A literature review of emission projection models and policy theory in the industry of commercial aviation.

This thesis analyses studies and the models utilized in projecting environmental externalities in aviation, in the form of CO2 emissions. The thesis will be looking at demand forecasting in the aviation industry, as well as more closely analyzing two different models for projecting emissions. A discussion of possible policy solutions to address the externalities is also included. The thesis is conducted as a literature review, and a small section is also gathered through an interview with a Finnair demand analyst. We find that due to the strong link between economic growth and the demand for aviation, macroeconomic models are often utilized in forecasting long term market development. Another key factor in projecting emissions is the rate of technological development assumed to take place. We find that such forecasting with a relatively long-time horizon can become quite difficult, due to the many assumptions needed to be made for analysis

Virheenkorjausalgoritmit

Virheenkorjausalgoritmit mahdollistavat kommunikaation häiriöisen kanavan välityksellä. Esimerkiksi reaaliaikaisessa kommunikaatiossa on suotavaa, ettei virheenkorjausta toteuteta uudelleenlähetyksin, vaan häiriöiden sietämiseksi viestiin lisätään redundanssia eli päällekkäisyyttä. Tätä kutsutaan kanavakoodaukseksi. Virheenkorjausalgoritmien suorituskykyä voidaan vertailla ainakin niiden etäisyydellä, hyvyydellä suhteessa kanavan kapasiteettiin sekä koodausvahvistuksella. Koodausvahvistus on näistä konkreettisin, joskaan se ei huomioi algoritmien informaatiosuhdetta. Tällä hetkellä suorituskykyisimpiä algoritmeja ovat konvoluutiokoodeihin kuuluvat turbokoodit, lohkokoodeihin kuuluvat LDPC-koodit sekä ketjukoodit, joissa käytetään ulompana koodina pitkän lohkokoon lohkokoodia ja sisempänä jotakin modernia konvoluutiokoodia

Sosiaalisen median esikuvat kosmetiikan markkinoinnissa : opas kosmetiikan markkinointiin kauneusgurujen avulla YouTubessa ja Instagramissa

Opinnäytetyön tarkoitus on opastaa kauneudenhoitoalan yritystä käyttämään markkinoinnissa hyödykseen kuluttajien ihannoimia julkisia esikuvia. Julkisilla esikuvilla tarkoitetaan tässä yhteydessä sosiaalisen median nykyisiä vaikuttajahahmoja – kauneusvloggaajia ja –grammaajia eli ”kauneusguruja”. Opinnäytetyö esittelee kulttikosmetiikkatuotteen luomisen perusaskeleet ja menestyksekkään sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin toteuttamisen kaavan julkisia esikuvia hyödyntäen. Opinnäytetyössä käytetään toimintaympäristöesimerkkeinä YouTubea ja Instagramia.The goal of this thesis is to guide a business operating in the cosmetic industry to use public role models respected by consumers as an enhanced way of marketing the business’s products or services. In this context a public role model is a person who publishes popular content in social media: beauty vloggers and Instagrammers, also known as “beauty gurus”. This thesis introduces the basic steps to creating a hyped cult beauty product and a successful social media marketing plan with the help of public role models. The social media platform examples used in this thesis are YouTube and Instagram

Economic Growth Rate May Be High in Spite of a Decreasing Working-age Population in Finland

This article examines the possibilities for the growth of real income in Finland in a situation where the population is aging at a record rate. In contrast to other European countries, no larger age groups were born in Finland after the 1940s. Therefore, the labor force will decrease in long run, even though an abundant amount of labor reserves still exist in Finland after the exceptionally deep economic depression experienced in the previous decade. Finlands real income has been calculated as the product of the labor input and productivity per hour worked. The rate of change in productivity has been estimated on the basis of the historical development of labor productivity. On the basis of an analysis of labor input and productivity per hour worked, the real income of Finland per capita could rise to one-and-a-half times what it is now in one decade and a half, even if the working-age population decreased markedly and even if the number of hours worked per employed person declined at the traditional rate. Increasing immigration is not the only solution to the challenges of an aging and diminishing working-age population. By employing domestic labor reserves and improving productivity, reasonable economic growth rate can be achieved and at the same time the problems caused by uncontrolled immigration can be avoided

Real income and population prospects in the Baltic Sea Area

The nine nations bordering on the Baltic Sea differ greatly in regard to both their population and their economic situation. Russia has one hundred times the population of Estonia and in Denmark the real income per capita is six times that of Latvia. When measured by real income per inhabitant, the poor Baltic countries are about half a century behind their rich neighbors, so that there is marked economic pressure to emigrate to these rich neighboring countries. In these poor transition economies the birth rate has plummeted during the last few years and the difference in life expectancy compared to the rich neighboring countries has increased. Even in a situation of rapid economic growth, it is not at all certain that the fertility rate will return to its earlier level

