Talouspolitiikan vaikutukset tuloeroihin ja työllisyyteen 2015–2018

Tutkimuksen tehtävänä on selvittää, miten talouspolitiikan työllisyysvaikutukset voidaan huomioida myös tuloerovaikutuksia arvioitaessa. Kysymystä on lähestytty mikrosimulointimenetelmällä, jossa sovelletaan lainsäädännössä esiintyviä etuuksien ja verotuksen laskukaavoja väestön tulotietoihin. Työllisyysvaikutus on arvioitu työnteon kannustimien muutosten kautta ja taloustieteellisen tutkimuskirjallisuuden perusteella valitulla työn tarjonnan joustolla. Menetelmää on sovellettu vuosien 2015–2018 sosiaaliturvan ja verotuksen muutosten vaikutusten arviointiin. Kun työllisyysvaikutusta ei huomioida, vuosien 2015–2018 politiikka on ollut hieman tuloeroja kasvattavaa. Keskeisiä tuloeroja kasvattavia toimia ovat olleet sosiaalietuuksien indeksijäädytykset ja veronkevennykset. Gini-kertoimella mitattuna päätösten tuloeroja kasvattava vaikutus on noin 0,2–0,3 prosenttiyksikköä. Sosiaaliturvaan ja verotukseen tehdyt muutokset ovat samanaikaisesti parantaneet työnteon taloudellisia kannustimia, ja siten niiden arvioidaan lisäävän työllisyyttä. Täsmälliset tulokset riippuvat mm. siitä kuinka herkästi ihmisten oletetaan reagoivan kannustimiin ja miten päätösperäiset toimenpiteet määritellään. Koska näitä koskevat valinnat eivät ole kiistattomia, tutkimuksessa esitetään tuloksia vaihtoehtoisista simulaatioista. Oletusjoustolla arvioituna hallituskauden päätösten työllisyyttä lisäävä vaikutus on 33 000 – 42 000 henkilötyövuotta. Kun työllisyysvaikutukset otetaan huomioon, tuloerot kasvavat arviolta enää vain hyvin lievästi tai eivät lainkaan eli 0–0,2 prosenttiyksikköä Gini-kertoimella mitattuna

Increased [H-3] quisqualic acid binding density in the dorsal striatum and anterior insula of alcoholics : A post-mortem whole-hemisphere autoradiography study

The function of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors mGluR1 and mGluR5 is involved in the hyperglutamatergic state caused by chronic alcohol. Preclinical studies suggest that group I mGluR modulation could serve as a novel treatment of alcoholism. Considering the wide role of glutamatergic neurochemistry in addiction, group I mGluR binding was studied in brain areas involved in decision-making, learning and memory. Post-mortem whole hemisphere autoradiography was used to study the binding density of [H-3] quisqualic acid, a potent group I mGluR agonist, in 9 Cloninger type 1 alcoholics, 8 Cloninger type 2 alcoholics and 10 controls. Binding was studied in the dorsal striatum, hippocampus and cortex. Alcoholics displayed a trend towards increased [ H-3] quisqualic acid binding in all brain areas. The most robust findings were in the putamen (p = 0.006) and anterior insula (p = 0.005), where both alcoholic subtypes displayed increased binding compared to the controls. These findings suggest altered group I mGluR function in alcoholic subjects in the dorsal striatum, which is involved in habitual learning, and in the anterior insula, which has a pivotal role in the perception of bodily sensations. Increased [H-3] quisqualic acid binding might suggest a beneficial impact of mGluR1/5 modulators in the treatment of alcoholism.Peer reviewe

No association in maternal serum levels of TMAO and its precursors in pre-eclampsia and in non-complicated pregnancies

Only a few studies have explored the role of microbiota-dependent metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in non-complicated pregnancy and in pre-eclampsia (PE). We enrolled 139 PE and 29 healthy pregnant women in a nested case control study. We hypothesized that elevated levels of circulating TMAO and its precursors choline and glycine betaine in the late second or in third trimester might contribute to the PE and are associated with the onset of the disease and clinical features such as elevated blood pressure. The association with a few available lifestyle factors (use of fish and physical activity) was also evaluated. In contrast with the previous findings, there was no difference in TMAO concentration between PE and healthy women. In addition, TMAO concentration was not associated with any of the PE related clinical features, angiogenic or inflammatory markers. In future, it is crucial to obtain longitudinal data on TMAO in both non-complicated and in PE pregnancies before we could have more detailed understanding of TMAO.Peer reviewe

Diet- and microbiota-related metabolite, 5-aminovaleric acid betaine (5-AVAB), in health and disease

