Personal and academic narratives of exiled and displaced scholars

Peer reviewe

Maahanmuuton turvallistamisen vaikutukset turvapaikkaoikeuteen Euroopan unionissa : tieteidenvälinen oikeusanalyysi

In this doctoral dissertation, I study the tense relationship between the obligations to protect human rights of immigrants, on the one hand, and the need to safeguard the internal security of the European Union (EU), on the other. Although a considerable amount of research is available on the link between immigration and security, there is a clear lack of understanding of what this tension actually means for the right to seek asylum in the EU as a fundamental right. The aim is thus to fill this knowledge gap by analysing the possible impacts of EU security narratives on the human rights discourse, particularly on the right to seek asylum as a fundamental right protected under Article 18 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Being a fundamental right implies that there is an inviolable essence that may not be limited or balanced against in anyway – even if the security concerns of the EU or its Member States are allegedly at stake. The inviolable essence of the right to seek asylum includes two core elements: (1) that asylum seekers should be allowed to enter the territory of the EU in order to submit claims for asylum; and (2) that they should not be returned to places where their lives are clearly at risk (the principle of non-refoulement). However, portraying immigrants, especially those arriving from the Global South, as potential threats to EU internal security and the national security of its Member States, has led to restrictive immigration policies and practices, which affect the inviolable essence of this right. Accordingly, the main research question addressed here is what the implications are of the securitisation of immigration in the EU upon the right to seek asylum as a fundamental right. Studying the concept of security and its different aspects lies beyond the field of jurisprudence. Therefore, to answer the main research question, an interdisciplinary approach combining the methods of law and social sciences is to be adopted. To be precise, the method applied here is critical discourse analysis – an analytical tool available to both critical legal studies and critical security studies. To address the possible results of securitising immigration on the right to seek asylum as a fundamental right in the EU, I critically analyse the practices of EU Member States, the content of EU laws, and the jurisprudences of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights in relevant immigration cases. In conclusion, I show that the official narrative of fear, anxiety, and emergency – that immigration poses existential threats to EU internal security and the national security of its Member States – is eroding the status of the right to seek asylum to less than that of a fundamental right. The significance of the findings of this research is that if the right to seek asylum is to remain a real and effective right, rather than only a theoretical or illusionary one, we should take this right seriously by protecting its essence.Väitöskirjassani tutkin, mikä on pakolaisten ihmisoikeuksien suojan ja Euroopan unionin (EU) alueellisen turvallisuuden suhde. Aiheesta on olemassa lukuisia tutkimuksia, mutta missään niistä ei keskitytä tarkastelemaan, miten näiden välinen jännite vaikuttaa turvapaikkaoikeuteen EU:n takaamana perusoikeutena. Koska oikeus turvapaikkaan on taattu EU:n perusoikeuskirjan 18 artiklassa, sillä voidaan katsoa olevan loukkaamaton ydinalue, jota ei voida rajoittaa mahdollisten turvallisuussyiden perusteellakaan. Turvapaikkaoikeuden ydinalueeseen kuuluu ensinnäkin se, että turvapaikanhakijoiden tulee olla mahdollista saapua EU:n alueelle hakemustensa jättämiseksi. Toiseksi turvapaikanhakijoita ei tule palauttaa paikkoihin, joissa heitä uhkaisi hengenvaara (palautuskiellon periaate, non-refoulement). Etenkin globaalista etelästä EU-maihin saapuvia turvapaikanhakijoita on kuitenkin enenevässä määrin luokiteltu turvallisuusriskiksi, joka on johtanut kumpaakin ydinalueen osatekijää rajoittaviin käytäntöihin. Keskeinen tutkimuskysymykseni on, miten maahanmuuton turvallistaminen (securitisation) EU:ssa vaikuttaa perusoikeutena turvattuun oikeuteen hakea turvapaikkaa. Turvallistamisen käsite on lähtöisin yhteiskuntatieteestä eikä sitä voi tarkastella pelkästään oikeustieteen menetelmin. Tutkimusmetodini on siten tieteidenvälinen. Esimerkiksi käyttämääni kriittistä diskurssianalyysia, hyödynnetään sekä oikeustutkimuksessa ja turvallisuustutkimuksessa. Maahanmuuton turvallistamisen perusoikeusvaikutusten selvittämiseksi analysoin EU:n jäsenmaiden käytäntöjä ja unionin lainsäädäntöä yhdessä keskeisten EU:n tuomioistuimen ja Euroopan ihmisoikeustuomioistuimen ratkaisujen kanssa. Osoitan väitöskirjassani, että EU:n virallislähteissä turvapaikanhakijoihin liitetään usein pelon, ahdistuksen ja hätätilan narratiiveja. Turvapaikanhakijoiden pitäminen uhkana EU:n ja sen jäsenmaiden sisäiselle turvallisuudelle heikentää turvapaikkaoikeuden asemaa perusoikeutena. Jotta oikeus turvapaikkaan säilyisi tehokkaana eikä muuttuisi pelkästään teoreettiseksi, se tulisi ottaa vakavammin ja suojata tehokkaasti sen ydinalueen osatekijöitä

