Puettavat lähi-infrapunaspektroskopialaitteet aivotutkimuksen tarpeisiin

Tiivistelmä. Tässä työssä tutustutaan toiminnalliseen lähi-infrapunaspektroskopiaan eli fNIRS:iin ja sitä hyödyntäviin nykyaikaisiin laitteisiin aivotutkimuksessa. Työ aloitetaan yleiskatsauksella fNIRS-tekniikkaan ja siihen, kuinka se vertautuu yleisimpiin aivojen kuvantamistekniikoihin. Tätä seuraavassa teoriaosuudessa pureudutaan lyhyesti lähi-infrapunaspektroskopian perusteisiin, mittausperiaatteisiin, mittausmenetelmiin, laitekomponentteihin ja sovelluskohteisiin. Pääosassa työtä kuitenkin esitellään fNIRS-laitteita, joista 12 on viimeaikaisessa kirjallisuudessa julkaistuja. Laitteiden tärkeimpiä ominaisuuksia nostetaan esille ja vertaillaan taulukoiden avulla. Tämän jälkeen esitellään kolme testiprotokollaa, joita yleisesti käytetään fNIRS-laitteen testaamisessa.Wearable Near-infrared Spectroscopy Devices for brain research. Abstract. This work introduces functional near-infrared spectroscopy, i.e., fNIRS, and devices that use this technique for brain monitoring. The work begins with an overview of the fNIRS and compares it with other brain imaging techniques. The following theory section covers, in brief, fNIRS fundamentals, measurement principles, measurement methods, device components, and applications. The main part of the work, however, focuses on presenting 12 wearable fNIRS devices published in recent literature. The most important features of the devices are highlighted and compared with the help of tables. Furthermore, there are three test protocols presented that are commonly used in NIRS device testing

Minäpystyvyys ja nuorten koulutuksellinen syrjäytyminen

Tiivistelmä. Tämän kandidaatintutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia, löytyykö nuorten minäpystyvyyden ja koulutuksellisen syrjäytymisen välillä yhteyttä. Tutkielma on yleiskatsaus aiheesta tehtyyn aiempaan tutkimukseen. Aihe valikoitui yhteiskunnallisen merkittävyytensä vuoksi. Syrjäytyminen on sekä yhteiskunnan että yksilön kannalta epätoivottava ilmiö. Aihetta haluttiin lähestyä koulun näkökulmasta, siitä käsin, mihin opettajillakin voisi olla mahdollisuus vaikuttaa. Minäpystyvyydellä tarkoitetaan yksilön käsitystä siitä, mihin hän kykenee omilla taidoillaan tietyssä tilanteessa. Se on merkittävä toimintaa säätelevä tekijä ihmisen jokapäiväisessä elämässä ja siihen vaikuttavat omat kokemukset suorituksesta, sijaiskokemukset, sosiaalinen suostuttelu sekä fysiologiset ja emotionaaliset tilat. Syrjäytyminen on ilmiö, jossa ihminen ajautuu syrjään valtakulttuurin elämänmuodosta sekä siihen liittyviltä tärkeiltä foorumeilta, kuten sosiaalisista suhteista, koulutuksesta ja työmarkkinoilta. Koulutuksellinen syrjäytyminen on yksilön jäämistä koulutuksen ulkopuolelle joko vapaaehtoisesti tai vasten tahtoaan. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen perusteella voidaan todeta, että minäpystyvyyden yhteyttä syrjäytymiseen ei ole juurikaan tutkittu. Syrjäytymistutkimuksessakin kuitenkin esiintyy ilmiöitä, jotka ovat hyvin lähellä tai osittain päällekkäisiä kuin minäpystyvyyden käsite. Resilienssi on vaikeuksien voittamiseen tarvittavaa kestävyyttä ja joustokykyä, jonka avulla vaikeitakin asioita elämässään kokeneiden on nähty selvinneen ilman suuria henkilökohtaisia vahinkoja. Tutkimusten mukaan hyvä minäpystyvyys tukee myös resilienssiä. Samoin minäpystyvyyden vaikutus koulumotivaatioon ja koulumenestykseen on nähty huomattavana. Hyvä akateeminen minäpystyvyys vaikuttaa positiivisesti oppilaan määrätietoiseen työskentelyyn, sinnikkyyteen, tehtävän valintaan ja tunnereaktioihin. Koulumotivaation puutteen on toisaalta nähty voivan johtaa koulu-uran keskeytymiseen. Johtopäätöksenä esitetäänkin, että minäpystyvyyden ja syrjäytymisen välillä voi olla ainakin välillinen yhteys, minkä vuoksi lasten ja nuorten minäpystyvyyden tukeminen koulussa pitäisi nähdä tärkeäksi. Jatkotutkimusta tarvitaan, ennen kuin voidaan sanoa, kuinka merkittävä tämä yhteys on.Self-efficacy and educational marginalization of youth. Abstract. The aim of this bachelor’s thesis is to examine whether there can be found a connection between self-efficacy and educational marginalization of youth. The thesis is an overview of previously carried out research on the topic, which was chosen due to its societal significance. Marginalization is an undesirable phenomenon for both society and individual. The topic is approached from the school perspective, to find out whether there is any way teachers could influence the process of marginalization. Self-efficacy is an individual’s perception of what they can do with their skills and abilities in a certain context. It is an important factor that regulates the actions of an individual in everyday life. Self-efficacy is influenced by mastery experiences, social modeling, social persuasion and physical and emotional states. Marginalization is a phenomenon where an individual drifts apart from the predominant culture’s way of life and from the important areas of it like social relationships, education and labour market. Educational marginalization happens when an individual falls outside education either voluntarily or unwillingly. Based on the literature review on the topic it is stated that the relation of self-efficacy and marginalization has not yet been studied. There are phenomena within the study of marginalization that are very close to or partly overlapping the concept of self-efficacy. Resilience is sustainability and flexibility that is needed to be able to overcome hardships. With resilience people have been seen to survive through even very difficult destinies in life with no remarkable harm to themselves. According to research, good perceived self-efficacy also promotes resilience. Furthermore, self-efficacy has been seen to have a remarkable effect on academic motivation and performance. Good academic self-efficacy has an positive effect on the student’s effort, persistence, choice of activities and emotional reactions. On the other hand, there is evidence that lack of academic motivation could lead to dropping out of school. As a conclusion it is proposed that there can be at least an indirect connection between self-efficacy and marginalization, and therefore it should be seen essential to promote the self-efficacy of children and youth at school. Further investigation is needed before it can be judged how remarkable this connection actually is

