Is Domestic Debt the Answer to Debt Crises?

Analysis of public debt in developing countries has traditionally focused on external debt. However, in recent years several countries have looked increasingly to domestic sources when expanding their net borrowing or adopted aggressive policies aimed at retiring public external debt and substituting it with domestically issued debt. Some countries are even building up domestic fiscal liabilities with the objective of sterilizing enlarged aid inflows. This chapter asks what possible challenges and opportunities might be arising from these new developments in sovereign debt management

Rivitalon rakennustekninen kuntoarvio ja PTS-ehdotus

Tässä insinöörityössä suoritettiin kuntoarvio ja laadittiin pitkän tähtäimen suunnitelma Paltamossa sijaitsevaan KOy Paltamon Jokisuu –kiinteistöön. Työn tarkoituksena oli saada yleiskuva rakennuksen kunnosta ja nykyisistä sekä tulevista korjaustarpeista. Kiinteistö on vuonna 1991 valmistunut asuinrivitalo, jossa on viisi huoneistoa. Työn tilasi kiinteistön omistaja Paltamon Osuuspankki. Kiinteistöön ei ollut aiemmin suoritettu kuntoarviota. Kuntoarvio toteutettiin rakenteita rikkomatta aistinvaraisesti. Kiinteistöön laadittiin PTS-ehdotus kuntoarviossa tehtyjen havaintojen pohjalta. PTS-ehdotus esittää suunnitelman tulevien korjausten ajankohdasta sekä kustannusarvion kymmenen vuoden ajanjaksolle. Rakennuksen todettiin olevan ikäisekseen hyvässä kunnossa. Siinä kuitenkin havaittiin valesokkelirakenne, joka on riskirakenne. Valesokkeliin suositeltiin tehtäväksi kuntotutkimus. Lisäksi maanpinnan muotoilu rakennuksesta poispäin viettäväksi ja sadevesi- ja salaojajärjestelmän toimivuuden varmistaminen ovat tarpeen. Tätä insinöörityötä voidaan käyttää hyväksi suunniteltaessa tulevia korjauksia.This thesis deals with making a condition assessment and a long-term building management plan for the real estate of KOy Paltamon Jokisuu. The objective of the thesis was to get an overview about the condition of the building and repairs that have to be made in the future. The building was built in 1991 and there are five apartments in it. The work was commissioned by Paltamon Osuuspankki. There is no existing condition assessment for the building. The condition assessment was made without breaking any structures. The building management plan for the building was made by using information received from the condition assessment. The plan includes procedures that have to be made and cost estimates for those procedures. The plan is for the next ten years. Based on the assessment the condition of the building is good considering the age of it. However, some structures with a risk to a moisture problem were detected. Also the shape of the ground alongside the building was not ideal. This thesis information can be used as help when the client is planning repairs or renovations for the building

Modernien tutkimustietokantojen ja tiedonjalostusmenetelmien mahdollisuudet historiantutkimukselle : Tapaus Diplomatarium Fennicum

Peer reviewe

S-ketamine for the treatment of depression

Abstract Ketamine infusion has been reported to rapidly relieve depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). It has also been tested in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) anaesthesia and has been suggested to enhance the response to ECT. S-ketamine is less studied than a racemic mixture or R-enantiomer in these patients. S-ketamine is more potent as an anaesthetic and might thus also have a better antidepressive effect. In this article we present recent data concerning the antidepressive and adverse effects of S-ketamine compared with racemic and R-ketamine in major depressive disorder (MDD), especially in TRD. Based on recent literature, it is obvious that S-ketamine also possesses antidepressive properties. In ECT anaesthesia, S-ketamine might enhance the antidepressive effect of this treatment. S-ketamine may also be preferable when compared with other anaesthetics regarding adverse cognitive effects. Its adverse psychotomimetic effects may be avoidable when used in anaesthetic doses. Although the data on S-ketamine at the moment is only based on case reports and expert opinions rather than adequate prospective randomized studies, it still may offer an important option when treating severe and resistant depression

