University of Lapland

About: University of Lapland is a education organization based out in Rovaniemi, Finland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Arctic & Indigenous. The organization has 665 authors who have published 1870 publications receiving 39129 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Rovaniemi & Lapin yliopisto.

Decreased phenolic defence in dwarf birch (Betula nana) after warming in subarctic tundra

Abstract: Dwarf birch (Betula nana L.), a dominant deciduous dwarf shrub in many tundra ecosystems, is predicted to increase substantially in abundance due to climate warming. Potential warming-induced changes in the concentrations of phenolic compounds in B. nana leaves could influence the susceptibility of B. nana to environmental stresses; however, only a few studies have investigated the effects of climate warming on the phenolic defence in B. nana. We analysed the responses of phenolic concentrations and amounts in B. nana leaves to factorial treatments of warming and fertilization for 2 years in a subarctic tundra heath. Warming induced a strong decrease in total phenolics, including both flavonols (i.e. quercetin and myricetin derivatives, important defence compounds against oxidative stress) and hydrolysable tannins (HTs, important defence compounds against herbivory). Fertilization exerted weaker effects on phenolic concentrations while significantly increasing the leaf area. Our data indicate that climate warming may decrease the level of phenolic defence in B. nana leaves. Given the important role of these compounds in the plant defence, this phenomenon could potentially increase the susceptibility of B. nana to biotic stresses such as herbivory.

The Neoliberal Subject: Resilience and the Art of Living Dangerously

Abstract: A B S T R A C T While security has functioned historically as the major rationality for the subjection of populations to liberal governance, the rationality enabling that subjection is fast changing to that of resilience. This is not just a semantic shift. Resilience entails a fundamental change in conceptions of the relationship of human beings to danger. To be secure, classically conceived, means to be free from danger. The discourse of resilience functions to prevent humans from conceiving danger as a phenomenon from which they might free themselves from and, in contrast, as that which they must now expose themselves to. This is because the modelling of human subjectivity under conditions of neoliberalism reifies its biological life as the domain of agency and governance. In this sense resilience represents a significant extension of the biopolitical drivers of neoliberal modernity. Contesting the global injunction to give up on security requires a subject capable of imagining itself as something more than merely biological material. A political subject whose humanity resides in its freedom to secure itself from the dangers that it encounters. In context of which it is necessary we turn from the mere analysis of biopolitics to the theorization and practice of psychopolitics.

Positive leadership and experiences explaining workers’ well-being in knowledge-intensive organisation

Abstract: Northern Finland possesses one of the richest mineral deposits in the world. According to estimates, the mining industry will have a remarkable impact on the development of the entire region. It is estimated that within the next 20 years, more than 5000 people will be employed in mining in this region. The most sought-after employee group will likely be knowledge workers. A similar trend is foreseen in the arctic worldwide. Knowledge workers play a crucial role in developing and improving operations in mining organisations. Knowledge-intensive work is considered mentally demanding because it constantly requires new expertise, and time pressure factors are explicit. Additional demands peculiar to the mining industry in the north come from the geographically and socially isolated locations and, accordingly, the long distances. These issues create concern for the well-being of knowledge workers in mining organisations. Several studies have shown how important leadership is for well-being at work. This articl...

The effects of a prolonged undernutrition on serum lipids and fatty acid composition of reindeer calves during winter and spring.

Abstract: We examined the effects of undernutrition on lipid metabolism in reindeer (<1 year) during mid-winter and spring, with particular focus on the proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in major serum lipids. The reindeer (n=8) were fed their winter feed, lichen, ad libitum for 5 weeks, followed by 40% restriction of energy for 8 weeks and refeeding to normal for 6 weeks. The concentrations of major serum lipids, cholesterol and phospholipids decreased significantly during the ad libitum period (by 50 and 44%, respectively). The proportion of major PUFA, linoleic acid in serum cholesteryl esters, decreased from 48.2 to 38.4% during the ad libitum period (P < 0.01), and to 29.2% during the restriction period (P < 0.001). The proportion of linoleic acid in phospholipids decreased from 27.9 to 15.6% during the ad libitum period (P < 0. 001), and to 13.0% during the restriction (P < 0.01). Also alpha-linolenic acid in the major lipids decreased significantly during the ad libitum and restriction periods. The decreases in the major lipids and linoleic acid were reversed during the refeeding. The control group (n=8) which was fed high-quality concentrates ad libitum gained weight most of the spring but showed similar although slower decreases in the major serum lipids and PUFAs than the lichen group. Our results indicate that feeding reindeer on lichen during winter leads to the retardation of growth and reductions in major serum lipids and their principal C18-PUFA proportions. The decreased proportions of the principal PUFAs most probably reflect their low dietary intake but may have been modified also by seasonal factors.

Nuances of Human-Centredness in Information Systems Development

Abstract: Numerous methods, methodologies, approaches, techniques and tools have been developed over the years to ensure successful accomplishment of information system development (ISD) projects in terms of user satisfaction. However, different methodologies and approaches perceive the user differently; sometimes the user is seen as an anonymous 'object' that is going to use the system, or as an evaluator confirming the correctness of the design, or even as a critical contributor along the way to user-friendly information system. Each of these approaches has their own benefits from the ISD point of view but they lack a holistic view of the user. In this paper, we will review the trajectories of ISD approaches and elucidate the nuances of human-centredness in ISD. We aim at offering a holistic picture that illustrates an overview of different understandings of the user in ISD, so that, first, the systems designers' awareness about the user in general is increased, and second, future research directions are portrayed to the researchers.