5-Aminovaleric acid betaine (5-AVAB) is a trimethylated compound associated with the gut microbiota, potentially produced endogenously, and related to the dietary intake of certain foods such as whole grains. 5-AVAB accumulates within the metabolically active tissues and has been typically found in higher concentrations in the heart, muscle, and brown adipose tissue. Furthermore, 5-AVAB has been associated with positive health effects such as fetal brain development, insulin secretion, and reduced cancer risk. However, it also has been linked with some negative health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease. At the cellular level, 5-AVAB can influence cellular energy metabolism by reducing β-oxidation of fatty acids. This review will focus on the metabolic role of 5-AVAB with respect to both physiology and pathology. Moreover, the analytics and origin of 5-AVAB and related compounds will be reviewed. © 2022 The AuthorsAuthor keywords5-aminovaleric acid betaine (5-AVAB); aminovaleric acid betaine; N,N,N-trimethyl-5-aminovalerate (TMAV); N,N,N-trimethyl-5-aminovaleric acid (TMAVA); δ-valerobetaine (δVB)</p

Systematic Steps Towards Concept Design of Pay–per-X Business Models : An Exploratory Research

During the last decade, equipment manufacturing companies (EMIs) have increasingly understood the unique competitive advantages offered by Pay-per-X (PPX) business models (BMs). Many such EMI companies seem ready for the transition towards PPX BMs. However, they are not aware of the needed systematic steps that will help them in the concept design of PPX models. There are currently no available systematic PPX concept design processes and related steps in literature that can support EMI companies in identifying their relevant PPX BM options. Therefore, we make use of qualitative case study research method and identify such overall process and major steps with the help of interviews and workshops with a company that has successfully designed and identified their PPX models. Additionally, these design steps are validated with the help of 3 companies that plan to shift towards offering PPX models.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Metabolome of canine and human saliva: a non-targeted metabolomics study

Introduction Saliva metabolites are suggested to reflect the health status of an individual in humans. The same could be true with the dog (Canis lupus familiaris), an important animal model of human disease, but its saliva metabolome is unknown. As a non-invasive sample, canine saliva could offer a new alternative material for research to reveal molecular mechanisms of different (patho)physiological stages, and for veterinary medicine to monitor dogs' health trajectories. Objectives To investigate and characterize the metabolite composition of dog and human saliva in a non-targeted manner. Methods Stimulated saliva was collected from 13 privately-owned dogs and from 14 human individuals. We used a non-targeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-qTOF-MS) method to measure metabolite profiles from saliva samples. Results We identified and classified a total of 211 endogenous and exogenous salivary metabolites. The compounds included amino acids, amino acid derivatives, biogenic amines, nucleic acid subunits, lipids, organic acids, small peptides as well as other metabolites, like metabolic waste molecules and other chemicals. Our results reveal a distinct metabolite profile of dog and human saliva as 25 lipid compounds were identified only in canine saliva and eight dipeptides only in human saliva. In addition, we observed large variation in ion abundance within and between the identified saliva metabolites in dog and human. Conclusion The results suggest that non-targeted metabolomics approach utilizing UHPLC-qTOF-MS can detect a wide range of small compounds in dog and human saliva with partially overlapping metabolite composition. The identified metabolites indicate that canine saliva is potentially a versatile material for the discovery of biomarkers for dog welfare. However, this profile is not complete, and dog saliva needs to be investigated in the future with other analytical platforms to characterize the whole canine saliva metabolome. Furthermore, the detailed comparison of human and dog saliva composition needs to be conducted with harmonized study design.Peer reviewe

Maternal microbiota-derived metabolic profile in fetal murine intestine, brain and placenta

Background The maternal microbiota affects the development of the offspring by microbial metabolites translocating to the fetus. To reveal the spectrum of these molecular mediators of the earliest host-microbe interactions, we compared placenta, fetal intestine and brain from germ-free (GF) and specific pathogen free (SPF) mouse dams by non-targeted metabolic profiling. Results One hundred one annotated metabolites and altogether 3680 molecular features were present in significantly different amounts in the placenta and/or fetal organs of GF and SPF mice. More than half of these were more abundant in the SPF organs, suggesting their microbial origin or a metabolic response of the host to the presence of microbes. The clearest separation was observed in the placenta, but most of the molecular features showed significantly different levels also in the fetal intestine and/or brain. Metabolites that were detected in lower amounts in the GF fetal organs included 5-aminovaleric acid betaine, trimethylamine N-oxide, catechol-O-sulphate, hippuric and pipecolic acid. Derivatives of the amino acid tryptophan, such as kynurenine, 3-indolepropionic acid and hydroxyindoleacetic acid, were also less abundant in the absence of microbiota. Ninety-nine molecular features were detected only in the SPF mice. We also observed several molecular features which were more abundant in the GF mice, possibly representing precursors of microbial metabolites or indicators of a metabolic response to the absence of microbiota. Conclusions The maternal microbiota has a profound impact on the fetal metabolome. Our observations suggest the existence of a multitude of yet unidentified microbially modified metabolites which pass through the placenta into the fetus and potentially influence fetal development.Peer reviewe