Asuinkerrostalo Rovaniemelle

Tiivistelmä. Kerrostaloni sijoittuu Rovaniemellä alueelle, jolle suunnittelimme yhteiskuntasuunnittelun kurssilla ryhmätyönä uuden asemakaavan. Nykyisellään alueella on vanha linja-autoasema ja kauppatori, jotka ollaan siirtämässä lähemmäs keskustaa. Halusimme kaavassamme tiivistää kaupunkirakennetta, tuoda lähelle kaupungin keskustaa suuren viheralueen ja luoda selkeämmän linjan juna-aseman ja keskustan välille. Suunnitelmamme ydin on vilkasliikenteisen Lapinkävijäntien kattaminen ja puiston rakentaminen kannen päälle. Asuminen sijoittuu suunnittelualueen reunoille sijoitettuihin suljettuihin kortteleihin. Valitsin asuntosuunnittelun kurssille alueen keskellä sijaitsevasta korttelista talon, joka rajautuu pohjoisessa puistoon ja etelässä sisäpihaan. Rakennuksessa on kaksi porrashuonetta, viisi maanpäällistä kerrosta ja kellari. Julkisivuissa on kolmesta eri levyisestä lehtikuusipaneelista tehty verhous. Ulokeparvekkeiden sisäverhous on lämpökäsiteltyä puuta, joka on uv-suojattu puun luontaisen värin säilyttämiseksi. Lehtikuusiverhouksen harmaantuessa lämpimän sävyisenä pysyvät parvekkeet luovat kontrastia ulko- ja sisätilan välille. Ensimmäisessä kerroksessa on asuntoja ja sisäpihan puolella ulkoiluvälinevarastot. 2.-4. kerros on varattu asumiselle. 5. kerros toimii taloyhtiön yhteisenä kerroksena, josta löytyy sauna, kerhohuone, kuntosali sekä suuri kattoterassi. Kellarikerroksessa on irtainvarastoja, pesutupa, väestönsuoja, tekniset tilat sekä yhteys pihakannen alle sijoitettuun pysäköintiin. Asunnot ovat yksiöitä, kaksioita ja kolmioita. Tilat sijoittuvat asuntoihin siten, että asuminen on sijoitettu valoisalle ulkoseinälle ja asumista tukevat toiminnot ja märkätilat omalle vyöhykkeelleen porrashuoneen vastaiselle seinälle. Palomääräysten takia rakennuksen kantava CLT-runko täytyy suojata paloa kestävällä verhouksella. Halusin kuitenkin puuta näkyviin, joten asunnoissa on lautalattiat ja puiset ikkunan puitteet. Pidin myös tärkeänä, että asuntoon saavuttaessa avautuu näkymä ulos

Kyläyhteisö kaupungissa:Rekolan keskustan kehityssuunnitelma

Tiivistelmä. Kyläyhteisö kaupungissa on tutkielmapainotteisen ja suunnitelmapainotteisen työn välimaastoon sijoittuva diplomityö, jonka painopiste on yhdyskuntasuunnittelussa. Työssä esitellään vireillä oleva Vantaan Rekolan keskustan kaavamuutosprosessi ja viitesuunnitelma sekä laaditaan vaihtoehtoinen suunnitelma suunnittelualueen kehittämiseksi. Suunnitelman tavoitteena on tehostaa maankäyttöä ympäristön erityispiirteet huomioivalla tavalla ja tukea alueen yhteisöllisyyttä. Työ on jaettu neljään osaan. Ensimmäisessä osassa käsitellään Rekolan kehittymistä ja suunnittelutyötä ohjaavia teemoja. Toisessa osassa esitellään Rekolan historiaa, kehitystä ja nykytilaa. Kolmannessa osassa esitellään tarkemmin suunnittelualue, asemakaavamuutosprosessi ja prosessin yhteydessä toteutettu kehittämiskysely. Näiden aineistojen pohjalta laadittu kehityssuunnitelma muodostaa työn neljännen osan. Lopuksi on esitetty yhteenveto työstä. Suunnitelman lähtökohtana on ollut olemassa olevan rakennuskannan ja Rekolan yleisilmeen säilyttäminen. Suunnittelualuetta on täydennetty matalaa ja tiivistä rakennustapaa noudattaen. Asukkaiden ja muiden aluetta käyttävien sosiaalisia kohtaamisia on pyritty lisäämään, mikä toimii pohjana yhteisöllisyyden muodostumiselle.Village community in a city. Abstract. Village community in a city is a hybrid between a research-oriented and a design-oriented master’s thesis with focus on urban planning. The thesis introduces the reader to the proposal for new local detailed plan and the reference plan for village center of Rekola, Vantaa and creates an alternative plan for the design area. The aim of the alternative plan is to use the land more efficiently while taking into consideration the defining features of the surrounding environment and to support the sense of community. The thesis is devided into four parts. First part covers topics that will affect the development of Rekola and the plan. The second part introduces the reader to Rekola, it’s history and development. The third part focuses on the design area, the process of the new local detailed plan and the related survey conducted by city of Vantaa. The alternative plan for the area forms the fourth part of the thesis. Conclusions made during the design process are presented at the end. The basis for the plan was conserving the existing buildings and the overall look of Rekola. The urban fabric of the design area has been supplemented with low-rise, high-density housing. The social encounters between habitants has been increased, which is the starting point for the formation of communal spirit

