The regional and sectoral mobility of high-tech workers:insights from Finland

In this paper we employ data on 156,000 workers working within the Finnish high-tech industries in order to identify the extent to which labour mobility between sectors and regions is influenced by the characteristics of the locality in which the worker works. With these data we are able to estimate different types of binary, multinomial and ordered logit models to capture different types of inter- or intra-sector or region employment mobility. As we will see the different categories of employment mobility are influenced by different factors such that we cannot simply talk about 'labour mobility', but rather need to be specific regarding each particular form of employment mobility. Our results show that urbanisation and industrial diversity are not just associated with greater intra-regional mobility, as is emphasised by the agglomeration literature, but also greater inter-regional mobility

Cholesterol lowering efficacy of plant stanol ester in a new type of product matrix, a chewable dietary supplement

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering efficacy of a new type of chewable plant stanol ester food supplement was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, controlled four-week intervention. The participants (LDL cholesterol > 3 mmol/L) consumed four supplements daily with meals either with (n = 50) or without (n = 53) plant stanol esters. Plant stanol ester supplement (2 g/d plant stanols) lowered LDL cholesterol by 7.6%, serum cholesterol by 4.9%, and non-high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol by 6.6% compared with controls (P <0.003). HDL cholesterol or serum triacylglycerol concentrations were unchanged. The taste of the supplement was considered good/very good by 68% of the responders, and convenience to consume it was considered easy/very easy by 78% of the responders. No side effects were reported. In conclusion, this new type of small-volume chewable plant stanol ester supplement lowered LDL cholesterol concentration in hypercholesterolemic subjects providing a convenient dietary tool to regulate circulating cholesterol levels. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Serum non-cholesterol sterols and cholesterol metabolism in childhood and adolescence

Background and aims: The profile of cholesterol metabolism, i.e., high absorption vs. high synthesis, may have a role in the development of atherosclerosis, the early lesions of which can be present already in childhood. Since there is no information on cholesterol metabolism in children from birth to adolescence, we evaluated cholesterol metabolism in 0-15 year-old children and adolescents without dyslipidemia. Methods: The study population consisted of 96 children (39 girls, 57 boys) divided into age groups Results: Serum non-cholesterol sterol ratios to cholesterol did not differ between gender. Cholesterol precursors squalene, cholestenol, and desmosterol were higher in the Conclusions: Serum non-cholesterol sterols had different individual profiles by age in childhood and adolescence. From 1 to 10 years of age, cholesterol absorption prevailed cholesterol synthesis. This novel finding emphasizes the importance of dietary aspects related to cardiovascular risk even from early childhood.Peer reviewe

Atmospheric relative concentrations in building wakes

This report documents the ARCON96 computer code developed for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation for potential use in control room habitability assessments. It includes a user`s guide to the code, a description of the technical basis for the code, and a programmer`s guide to the code. The ARCON96 code uses hourly meteorological data and recently developed methods for estimating dispersion in the vicinity of buildings to calculate relative concentrations at control room air intakes that would be exceeded no more than five percent of the time. The concentrations are calculated for averaging periods ranging from one hour to 30 days in duration. ARCON96 is a revised version of ARCON95, which was developed for the NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. Changes in the code permit users to simulate releases from area sources as well as point sources. The method of averaging concentrations for periods longer than 2 hours has also been changed. The change in averaging procedures increases relative concentrations for these averaging periods. In general, the increase in concentrations is less than a factor of two. The increase is greatest for relatively short averaging periods, for example 0 to 8 hours and diminishes as the duration of the averaging period increases

