University of Jyväskylä
  • Jyväskylä, Finland
Recent publications
Sense of community (SoC) and social participation are considered resources for active aging but there is sparse empirical knowledge on the topic. We investigated these associations among senior housing residents. Data were derived from the cross-sectional BoAktiv senior housing survey ( N = 278). Active aging was measured with the (blinded) Active Aging scale including subscales of will, ability, and possibility to act, and the frequency of activity. SoC was assessed with the revised Sense of Community Index and social participation was self-reported. Data were analyzed with linear regression and stratified by sex. We found that in both men and women, SoC and social participation were associated with the will to act and frequency of activity subscores. Additionally, SoC was associated with the active aging total score. The associations were slightly stronger in men than in women. These findings suggest that strengthening social engagement supports senior housing residents’ active aging.
Viologen derivatives feature two reversible one‐electron redox processes and have been extensively utilized in aqueous organic flow batteries (AOFBs). However, the early variant, methyl viologen (MVi), exhibits low stability in aqueous electrolytes, restricting its practical implementation in AOFB technology. In this context, leveraging the tunability of organic molecules, various substituents have been incorporated into the viologen core to achieve better stability, lower redox potential, and improved solubility. In this work, we introduce bisphosphonate‐substituted viologens (BBPE−Vi and MBPE−Vi) as candidates for AOFBs. The bulkiness and negative charges of the bisphosphonate groups enhance the solubility and the electrostatic repulsion among viologen molecules, minimizing the bimolecular side reactions that lead to degradation. Additionally, the electron‐rich character of this new substituent in its deprotonated state significantly lowers the redox potential. As a result, the proposed viologen derivatives exhibit high solubility (1.45 M in water) and stability (capacity decay of 0.009 %/cycle or 0.229 %/day when tested at 0.5 M). These parameters are coupled with the lowest redox potentials exceeding all previously reported viologens utilized in AOFBs (−0.503 V and −0.550 V against SHE for MBPE−Vi and BBPE−Vi, respectively).
An exchange-correction to the fixed diagonal matrices (FDM) method is introduced to improve accuracy when employing a single reference wavefunction. In addition, the performance of the Becke–Roussel exchange-hole in approximating the pair density-mediated integrals was explored. With the exchange-correction, the FDM procedure yields dispersion coefficients for closed-shell atoms on par with highly correlated methods when using only Hartree–Fock or Kohn–Sham pair density. Conversely, the Becke–Roussel exchange-hole results in an overestimation of the dispersion coefficients for closed-shell atoms; however, the performance of the Becke–Roussel model can be improved by scaling the multipole moment integrals by a fixed amount. For both the exchange–correction and the Becke–Roussel model, the FDM method continues to fail for open-shell atoms and ions by consistently underestimating the dispersion coefficients.
Micropapillary colorectal adenocarcinoma is a morphologic subtype of colorectal cancer (CRC) with insufficiently characterized prognostic significance and biological features. We analyzed the histopathological, immunological, and prognostic features of micropapillary adenocarcinoma in two independent CRC cohorts ( N = 1,876). We found that micropapillary adenocarcinomas accounted for 4.9% and 6.4% of CRCs in the two cohorts. A micropapillary growth pattern was associated with advanced stage and lymphovascular invasion ( p < 0.001), but also with shorter overall survival independent of these factors and other prognostic parameters (Cohort 1: hazard ratio [HR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–2.87; Cohort 2: HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.08–2.00). Multiplex immunohistochemistry and machine learning‐assisted image analysis showed that the micropapillary growth pattern was associated with decreased CD3 ⁺ T‐cell and CD14 ⁺ HLA‐DR ⁺ monocytic cell densities. Molecular features of micropapillary adenocarcinoma were studied using bioinformatic analyses in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort ( N = 629) and validated with optical genome mapping and immunohistochemistry. These analyses revealed that micropapillary adenocarcinomas frequently present with chromosome region 8q24 copy number gain, TP53 mutation, and overexpression of UPK2, MUC16 , and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition involved genes, such as L1CAM . These results indicate that micropapillary colorectal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive morphologic subtype of CRC characterized by shorter overall survival, decreased antitumorigenic immune response, and unique molecular features. Our findings support the classification of micropapillary adenocarcinoma as a distinct, high‐risk subtype of CRC, which should be systematically evaluated in patient care. © 2025 The Author(s). The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Atomically thin metallenes are a new family of materials representing the ultimate limit of a thin free-electron gas for novel applications. Although metallene research has gained traction, limited attention has been paid to the properties of their ubiquitous edges. Here, we use density-functional theory simulations to investigate various edges of Mg, Cu, Y, Au, and Pb metallenes with hexagonal and buckled honeycomb lattices. Investigating relaxations, energies, stresses, and electronic structures at the edge, we find that some properties have clear trends while others are sensitive to both element and lattice type. Given that edge properties are fundamental to metallene stability and interactions in lateral heterostructures, their detailed understanding will help guide the development of metallene synthesis and applications.
