Seurantakysely valtion erityisavustuksen käytöstä ja vaikutuksista varhaiskasvatukseen

Tiivistelmä. Tässä tutkielmassa selvitettiin valtion erityisavustuksen käyttöä ja vaikutuksia varhaiskasvatuksen järjestämiseen. Valtio ohjaa kuntien toimintaa erilaisin toisiaan täydentävin ohjausmenetelmin. Resurssiohjauksen yhtenä osana ovat erityisavustukset, joihin sisältyy myös informaatio-ohjausta sekä normatiivista ohjausta tukevia elementtejä. Varhaiskasvatukseen suunnattujen erityisavustusten kohdentumista ja vaikuttavuutta on tärkeää tutkia sekä valtionhallinnon ohjausjärjestelmien että varhaiskasvatuksen järjestämisen arvioinnin ja kehittämisen näkökulmista. Tämän tutkielman aineistona oli Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön toimesta kerätyn seurantakyselyn vastaukset. Seurantakyselyn koskiessa covid-19 pandemian vaikutusten tasoittamiseksi myönnettyä valtion erityisavustusta, antoivat vastaukset tuloksia myös covid-19 pandemian aiheuttamista vaikutuksista varhaiskasvatuksen järjestämiseen. Tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin monimenetelmäistä tutkimusta. Laadullisen aineiston analyysimenetelmänä käytettiin aineistolähtöistä sisällönanalyysiä, jonka muodostamia analyysiyksiköitä kvantifioitiin. Kvantitatiivisen aineiston muodostavia muuttujia tarkasteltiin niiden jakaumien ja tunnuslukujen perusteella, sekä tehtiin SPSS-ohjelmaa apuna käyttäen normaaliustestaukset. Muuttujien ja taustamuuttujan välisiä tilastollisia merkitsevyyksiä testattiin parametrittömille muuttujille soveltuvalla Kruskall-Wallisin testillä sekä ristiintaulukoimalla. Tutkielman kohteena ollut erityisavustus on vaikuttanut pääasiassa lasten hyvinvoinnin, kehityksen ja oppimisen tuen tehostamiseen, syrjäytymisvaarassa olevien lasten tukemiseen, sekä varhaiskasvatuksen toiminnan kehittämiseen. Avustuksen kustannukset ovat kohdistuneet pääasiassa henkilöstökuluihin. Palkattu lisähenkilöstö on mahdollistanut lasten saaman tuen tehostamisen sekä laajemmin toiminnan kehittämisen. Covid-19 pandemian tuottamana myönteisenä vaikutuksena koetaan digitalisaation lisääntyminen sekä siihen liittyvät uudet toimintatavat varhaiskasvatuksessa. Tutkielman kohteena ollut erityisavustus on edistänyt pyrkimystä lasten yksilöllisten tarpeiden huomioimiseen varhaiskasvatuksen toiminnassa, sekä lisännyt koulutuksellista tasa-arvoa. Kuntien välillä on eroa siinä, miten varhaiskasvatuksen toimintakulttuurin kehittämiseen suhtaudutaan. Olemassa olevan henkilöstön työhyvinvointiin sekä työntekijöiden saatavuuteen ja riittävyyteen liittyvät seikat ovat keskeisimpiä varhaiskasvatuksen järjestämisen haasteita ja tulevaisuuden tarpeita. Tutkielman tulosten perusteella erityisavustus on ollut ohjausvälineenä paitsi merkittävä, myös välttämätön covid-19 pandemian aiheuttamien vaikutusten tasoittamiseksi

Modeling of Neuronal Growth In Vitro: Comparison of Simulation Tools NETMORPH and CX3D

We simulate the growth of neuronal networks using the two recently published tools, NETMORPH and CX3D. The goals of the work are (1) to examine and compare the simulation tools, (2) to construct a model of growth of neocortical cultures, and (3) to characterize the changes in network connectivity during growth, using standard graph theoretic methods. Parameters for the neocortical culture are chosen after consulting both the experimental and the computational work presented in the literature. The first (three) weeks in culture are known to be a time of development of extensive dendritic and axonal arbors and establishment of synaptic connections between the neurons. We simulate the growth of networks from day 1 to day 21. It is shown that for the properly selected parameters, the simulators can reproduce the experimentally obtained connectivity. The selected graph theoretic methods can capture the structural changes during growth.Peer reviewe