Characterization of surface films that develop on pre-oxidized copper in anoxic simulated groundwater with sulphide

Surface films formed on pre-oxidized copper in anoxic simulated groundwater with sulphide were characterized by field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), open circuit potential (OCP) measurements, and via analysing the water chemistry and weight changes in the specimens. Additionally, films developed under identical conditions on pre-oxidized and ground copper specimens were characterized by glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). The results revealed that the sulphide content in the groundwater significantly influences the morphology, composition and thickness of the surface film. The build-up of Cu2S was evidenced at the sulphide contents of 32 mg/L and 320 mg/L. GDOES depth profiling revealed that sulphur and oxygen coexisted in the film all through its thickness, yet the surface was essentially rich in sulphur. The results from characterization are presented in detail in this paper and discussed from the perspective of capabilities of the used methods

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, collagen scaffold and BMP-2 for rat spinal fusio

The use of autograft for posterolateral spinal fusion, continue being considered the gold standard for the treatment of spine pathologies. However, due to complications such as donor site morbidity, increased operating time, and limited supply, the use of allograft has become an acceptable practice especially in multisegment arthrodesis or in patients with previous graft harvests. Since their use involves the risk of immune response or disease transmission and fusion rates are not as good as with autogenous bone, a variety of bone graft substitutes are being studied to obtain a better alternative. Osteoinductive growth factors, which initiate the molecular cascade of bone formation and play a key role in the development and regeneration of the skeletal system, have been shown to be effective in numerous animal studies. These molecules must be used in combination with a biomaterial to avoid their dispersion from the application site. On the other hand, it is well known that cultured bone marrow cells, harvested from adult bone marrow, may contribute to the regeneration of bone. Thus, hybrid constructs can be used as alternatives to autologous and allogenic grafts. In this study, we have evaluated different combination of cultured bone marrow cells with recombinant human osteoinductive growth factors, all of them in combination with a natural polimeric carrier, for the promotion of posterolateral spinal fusion in rats. Supported by grants from the Red de Terapia Celular (RD12/0019/0032), Spanish Government BIO2012-34960, and the Andalusian Government (P11-CVI 07245).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Coronavirus Papain-like Proteases Negatively Regulate Antiviral Innate Immune Response through Disruption of STING-Mediated Signaling

Viruses have evolved elaborate mechanisms to evade or inactivate the complex system of sensors and signaling molecules that make up the host innate immune response. Here we show that human coronavirus (HCoV) NL63 and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) CoV papain-like proteases (PLP) antagonize innate immune signaling mediated by STING (stimulator of interferon genes, also known as MITA/ERIS/MYPS). STING resides in the endoplasmic reticulum and upon activation, forms dimers which assemble with MAVS, TBK-1 and IKKε, leading to IRF-3 activation and subsequent induction of interferon (IFN). We found that expression of the membrane anchored PLP domain from human HCoV-NL63 (PLP2-TM) or SARS-CoV (PLpro-TM) inhibits STING-mediated activation of IRF-3 nuclear translocation and induction of IRF-3 dependent promoters. Both catalytically active and inactive forms of CoV PLPs co-immunoprecipitated with STING, and viral replicase proteins co-localize with STING in HCoV-NL63-infected cells. Ectopic expression of catalytically active PLP2-TM blocks STING dimer formation and negatively regulates assembly of STING-MAVS-TBK1/IKKε complexes required for activation of IRF-3. STING dimerization was also substantially reduced in cells infected with SARS-CoV. Furthermore, the level of ubiquitinated forms of STING, RIG-I, TBK1 and IRF-3 are reduced in cells expressing wild type or catalytic mutants of PLP2-TM, likely contributing to disruption of signaling required for IFN induction. These results describe a new mechanism used by CoVs in which CoV PLPs negatively regulate antiviral defenses by disrupting the STING-mediated IFN induction

Genome-Wide Analysis of Protein-Protein Interactions and Involvement of Viral Proteins in SARS-CoV Replication