Background Low physical activity is a major risk for sarcopenia. Whether training according to physical activity guidelines accompanied with cognitive training is effective on sarcopenia, remains unclear. Aims We investigated whether the effects of 12-month physical and cognitive training (PTCT) and physical training (PT) on grip and knee extension strength, muscle mass, and walking speed differed between older adults with and without sarcopenia. Methods Community-dwelling older adults (N = 314, mean age 74.5 ± 3.8 years, 60% women) who did not meet physical activity guidelines were randomized to PTCT and PT groups. PT for both groups included supervised and home-based multicomponent physical training. Cognitive training (CT) included computer-based exercises for executive functioning. Sarcopenia was determined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2019 criteria. Generalized estimation equation analysis were conducted. Results Compared to PT, PTCT had no additive effect on strength, muscle mass, or walking speed in participants with or without sarcopenia. In pooled data (PT + PTCT) change in the grip strength was greater in sarcopenia (n = 49) group compared to non-sarcopenia (n = 264) group (interaction, p =.014). Both groups improved knee extension strength, and walking speed, but no statistically significant difference between the groups were observed. Muscle mass did not change in either group. Conclusion Physical training according to physical activity recommendations improves muscle strength, walking speed, and maintains muscle mass in sarcopenia. Additional cognitive training had no benefits on these outcomes. Trial registration number ISRCTN52388040 and date of registration 20/1/2017.
The present study introduces a circumplex model of study well-being as an application of occupational well-being research to a higher education context. Accordingly, the first aim was to identify what kind of study well-being profiles (SWP), representing different levels and combinations of study engagement, burnout, satisfaction, holism, and boredom; there are among university students and how stable the SWPs are during the academic school year. The second aim was to investigate how the identified SWPs are related to students’ recovery strategies and perceived academic performance. A total of 812 Finnish university students filled in an e-survey at the end of the fall semester (T1) and 316 of them did it again at the end of the spring semester (T2). Latent transition analysis revealed altogether four SWPs (at T1/T2): Moderate (44/42%), Engaged-Satisfied (26/25%), Engaged-Holists (17/17%) and Bored-Burned out (13/16%). Latent transition analysis showed that the detected SWPs were highly stable: 86% of the participants remained in their SWP across the academic year. However, where transitions occurred from one profile to another, they were mainly from better to worse. Furthermore, the results showed that students from Moderate or Engaged-Satisfied profiles reported more beneficial recovery strategies and experienced better academic performance than students from Engaged-Holists or Bored-Burned out profiles. In conclusion, this study highlights that study engagement and holism can co-exist, particularly in performance-oriented, success-tracking, and evaluative environments such as academia, without necessarily advancing academic performance and posing a threat to recovery from study-related stress.
In this paper, we are concerned with game-theoretic interpretations to the following oblique derivative boundary value problem where ΔpN\Delta _{p}^{N} is the normalized p-Laplacian. This problem can be regarded as a generalized version of the Robin boundary value problem for the Laplace equations. We construct several types of stochastic games associated with this problem by using ‘shrinking tug-of-war’. For the value functions of such games, we investigate the properties such as existence, uniqueness, regularity and convergence.
Configurational research has great promise in entrepreneurship. There are few universal laws or relationships that hold under all circumstances. More often, optimal entrepreneurial outcomes are contingent on many factors. Consequently, configurational analysis using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) has become increasingly popular. However, methodological research in sociology and political science has raised concerns about possible false positive findings produced by this method. In this editorial, we explore the potential and the common pitfalls of QCA in entrepreneurship research, as well as guidelines for its use.