Educational expenditures in Finland up to the year 2030

In this paper expenditures on education and their share to the gross domestic product (GDP) in Finland are estimated until 2030. The estimate of the number of pupils is based on the 1991 population prognosis made by the Central Statistical Office of Finland. The actual education expenditures per pupil has been calculated for different levels of education in 1980-1990. In the future only real labor costs per pupil are assumed to increase. They will increase at the average rate of the labor productivity growth in the economy. Other real costs (teaching materials, welfare services, administrative costs, etc.) per pupil are assumed to be constant during the prognosis period. Although the school age population will clearly diminish, the real education expenditures will increase by one thirds up to 2030 in Finland. However, at the same time the share of these expenditures to the GDP will decrease by two percentage points. On the other hand social expenditures in proportion to the GDP will increase very rapidly due to the aging population. Yet the growth rate of the public expenditures is expected to be only sligthly higher than the growth rate of the GDP

Developing a cell-based fluorescent assay for screening Dicer-activating compounds

MicroRNAs are ~22 nucleotide long RNA strands which regulate gene expression by binding to the 3’UTRs of messenger RNAs. MicroRNAs are predicted to regulate about a half of all protein-coding genes in the human genome thus affecting many cellular processes. One crucial part of microRNA biogenesis is the cleaving of pre-miRNA strands into mature microRNAs by the type III RNase enzyme, Dicer. Dicer has been shown to be downregulated due to aging and in many disease states. Particularly central nervous system disorders are linked to dysregulated microRNA processing. According to the latest studies, Dicer is crucial to the survival of dopaminergic neurons and conditional Dicer knockout mice show severe nigrostriatal dopaminergic cell loss, which is a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. By activating Dicer with a small-molecule drug, enoxacin, the survival of dopaminergic cells exposed to stress is significantly improved. However, enoxacin, which is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, activates Dicer only at high concentrations (10-100 μM) and is polypharmacological, which may cause detrimental side effects. Therefore, enoxacin is not a suitable drug candidate for Dicer deficiencies and better Dicer-activating drug candidates are needed. The aim of this work was to develop a cell-based fluorescent assay to screen for Dicer-activating compounds. Assays which measure Dicer activity have already been developed, but they have some pitfalls which don’t make them optimal to use for high-throughput screening of Dicer-activating compounds. Some are cell-free enzyme-based assays and thus neglect Dicer in its native context. The RNA to be processed by Dicer does not represent a common mammalian RNA type. Most assays do not have internal normalizing factors, such as a second reporter protein to account for e.g. cell death, or the analysis method is not feasible for high-throughput screening data. Considering these disadvantages, the study started by designing a reporter plasmid in silico. The plasmid expresses two fluorescent proteins, mCherry (red) and EGFP (green), and a mCherry transcripttargeting siRNA implemented into a pre-miR155 backbone which is processed by Dicer. Thus, measuring the ratios of red and green fluorescence intensities will give an indication on Dicer activity. The plasmid also has additional regulatory elements for stabilizing expression levels. The plasmid was then produced by molecular cloning methods and its functionality was tested with Dicer-modulating compounds. The assay was optimised by testing it in different cell lines and varying assay parameters, and stable cell lines were created to make large-scale screening more convenient. Finally, a small-scale screen was done with ten pharmacologically active compounds. Transiently transfected, in Chinese hamster ovarian cells, mCherry silencing was too efficient for reliable detection of improvement in silencing efficiency due to floor effect. With an inducible, Tet-On, system in FLP-IN 293 T-Rex cells, the expression could be controlled by administering doxycycline and the improvement in silencing was quantifiable. The assay seemed to be functional after 72 hours and 120 hours of incubation using enoxacin (100 μM) as a positive control. However, the screening found no compounds to significantly reduce mCherry/EGFP fluorescence ratio and, additionally, the effect of enoxacin was abolished. Therefore, a more thorough analysis on the effects of enoxacin was done and, although statistically significant, enoxacin was only marginally effective in reducing mCherry/EGFP fluorescence ratio after 72 hours of treatment. It should be noted from the small-scale screening