Analyses of viral protein-protein interactions are an important step to understand viral protein functions and their underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, we adopted a mammalian two-hybrid system to screen the genome-wide intraviral protein-protein interactions of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and therefrom revealed a number of novel interactions which could be partly confirmed by in vitro biochemical assays. Three pairs of the interactions identified were detected in both directions: non-structural protein (nsp) 10 and nsp14, nsp10 and nsp16, and nsp7 and nsp8. The interactions between the multifunctional nsp10 and nsp14 or nsp16, which are the unique proteins found in the members of Nidovirales with large RNA genomes including coronaviruses and toroviruses, may have important implication for the mechanisms of replication/transcription complex assembly and functions of these viruses. Using a SARS-CoV replicon expressing a luciferase reporter under the control of a transcription regulating sequence, it has been shown that several viral proteins (N, X and SUD domains of nsp3, and nsp12) provided in trans stimulated the replicon reporter activity, indicating that these proteins may regulate coronavirus replication and transcription. Collectively, our findings provide a basis and platform for further characterization of the functions and mechanisms of coronavirus proteins

The SARS-Unique Domain (SUD) of SARS Coronavirus Contains Two Macrodomains That Bind G-Quadruplexes

Since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, the three-dimensional structures of several of the replicase/transcriptase components of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the non-structural proteins (Nsps), have been determined. However, within the large Nsp3 (1922 amino-acid residues), the structure and function of the so-called SARS-unique domain (SUD) have remained elusive. SUD occurs only in SARS-CoV and the highly related viruses found in certain bats, but is absent from all other coronaviruses. Therefore, it has been speculated that it may be involved in the extreme pathogenicity of SARS-CoV, compared to other coronaviruses, most of which cause only mild infections in humans. In order to help elucidate the function of the SUD, we have determined crystal structures of fragment 389–652 (“SUDcore”) of Nsp3, which comprises 264 of the 338 residues of the domain. Both the monoclinic and triclinic crystal forms (2.2 and 2.8 Å resolution, respectively) revealed that SUDcore forms a homodimer. Each monomer consists of two subdomains, SUD-N and SUD-M, with a macrodomain fold similar to the SARS-CoV X-domain. However, in contrast to the latter, SUD fails to bind ADP-ribose, as determined by zone-interference gel electrophoresis. Instead, the entire SUDcore as well as its individual subdomains interact with oligonucleotides known to form G-quadruplexes. This includes oligodeoxy- as well as oligoribonucleotides. Mutations of selected lysine residues on the surface of the SUD-N subdomain lead to reduction of G-quadruplex binding, whereas mutations in the SUD-M subdomain abolish it. As there is no evidence for Nsp3 entering the nucleus of the host cell, the SARS-CoV genomic RNA or host-cell mRNA containing long G-stretches may be targets of SUD. The SARS-CoV genome is devoid of G-stretches longer than 5–6 nucleotides, but more extended G-stretches are found in the 3′-nontranslated regions of mRNAs coding for certain host-cell proteins involved in apoptosis or signal transduction, and have been shown to bind to SUD in vitro. Therefore, SUD may be involved in controlling the host cell's response to the viral infection. Possible interference with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-like domains is also discussed

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules (THYCOVID): a retrospective, international, multicentre, cross-sectional study