CYP1A2 polymorphism −1545C > T (rs2470890) is associated with increased side effects to clozapine

Background Cytochrome P450 1A2 gene (CYP1A2) polymorphisms have been suggested to be associated with increased side effects to antipsychotics. However, studies on this are scarce and have been conducted with either various antipsychotics or only in small samples of patients receiving clozapine. The aim of the present study was to test for an association between the CYP1A2 −1545C > T (rs2470890) polymorphism and side effects in a larger sample of patients during long-term clozapine treatment. Methods A total of 237 patients receiving clozapine treatment completed the Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side-Effect Rating Scale (LUNSERS) assessing clozapine-induced side effects. Of these patients, 180 completed the questionnaire satisfactorily, agreed to provide a blood sample, and were successfully genotyped for the polymorphism. Results The TT genotype of CYP1A2 polymorphism −1545C > T (rs2470890) was associated with significantly more severe side effects during clozapine treatment (p = 0.011). In a subanalysis, all seven types of side effects (sympathicotonia–tension; depression–anxiety; sedation; orthostatic hypotension; dermal side effects; urinary side effects; and sexual side effects) appeared numerically (but insignificantly) more severely among TT carriers. In addition, use of mood stabilizers was more common among patients with the TT genotype (OR = 2.63, p = 0.004). Conclusions This study has identified an association between the CYP1A2 polymorphism −1545C > T (rs2470890) and the occurrence of more severe clozapine side effects. However, these results should be regarded as tentative and more studies of larger sample sizes will be required to confirm the result.BioMed Central opean acces

Genetic analyses implicate complex links between adult testosterone levels and health and disease

BackgroundTestosterone levels are linked with diverse characteristics of human health, yet, whether these associations reflect correlation or causation remains debated. Here, we provide a broad perspective on the role of genetically determined testosterone on complex diseases in both sexes.MethodsLeveraging genetic and health registry data from the UK Biobank and FinnGen (total N = 625,650), we constructed polygenic scores (PGS) for total testosterone, sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and free testosterone, associating these with 36 endpoints across different disease categories in the FinnGen. These analyses were combined with Mendelian Randomization (MR) and cross-sex PGS analyses to address causality.ResultsWe show testosterone and SHBG levels are intricately tied to metabolic health, but report lack of causality behind most associations, including type 2 diabetes (T2D). Across other disease domains, including 13 behavioral and neurological diseases, we similarly find little evidence for a substantial contribution from normal variation in testosterone levels. We nonetheless find genetically predicted testosterone affects many sex-specific traits, with a pronounced impact on female reproductive health, including causal contribution to PCOS-related traits like hirsutism and post-menopausal bleeding (PMB). We also illustrate how testosterone levels associate with antagonistic effects on stroke risk and reproductive endpoints between the sexes.ConclusionsOverall, these findings provide insight into how genetically determined testosterone correlates with several health parameters in both sexes. Yet the lack of evidence for a causal contribution to most traits beyond sex-specific health underscores the complexity of the mechanisms linking testosterone levels to disease risk and sex differences.Plain language summaryHormones, such as testosterone, travel around the body communicating between the different parts. Testosterone is present at higher levels in men, but also present in women. Variable testosterone levels explain some differences in human traits and disease prevalence. Here, we study how adult testosterone levels relate to health and disease. Genetic, i.e. inherited, differences in testosterone levels contribute to many traits specific to men or women, such as women's reproductive health, hormonal cancers, and hair growth typical in males. However, testosterone levels do not appear as a major cause of most traits studied, including psychiatric diseases and metabolic health. Normal variation in baseline testosterone levels thus seems to have a relatively minor impact on health and disease.Leinonen et al. investigate correlations between testosterone levels and disease using genetic and health registry data from the UK Biobank and FinnGen. There is a lack of evidence for normal variation in testosterone levels having a causal contribution to most non-sex-specific traits.Peer reviewe

A cluster model of temperament as an indicator of antidepressant response and symptom severity in major depression