Tieto- ja viestintäteknologia ja toiminnallisuus alakoulussa

Tiivistelmä. Tutkielman tavoitteena oli syventyä kirjallisuuskatsauksen keinoin toiminnalliseen oppimiseen, sen hyötyihin ja haittoihin sekä tieto- ja viestintäteknologian käyttöön alakoulussa. Tutkielmassa tarkasteltiin mobiililaitteiden käyttöä ja tvt-taitoja alakoulun opettajilla ja oppilailla. Lisäksi tarkoituksena oli tutkia, miten toiminnallisia oppimismenetelmiä voitaisiin tukea tieto- ja viestintäteknologian keinoin. Erityisesti tutkielmassa haluttiin selvittää mahdollisia erilaisia sovelluksia, joiden avulla toiminnallista oppimista voisi tukea alakoulussa. Tutkielmassa kävi ilmi, että tieto- ja viestintäteknologialla on merkittävä asema nykypäivän alakoulussa, ja sen käyttäminen on jossain määrin jopa välttämätöntä. Tvt:n tarjoamat mahdollisuudet lisääntyvät jatkuvasti uusien tekniikoiden ja sovellusten myötä. Monet oppimateriaalien valmistajat tarjoavat yhä enemmän materiaalia digitaalisessa muodossa verkossa. Mobiililaitteille on saatavilla erilaisia digitaalisia sovelluksia, joita voi käyttää oppimisen toiminnallistamiseen ja oppilaiden aktivoimiseen koulupäivän aikana. Toiminnallisuuden merkitys opetuksessa kasvoi ja korostuu edelleen etenkin vuoden 2014 opetussuunnitelman perusteiden myötä. Toiminnallisuuden hyödyt liikunnan ja liikkumisen näkökulmasta näyttävät kiistattomilta, vaikka oppimisen kannalta tutkimusten tulokset olivat osin epäselviä. Toiminnallista oppimista on syytä tutkia edelleen myös oppimisen näkökulmasta, koska osa tähänastisista tutkimuksista on ristiriidassa. Tieto- ja viestintäteknologia on nykyään jo välttämätön osa alakoulun arkea ja opetusta, jolloin sen tarjoamia hyötyjä opetukseen ja oppimiseen kannattaa tutkia ja kehittää edelleen. Jatkossa tutkimuksissa kannattaa huomioida yhä enemmän erilaiset digitaaliset sovellukset, joilla oppimista voidaan monipuolistaa ja tehostaa

Luokanopettajien kokemuksia ja näkemyksiä tieto- ja viestintäteknologian käytöstä toiminnallisessa oppimisessa

Tiivistelmä. Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tarkoituksena oli saada lisää tietoa digitaalisten sovellusten hyödyntämisestä toiminnallisessa oppimisessa. Tutkimuksella haluttiin selvittää alakoulun opettajien käsityksiä digisovelluksia hyödyntävistä opetusmenetelmistä. Lisäksi haluttiin saada käytännöllisiä esimerkkejä digisovellusten käyttämiseen toiminnallisuuden lisäämiseksi alakoulun oppitunneille kaikkien opettajien ja koulujen tietoisuuteen ja käyttöön. Tutkimus on osa Oulun yliopiston Oppimista liikkumalla -hanketta, jolla pyritään edistämään oppimista ja hyvinvointia opetukseen integroidun liikunnan ja istumisen tauottamisen avulla. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin Oulussa helmikuussa 2019 Oppimasta liikkumalla -hankkeessa toteutetussa täydennyskoulutustapahtumassa. Tutkittava joukko koostui alakoulun opettajista (n=25) vuosiluokilta 0–6. Tutkimusaineisto koostui yhdeksästä nauhoitetusta pienryhmäkeskustelusta, jotka analysoitiin aineistolähtöistä sisällönanalyysiä hyödyntäen. Aineiston analyysi osoitti perusopetuksessa toimivien luokanopettajien käyttävän opetuksessaan jonkin verran toiminnallista oppimista tukevia digisovelluksia. Opettajat kokivat digisovellukset hyödyllisiksi fyysisen aktiivisuuden, innostuneisuuden ja työskentelymotivaation lisäämisessä. Suurin hyöty digisovelluksista koettiin istumisen tauottamisessa. Myös erilaisten sovellusten käytön helppous ja nopeus koettiin hyödyksi etenkin järjestettäessä jaksamista ja motivaatiota lisäävää taukoliikuntaa opiskelun lomaan. Digitaalisten sovellusten suurimpana haasteena opettajat mainitsivat oppilaiden keskittymisvaikeudet sovellusten käytön aikana sekä oppilaiden herkkyyden tehdä tietoteknisillä laitteilla jotakin muuta kuin opetukseen tarkoitettua asiaa. Myös tekniset ongelmat, resurssien puute kouluissa ja ajan puute oppitunneilla olivat opettajien mukaan haasteita digitaalisten sovellusten käytössä. Tutkimus osoitti, että sovellusten ja teknologian käyttöön oppituntien aikana vaikuttaa monet asiat, kuten opettajan taidot ja tottumukset, opetustilat, koulun resurssit, käytettävissä oleva aika sekä opetettava luokka. Opettajien suhtautumisessa teknologiaan ilmenee jonkin verran kahtiajakautumista. Osa opettajista käyttää mielellään teknologiaa ja uskoo siitä olevan hyötyä oppimiselle, kun taas toiset suhtautuvat epäluuloisesti tai varauksella teknologian käyttöön. Teknologiset sovellukset näyttävät joka tapauksessa tulleen jossain määrin osaksi opettajien arkea, vaikka ne eivät olekaan syrjäyttämässä perinteisiä opetusmenetelmiä

