Työläisten miljoonaoptiot : miten Suomesta tuli pohjoismaisen mallin mukainen hyvinvointivaltio?

Kirja-arvostelu: Taistelu sosiaaliturvasta - ammattiyhdistysväen toiminta sosiaaliturvan puolesta 1957-1964 / Päivi Uljas. Helsinki, 2005

Uusiutuvan energian käytön kannattavuus viljankuivauksessa

Tässä opinnäytetyössä tutkittiin viljankuivauksen kannattavuutta kolmella erilaisella maatilalla, kun kuivauksessa käytettävä energia tuotetaan uusiutuvalla energialla. Toteutettu työ oli tapaustutkimus, jossa tarkasteltiin viljankuivauksen kannattavuutta, kun siirrytään käyttämään haketta polttoöljyn sijaan. Tutkimuksessa laadittiin kustannuslaskelmat erilaisille lämmöntuotanto vaihtoehdoille kahdelle maatilalle. Lämmöntuotanto vaihtoehtoina olivat ilmauuni- ,etu-uuni- , 500 kW:n ja 1 MW:n lämpökeskusratkaisut. Lisäksi tässä opinnäytetyössä tarkasteltiin lisälämmön käytön kannattavuutta kylmäilmakuivurissa. Lähtötilanteen eri vaihtoehtojen kannattavuutta tarkasteltiin herkkyysanalyysien avulla, joissa tutkittiin kuivattavan viljamäärän, polttoöljyn hinnan ja poiston vaikutusta investointien kannattavuuteen. Laskelmat osoittivat, ettei kohdemaatilojen kannata muuttaa lämminilmakuivureita käyttämään uusiutuvaa energiaa 600 - 800 tonnin kuivausmäärillä. Sen sijaan lisälämmön käyttö kylmäilmakuivurissa on kannattavaa jo 60 tonnin kuivausmäärällä.The subject of this thesis was to examine the profitability of grain drying at three different types of farms when the energy used in the drying process is renewable energy. The research was conducted by using a case study where the profitability of changing fuel oil into wood chips when drying grain was examined. Cost calculations were made for different types of heat production options on two farms. The options for the heat production were heater, Arska front chamber, 500 kW heating plant and 1 MW heating plant. The profitability of using additional heat in cold air dryer was also examined in this study. The profitability of the starting point options was examined with the help of sensitivity analyses, where the effect of the amount of dryed grain, cost of the fuel oil and depre-ciation was studied. The calculations revealed that using renewable energy to power the warm heat dryers is not profitable when drying the amounts of 600 to 800 thousand kilograms. Instead, using additional heat in the cold air dryers is profitable when drying amounts as low as 60 thousand kilograms

Perustulolla sosiaalivaltio uusiksi

Kirja-arvostelu: Perustulo, kansalaisen palkka. Ilpo Lahtine

Solving the discrepancy between the direct and relative-rate determinations of unimolecular reaction kinetics of dimethyl- substituted Criegee intermediate (CH3)2COO using a new photolytic precursor

We have performed direct kinetic measurements of thermal unimolecular reaction of (CH3)2COO in the temperature 243– 340 K and pressure 5–350 Torr ranges using time-resolved UV-absorption spectroscopy. We have utilized a new photolytic precursor, 2-bromo-2-iodopropane ((CH3)2CIBr), which photolysis at 213 nm in presence of O2 produces acetone oxide, (CH3)2COO. The results show that the thermal unimolecular reaction is more important main loss process of (CH3)2COO in the atmosphere than direct kinetic studies hitherto suggest. The current experiments show that the unimolecular reaction rate of (CH3)2COO at 296 K and atmospheric pressure is 899 ± 42 s-1. Probably more importantly, current measurements bring the direct and relative rate measurements of thermal unimolecular reaction kinetics of (CH3)2COO in quantitative agreement.Peer reviewe

Designing and Implementing Common Market for Cross-Game Purchases between Mobile Games

The mobile game markets are increasingly competitive and the game publishers are looking for new ways to increase player retention and cross commercialization of games. In this paper, we examine how a purchasing system using virtual currency based common market can be designed and implemented in order to create a larger service platform. The solution enables cross-game purchasing of virtual items from one game into another. We present how such a system can be designed, how it would fit into larger vision of multi-game ecosystem and what kind of limitations there are when implementing such a system. As a result, we describe solution of a bank and a marketplace entity, which are responsible of the transactions, virtual items and connecting games to each other. As a conclusion, we are presenting the expected challenges and expansion plans for the common market system

Transsukupuolisten henkilöiden elämäntyytyväisyys ennen sukupuolen korjausprosessia, sen aikana ja sen jälkeen