Stochasticity is a main process in community assembly. However, experimental studies rarely target stochasticity in natural communities, and hence experimental validation of stochasticity estimates in observational studies is lacking. Here, we combine experimental and observational data to unravel the role of stochasticity in the assembly of wood-inhabiting fungi. We carried out a replicated field experiment where the natural colonization of a focal fungal species was simulated through inoculation, and the local fungal communities were monitored through DNA metabarcoding before and after the inoculations. The amount of stochasticity in fungal colonization was less pronounced than expected from the amount of unpredictability in observational data, suggesting that stochasticity may play a smaller role in fungal occurrence than previously anticipated, or that it may be a stronger influence in the dispersal and establishment phases than in colonization per se. Stochasticity was more prominent in the initial phase of community succession, with the earliest successional stage involving a higher level of stochasticity than the later stage after 2 years. We conclude that experimentally measuring the role of stochasticity in community assembly is feasible for species-rich communities under natural conditions and highlight the importance of experimentally testing the accuracy of stochasticity estimates based on observational data.
The physiologic relationship between the brain and heart is emerging as a novel therapeutic target for clinical intervention for acute myocardial infarction. In the adult human brain, vestigial neuronal progenitor stem cells contribute to neuronal repair and recovery following cerebral ischemic injury, an effect modulated by secreted exosomes. Ischemia conditioned neuronal cell derived supernatant and experimental stroke has been shown to be injurious to the heart. However, whether unconditioned neuronal progenitor cell derived-exosomes can instead protect myocardium represents a profound research gap. We investigated the effects of unconditioned neural stem cell derived exosomes as post-injury treatment for cardiomyoblasts from three neuronal culture conditions; adherent cultures, neurosphere cultures and bioreactor cultures. Small extracellular vesicles were enriched with serial ultracentrifugation, validated via nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy and Western blot analysis prior to utilization as post-injury treatment for H9c2 cardiomyoblasts following oxygen and glucose deprivation. LDH assay was used to assess viability and Seahorse XF high-resolution respirometry analyzer to investigate post-injury cardiomyocyte bioenergetics. We found no evidence that unconditioned neural stem cell derived exosomes are cardiotoxic nor cardioprotective to H9c2 cardiomyoblasts following ischemia-reperfusion injury. Based on our findings, utilizing unconditioned neural stem cell derived exosomes as post-injury treatment for other organs should not have adverse effects to the damaged cardiac cells.
Prolonged sitting in school harms children’s physical and mental health and reduces the ability to focus on classroom tasks. ’Active Learning Classrooms’ (ALCs) aim to decrease sitting time, following current pedagogical trends, though research on the effects of ALCs on these aspects is still an emerging field. The aims of this review were to: (i) synthesise the available literature on the impact of ALCs on reducing sedentary behaviour, increasing physical activity (PA), physical and mental health, and academic indicators in children and adolescents; and (ii) describe the educational community’s perceptions and teaching practices used in ALCs. This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Methods and PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews. We searched for peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies published in English that examined the impact of ALCs on movement patterns, physical or mental health, and academic indicators in children and adolescents, as well as those that explored the perceptions of members of the educational community and the teaching practices used in ALCs. Databases research included MEDLINE (PubMed), ERIC, SCOPUS and ProQuest Education. Nineteen studies were included, of which 11 were experimental, 4 were cross-sectional, and 4 were qualitative. The analysis revealed a predominantly positive influence of ALCs on children’s sedentary behaviour, learning engagement and psychological well-being; and mixed results on PA, physical health and academic performance. Our results also suggest that learning spaces are positively perceived and well accepted by the entire educational community, and that teachers teaching in ALCs are more prone to use student-centered and collaborative pedagogies than in traditional classrooms. Although this review shows a positive impact on key health and education variables, the evidence is limited and lacks depth. In addition, the small number of studies and their methodological weaknesses prevent robust conclusions, but the results still help to guide future decisions.