Systemic inflammatory responses following welding inhalation challenge test

Peer reviewe

Collaborative research: Accomplishments & potential

Although a substantial part of scientific research is collaborative and increasing globalization will probably lead to its increase, very few studies actually investigate the advantages, disadvantages, experiences and lessons learned from collaboration. In environmental epidemiology interdisciplinary collaboration is essential and the contrasting geographical patterns in exposure and disease make multi-location projects essential. This paper is based on a presentation given at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Paris 2006, and is attempting to initiate a discussion on a framework for studying collaborative research. A review of the relevant literature showed that indeed collaborative research is rising, in some countries with impressive rates. However, there are substantial differences between countries in their outlook, need and respect for collaboration. In many situations collaborative publications receive more citations than those based on national authorship. The European Union is the most important host of collaborative research, mainly driven by the European Commission through the Framework Programmes. A critical assessment of the tools and trends of collaborative networks under FP6, showed that there was a need for a critical revision, which led to changes in FP7. In conclusion, it is useful to study the characteristics of collaborative research and set targets for the future. The added value for science and for the researchers involved may be assessed. The motivation for collaboration could be increased in the more developed countries. Particular ways to increase the efficiency and interaction in interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration may be developed. We can work towards "the principles of collaborative research" in Environmental Epidemiology

Removal of ammonium from wastewater with geopolymer sorbents fabricated via additive manufacturing

Geopolymers have been recently explored as sorbents for wastewater treatment, thanks to their mechanical and chemical stability and to their low-energy manufacturing process. One specific application could be the removal of ammonium (NH4+) through exchange with Na+ ions. Additive manufacturing (AM) represents an especially interesting option for fabrication, as it allows to tailor the size, distribution, shape, and interconnectivity of pores, and therefore the access to charge-bearing sites. The present study provides a proof of concept for NH4+ removal from wastewater using porous geopolymer components fabricated via direct ink writing (DIW) AM approach. A metakaolin-based ink was employed for the fabrication of a log-pile structure with 45\ub0 rotation between layers, producing continuous yet tortuous macropores which are responsible for the high permeability of the sorbents. The ink consolidates in an amorphous, mesoporous network, with the mesopores acting as preferential sites for ion exchange. The printed sorbents were characterized for their physicochemical and mechanical properties and the NH4+ removal capacity in continuous-flow column experiments by using a model effluent. The lattices present high permeability and high cation exchange capacity and maintained a high amount of active ions after four cycles, allowing to reuse them multiple times

Obesity/insulin resistance rather than liver fat increases coagulation factor activities and expression in humans

Increased liver fat may be caused by insulin resistance and adipose tissue inflammation or by the common I148M variant in PNPLA3 at rs738409, which lacks both of these features. We hypothesised that obesity/insulin resistance rather than liver fat increases circulating coagulation factor activities. We measured plasma prothrombin time (PT, Owren method), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), activities of several coagulation factors, VWF:RCo and fibrinogen, and D-dimer concentration in 92 subjects divided into groups based on insulin sensitivity [insulin-resistant ('IR') versus insulin-sensitive ('IS')] and PNPLA3 genotype (PNPLA3(148MM/MI) vs PNPLA3(148II)). Liver fat content (H-1-MRS) was similarly increased in 'IR' (13 +/- 1%) and PNPLA3(148MM/MI) (12 +/- 2%) as compared to 'IS' (6 +/- 1%, pPeer reviewe