Evidence for a Monomeric Structure of Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases

AbstractNonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) are multimodular biocatalysts that bacteria and fungi use to assemble many complex peptides with broad biological activities. The same modular enzymatic assembly line principles are found in fatty acid synthases (FAS), polyketide synthases (PKS), and most recently in hybrid NRPS/PKS multienzymes. FAS as well as PKS are known to function as homodimeric enzyme complexes, raising the question of whether NRPS may also act as homodimers. To test this hypothesis, biophysical methods (size exclusion chromatography, analytical equilibrium ultracentrifugation, and chemical crosslinking) and biochemical methods (two-affinity-tag-system and complementation studies with enzymes being inactivated in different catalytic domains) were applied to NRPS subunits from the gramicidin S (GrsA-ATE), tyrocidine (TycB1-CAT and TycB2-3-AT.CATE), and enterobactin (EntF-CATTe) biosynthetic systems. These methods had revealed the dimeric structure of FAS and PKS previously, but all three NRPS systems investigated are functionally active as monomers

Postsynaptic Signal Transduction Models for Long-Term Potentiation and Depression

More than a hundred biochemical species, activated by neurotransmitters binding to transmembrane receptors, are important in long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). To investigate which species and interactions are critical for synaptic plasticity, many computational postsynaptic signal transduction models have been developed. The models range from simple models with a single reversible reaction to detailed models with several hundred kinetic reactions. In this study, more than a hundred models are reviewed, and their features are compared and contrasted so that similarities and differences are more readily apparent. The models are classified according to the type of synaptic plasticity that is modeled (LTP or LTD) and whether they include diffusion or electrophysiological phenomena. Other characteristics that discriminate the models include the phase of synaptic plasticity modeled (induction, expression, or maintenance) and the simulation method used (deterministic or stochastic). We find that models are becoming increasingly sophisticated, by including stochastic properties, integrating with electrophysiological properties of entire neurons, or incorporating diffusion of signaling molecules. Simpler models continue to be developed because they are computationally efficient and allow theoretical analysis. The more complex models permit investigation of mechanisms underlying specific properties and experimental verification of model predictions. Nonetheless, it is difficult to fully comprehend the evolution of these models because (1) several models are not described in detail in the publications, (2) only a few models are provided in existing model databases, and (3) comparison to previous models is lacking. We conclude that the value of these models for understanding molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity is increasing and will be enhanced further with more complete descriptions and sharing of the published models

Mars ISRU for Production of Mission Critical Consumables - Options, Recent Studies, and Current State of the Art

In 1978, a ground breaking paper titled, "Feasibility of Rocket Propellant Production on Mars" by Ash, Dowler, and Varsi discussed how ascent propellants could be manufactured on the Mars surface from carbon dioxide collected from the atmosphere to reduce launch mass. Since then, the concept of making mission critical consumables such as propellants, fuel cell reactants, and life support consumables from local resources, commonly known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), for robotic and human missions to Mars has been studied many times. In the late 1990's, NASA initiated a series of Mars Human Design Reference Missions (DRMs), the first of which was released in 1997. These studies primarily focused on evaluating the impact of making propellants on Mars for crew ascent to Mars orbit, but creating large caches of life support consumables (water & oxygen) as a backup for regenerative life support systems for long-duration surface stays (>500 days) was also considered in Mars DRM 3.0. Until science data from the Mars Odyssey orbiter and subsequent robotic missions revealed that water may be widely accessable across the surface of Mars, prior Mars ISRU studies were limited to processing Mars atmospheric resources (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, oxygen, and water vapor). In December 2007, NASA completed the Mars Human Design Reference Architecture (DRA) 5.0 study which considered water on Mars as a potential resource for the first time in a human mission architecture. While knowledge of both water resources on Mars and the hardware required to excavate and extract the water were very preliminary, the study concluded that a significant reduction in mass and significant enhancements to the mission architecture were possible if Mars water resources were utilized. Two subsequent Mars ISRU studies aimed at reexamining ISRU technologies, processing options, and advancements in the state-of-the-art since 2007 and to better understand the volume and packaging associated with Mars ISRU systems further substantiated the preliminary results from the Mars DRA 5.0 study. This paper will provide an overview of Mars ISRU consumable production options, the analyses, results, and conclusions from the Mars DRA 5.0 (2007), Mars Collaborative (2013), and Mars ISRU Payload for the Supersonic Retro Propulsion (2014) mission studies, and the current state-of-the-art of Mars ISRU technologies and systems. The paper will also briefly discuss the mission architectural implications associated with Mars resource and ISRU processing options