Outdoor education is often missing in formal curriculum, especially in primary education. With our experience living and working in Finland and Australia, we investigated this situation, revealing important similarities and differences relevant to understanding outdoor education. We highlight some of the differences between the two education systems that impact outdoor education, having learned more about these differences by interviewing primary school teachers involved with teaching and organising outdoor education in both Finland and Victoria, Australia. The different approaches to outdoor education in primary schools in each country illuminate the local and situated character of outdoor education. Importantly, the comparison also highlights similarities, revealing unique educational potential in outdoor education that goes untapped via the curriculum integration strategies espoused in both countries. This educational potential is expressed via the unity of (ad)venturing and environ(ment), which are often separated into physical education and environmental studies, thereby splitting outdoor education and removing the educational potential of their situated unity. Accessing this potential requires improving curricular support for teachers and schools in outdoor education, documenting unique outdoor education content in appropriate ways, and enabling access to resources available to mainstream subjects. Even though Finland and Australia are often considered education leaders internationally, as exemplified via PISA, more work in curriculum development is needed in these countries to better account for the learning that happens uniquely in outdoor education. We argue that an optional curriculum in outdoor education is required in both Finland and Australia to support the work already being done by teachers.
One of the main issues facing agrometeorological studies involves measuring and modeling the evolution of different environmental variables over time; this often requires a dense monitoring network. Spatio‐temporal geostatistics has the potential to provide techniques and tools to estimate the spatio‐temporal multiple covariance function and define an appropriate multivariate correlation function capable of reliable predictions. This paper presents a spatio‐temporal multivariate geostatistical modeling approach based on the joint diagonalization of the empirical covariance matrix evaluated at different spatio‐temporal lags. The possibility to consider a reduced number of uncorrelated variables (lower than the number of observed variables) and separately model the spatio‐temporal evolution of these uncorrelated components represents a substantial simplification for multivariate modeling. A space–time linear coregionalization model (ST‐LCM) with appropriate parametric models for the latent components was fitted to the matrix‐valued covariance function estimated for five relevant agrometeorological variables, including evapotranspiration, minimum and maximum humidity, maximum temperature, and precipitation. The analyses highlight how to identify space–time components and choose the corresponding model by evaluating some characteristics of these components, such as symmetry, separability, and type of non‐separability. The predictive results of this multivariate study will be of interest for agriculture, in particular for addressing drought emergencies.
Dispersal is one of the main processes shaping ecological communities. Yet, for species‐rich communities in natural systems, the role of dispersal in community assembly remains relatively less studied compared to other processes. This is the case for fungal communities, for which predictable knowledge about where and how the dispersal propagules move across space is largely lacking. We sampled fungal communities at their dispersal stage in a lake mainland‐island system in Finland, using a regular grid of 18 × 18 km, including sites on the mainland, islands and over the water. Fungal communities were screened by applying DNA barcoding to air samples. To assess the factors determining fungal dispersal, we modelled aerial fungal communities with a joint species distribution model, including spore traits, weather‐related predictors, and spatial predictors. We found that the probability of occurrence of most species (and consequently species richness measured as the number of OTUs per sample) was lower in low‐connectivity sites (water and isolated islands) compared to high‐connectivity sites (mainland). There was a strong phylogenetic signal in how the fungal species responded to connectivity, indicating that some taxonomic groups are more dispersal limited than others, although such responses were not structured by their trophic guilds. Furthermore, wind speed influenced how species with different spore sizes responded to connectivity: in low‐connectivity sites, species with large sexual spores were detected especially when wind was high, whereas, in high‐connectivity sites, they were detected especially when wind was low. This study demonstrates that air fungal dispersal might be more predictable than previously considered and contributes to the mechanistic understanding of fungal air dispersal.
Introduction The ability to perform bodily movement varies in ageing men and women. We investigated whether physical fitness may explain sex differences in daily physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) among older people. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a population-based cohort of 75, 80, and 85-year-old men and women (n = 409, 62% women) underwent laboratory-based assessment of walking speed, maximal knee extension strength, and body fat percentage. Free-living physical activity was assessed as total PAEE, and light (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) using individually calibrated combined accelerometry and heart rate sensing. Path modelling was used to examine indirect associations between sex, physical fitness, and physical activity. Results Men had better physical fitness and higher overall PAEE (mean 34.0 (SD 10.8) kJ/kg/day) than women (28.3 (8.4) kJ/kg/day, p<0.001). The path model for PAEE explained 33% of the variance. The direct association between sex and PAEE was non-significant, whereas the association between sex and PAEE mediated by body fat (β = 0.20, p<0.001) and walking speed (β = 0.05, p = 0.001) were statistically significant. Similarly, associations between sex and MVPA mediated by body fat (β = 0.11, p = 0.002) and walking speed (β = 0.05, p = 0.001) were significant, as were the associations between sex and LPA mediated by body fat (β = 0.24, p<0.001) and walking speed (β = 0.03, p = 0.019). Conclusion Differences in physical activity between men and women may reflect underlying differences in cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity. These results highlight the importance of maintaining physical fitness to support active living in older adults.
