Product Cycle Model and the Location Structure of Finnish Industries

Abstract Different variations of the product cycle model (cf. e.g., Malecki 1991) have been used in the analysis of regional change. The basic idea of the model is simple: products go through four stages from innovation to growth, maturity and decline. The locational factors are different in the different stages of the product cycle, and this has impacts on regional development. During the innovation period certain functions are centred in metropolitan regions and during the mature stage of the cycle in peripheral regions. This conditions the regional division of labour in the case of an individual country as well as in the global economy. This paper makes an attempt to find out whether the changes in the location of manufacturing industries have been in accordance with the assumptions of the product cycle model in Finland from the 1970s to the 1990s. The empirical observations are made on the basis of a large data set covering employment figures on 80 manufacturing industries the regional division being Helsinki metropolitan region vs. rest of Finland. Observations Aconcerning Sweden are used as a standard of comparison. The empirical findings of this paper can be summarised as follows: the location structure of the Finnish manufacturing industries has evolved from the 1970s to the 1990s so that the Helsinki metropolitan region can be considered as a forerunner of development or conductor of growth. It can be argued that the role of Helsinki for Finland has been similar to the role of Stockholm for Sweden. At he end of the paper some remarks are made concerning whether the observations can be interpreted from the point of view of regional policy, and to what extent changes follow the pattern outlined above in the present global economy.

Distant neighbours. Economic adjustment processes at the Finnish-Russian border

For decades, the closed East/West border was an effective barrier for cross-border interaction at a local and regional level. It was reflected, among other things, in production structures and settlement patterns in the border regions. Since around 1990, economic and other forms of cross-border linkages have been possible, and they have raised the issue about adjustment processes, that is, whether regional and local economic actors are able to utilise existing complementarities and create new ones, and how this will make itself felt in the roles of the border regions in the international division of labour. The paper investigates regional adjustment processes in the case of the Finnish-Russian border, which is characterised by one of the deepest socio-economic and cultural gaps in Europe. First, the reasons for the specialisation of the neighbouring regional economies under the period of the closed border are analysed. Against this background, the repercussions of the partial opening of the border are evaluated in relation to the other driving forces of their development trends in the 1990s. It is concluded that the regions on both sides have lagged behind their respective national averages, although border-related adjustment processes have had quite diverse economic impacts. In Finland, these impacts have remained relatively marginal in most border regions. In the Russian borderlands, some local and regional economies have undergone profound changes in their market orientation due to the proximity of the border; instead of being specialised producers for the Russian market, they are now locked in the international division of labour as economic peripheries.

Työttömien terveyspalvelujen kehittäminen – verkosto mahdollisuutena

Artikkelin tavoitteena on kuvata ja ymmärtää terveydenhuollon sisäisiä verkostoja työttömien terveyspalvelujen toteuttamisessa ja kehittämisessä. Artikkeli perustuu Kuopiossa toteutetun Työterveysneuvontahankkeen loppuarviointiin vuonna 2011. Hankkeen keskeisin toiminta pohjautui terveystapaamisiin työterveyshoitajan kanssa. Asiakaskunta hankkeessa oli 15–25 vuotiaita työttömiä sekä keski-ikäisiä, työvoimapoliittisessa koulutuksessa olevia henkilöitä. Aineisto kerättiin Kuopion terveydenhuollon ja sidosryhmien sekä seurantapaikkakuntien (Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Oulu, Vammala) edustajien teemahaastatteluilla sekä Kuopiossa toteutetulla verkostokyselyllä. Työttömien terveyspalvelujen toimintaympäristö ja työttömien terveyden erityispiirteet sekä verkostotutkimus muodostavat teoreettisen viitekehyksen tutkimukselle. Tulosten mukaan työttömien terveyspalveluissa lähtökohtana on asiakaskeskeisyys ja organisaation rajapinnoilla toimiminen. Terveydenhuollon mahdollisuudet arvioida työ- ja toimintakykyä ovat rajalliset, sillä terveydenhuollon keinoin ei kaikkia asiakkaan asioita voida ratkaista. Työ- ja elinkeinotoimiston ja terveydenhuollon yhteistyötä pitää lisätä, sillä prosessivastuu työttömän asioissa kuuluu työ- ja elinkeinotoimistolle. Työterveyshuollon ja muun perusterveydenhuollon roolijakoa pitää selkeyttää. Työttömäksi jäävän terveydenhuollon kehittäminen tulee tapahtua työterveyshuollosta käsin yhteistyössä muun perusterveydenhuollon kanssa. Palvelun kehittäminen vaatii organisaation rajojen madaltamista, koordinointia pysyviä toimintamalleja sekä sopimuksia