Amiodarone disrupts cholesterol biosynthesis pathway and causes accumulation of circulating desmosterol by inhibiting 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase

Background We have earlier reported that amiodarone, a potent and commonly used antiarrhythmic drug increases serum desmosterol, the last precursor of cholesterol, in 20 cardiac patients by an unknown mechanism. Objective Here, we extended our study to a large number of cardiac patients of heterogeneous diagnoses, evaluated the effects of combining amiodarone and statins (inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis at the rate-limiting step of hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl CoA reductase) on desmosterol levels and investigated the mechanism(s) by which amiodarone interferes with the metabolism of desmosterol using in vitro studies. Methods and Results We report in a clinical case-control setting of 236 cardiac patients (126 with and 110 without amiodarone treatment) that amiodarone medication is accompanied by a robust increase in serum desmosterol levels independently of gender, age, body mass index, cardiac and other diseases, and the use of statins. Lipid analyses in patient samples taken before and after initiation of amiodarone therapy showed a systematic increase of desmosterol upon drug administration, strongly arguing for a direct causal link between amiodarone and desmosterol accumulation. Mechanistically, we found that amiodarone resulted in desmosterol accumulation in cultured human cells and that the compound directly inhibited the 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR24) enzyme activity. Conclusion These novel findings demonstrate that amiodarone blocks the cholesterol synthesis pathway by inhibiting DHCR24, causing a robust accumulation of cellular desmosterol in cells and in the sera of amiodarone-treated patients. It is conceivable that the antiarrhythmic potential and side effects of amiodarone may in part result from inhibition of the cholesterol synthesis pathway.Peer reviewe

Fabrication Flaw Density and Distribution In Repairs to Reactor Pressure Vessel and Piping Welds

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is developing a generalized fabrication flaw distribution for the population of nuclear reactor pressure vessels and for piping welds in U.S. operating reactors. The purpose of the generalized flaw distribution is to predict component-specific flaw densities. The estimates of fabrication flaws are intended for use in fracture mechanics structural integrity assessments. Structural integrity assessments, such as estimating the frequency of loss-of-coolant accidents, are performed by computer codes that require, as input, accurate estimates of flaw densities. Welds from four different reactor pressure vessels and a collection of archived pipes have been studied to develop empirical estimates of fabrication flaw densities. This report describes the fabrication flaw distribution and characterization in the repair weld metal of vessels and piping. This work indicates that large flaws occur in these repairs. These results show that repair flaws are complex in composition and sometimes include cracks on the ends of the repair cavities. Parametric analysis using an exponential fit is performed on the data. The relevance of construction records is established for describing fabrication processes and product forms. An analysis of these records shows there was a significant change in repair frequency over the years when these components were fabricated. A description of repair flaw morphology is provided with a discussion of fracture mechanics significance. Fabrication flaws in repairs are characterized using optimized-access, high-sensitivity nondestructive ultrasonic testing. Flaw characterizations are then validated by other nondestructive evaluation techniques and complemented by destructive testing