that metformin and BDNF, compounds previously shown to elevate Dicer levels, showed similar effects to enoxacin. The quality of the assay in terms of high-throughput screening was determined by calculating Zfactors and coefficients of variations for the experiments, which showed that the variability of the assay was acceptable, but the differences between controls was not large enough for reliable screening. In conclusion, the effects of metformin and BDNF should be further studied and regarding the assay, more optimisation is needed for large-scale, high-throughput, screening to be done with minimal resources.MikroRNA:t ovat noin 22 nukleotidiä pitkiä RNA-juosteita, jotka estävät geenien ilmentymistä sitoutumalla lähetti-RNA:n 3’UTR-alueille. MikroRNA:t osallistuvat laajalti moneen soluprosessiin säätelemällä noin puolta kaikista proteiineja koodaavista geeneistä. MikroRNA:n ilmentymisessä, eräs tärkeä vaihe on III tyypin RNaasin, Dicerin, suorittama pre-miRNA:n prosessointi valmiiksi mikroRNA-juosteeksi. Dicerin toiminnan ja ilmentymisen on mitattu heikentyvän ikääntymisen johdosta, sekä useissa eri taudeissa. Erityisesti keskushermostotautien ja mikroRNA prosessointiin liittyvien ongelmien välillä on löydetty yhteys. Tuoreimpien tutkimusten mukaan Dicerilla on tärkeä rooli myös dopaminergisten hermosolujen selviytymisen kannalta ja lisäksi Dicer muuntogeenisillä hiirillä mustatumakkeen dopamiinihermosolut kuolevat, joka on Parkinsonin taudin keskeisin patofysiologinen ilmiö. Dicerin aktiivisuuden tehostamisella, käyttäen enoksasiinia, on suojaava vaikutus dopamiinihermosoluille. Enoksasiini, joka on fluorokinoloneihin kuuluva antimikrobinen yhdiste, tehostaa Diceria vain suurilla pitoisuuksilla (10-100 μM). Lisäksi se on polyfarmakologinen voiden aiheuttaa paljon vakavia haittavaikutuksia, joten se ei ole optimaalinen lääkeaine Dicer-puutoksiin liitettyjen tautien hoitamiseen. Tämän erikoistyön tavoitteena oli kehittää solupohjainen, fluoresenssiin perustuva menetelmä, jolla voisi seuloa parempia Diceria aktivoivia yhdisteitä. Dicerin aktiivisuutta mittaavia menetelmiä on jo kehitetty aiemmin muutamia, mutta ne eivät ole optimaalisia Diceria-aktivoivien yhdisteiden seulomiseksi. Osa kokeista on entsyymipohjaisia eivätkä ne ota huomioon solunsisäistä endogeenistä Diceria. Kokeissa käytettävä RNA, jonka Dicer prosessoi, ei edusta yleisiä nisäkässolujen RNA-tyyppejä. Tietyissä kokeissa ei ole sisäistä suhteuttavaa tekijää (esimerkiksi toista fluoresoivaa proteiinia) tai niillä ei ole mahdollista suorittaa laajoja seulontoja. Työssä suunniteltiin ensiksi edellä mainitut puutteet huomioon ottaen reportteriplasmidi in silico. Plasmidi ilmentää kahta fluoresoivaa proteiinia, mCherry:ä (punainen) ja EGFP:tä,(vihreä) sekä mCherry:n ilmentymistä estävää siRNA-juostetta pre-miR155:n runkoon liitettynä, jonka Dicer prosessoi. Näin ollen, mittaamalla punaisen ja vihreän fluoresenssi-intensiteettien suhdetta, voidaan tutkia Dicerin aktiivisuutta. Plasmidissa on myös useita säätelyelementtejä ilmentymisen tasaamiseksi. Plasmidi valmistettiin molekyylikloonausmenetelmin ja sen toiminnollisuutta testattiin Dicerin aktiivisuuteen vaikuttavilla yhdisteillä. Seulontakoetta optimoitiin eri solulinjoilla ja olosuhdemuutoksilla, ja lisäksi valmistettiin stabiileja solulinjoja laajamittaisen seulonnan helpottamiseksi. Lopuksi suoritettiin pienen mittakaavan seulonta kymmenelle farmakologisesti aktiiviselle yhdisteelle. Ohimenevästi transfektoituna, Kiinanhamsterin munasarjasoluissa, mCherryn hiljentäminen oli niin tehokasta, että hiljentämisen tehostamista ei voitu luotettavasti mitata. Hallitsemalla ilmentymistä doksisykliinin avulla, Tet-On-systeemillä FLP-IN 293 T-Rex soluilla, saatiin ilmentymistä kontrolloitua ja mittaukset luotettaviksi. Seulontakoe saatiin toimimaan 72 tunnin ja 120 tunnin aikapisteillä käyttäen enoksasiinia positiivisena kontrollina. Seulonnasta ei löydetty mCherry/EGFP fluoresenssien suhdetta merkitsevästi vähentäviä yhdisteitä ja lisäksi enoksasiinin vaikutus ei ollut enää tilastollisesti merkitsevä. Tämän perusteella suoritettiin laajempi analyysi enoksasiinin vaikutuksista, missä havaittiin, että sen vaikutus mCherry/EGFP fluoresenssien suhteen vähentämisessä oli, vaikkakin tilastollisesti merkitsevä, hyvin vähäinen 72 tunnin kokeessa. Huomioitavaa pienen mittakaavan seulonnasta on, että metformiinin ja BDNF:n, joiden on aiemmin osoitettu lisäävän Dicerin ilmentymistä, vaikutukset olivat vastaavia enoksasiinin vaikutukseen. Seulontakokeen laatu laajamittaisen seulontakokeen suhteen määritettiin laskemalla kokeille Z-tekijän sekä hajonnan koeffisienttien arvot. Nämä osoittivat, että kokeen hajonta oli hyväksyttävä, mutta ero kontrollien välillä oli liian pieni, jotta koetta voisi käyttää luotettavasti seulomiseen. Tärkeimpinä johtopäätöksinä, metformiinin ja BDNF:n vaikutuksia Diceriin tulisi tutkia tarkemmin, ja koetta on optimoitava lisää, jotta laajamittaisia seulontoja voidaan suorittaa mahdollisimman vähillä resursseilla

