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Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) may decline more in Asian countries due to lifestyle and housing factors compared with patients in Western countries. To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of 15D and clarify the characteristics of HRQoL in Japanese patients who underwent THA/TKA compared with Finnish patients. This longitudinal study included 182 patients between 2019 and 2021. Patients' HRQoL was measured using the 15D preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. Student's t -tests were used to compare lifestyles between Japan and Finland. The Japanese version of the 15D showed good internal consistency, reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness. Patients with many steps inside their house had worse HRQoL in the dimensions of mobility, distress, and vitality in Japan. There were significant differences in mobility, distress, vitality, and sexual activity dimensions between Japan and Finland 3 months postoperatively. The lower HRQoL in Japan in the dimensions of mobility, distress, and vitality is likely due to Japan's traditional housing structure with many steps. Identifying differences in cultural and psychological characteristics, as well as by residential setting, will enable health care providers to help patients improve their HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, increased attention has been drawn to the greenhouse gas emissions of the Land use, Land use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector. In the Finnish LULUCF sector, the soil-originated emissions from the after-use of cutover peatland have become a more relevant question. This is due to the rapid increase in the number of former peat-harvesting sites, caused by the decline in the combustion of energy peat due to its high CO 2 emissions. We conducted a nationally representative survey to study which after-use options of cutover peatlands are preferred by landowners. Based on the preferred after-use options, we estimated their impact on the national greenhouse gas emissions in the Finnish regions in 2035, and what factors influence the landowners' choice of after-use options. We found that the four most popular after-use options for landowners were afforestation (71%), agriculture (24%), production of wind and solar power (22%) and rewetting (18%) when the respondent chose the three most attractive options. However, there were clear regional differences in the preferred after-use options, which might lead, if realized, to different soil-originated emissions at the regional level. The preferred after-use options could produce emissions of 0.35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year (Mt CO 2 eq y−1) by 2035 in Finland. Most of these emissions (30.1%) would come from South Ostrobothnia in western Finland, mainly due to the indicated high interest in agricultural after-use. Most landowners prefer financially profitable after-use options, such as forestry, agriculture, as well as wind and solar energy production in cutover peatlands. However, environmentally oriented landowners favour many kinds of actions to support biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and water protection in cutover peatlands. It is crucial that economic productivity and the greenhouse gas sinks of cutover peatlands be considered simultaneously to meet the climate targets of the LULUCF sector in Finland. • The landowners' perspective of using cutover peatland was studied. • The landowners prefer financially profitable after-use options. • Forestry, agriculture, and wind and solar energy were the most popular options. • Landowners' choices would increase the soil originated GHG emissions nationally. • Strengthening the dialogue between the landowners and climate policy is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We studied the responses of soil decomposer animals to clear felling and alternative, green-tree retention harvesting methods (GRT) in Norway spruce forests in Finland. The study plots which were sampled for immediate treatment effects (up to three years) were resampled after 10 years. We hypothesized that responses of decomposers still depends on the level of GTR. The treatments, in addition to untreated controls (100% retained), were: (1) selection felling (70% dispersed tree retention), (2) and (3) gap felling with and without site preparation, respectively (three small gaps were felled in a 1-ha area and 50% of the stand volume was retained), (4) retention felling (10% of the stand volume was retained in three small tree groups) and (5) traditional clear felling (0% retention). Ten years after the treatments the strong increase of enchytraeids immediately after the harvestings was leveled out and the numbers on all treated plots were at the control level. Total numbers or community structure of soil dwelling collembolans were not affected either. The abundance of macroarthropods on the harvested plots, except selection felling, was ca. 50% lower compared to the control forest. Their community structure was also changed due to the harvestings. The most sensitive animal groups were herbivores, microbivores and some detritivores. After 10 years, predators (mainly spiders and certain coleopterans) were decreased only under retention tree groups, while microbidetritivores (dipteran and coleopteran larvae) were unaffected. Our study showed that dispersed tree retention, at least when only 30% of the stand volume was harvested, induced no significant changes in soil decomposer animal community in boreal coniferous forest. On the other hand, decomposer community in clear-felled areas (either large or small) and in small aggregated retention tree groups is still different from that in unfelled forest 10 years after the harvestings. Mesofauna living in the soil organic layer (humus) seem to be better buffered against environmental changes induced by the harvesting compared to animals dwelling close to or on the soil surface. These animals are affected long after harvestings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We studied the influence of clear felling and new alternative forest regeneration methods on soil macroarthropods during the first 3 years after the harvesting. We focused on changes in the abundances of functional groups, and community structure at the levels of species (Coleoptera) or higher taxa. The experiment was carried out in central Finland in spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands on 1 ha study plots. The following five treatments were used in addition to the untreated controls: (1) selection felling (70% of the stand volume retained), (2) gap felling (0.1–0.2 ha gaps felled), (3) gap felling with site preparation, (4) retention felling (small groups of trees retained on clear-felled area) and (5) traditional clear felling with site preparation. As expected the changes in macroarthropod community were attributed to harvesting intensity (proportion of living stand volume removed): clear felling and gap fellings induced the clearest changes, while selection felling had hardly any impacts. The treatments had no effects on total numbers of macroarthropods during the 3-year study period. Clear felling and gap felling followed by harrowing had a negative effect on predators, among which spiders decreased the most, and herbivores. Gap felling without harrowing had similar but not as strong effects as the treatments with harrowing. Further, in the unprepared gaps herbivores showed signs to recover in the second growing season after the treatment. Community structure (analysed by the NMDS ordination method) was affected by the treatments both at high taxonomic level and at the species level. At higher taxonomic level, the changes were induced by clear felling and gap fellings; the alterations being, however, no larger than natural temporal variation. At the species level (Coleoptera adults), the effects on community structure were more pronounced: the set of dominant beetle species changed almost completely after clear felling and the gap fellings during the study period, but the number of species or evenness values were not affected by the treatments. Changes in community structure at both resolutions correlated clearly with harvesting intensity and subsequent vegetation change. Our study gave evidence that the total abundance of macroarthropods, species diversity as well as community structure at higher taxonomic level are relatively resistant in the short term to environmental changes caused by forest regeneration practices in boreal coniferous forests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Discusses the influence of forest management practices on soil-decomposer communities. Evaluation of the concepts of threat and disturbance; Link established among forestry practices, composition of soil, faunal communities and soil processes.