Työttömän työelämävalmiuksien tukeminen viranomaisverkostossa

Artikkelissa kuvataan työttömän hyvinvointiin liittyvää moninaista viranomaisverkostoa sekä viranomaisyhteistyön tilaa työttömän terveyden ja työ- ja toimintakyvyn edistämisessä. Artikkeli perustuu Kuopiossa vuosina 2008–2010 toteutetun Työterveysneuvontahankkeen alkukartoitukseen ja siihen liittyvän teemahaastatteluaineiston sekä verkostoanalyysin tuloksiin. Tulosten perusteella verkostoituminen työttömän työelämävalmiuksia tukevassa viranomaistoiminnassa on vielä alkuvaiheessa, mutta verkostotyön kehittämistä pidetään tärkeänä. Perusterveydenhuollon vastaanottotoimintaa ja työterveyshuoltoa pidetään merkittävinä mutta verkoston ulkopuolisina yhteistyökumppaneina. Terveydenhuolto on työttömän työelämävalmiuksia tukevan verkoston kehittämisessä jäljessä muita sidosryhmiä. Kehittämiskohteiksi mainittiin eri organisaatioiden toimintaan tutustuminen, tiedottamisen lisääminen sekä niukat aikaresurssit. Työterveyshuollon rooli työttömän työelämävalmiuksia tukevassa verkostossa ei ole vakiintunut, vaikka työterveyshuollon erikoisosaaminen on eduksi työkyvyn arvioinnissa, ylläpidossa ja edistämisessä, varhaisessa puuttumisessa työn riskitekijöihin ja kuntoutukseen ohjaamisessa. Perusterveydenhuollon ja työterveyshuollon välillä tehtiin yhteistyötä monissa asiakkaiden asioissa, mutta kehittämisen tarvetta nähdään edelleen

Genome-wide association study of nocturnal blood pressure dipping in hypertensive patients

Abstract Background Reduced nocturnal fall (non-dipping) of blood pressure (BP) is a predictor of cardiovascular target organ damage. No genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on BP dipping have been previously reported. Methods To study genetic variation affecting BP dipping, we conducted a GWAS in Genetics of Drug Responsiveness in Essential Hypertension (GENRES) cohort (n = 204) using the mean night-to-day BP ratio from up to four ambulatory BP recordings conducted on placebo. Associations with P < 1 × 10− 5 were further tested in two independent cohorts: Haemodynamics in Primary and Secondary Hypertension (DYNAMIC) (n = 183) and Dietary, Lifestyle and Genetic determinants of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (DILGOM) (n = 180). We also tested the genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) for association with left ventricular hypertrophy in GENRES. Results In GENRES GWAS, rs4905794 near BCL11B achieved genome-wide significance (β = − 4.8%, P = 9.6 × 10− 9 for systolic and β = − 4.3%, P = 2.2 × 10− 6 for diastolic night-to-day BP ratio). Seven additional SNPs in five loci had P values < 1 × 10− 5. The association of rs4905794 did not significantly replicate, even though in DYNAMIC the effect was in the same direction (β = − 0.8%, P = 0.4 for systolic and β = − 1.6%, P = 0.13 for diastolic night-to-day BP ratio). In GENRES, the associations remained significant even during administration of four different antihypertensive drugs. In separate analysis in GENRES, rs4905794 was associated with echocardiographic left ventricular mass (β = − 7.6 g/m2, P = 0.02). Conclusions rs4905794 near BCL11B showed evidence for association with nocturnal BP dipping. It also associated with left ventricular mass in GENRES. Combined with earlier data, our results provide support to the idea that BCL11B could play a role in cardiovascular pathophysiology