Background Since its outbreak in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has diverted resources from non-urgent and elective procedures, leading to diagnosis and treatment delays, with an increased number of neoplasms at advanced stages worldwide. The aims of this study were to quantify the reduction in surgical activity for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the COVID-19 pandemic; and to evaluate whether delays in surgery led to an increased occurrence of aggressive tumours.Methods In this retrospective, international, cross-sectional study, centres were invited to participate in June 22, 2022; each centre joining the study was asked to provide data from medical records on all surgical thyroidectomies consecutively performed from Jan 1, 2019, to Dec 31, 2021. Patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules were divided into three groups according to when they underwent surgery: from Jan 1, 2019, to Feb 29, 2020 (global prepandemic phase), from March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021 (pandemic escalation phase), and from June 1 to Dec 31, 2021 (pandemic decrease phase). The main outcomes were, for each phase, the number of surgeries for indeterminate thyroid nodules, and in patients with a postoperative diagnosis of thyroid cancers, the occurrence of tumours larger than 10 mm, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastases, vascular invasion, distant metastases, and tumours at high risk of structural disease recurrence. Univariate analysis was used to compare the probability of aggressive thyroid features between the first and third study phases. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05178186.Findings Data from 157 centres (n=49 countries) on 87 467 patients who underwent surgery for benign and malignant thyroid disease were collected, of whom 22 974 patients (18 052 [78 center dot 6%] female patients and 4922 [21 center dot 4%] male patients) received surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules. We observed a significant reduction in surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the pandemic escalation phase (median monthly surgeries per centre, 1 center dot 4 [IQR 0 center dot 6-3 center dot 4]) compared with the prepandemic phase (2 center dot 0 [0 center dot 9-3 center dot 7]; p<0 center dot 0001) and pandemic decrease phase (2 center dot 3 [1 center dot 0-5 center dot 0]; p<0 center dot 0001). Compared with the prepandemic phase, in the pandemic decrease phase we observed an increased occurrence of thyroid tumours larger than 10 mm (2554 [69 center dot 0%] of 3704 vs 1515 [71 center dot 5%] of 2119; OR 1 center dot 1 [95% CI 1 center dot 0-1 center dot 3]; p=0 center dot 042), lymph node metastases (343 [9 center dot 3%] vs 264 [12 center dot 5%]; OR 1 center dot 4 [1 center dot 2-1 center dot 7]; p=0 center dot 0001), and tumours at high risk of structural disease recurrence (203 [5 center dot 7%] of 3584 vs 155 [7 center dot 7%] of 2006; OR 1 center dot 4 [1 center dot 1-1 center dot 7]; p=0 center dot 0039).Interpretation Our study suggests that the reduction in surgical activity for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the COVID-19 pandemic period could have led to an increased occurrence of aggressive thyroid tumours. However, other compelling hypotheses, including increased selection of patients with aggressive malignancies during this period, should be considered. We suggest that surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules should no longer be postponed even in future instances of pandemic escalation.Funding None.Copyright (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Migration-related detention centers : The challenges of an ecological perspective with a focus on justice

Background: In recent years, border control and migration-related detention have become increasingly widespread practices affecting the lives of undocumented migrants, their families, and communities at large. In spite of the concern within academia, few studies have directly witnessed the life and experiences of people confined to migration-related detention centers. In the medical and psychological fields, a considerable body of research has demonstrated the pathogenic nature of detention in terms of mental health, showing an association between length of detention and severity of distress. Nevertheless, it was limited to the assessment of individuals’ clinical consequences, mainly focusing on asylum seekers. There currently exists a need to adopt an ecological perspective from which to study detained migrants’ experiences as context-dependent, and influenced by power inequalities. This paper addresses this gap. Discussion: Drawing upon advances in community psychology, we illustrate an ecological framework for the study of migration-related detention contexts, and their effects on the lives of detained migrants and all people exposed to them. Making use of existing literature, Kelly’s four principles (interdependence, cycling of resources, adaptation, succession) are analyzed at multiple ecological levels (personal, interpersonal, organizational, communal), highlighting implications for future research in this field. A focus on justice, as a key-dimension of analysis, is also discussed. Wellbeing is acknowledged as a multilevel, dynamic, and value-dependent phenomenon. Summary: In presenting this alternative framework, the potential for studying migration-related detention through an ecological lens is highlighted, pointing the way for future fields of study. We argue that ecological multilevel analyses, conceptualized in terms of interdependent systems and with a focus on justice, can enhance the comprehension of the dynamics at play in migration-related detention centers, providing an effective tool to address the multi-level challenges of doing research within them. Furthermore, they can contribute to the development of policies and practices concerned with health, equality, and human rights of all people exposed to migration-related detention. Consistent with these assumptions, empirical studies adopting such a framework are strongly encouraged. These studies should use mixed and multi-method culturally situated designs, based on the development of collaborative and empowering relationships with participants. Ethnographic approaches are recommended.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT

Effect of Multiple Impacts on the Deformation of Wear-Resistant Steels

Funder: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100005192Abstract: The effect of the relative timing between pairs of same-polarity monophasic pulses has been studied extensively in single-neuron animal studies and has revealed fundamental properties of the neurons. For human cochlear implant listeners, the requirement to use charge-balanced stimulation and the typical use of symmetric, biphasic pulses limits such measures, because currents of opposite polarities interact at the level of the neural membrane. Here, we propose a paradigm to study same-polarity summation of currents while keeping the stimulation charge-balanced within a short time window. We used pairs of mirrored pseudo-monophasic pulses (a long-low phase followed by a short-high phase for the first pulse and a short-high phase followed by a long-low phase for the second pulse). We assumed that most of the excitation would stem from the two adjacent short-high phases, which had the same polarity. The inter-pulse interval between the short-high phases was varied from 0 to 345 μs. The inter-pulse interval had a significant effect on the perceived loudness, and this effect was consistent with both passive (membrane-related) and active (ion-channel-related) neuronal mechanisms contributing to facilitation. Furthermore, the effect of interval interacted with the polarity of the pulse pairs. At threshold, there was an effect of polarity, but, surprisingly, no effect of interval nor an interaction between the two factors. We discuss possible peripheral origins of these results