| 1. |
- Shroff, Sailee, et al.
(författare)
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Tree Species-Dependent Inactivation of Coronaviruses and Enteroviruses on Solid Wood Surfaces
- 2024
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 16:23, s. 29621-29633
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ongoing challenge of viral transmission, exemplified by the Covid pandemic and recurrent viral outbreaks, necessitates the exploration of sustainable antiviral solutions. This study investigates the underexplored antiviral potential of wooden surfaces. We evaluated the antiviral efficacy of various wood types, including coniferous and deciduous trees, against enveloped coronaviruses and nonenveloped enteroviruses like coxsackie virus A9. Our findings revealed excellent antiviral activity manifesting already within 10 to 15 min in Scots pine and Norway spruce, particularly against enveloped viruses. In contrast, other hardwoods displayed varied efficacy, with oak showing effectiveness against the enterovirus. This antiviral activity was consistently observed across a spectrum of humidity levels (20 to 90 RH%), while the antiviral efficacy manifested itself more rapidly at 37 degrees C vs 21 degrees C. Key to our findings is the chemical composition of these woods. Resin acids and terpenes were prevalent in pine and spruce, correlating with their antiviral performance, while oak's high phenolic content mirrored its efficacy against enterovirus. The pine surface absorbed a higher fraction of the coronavirus in contrast to oak, whereas enteroviruses were not absorbed on those surfaces. Thermal treatment of wood or mixing wood with plastic, such as in wood-plastic composites, strongly compromised the antiviral functionality of wood materials. This study highlights the role of bioactive chemicals in the antiviral action of wood and opens new avenues for employing wood surfaces as a natural and sustainable barrier against viral transmissions.
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| 2. |
- Vulkan, Patrik, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Job Insecurity and Mental Well-Being in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Consequences of Flexicurity in a Nordic Welfare Setting
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. - 2245-0157. ; 5:2, s. 33-53
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article describes how the flexicurity arrangement of low job security, high employment security, and good income security advocated by various authors affects the mental well-being of employees. Data are derived from a survey carried out in 2010–2011 among employees in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The main findings are that all three forms of cognitive security (the perceived risk) have an independent effect on mental well-being and that the worry of insecurity (the affective component) mediates the relationship with mental well-being. The interaction effects show that high levels of employment security can alleviate the detrimental effects of job insecurity on mental well-being. No similar interaction effect was found with job insecurity and income security. The results are discussed in relation to the institutional arrangements of the Nordic countries’ welfare states, concluding that the high employment security needed for a successful flexicurity arrangement requires either low levels of unemployment or effective and extensive active labor market programs. Flexicurity is thus susceptible to economic turmoil and requires further labor market investments, even in the Nordic countries.
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| 3. |
- Vulkan, Patrik, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Labour Market Insecurity: the Effects of Job, Employment and Income Insecurity on Mental Well-being of Employees in Finland and Sweden
- 2012
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Ingår i: The 6th Nordic Working Life Conference, Elsinore, Denmark, April 25th-27th 2012.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper examines how Finnish and Swedish employees‟ perception of job, employment and income insecurity affect their mental well-being. Importantly, we suggest that a multifaceted concept of labour market insecurity demands not only the inclusion of these three forms, instead of insecurity as a general concept only, but also that a distinction must be made between the cognitive and affective understanding of insecurity. The results show that the situation as regards labour market insecurity is fairly similar when comparing Finland and Sweden. The fear of financial stress is of great concern, clearly affecting the mental well-being of employees while some other forms of insecurity, such as the cognitive appraisal that one risks losing one‟s job, do not. The results support the argument that insecurity could successfully be analysed as a multifaceted concept.
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