A Novel Mutation in the Upstream Open Reading Frame of the CDKN1B Gene Causes a MEN4 Phenotype

PubMed ID: 23555276This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Pre-Exposure to 50 Hz Magnetic Fields Modifies Menadione-Induced Genotoxic Effects in Human SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells

BACKGROUND: Extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MF) are generated by power lines and various electric appliances. They have been classified as possibly carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, but a mechanistic explanation for carcinogenic effects is lacking. A previous study in our laboratory showed that pre-exposure to ELF MF altered cancer-relevant cellular responses (cell cycle arrest, apoptosis) to menadione-induced DNA damage, but it did not include endpoints measuring actual genetic damage. In the present study, we examined whether pre-exposure to ELF MF affects chemically induced DNA damage level, DNA repair rate, or micronucleus frequency in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Exposure to 50 Hz MF was conducted at 100 µT for 24 hours, followed by chemical exposure for 3 hours. The chemicals used for inducing DNA damage and subsequent micronucleus formation were menadione and methyl methanesulphonate (MMS). Pre-treatment with MF enhanced menadione-induced DNA damage, DNA repair rate, and micronucleus formation in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Although the results with MMS indicated similar effects, the differences were not statistically significant. No effects were observed after MF exposure alone. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm our previous findings showing that pre-exposure to MFs as low as 100 µT alters cellular responses to menadione, and show that increased genotoxicity results from such interaction. The present findings also indicate that complementary data at several chronological points may be critical for understanding the MF effects on DNA damage, repair, and post-repair integrity of the genome

Overweight, obesity, and risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity: pooled analysis of individual-level data for 120 813 adults from 16 cohort studies from the USA and Europe

BACKGROUND: Although overweight and obesity have been studied in relation to individual cardiometabolic diseases, their association with risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity is poorly understood. Here we aimed to establish the risk of incident cardiometabolic multimorbidity (ie, at least two from: type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke) in adults who are overweight and obese compared with those who are a healthy weight. METHODS: We pooled individual-participant data for BMI and incident cardiometabolic multimorbidity from 16 prospective cohort studies from the USA and Europe. Participants included in the analyses were 35 years or older and had data available for BMI at baseline and for type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke at baseline and follow-up. We excluded participants with a diagnosis of diabetes, coronary heart disease, or stroke at or before study baseline. According to WHO recommendations, we classified BMI into categories of healthy (20·0-24·9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25·0-29·9 kg/m(2)), class I (mild) obesity (30·0-34·9 kg/m(2)), and class II and III (severe) obesity (≥35·0 kg/m(2)). We used an inclusive definition of underweight (<20 kg/m(2)) to achieve sufficient case numbers for analysis. The main outcome was cardiometabolic multimorbidity (ie, developing at least two from: type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke). Incident cardiometabolic multimorbidity was ascertained via resurvey or linkage to electronic medical records (including hospital admissions and death). We analysed data from each cohort separately using logistic regression and then pooled cohort-specific estimates using random-effects meta-analysis. FINDINGS: Participants were 120  813 adults (mean age 51·4 years, range 35-103; 71 445 women) who did not have diabetes, coronary heart disease, or stroke at study baseline (1973-2012). During a mean follow-up of 10·7 years (1995-2014), we identified 1627 cases of multimorbidity. After adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, compared with individuals with a healthy weight, the risk of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity in overweight individuals was twice as high (odds ratio [OR] 2·0, 95% CI 1·7-2·4; p<0·0001), almost five times higher for individuals with class I obesity (4·5, 3·5-5·8; p<0·0001), and almost 15 times higher for individuals with classes II and III obesity combined (14·5, 10·1-21·0; p<0·0001). This association was noted in men and women, young and old, and white and non-white participants, and was not dependent on the method of exposure assessment or outcome ascertainment. In analyses of different combinations of cardiometabolic conditions, odds ratios associated with classes II and III obesity were 2·2 (95% CI 1·9-2·6) for vascular disease only (coronary heart disease or stroke), 12·0 (8·1-17·9) for vascular disease followed by diabetes, 18·6 (16·6-20·9) for diabetes only, and 29·8 (21·7-40·8) for diabetes followed by vascular disease. INTERPRETATION: The risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity increases as BMI increases; from double in overweight people to more than ten times in severely obese people compared with individuals with a healthy BMI. Our findings highlight the need for clinicians to actively screen for diabetes in overweight and obese patients with vascular disease, and pay increased attention to prevention of vascular disease in obese individuals with diabetes. FUNDING: NordForsk, Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Finnish Work Environment Fund, and Academy of Finland