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli kuvata 1) transsukupuolisen henkilön elämäntyytyväisyyttä ja määritellä se aineistolähtöisesti, 2) elämäntyytyväisyyteen yhteydessä olevia tekijöitä ennen sukupuolenkorjausprosessia, sen aikana ja sen jälkeen sekä 3) hoitohenkilökunnan mahdollisuuksia parantaa transsukupuolisen ihmisen elämäntyytyväisyyttä sukupuolen korjausprosessin aikana. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin haastatteluin 2010 seitsemältä sukupuolen korjausprosessin läpikäyneeltä ja analysoitiin aineistolähtöisellä sisällönanalyysillä. Elämäntyytyväisyyden käsitteessä tunnistettiin viisi ulottuvuutta: sopusointu oman olemassaolon kanssa, terveystasapaino, elämän rakenteiden kunnossa oleminen, perhe-elämän toimivuus ja sosiaalinen toimintakyky. Sukupuoliristiriita oli heikentänyt elämäntyytyväisyyttä ennen korjausprosessiin lähtöä. Korjausprosessin aikaa kuvattiin elämäntyytyväisyyden kannalta vaihtelevaksi. Korjausprosessin jälkeen elämäntyytyväisyyden koettiin parantuneen. Elämäntyytyväisyyttä heikensivät ja paransivat prosessin eri vaiheissa omassa ja sosiaalisessa elämäntodellisuudessa olevat tekijät sekä itse sukupuolenkorjausprosessiin sisältyvät tekijät. Hoitohenkilökunta parantaa transsukupuolisten henkilöiden elämäntyytyväisyyttä mahdollistamalla tarpeenmukaisen hoitosuunnitelman ja sen toteuttamisen, organisoimalla hoitoprosessia sekä hankkimalla lisää tietoa transsukupuolisuudesta

Physical activity and ability to meet different work requirements among adult working men with or without current depressive symptoms

Purpose To examine the relationship between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and ability to meet different work requirements among adult working men with or without current depressive symptoms. Methods We measured LTPA with the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The Work Ability Index (WAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess the work ability and depression of 921 Finnish employed male volunteers. Participants were divided into three groups according to the WAI for their work requirements: mental (MENT), physical (PHYS), and an equal amount of mental and physical work (BTH). Results When adjusted for age, BMI and employment years, there was a significant difference in weekly LTPA between WAI groups {p = 0.003, [F (2902) = 5.58]}, but not for depression. It appeared that participants with depressive symptoms scored lower WAI in each group regardless of LTPA. In addition, a linear relationship was found between higher LTPA and WAI in nondepressed workers in the PHYS [p = 0.011, beta = 0.10 (95% CI 0.03-0.18)] and BTH [p = 0.027, beta = 0.19 (95% CI 0.03-0.34)] groups. Among workers with depressive symptoms, similar linearity was found in BTH [p = 0.003, beta = 0.20 (95% CI 0.03-0.55)]. In group-wise comparison, work requirements {p = 0.001, [F (2902) = 11.2]} and depressive symptoms {p <0.001, [F (1902) = 177.0]} related with lower WAI. Conclusion Depressive symptoms were associated with lower work ability regardless of the job description. Therefore, higher levels of weekly LTPA was linked with better work ability among nondepressed working men. Workers with depressive symptoms in jobs that require extensive mental or physical work might need more than exercise to improve work ability.Peer reviewe

Maternal early-pregnancy body mass index-associated metabolomic component and mental and behavioral disorders in children

Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and/or higher body mass index (BMI) have been associated with neurodevelopmental and mental health adversities in children. While maternal metabolomic perturbations during pregnancy may underpin these associations, the existing evidence is limited to studying individual metabolites, not capturing metabolic variation specific to maternal BMI, and not accounting for the correlated nature of the metabolomic measures. By using multivariate supervised analytical methods, we first identified maternal early-pregnancy BMI-associated metabolomic component during pregnancy. We then examined whether this component was associated with mental and behavioral disorders in children, improved the prediction of the child outcomes over maternal BMI, and what proportion of the effect of maternal BMI on the child outcomes this component mediated. Early-pregnancy BMI of 425 mothers participating in the PREDO study was extracted from the national Medical Birth Register. During pregnancy, mothers donated up to three blood samples, from which a targeted panel of 68 metabolites were measured. Mental and behavioral disorders in children followed-up from birth until 8.4-12.8 years came from the Care Register for Health Care. Of the 68 metabolites averaged across the three sampling points, 43 associated significantly with maternal early-pregnancy BMI yielding a maternal early-pregnancy BMI-associated metabolomic component (total variance explained, 55.4%; predictive ability, 52.0%). This metabolomic component was significantly associated with higher hazard of any mental and behavioral disorder [HR 1.45, 95%CI(1.15, 1.84)] and relative risk of having a higher number of co-morbid disorders [RR 1.43, 95%CI(1.12, 1.69)] in children. It improved the goodness-of-model-fit over maternal BMI by 37.7-65.6%, and hence the predictive significance of the model, and mediated 60.8-75.8% of the effect of maternal BMI on the child outcomes. Maternal BMI-related metabolomic perturbations during pregnancy are associated with a higher risk of mental and behavioral disorders in children. These findings may allow identifying metabolomic targets for personalized interventions.Peer reviewe