Encountering Multiple Futures : Finnish survivalism as an anticipatory approach

Surviving is a fundamental question and a question concerning futures. An essential part of survival is the anticipation of and preparation for the future. This Master’s thesis examines the ways in which Finnish survivalists encounter futures and uncertainties. Survivalism is a cultural movement and a lifestyle that prepares for different kinds of disasters or a societal collapse. The main aim of this thesis is to examine survivalist encounter with futures. The research objective is two-fold. Firstly, to examine Finnish present-day survivalism as a futures-oriented practice and lifestyle, and secondly, discuss it as an anticipatory approach. The research material consists of different types of media texts: anonymous user-submitted messages on the Finnish survivalist web forum survivalismi.com, as well as newspaper articles, a documentary television film and a radio interview all addressing survivalism in Finland. The data was analysed with qualitative thematic text analysis. Futures studies method Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) provided an analytical framework of four layers of depth to investigate survivalism as a futures-oriented practice. Based on the analysis, despite being multi-faceted, the Finnish survivalist encounter with futures is negotiated through three main framings. Firstly, in practice, survivalist approach moves between speculative futures and the material present moment. Secondly, the factors that motivate preparedness vary between mundane and personal harms as well as general and global disaster scenarios. Thirdly, the common survivalist worldview balances between privacy and norm-critical self-sufficiency as well as sharing and communality. In addition, deeper assumptions about futures and surviving were examined. The results indicate that survivalists are free to define the threats they prepare for. Furthermore, the futures imagined vary in their temporality. Beyond the multiplicity of threat futures waits the future where one has survived: the survival future. Despite the appreciation towards nature, survivalists see the collapse inevitable and do not consider that they can influence the environmental degradation. In conclusion, survivalism as an anticipatory approach deploys all different types of explicit anticipation, each with their specific way of using the future. As the objective of surviving involves multiple smaller goals, the constant creation of new anticipations is innate to survivalists. The simulation of futures as part of preparedness challenges the idea of anticipation as a way to imagine actions, which can only be put to the test once the future occurs. Finally, it was proposed that survivalism aspires to resilience. Yet, the survivalist attraction towards danger corroborates the necessity to critically examine the concept of resilience

Maanarvoverotuksen mahdollisimman häiriötön toteutus ja käyttöönotto

This thesis assesses the practical problems and economic risks involved in implementing land value taxation, and how these can be mitigated and avoided. The thesis’s main recommendations include designing efficient and objective models and formulas to determine taxable value, as well as planning the roll out of the tax (including its timing) so that unpredictable swings in real estate prices, and hence windfall gains and losses, are minimized. I draw on literature and previous research as well as finance theory to compare previously discussed implementations and to suggest new, innovative approaches to these challenges, which are major bottlenecks in advancing towards a more efficient and fair taxation paradigm.Tämä diplomityö arvioi käytännön haasteita ja taloudellisia riskejä, joita liittyy maan arvon verotuksen käyttöönottoon, ja ehdottaa keinoja näiden haasteiden ja riskien minimoimiseksi ja välttämiseksi. Diplomityön keskeisimmät suositukset liittyvät tehokkaiden ja objektiivisten mallien ja yhtälöiden suunnitteluun kiinteistöjen verotettavan arvon määrittämiseksi sekä maanarvoveron käyttöönoton (ml. sen ajoituksen) toteuttamiseen niin, että ennustamattomat heilahdukset kiinteistöjen arvoissa ja siten ansiottomat varallisuuden siirrot minimoidaan. Hyödynnän aiempaa kirjallisuutta ja tutkimusta sekä rahoitusteoriaa vertaillakseni aiempia toteutustapoja ja ehdottaakseni uusia, innovatiivisia lähestymistapoja kyseisiin haasteisiin, jotka ovat merkittävä este siirtymiselle kohti tehokkaampaa ja reilumpaa verotusparadigmaa