Genetic polymorphism of sterol transporters in children with future gallstones

Background & aims: Gallstone disease is related to hypersecretion of cholesterol in bile, and low serum phytosterol levels. We examined how genetic polymorphisms of sterol transporters affect childhood cholesterol metabolism trait predicting adult gallstone disease. Patients and methods: In retrospective controlled study, we determined D19H polymorphism of ABCG8 gene, genetic variation at Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) gene locus (rs41279633, rs17655652, rs2072183, rs217434 and rs2073548), and serum cholesterol, noncholesterol sterols and lipids in children affected by gallstones decades later (n = 66) and controls (n = 126). Results: In childhood, phytosterols were lower (9.7%-23.4%) in carriers of risk allele 19H compared to 19D homozygotes. Lowest campesterol/cholesterol tertile consisted of 1.9-times more future gallstone subjects, and 3.7-times more 19H carriers than highest one. Campesterol/cholesterol-ratio was highest in 19D homozygote controls, but similar to 11% lower in gallstone 19D homozygotes and similar to 25% lower among gallstone and control carriers of 19H. Gallstone subjects with alleles CC of rs41279633 and TT of rs217434 of NPC1L1 had similar to 18% lower campesterol/cholesterol-ratio compared to mutation carriers. Conclusions: Risk trait of cholesterol metabolism (low phytosterols) in childhood favouring cholesterol gallstone disease later in adulthood is influenced by risk variant 19H of ABCG8 and obviously also other factors. NPC1L1 variants have minor influence on noncholesterol sterols. (c) 2018 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Serum noncholesterol sterols in Alzheimer's disease : the Helsinki Businessmen Study

Cerebral cholesterol metabolism is perturbed in late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), but whether also the extracerebral cholesterol metabolism is perturbed is not known. Thus, we studied whole-body cholesterol synthesis and absorption with serum noncholesterol sterols in men without AD (n = 114) or with (n = 18) "pure" AD (no concomitant atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) in a long-term cohort (the Helsinki Businessmen Study) of home-dwelling older men without lipid-lowering drugs and on their habitual home diet. Serum lipids did not differ between AD and controls, but age was higher (78 +/- 1 vs 74 +/- 0.3 years, mean f standard error, P <0.001), age-adjusted plasma glucose concentration was lower (4.8 +/- 0.3 vs 5.7 +/- 0.1 mmol/L, P= 0.011), and APOE epsilon 4 allele and frailty were more frequent in AD than in controls. Of the age and frailty-adjusted serum noncholesterol sterols desmosterol and lathosterol ratios to cholesterol reflecting cholesterol synthesis were lower in AD than in controls (eg, lathosterol 114 +/- 12 vs 137 +/- 5 10(2) mu mol/mmol cholesterol, P= 0.004). Cholestanol ratio to cholesterol was higher in AD than in controls suggesting increased cholesterol absorption. lathosterol/sitosteroll ratio reflecting cholesterol metabolism was lower in AD than in controls (0.95 +/- 0.28 vs 1.52 +/- 0.11 10(2) mu mol/mmol cholesterol, P = 0.027). In AD, plasma glucose correlated negatively with cholesterol synthesis, whereas in controls the correlation was positive. In conclusion, extracerebral cholesterol metabolism was altered in AD. This finding along with the low plasma glucose concentration and its paradoxical interaction with cholesterol synthesis opens new perspectives in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism and glucose homeostasis in AD.Peer reviewe