Not enough is known about which patients suffering from major depressive disorder benefit from antidepressant drug treatment. Individual temperament is relatively stable over a person's lifespan and is thought to be largely biologically predefined. We assessed how temperament profiles are related to depression and predict the efficacy of antidepressant treatment. METHODS: We recruited one hundred Finnish outpatients (aged 19 to 72) suffering from major depressive disorder, of whom 86 completed the 6-week study. We assessed their temperament features with the Temperament and Character Inventory and used cluster analysis to determine the patient's temperament profile. We also categorized the patients according to the vegetative symptoms of major depressive disorder. RESULTS: There was an association between skewed temperament profile and severity of major depressive disorder, but the temperament profiles alone did not predict antidepressant treatment response. Those with higher baseline vegetative symptoms score had modest treatment response. Our model with baseline Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) vegetative symptoms, age and temperament clusters as explanatory variables explained 20% of the variance in the endpoint MADRS scores. CONCLUSION: The temperament clusters were associated both with severity of depression and antidepressive treatment response of depression. The effect of the temperament profile alone was modest but, combined with vegetative symptoms of depression, their explanatory power was more marked suggesting that there could be an association of these two in the biological basis of MDD

A trans-ancestral meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies reveals loci associated with childhood obesity

Although hundreds of genome-wide association studies-implicated loci have been reported for adult obesity-related traits, less is known about the genetics specific for early-onset obesity and with only a few studies conducted in non-European populations to date. Searching for additional genetic variants associated with childhood obesity, we performed a trans-ancestral meta-analysis of 30 studies consisting of up to 13005 cases (>= 95th percentile of body mass index (BMI) achieved 2-18 years old) and 15599 controls (consistentlyPeer reviewe

Vesistö- ja valuma-aluekunnostukset Natura 2000 -alueilla: suunnittelun toimintamalli