Human Sensorial Exploration in Designing a Comfortable Patient Room

Some researchers have addressed what home means in architectural terms to human beings, and some others have investigated comfort and homeyness in relation to patients. Also, many studies, and on top of them Pallasmaa’s theory about the architecture of senses, have shown the importance of considering all human five senses in the design of a built environment and its positive effect on people’s sense of well-being. However, there has been no scientific evidence supporting the relationship between human senses and designing homely healthcare spaces which can result in the development of healing environments. So, this research investigates the comfort and homely design factors for patient rooms and their relationship to the five human senses in order to create multisensorial experiences. Also, this project aims to raise awareness among healthcare designers, caregivers, and patients in terms of the importance and role of considering all human senses in order to create comfortable and homely atmospheres in hospital rooms. The current study is analytical and theoretical using qualitative research. Discourse analysis is conducted to find and evaluate the design recommendations based on sensorial qualities. Through the research-creation process, the current images of a cancer ward room in Montreal are analyzed. The final creation of this project is a webpage to reveal sensorial design recommendations as an information mechanism. The research-creation project has a didactic approach and tries to teach different design recommendations for a patient room and their sensorial aspects by interacting with the analyzed hospital room images using a website

The Supervision of Legality by the Finnish Parliamentary Ombudsman during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article studies the supervisory role of the Finnish Parliamentary Ombudsman during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A major legal problem during emergencies is that respect for the rule of law tends to get lost in the midst of rapid decision-making procedures. Therefore, in addition to the parliamentary control and the judicial review of courts, the Ombudsman finds a complementary position in supervising the legality of public actions during emergencies. The annual report of the Finnish Parliamentary Ombudsman shows that 931 complaints arrived this Office in 2020, concerning issues on the COVID-19 pandemic. These cases have tested public actions against the Finnish Constitution and other laws during the pandemic. To analyse the legal supervisory role of the Ombudsman during this period, we have selected three themes including restrictions on the freedom of movement, imposing visit bans on care centres, and limiting business activities. This analysis exposes the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic as a societal syndemic, meaning that although the health-related aspect of this crisis prevailed initially, the use of public power may not only endanger the principle of legality, but also cause societal, economic, and political changes, which may last for years after the crisis.</p

Wet-electrospun PCL/PLLA Blend Scaffolds: Effects of Versatile Coagulation Baths on Physicochemical and Biological Properties of the Scaffolds

Introduction: High surface/volume ratio and 3-dimensionality of nanofibers increases cell-scaffold interactions and promote migration and proliferation of cells. Wet electrospinning is a variant of electrospinning technology that is utilized to produce nanofibrous scaffolds. Altering the parameters governing the wet electrospinning process such as applied voltage, polymer concentration, composition and depth of the coagulation bath, and tip to bath distance can affect the morphology of the produced scaffolds. In this study, the influence of various coagulation baths on the physicochemical properties of the wet-electrospun nanofibers was investigated. Materials and Methods: Poly (ε-caprolactone)/Poly (L-lactic) acid 15% (w/v) blends under an applied voltage of 15 kV, and a tip-to-bath distance of 10 cm. were used to prepare fibrous scaffolds via wet-electrospinning technique into aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) (pH~13), distilled water, ethanol, water/ethanol (3:7) (v/v) and water/ethanol/methanol (6:2:2) (v/v). The final products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), liquid displacement technique, contact angle measurement, compressive and tensile tests. As well as, cell adhesion and cell viability through human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) cell culture. Results: Wet-electrospun fibers, except in the almost fully beaded structure of water/ethanol (3:7) (v/v) specimen exhibited random, dispersive and non-woven morphology under SEM observation. The coagulation bath composition significantly influenced on porosity, wettability, mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the scaffolds. The porosity measurement via liquid displacement method showed that except for the specimen in which the blend was spun into NaOH, other scaffolds could not meet the accepted ideal porosity percentage of above 80%. According to the contact angle measurement data, it was expected that all scaffolds experience low cellular attachment and proliferation. Conversely, in vitro hADSCs culture demonstrated that the scaffolds presented a non-toxic environment and enhanced cell proliferation and attachment. Conclusion: The data indicated that the scaffold spun into NaOH was the best candidate among other specimens to culture hADSCs