Background Teachers' emotions while teaching are associated to how they teach. Prior research has evidenced such associations mostly based on teacher or student ratings of different teaching behaviours. Aims This study examined the extent to which teachers' self‐rated lesson‐specific positive and negative emotions are associated with the observed quality of teacher–student interactions in terms of emotional support, classroom organization and instructional support as well as students' behavioural engagement in the same lesson. Sample The participants comprised 84 subject teachers (76.2% female) and 907 students (15–16 years old; 50.1% female) from 26 Finnish lower secondary schools. Methods The data consisted of video‐recordings from a total of 282 lessons (M = 3.36 lessons/teacher). The quality of teacher–student interactions and students' behavioural engagement was assessed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System–Secondary (CLASS‐S) observational instrument. Data regarding teachers' positive and negative emotions were collected at the end of each video‐recorded lesson using the In Situations Teacher (InSitu‐T) Instrument. The collected data were analysed using cross‐classified two‐level modelling. Results and Conclusions The findings revealed that teachers' positive and negative emotions were positively and negatively associated, respectively, with the observed quality of teacher–student interactions in terms of emotional support and classroom organization but not instructional support. The results provide evidence of the associations between teachers' emotions and students' observed behavioural engagement. The findings complement the literature by highlighting the importance of observational data, along with teacher and student ratings.
This article explores secondary English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' differentiation practices in the Netherlands. We used the five‐dimensional (5D) model of differentiation) as an analytical framework in the study. Additionally, we sought to identify the main challenges of differentiation in Dutch EFL teaching. We collected the data through a questionnaire ( n = 52) and individual theme interviews ( n = 3). We analyzed the quantitative data through descriptive statistics and subjected the qualitative data to content analysis. The results revealed that overall the teachers' differentiation was at a moderate or low rate. The most common dimensions for differentiation were assessment, teaching methods, and support materials. Learning environment and teaching arrangements were the least employed differentiation dimensions. The most significant challenges for differentiation were large class sizes and lack of time and resources. The results of this study give preliminary indications that differentiation should be implemented more in Dutch secondary EFL teaching and addressed in more depth already in pre‐service teacher education. Moreover, based on this study, Dutch EFL teachers would need more resources to differentiate their teaching in a more profound manner. The results of this study have implications for EFL teaching also in other contexts.
Time‐resolved fluorescence techniques are essential for studying the excited‐state dynamics of molecules and materials, as well as their interactions with the surrounding media. Fluorescence upconversion provides femtosecond time resolution, but its limited spectral coverage often restricts its application. Broadband variants of fluorescence upconversion spectroscopy (FLUPS) offer improved spectral coverage but require balancing spectral bandwidth against signal strength. In this paper, we introduce a three‐angle method (3‑AM) for FLUPS designed to overcome these limitations. This method enhances spectral coverage, photometric accuracy, and signal‐to‐noise ratio by recording and averaging spectrally resolved upconversion signals at three distinct crystal angles. Unlike other techniques that rely on spectral reconstruction or continuous crystal rotation during acquisition, the 3‑AM relies on fixed crystal positions, allowing for robust post‐acquisition corrections. We validate the performance and reproducibility of the 3‑AM by comparing it with the conventional fixed‐angle approach, as well as through blind testing in two independent laboratories. Despite variations in experimental configuration, the 3‑AM consistently produces reproducible spectral line shapes across the two setups. The enhanced performance and reliability demonstrate its practicality for laboratories with broadband FLUPS capabilities. Thus, the 3‑AM is a valuable tool for investigating ultrafast radiative processes in previously inaccessible molecular and material systems.
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Matti Jalasvuori
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Science
Dandison Ukpabi
  • Marketing Department
Dima Bondarev
  • Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences
Juhani Pirhonen
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Science
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Jyväskylä, Finland