moderated this relation. We applied a flexible and powerful approach, latent growth curve modelling in a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework, to create trajectories describing changes in old forest cover through time, and studied h…

No evidence of systematic pre-emptive loggings after notifying landowners of their lands’ conservation potential

2020

Landowners can intentionally impair biodiversity values occurring on their land to pre-empt biodiversity protection. This often leads to significant negative effects on biodiversity. We studied whether landowners in Finland engaged in pre-emptive loggings after they were notified that their wooded mires are candidate sites for a mire protection program. After the notification, harvesting rates of the candidate wooded mires were significantly lower compared to harvesting rates of similar but non-candidate wooded mires. Annual and monthly harvesting rates indicated that notifying landowners of the conservation potential did not launch systematic pre-emptive logging behavior. Nevertheless, par…

The case of literacy motivation : Playful 3D immersive learning environments and problem-focused education for blended digital storytelling

2018

The University of Patras' Library Services designed and offered to primary and secondary schools the pilot educational program “From the Ancient to the Modern Tablets”, featuring immersive multimedia learning experiences about the book history. The pilot program consisted of three stages: a playful library tour, followed by an interactive game-based digital storytelling activity with game elements, and a collaborative creative reflective hands-on activity. Utilizing the avatar psychology power, the visualization and simulation affordances of 3D immersive learning environments and the appeal of storytelling and game-based learning, the “gamified” blended narrative on the book evolution enabl…

Instructor Presence in a Virtual Classroom

2021

Abstract Synchronous online learning platforms have been used actively during the COVID-19 period. They have opened possibilities for online learning and interaction, but have also posed new challenges for instructors. This article provides insights into one teacher’s interactions and examines how the instructor presence is expressed in the teachers’ activities in virtual classrooms in higher education. Instructor presence is investigated using the social and teaching presence indicators of the community of inquiry (CoI) framework. Twelve hours of interactions across six online classes were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using content analysis. The findings suggest that indicators of t…

A social and environmental impact assessment of the Crucitas gold mining project in Costa Rica

2014

In 2008 Costa Rica was facing a critical time in its history. A five year mining moratorium had just ended and mining companies were interested in exploring untapped resources in the country. The country was facing important decisions with which development path to take. The Crucitas Mining Project (CMP) was an issue that the whole country had an opinion on; in fact the Constitutional Court of Costa Rica (SALA IV) was debating what to do with the CMP. The purpose of this study was to assist decision makers by providing a well-rounded assessment of the impacts the CMP would have. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether it would be better for Costa Rica to let the mining operation cont…

Embracing water, healing pine : touch-walking and transcorporeal worldings

2023

This article considers touch as an embodied worlding practice in the context of humans intentionally seeking tactile trans-species contact. In particular, it examines three co-researchers’ tactile relations with tree(s) and water which were explored by “touch-walking,” an immersive method developed for this study. The method opened possibilities for examining transcorporeal sensory matterings and affective flows between the researcher’s body, co-researchers’ bodies and more-than-human bodies. This experimental micro-research brings knowledge about how people form deeply meaningful relationships with natural bodies, making worlds by cherishing tactile contact with them. Theoretically, we “po…

Benefits of the European Agri-Environment Schemes for Wintering Lapwings : A Case Study from Rice Fields in the Mediterranean Region

2020

Mediterranean European rice fields provide important habitats for migrating waterbirds. In winter. one waterbird species that particularly benefits from rice fields is the Northern Lapwing (VaneIlus vanellas), a species threatened in Europe. To assess the effect of agii-environmental measures on rice field selection and use by wintering lapwings, bird counts were conducted in northeastern Spain during two consecutive winters (2005-2006 and 2006-2007). Information on two mandatory post-harvest management prescriptions of the agri-environment schemes was collected, namely winter flooding (percent ground surface covered by water) and whether fields were rolled or not. The number of lapwings in…

Responses to Developmental Temperature Fluctuation in Life History Traits of Five Drosophila Species (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from Different Thermal …

2021

Simple Summary Most laboratory experiments on insects to date have been conducted using constant temperature settings. Even when the purpose of the study was to investigate effects of temperature, insects have mostly been kept at different but constant temperatures ignoring natural variation in temperature. Here we investigated effects of simple daily temperature fluctuation (22.5/27.5 °C and 20/30 °C) on some development characteristics in five species of fruit flies (Drosophila) originating from areas with different temperature profiles. We demonstrated how species of the same genus can show substantial differences when developing at fluctuating temperatures not always predictable by deve…

Voimaantumisen mahdollisuuksia verkko-opiskeluympäristöissä

2002

A fugacity model assessment of ibuprofen, diclofenac, carbamazepine, and their transformation product concentrations in an aquatic environment

2018

An updated version of FATEMOD, a multimedia fugacity model for environmental fate of organic chemicals, was set up to assess environmental behaviour of three pharmaceuticals in northern Lake Päijänne, Finland. Concentrations of ibuprofen, diclofenac, and carbamazepine were estimated at various depths at two sites: near a wastewater treatment plant and 3.5 km downstream the plant. When compared with environmental sampling data from corresponding depths and sites, the predicted concentrations, ranging from nanograms to hundreds of nanograms per litre, were found to be in good agreement. Weather data were utilised with the model to rationalise the effects of various environmental parameters on…