Vesienhoidon ja luonnonsuojelun tavoitteet ovat useimmiten yhdenmukaisia. Ne tähtäävät paitsi vesiekosysteemien hyvään tilaan, myös lajien ja luontotyyppien suotuisaan suojelutasoon. Vesien ja luontotyyppien tilan parantamisen ohella vesistökunnostustoimenpiteitä voidaan suunnitella myös virkistyskäyttöedellytysten kohentamiseksi ja maisemansuojelun edistämiseksi. Vesistöjen ekologisen tilan parantaminen edellyttää useimmiten riittävää ulkoisen kuormituksen vähentämistä. Näin ollen vesiensuojelutoimet valuma-alueella ovat keskeisiä hoitotoimia vesistökunnostuksissa ja valuma-aluetasoisen kunnostussuunnittelun tarve on nostettu esille useissa ohjelmissa ja strategioissa. Toistaiseksi Natura 2000 -alueiden huomioiminen on kuitenkin jäänyt valuma-aluetason kunnostussuunnittelun ohjeistuksessa vähälle huomiolle. Vesienhoidon ja virkistyskäytön toimenpiteet voivat toisinaan aiheuttaa luontodirektiivin lajien lisääntymis- ja levähdyspaikkojen paikallista heikentymistä ja maisemansuojelulliset hoitotoimenpiteet voivat puolestaan olla ristiriidassa vesiensuojelutavoitteiden kanssa. Myös luonto- ja lintudirektiivin tavoitteet saattavat ajoittain olla ristiriidassa toistensa kanssa. Natura 2000 -alueilla tehtävien vesistökunnostusten ja vesiensuojelutoimenpiteiden tulisi parantaa paitsi vesistön tilaa, myös alueen suojeluperusteena olevan luontotyypin tilaa, sekä edistää luontotyypille ominaisten lajien elinmahdollisuuksia. Luontodirektiivin lajien suotuisan suojelutason sekä lajien lisääntymis- ja levähdyspaikkojen säilyminen on turvattava. Freshabit LIFE IP -hankkeessa (2016–2022) toteutettiin vesistö- ja valuma-aluekunnostuksia yhteensä 33 Natura 2000 -alueella, jotka sijoittuivat 11 vesistöalueelle eri puolille Suomea. Hankkeen tavoitteena oli parantaa Suomen sisävesien luonnon monimuotoisuutta ja kohdevesistöjen ekologista tilaa kehittämällä valuma-aluetason suunnittelun toimintatapoja ja testaamalla niitä hankkeen kohdevesistöissä. Hankkeen kokemusten perusteella koottiin tämä toimintamalli, jossa kuvataan vesistö- ja valuma-aluekunnostusten suunnittelun periaatteet Natura 2000 -alueilla, jotta mahdolliset ristiriidat pystytään huomioimaan ja ratkaisemaan. Natura 2000 -alueilla valuma-aluetason kunnostussuunnittelun keskiössä ovat paitsi erityistä huomiota vaativien lajien ja luontotyyppien tunnistaminen ja huomioiminen toimenpiteiden ajoituksessa ja sijoittamisessa, myös sidosryhmien osallistaminen jo suunnittelun alkuvaiheessa. Sidosryhmistä oleellisimpia ovat maa- ja vesialueiden omistajat. Vesistökunnostusmenetelmät valitaan kohdekohtaisesti, seurantatietojen perusteella tunnistettujen ongelmien ja niiden pohjalta muodostettujen tavoitteiden mukaisesti. Kunnostusten seurantaan tulee varata riittävästi resursseja, jotta vaikuttavuutta pystytään arvioimaan. Seurantaa tulisi tehdä niin vedenlaadun ja biologisten tekijöiden kuin direktiivilajien osalta myös kunnostusten jälkeen. Ulkoisen kuormituksen vähentäminen on avainasemassa, jotta kunnostuksilla voidaan saavuttaa vaikuttavuutta pitkällä tähtäimellä. Restoration and water protection of aquatic ecosystems at Natura 2000 sites: framework for planning The goals of water resource management and nature conservation are most often consistent. Both can aim at a good status of aquatic ecosystems, and at a favorable conservation status of species and habitats. In addition to improving the condition of aquatic ecosystems, restoration measures can also be targeted to improve the prerequisites for recreational use and to promote landscape protection. Improving the ecological status of water bodies typically requires a sufficient reduction of the external loading. Consequently, water protection measures in the catchment area are key management measures on a watershed level. The need for planning restoration measures at the catchment scale has been brought up in several national programs and strategies. However, the consideration of Natura 2000 sites has so far received less attention in such guidelines. Some restoration measures targeted to improve the status of water bodies and their recreational value can sometimes cause a local deterioration of breeding and resting habitats for species that are included in the European Union’s Birds and Habitats Directives. Also, some landscape protection measures can, in turn, conflict with the goals of water protection. Additionally, the objectives of the Birds and Habitats Directives may sometimes conflict with each other. The restoration of water bodies and water protection measures carried out at sites under Natura 2000 network should not only improve the status of aquatic ecosystems and certain habitat types to which protection of the areas are based on, but they should also promote the survival of species that are typical for the given habitat types. A favorable conservation status for species and habitats must be secured. In the Freshabit LIFE IP -project (2016–2022), restoration and water protection measures were carried out at a total of 33 Natura 2000 sites located in 11 separate watersheds around the country. The aim of the project was to improve the biodiversity of Finnish inland waters and the ecological status of the target lakes and streams by developing and implementing planning procedures at a catchment scale. Based on the project’s experiences, this framework for planning was put together to describe the principles of planning restoration and water protection measures at Natura 2000 sites, so that possible conflicts can be considered and resolved. At Natura 2000 sites, the focus of planning restorations at the catchment level is not only about identification and consideration of species and habitats that require special attention in the timing and placement of different measures. It is also about the involvement of stakeholders, most importantly the owners of land and water areas, already in the initial stages of planning. The restoration methods are selected site-specifically, according to the problems identified and targets set on the basis of validated monitoring data. Sufficient resources should always be set aside for monitoring the impacts of restorations, that should be carried out before, during and after the easures allowing for evaluating their effectiveness. Monitoring should include both water quality, morphology and the species included in the Directives. Reducing the external loading is always a key to achieve effectiveness in the long term