Asunnottomuuden monet kasvot

Tämä tutkimus perustuu Espoon Diakoniasäätiön tutkimus- ja kehittämishankkeeseen. Lähtökohtana oli havainto siitä, että asunnottomuuden taustalla ovat yhä useammin sopivien asuntojen puutteen lisäksi puutteet asumisen taidoissa erityisesti syrjäytymisvaarassa olevilla ryhmillä. Säätiöllä on tukiasuntoja sekä asumisyhteisöjä mielenterveys- ja päihdekuntoutujille. Hankkeen aikana kehitettiin asumisen tukipalvelumalli TUPA, jonka avulla tukea voidaan viedä mihin tahansa asuntoon. Lisäksi tutkimus tarjoaa uutta tietoa asunnottomuuden luonteesta sekä tuetun asumisen tilasta ja tarpeista

A Teacher–Researcher Partnership for Professional Learning : Co-Designing Project-Based Learning Units to Increase Student Engagement in Science Classes

We present teacher-researcher partnership (TRP) as a way of fostering teachers' professional learning. Teachers' participation as research group members is an essential aspect of the partnership. Teachers and researchers share the same goal, which is to improve their understanding of and enhance students' engagement in science. Project-based learning (PBL) was selected as a means of enhancing student engagement. The activities of the partnership focused on the co-design and enactment of and co-reflection on PBL units. Teachers participated in the design of the data collection process and the interpretation of initial findings. As an indicator of teachers' professional learning, we examined students' engagement during different implementations of the PBL units. Student engagement was measured using a situational experience sampling questionnaire delivered via mobile phones. The students' experiences of scientific practices and engagement in actual learning situations were measured in the first and second years of the teachers' implementation of the teaching units. An analysis of the students' responses showed that the students were 20% more engaged in the second year than in the first year. We argue that TRP has the potential to enhance teachers' professional learning.Peer reviewe

Genomitieto käytännön lääkärin arkipäivään - päätöksenteon digitaaliset työkalut

Teema : Genomitieto. English summaryPeer reviewe

Sex vägar till hållbarhet: utgångspunkter för främjande av en systematisk omställning till hållbarhet i Finland

Den globala rapporten om hållbar utveckling visar att vi gör framsteg i fråga om de globala målen för hållbar utveckling enligt Agenda 2030, men att det går alldeles för långsamt. Ojämlikheten ökar, klimatförändringarna förvärras, den biologiska mångfalden minskar och avfallsmängderna fortsätter att öka. Bakom dessa fenomen finns många faktorer som påverkar varandra. Men det går att vända riktningen, förutsatt att de ömsesidiga beroendeförhållandena identifieras och en övergripande förändring i en hållbar riktning åstadkoms.202

Six paths towards sustainability: a toolkit to promote a systemic transformation towards sustainable development in Finland

The Global Sustainable Development Report shows that we are heading towards the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030, but much too slowly. Inequality is increasing, climate change is advancing, biodiversity is decreasing, and waste volumes are growing. These phenomena are affected by several interconnected factors. However, we can change course if we identify the interlinkages between the aforementioned problems and steer our societies comprehensively in a more sustainable direction.202

Physical Activity, Body Composition and Metabolic Syndrome in Young Adults

Objective Low physical activity (PA) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in all age groups. We measured intensity and volume of PA and examined the associations between PA and the metabolic syndrome (MS), its components and body composition among young Finnish adults. Research Design and Methods The study comprises 991 men and women born 1985-86, who participated in a clinical study during the years 2009-11 which included assessments of metabolism, body composition and PA. Objectively measured (SenseWear Armband) five-day PA data was available from 737 participants and was expressed in metabolic equivalents of task (MET). Results The prevalence of MS ranged between 8-10%. Higher total mean volume (MET-hours) or intensity (MET) were negatively associated with the risk of MS and separate components of MS, while the time spent at sedentary level of PA was positively associated with MS. Conclusions MS was prevalent in approximately every tenth of the young adults at the age of 24 years. Higher total mean intensity and volume rates as well as longer duration spent at moderate and vigorous PA level had a beneficial impact on the risk of MS. Longer time spent at the sedentary level of PA increased the risk of MS.Peer reviewe

Low Density Lipoprotein-Containing Circulating Immune Complexes : Role in Atherosclerosis and Diagnostic Value

Peer reviewe

COX7A2L genetic variants determine cardiorespiratory fitness in mice and human

Benegiamo et al. identify genetic variants of the mitochondrial supercomplex assembly factor COX7A2L in the skeletal muscle of mice and humans that promote cardiorespiratory fitness.Mitochondrial respiratory complexes form superassembled structures called supercomplexes. COX7A2L is a supercomplex-specific assembly factor in mammals, although its implication for supercomplex formation and cellular metabolism remains controversial. Here we identify a role for COX7A2L for mitochondrial supercomplex formation in humans. By using human cis-expression quantitative trait loci data, we highlight genetic variants in the COX7A2L gene that affect its skeletal muscle expression specifically. The most significant cis-expression quantitative trait locus is a 10-bp insertion in the COX7A2L 3 ' untranslated region that increases messenger RNA stability and expression. Human myotubes harboring this insertion have more supercomplexes and increased respiration. Notably, increased COX7A2L expression in the muscle is associated with lower body fat and improved cardiorespiratory fitness in humans. Accordingly, specific reconstitution of Cox7a2l expression in C57BL/6J mice leads to higher maximal oxygen consumption, increased lean mass and increased energy expenditure. Furthermore, Cox7a2l expression in mice is induced specifically in the muscle upon exercise. These findings elucidate the genetic basis of mitochondrial supercomplex formation and function in humans and show that COX7A2L plays an important role in cardiorespiratory fitness, which could have broad therapeutic implications in reducing cardiovascular mortality.Peer reviewe