Cystatin C and derived measures of renal function as risk factors for mortality and acute kidney injury in sepsis - A post-hoc analysis of the FINNAKI cohort

Peer reviewe

Effect of physical activity intervention based on a pedometer on physical activity level and anthropometric measures after childbirth: a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pregnancy and childbirth are associated with weight gain in women, and retention of weight gained during pregnancy can lead to obesity in later life. Diet and physical activity are factors that can influence the loss of retained pregnancy weight after birth. Exercise guidelines exist for pregnancy, but recommendations for exercise after childbirth are virtually nonexistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of physical activity intervention based on pedometer on physical activity level and anthropometric measures of women after childbirth.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which 66 women who had given birth 6 weeks to 6 months prior were randomly assigned to receive either a 12 week tailored program encouraging increased walking using a pedometer (intervention group, n = 32) or routine postpartum care (control group, n = 34). During the 12-week study period, each woman in the intervention group wore a pedometer and recorded her daily step count. The women were advised to increase their steps by 500 per week until they achieved the first target of 5000 steps per day and then continued to increase it to minimum of 10,000 steps per day by the end of 12^thweek. Assessed outcomes included anthropometric measures, physical activity level, and energy expenditure per week. Data were analyzed using the paired t-test, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, chi-square, Wilcoxon, covariance analysis, and the general linear model repeated measures procedure as appropriate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After 12 weeks, women in the intervention group had significantly increased their physical activity and energy expenditure per week (4394 vs. 1651 calorie, <it>p </it>< 0.001). Significant differences between-group in weight (<it>P </it>= 0.001), Body Mass Index (<it>P </it>= 0.001), waist circumference (<it>P </it>= 0.001), hip circumference (<it>P </it>= 0.032) and waist-hip ratio (<it>P </it>= 0.02) were presented after the intervention. The intervention group significantly increased their mean daily step count over the study period (from 3249 before, to 9960 after the intervention, <it>p </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A physical activity intervention based on pedometer is an effective means to increase physical activity; reducing retention of weight gained during pregnancy and can improve anthropometric measures in postpartum women.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/IRCT201105026362N1">IRCT201105026362N1</a></p

Genetic mechanisms for impaired synaptic plasticity in schizophrenia revealed by computational modeling

Schizophrenia phenotypes are suggestive of impaired cortical plasticity in the disease, but the mechanisms of these deficits are unknown. Genomic association studies have implicated a large number of genes that regulate neuromodulation and plasticity, indicating that the plasticity deficits have a genetic origin. Here, we used biochemically detailed computational modeling of postsynaptic plasticity to investigate how schizophrenia-associated genes regulate long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD). We combined our model with data from postmortem RNA expression studies (CommonMind gene-expression datasets) to assess the consequences of altered expression of plasticity-regulating genes for the amplitude of LTP and LTD. Our results show that the expression alterations observed post mortem, especially those in the anterior cingulate cortex, lead to impaired protein kinase A (PKA)-pathway-mediated LTP in synapses containing GluR1 receptors. We validated these findings using a genotyped electroencephalogram (EEG) dataset where polygenic risk scores for synaptic and ion channel-encoding genes as well as modulation of visual evoked potentials were determined for 286 healthy controls. Our results provide a possible genetic mechanism for plasticity impairments in schizophrenia, which can lead to improved understanding and, ultimately, treatment of the disorder.Peer reviewe

Exchange Rate Risk and Convergence to the Euro

This paper proposes a new monetary policy framework for effectively navigating the path to adopting the euro. The proposed policy is based on relative inflation forecast targeting and incorporates an ancillary target of declining exchange rate risk, which is suggested as a key criterion for evaluating the currency stability. A model linking exchange rate volatility to differentials over the euro zone in both inflation (target variable) and interest rate (instrument variable) is proposed. The model is empirically tested for the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, the selected new Member States of the EU that use direct inflation targeting to guide their monetary policies. The empirical methodology is based on the TARCH(p,q,r)-M model