The Effect of Different Stabilizers on Stability of Horseradish Peroxidase- Bovine Serum Albumin-Aflatoxin B1, a Conjugated Tracer for Detection of Aflatoxin B1 in Immunoassay-Based Methods

Abstract Aflatoxins are a group of fungal toxic metabolites, which are contaminated certain food commodities. ELISA is one of the sensitive methods for detection of aflatoxins. Preparation and stabilizing of a proper conjugated tracer for detection of aflatoxins is probably the main step for designing an ELISA method. In current study, different stabilizers were applied to stabilize a newly prepared conjugated molecule, Horseradish peroxidase-Bovine serum albumin-Aflatoxin B1 (HRP-BSA-AFB1). Stabilizing effects of six different stabilizers were compared during 10 months verification at room temperature and 6 weeks verification at 37°C. Based on the results, it was concluded that trehalose-containing stabilizers especially those contain casein in their compositions show the best stabilizing effects on HRP-BSA-AFB1 conjugated tracer

Evaluation of acute and sub-chronic toxicity of Semelil (ANGIPARS�), a new phytotherapeutic drug for wound healing in rodents

Semelil (ANGIPARS�), an herbal formulation containing Melilotus officinalis extract, is a novel compound being developed for treatment of chronic wounds, particularly diabetic foot ulcers. The purpose of this study was to investigate toxicological, pharmacological, and pathomorphological effects of I.M. and I.P. administration of Semelil in animals. The acute toxicity parameters of Semelil diluted in normal saline (1:10 or 1:5) were determined after a single injection into BALB/c mice and Wistar rats in two steps. First, the LD50 was approximately assessed and then the precise lethal dose indices were estimated by the probit-analysis method. Specific single-dose effects of Semelil were monitored for clinical signs of toxicity, including general state of the animals, changes in their behavior, hematological and biochemical parameters for 14 days after drug administration. Then, subacute-chronic toxicity was evaluated in rats treated with Semelil for 3 months. In acute toxicity study, the calculated LD50 for drug diluted at 1:5 was in the range of 44-52 ml/kg. The adverse effects at drug doses close to the LD50 included depressed mood, narcosis, and sleep. No adverse pharmacological or toxicological effects of the drug diluted at 1:10 and administered in the single-dose (25-50 ml/kg body wt.) or chronically (daily doses of 0.07 and 0.21 ml/kg body wt.) were noted. Thus, the animal studies demonstrated a favorable safety profile for the phytotherapeutic Semelil

Sub-chronic toxicity study of a novel herbal-based formulation (Semelil) on dogs

Semelil (ANGIPARS�), a novel herbal-based compound containing extract of Melilotus officinalis, was formulated for treatment of chronic wounds, especially diabetic foot ulcer. The purpose of this study was to investigate safety and toxicity effects of intramuscular administration of Semelil in dogs. Preliminary one-month study with Semelil was performed on 8 male and female dogs divided into 2 groups, test and control, four animals each. Semelil was administered intramuscularlyat a dose of 0.07 ml/kg body wt. once a day to the animals of the test group, while the control group received sterile saline. During experiments, general state of the animals including the dynamics of body weight changes, appetite, motor activity and behavior, hair condition, ECG parameters, rectal temperature of animals and data of hematological and biochemical tests were monitored for signs of toxicity and side-effects. Finally, morphology and histology analyses were performed using standard methods. No adverse health or toxicity effects were observed through the course of the study. No damaging consequences of Semelil injections on the functional state of main organs of the experimental animals were found. This observation gave a good evidence of a favorable safety profile compatible with potential therapeutic use of Semelil

A basic fibroblast growth factor slow‐release system combined to a biodegradable nerve conduit improves endothelial cell and Schwann cell proliferation: A preliminary study in a rat model

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146569/1/micr30387.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146569/2/micr30387_am.pd