Työterveyshuolto Suomessa vuonna 2010 ja kehitystrendi 2000–2010

Työterveyshuolto Suomessa vuonna 2010 –katsaus kertoo, kuinka valtakunnallinen työterveyshuoltojärjestelmä on kehittynyt. Selvitys on tehty sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön välineeksi seurata työterveysyksiköiden toimintaa. Työterveysyksiköt ja niiden asiakkaat voivat sen avulla verrata työterveyshuoltoon käyttämiään henkilövoimavaroja ja työnsä sisältöä. Vertailutiedon saaminen toiminnasta on keskeinen keino, jolla toimintaa voi edelleen kehittää

Risk of sudden cardiac death associated with QRS, QTc, and JTc intervals in the general population

BACKGROUND QRS duration and corrected QT (QTc) interval have been associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD), but no data are available on the significance of repolarization component (JTc interval) of the QTc interval as an independent risk marker in the general population. OBJECTIVE In this study, we sought to quantify the risk of SCD associated with QRS, QTc, and JTc intervals. METHODS This study was conducted using data from 3 population cohorts from different eras, comprising a total of 20,058 individuals. The follow-up period was limited to 10 years and age at baseline to 30-61 years. QRS duration and QT interval (Bazett's) were measured from standard 12-lead electrocardiograms at baseline. JTc interval was defined as QTc interval - QRS duration. Cox proportional hazards models that controlled for confounding clinical factors identified at baseline were used to estimate the relative risk of SCD. RESULTS During a mean period of 9.7 years, 207 SCDs occurred (1.1 per 1000 person-years). QRS duration was associated with a significantly increased risk of SCD in each cohort (pooled hazard ratio [HR] 1.030 per 1-ms increase; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.017-1.043). The QTc interval had borderline to significant associations with SCD and varied among cohorts (pooled HR 1.007; 95% CI 1.001-1.012). JTc interval as a continuous variable was not associated with SCD (pooled HR 1.001; 95% CI 0.996-1.007). CONCLUSION Prolonged QRS durations and QTc intervals are associated with an increased risk of SCD. However, when the QTc interval is deconstructed into QRS and JTc intervals, the repolarization component (JTc) appears to have no independent prognostic value.Peer reviewe

Risk of sudden cardiac death associated with QRS, QTc, and JTc intervals in the general population

BackgroundQRS duration and corrected QT (QTc) interval have been associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD), but no data are available on the significance of repolarization component (JTc interval) of the QTc interval as an independent risk marker in the general population.ObjectiveIn this study, we sought to quantify the risk of SCD associated with QRS, QTc, and JTc intervals.MethodsThis study was conducted using data from 3 population cohorts from different eras, comprising a total of 20,058 individuals. The follow-up period was limited to 10 years and age at baseline to 30–61 years. QRS duration and QT interval (Bazett’s) were measured from standard 12-lead electrocardiograms at baseline. JTc interval was defined as QTc interval – QRS duration. Cox proportional hazards models that controlled for confounding clinical factors identified at baseline were used to estimate the relative risk of SCD.ResultsDuring a mean period of 9.7 years, 207 SCDs occurred (1.1 per 1000 person-years). QRS duration was associated with a significantly increased risk of SCD in each cohort (pooled hazard ratio [HR] 1.030 per 1-ms increase; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.017–1.043). The QTc interval had borderline to significant associations with SCD and varied among cohorts (pooled HR 1.007; 95% CI 1.001–1.012). JTc interval as a continuous variable was not associated with SCD (pooled HR 1.001; 95% CI 0.996–1.007).ConclusionProlonged QRS durations and QTc intervals are associated with an increased risk of SCD. However, when the QTc interval is deconstructed into QRS and JTc intervals, the repolarization component (JTc) appears to have no independent prognostic value.</p