Towards Comprehensive Security Related Pedagogy : An Approach to Learning and Resilience

The indent of this study is in progress of comprehensive security related pedagogy in the forms of national-international information sharing and knowledge management with the shared policy developing, collaboration in externally funded research consortiums, structures of security and safety organisations, and integration of strategic research and development (R&D) agenda with higher education functions. The study includes multiple case study analysis of integration of R&D projects and higher education functions, revised viewpoints to comprehensive security pedagogy and R&D related learning, and an approach to adaptive change process and resilience. The main contribution of study addresses to the progress of emergent educational aspects for the security related interactions, pedagogy, integration of higher education R&D, and collective research with national and European Commission research programmes

Kids Play - Designing a touch screen game with children

Playing is an important part of the development of young children. The growth in number of touch screen devices owned by families has offered game designers an opportunity to create new kind of playing experiences also for young children. In order to design appealing games for children they should be included in the game design process. With age-appropriate methods the design process can be a fun activity for the participants and offer valuable results to support the design work. This thesis describes a design process of a children’s music genre game where children participa- ted in one phase of designing the game. The game was built for the Apple iPad device. Altogether 52 children aged between 3 and 7 years participated in design workshops. The game was designed and tested together with these children by using age-appropriate co-creation and research methods. The workshop results were used for designing and developing the early stage prototype into a finalized product. Literature study was conducted on children’s cognitive development, children’s different roles in design processes and methods where children are an essential part of the process. Based on the found material a detailed structure for sessions to be held in 5 day workshop was planned. Used methods included the Fun toolkit, Cooperative inquiry, Mixing ideas and Layered collaboration. Some changes to the original methods had to be made, because the available timespan was shorter and the participating children were partly younger than the ones the methods were created for. The workshops initially provided qualitative and quantitative results which were analysed after the workshops. The most important benefit from organizing the workshops was to be able to “go in- side” of children’s minds. Observing them while they were playing and seeing what is interesting to them and makes them laugh was very important source of insight and inspiration. Based on this knowledge the following key game element themes were formed: abnormalities, achievements, funny failures, stardom / pretend play and surprises. These themes were used as the basis for further game design work. The overall game concept was reformed and new features were designed

Lakisääteisten eläkkeiden verotus Suomessa vuosina 2005–2010

Eläkkeensaajan verotus keventyi vuosina 2005–2010. Keskustelualoitteessa tarkastellaan verotuksen vaikutusta eläkkeensaajan tuloihin laajalla rekisteriaineistolla. Julkaisuun on koottu tietoa eläkkeiden jakaumasta ja eläkkeensaajan toimeentulosta. Mukana on myös maakuntakohtaista tietoa. Tulosten mukaan eläkkeensaajan toimeentulo kehittyi tarkastelujaksolla suotuisasti, ja verotuksen keventyminen noin kolmella prosenttiyksiköllä vahvisti tätä kehitystä

Decreasing trend in the incidence of serious pneumonias in Finnish children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

OBJECTIVES: Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) may be predisposed to serious pneumonia due to modern disease-modifying anti-rheumatic treatment. In this nationwide retrospective study with clinical data, we describe the pneumonia episodes among children with JIA. METHODS: Patients under 18 years of age with JIA and pneumonia during 1998-2014 were identified in the National Hospital Discharge Register in Finland. Each individual patient record was reviewed, and detailed data on patients with JIA and pneumonia were retrieved, recorded, and analyzed. If the patient was hospitalized or received intravenous antibiotics, the pneumonia was considered serious. RESULTS: There were 157 episodes of pneumonia among 140 children with JIA; 111 episodes (71%) were serious (80% in 1998-2006 and 66% in 2007-2014). The mean age of the patients was 9 years. Forty-eight percent had active JIA and 46% had comorbidities. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD) were used at the time of 135 episodes (86%): methotrexate (MTX) by 62% and biologic DMARDs (bDMARD) by 30%. There was no significant difference in the use of bDMARDs, MTX and glucocorticoids between the patient groups with serious and non-serious pneumonia episodes. During six of the episodes, intensive care was needed. Two patients (1.3%) died, the remaining ones recovered fully. CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence of pneumonia and the use of immunosuppressive treatment among children with JIA increased from 1998 to 2014, the proportion of serious pneumonias in these patients decreased. There was no significant difference in the use of anti-rheumatic medication between patients with serious and non-serious pneumonia.Key Points• The incidence of serious pneumonias decreased from 1998 to 2014 among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).• There was no significant difference in the use of the disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medication between JIA patients with serious and non-serious pneumonias.• Active JIA, comorbidities, and combination medication were associated with nearly half of the pneumonias.Peer reviewe

Development of phytoplankton of Lake Vesijarvi during recovery from eutrophication

Wastewaters discharged to Lake Vesijarvi ruined its recreational value and demanded mitigation measures. In the mid-1970s, the diversion of wastewaters elsewhere reduced epilimnetic total phosphorus concentration by similar to 40% from > 100 mg P m(-3) in 5 years, but this was not enough to eliminate cyanobacterial blooms. In 1979-1984, hypolimnetic oxygenation was applied to decrease internal nutrient loading, but pumping warm surface water to the hypolimnion probably intensified gas ebullition from the sediment, carrying nutrients to the epilimnion and intensifying cyanobacterial blooms. Intensive fish removal in 1989-1994 was more successful. Five years of summer trawling removed over three-quarters of roach and smelt stock, and after the two most intensive fishing years, TP and chlorophyll concentrations abruptly decreased by similar to 35%. During subsequent years fish removal continued at similar to 30% intensity and maintained chlorophyll and total nutrient concentrations at a lower level until the end of the study. At the same time, the frequency of cyanobacterial blooms decreased from annual to twice per decade. Larger-scale oxygenation after 2010 no longer resulted in ebullition, and its effect on phytoplankton was indistinguishable from natural variability. Consequently, it was abandoned. The intensity of fish removal needed to maintain the present status of the lake is still awaiting evaluation.Peer reviewe

Vesijärven kehitys neljän vuosikymmenen kunnostustoimenpiteiden aikana

The diversion of sewage inputs in the mid-1970s led to an order of magnitude reduction in nutrient loading to Lake Vesijarvi, southern Finland. After the diversion, nutrient concentrations declined, consistent with a simple dilution model, and by the mid-1990s the chlorophyll concentration was reduced by 80%. The favourable development was supported by a 5-year mass removal of planktivorous and benthivorous fish and the stocking of predatory pikeperch (Sander lucioperca(L.)), although the exact mechanisms behind their effects remain obscure. Starting in 2010, oxygen-rich water from the top of the water column was pumped to the deepest parts of the lake, resulting in high deepwater oxygen concentration in winter. In summer, hypoxic or even anoxic conditions could not be avoided, but the duration of the anoxic period was markedly shortened. Because nitrate was never depleted, leaching of total nitrogen from the sediment was reduced and the same was also true for total phosphorus, but only in winter. The oxygenation stabilized deepwater nutrient concentrations to a low level, but this was not reflected in the epilimnetic total nutrient concentration or in a further decrease in the chlorophyll concentration.Peer reviewe

Satakunnan vesistöohjelma SATAVESI: arviointi

Arviointiryhmä sai toimeksiannon arvioida Satakunnan vesistöohjelman toiminta ja tuloksellisuus. Arviointityössä tehtiin sähköpostikysely ja neljä ryhmähaastattelua. Kyselyssä haluttiin selvittää, millaisen arvosanan osalliset antavat Satakunnan vesistöohjelman toiminnalle ja tuloksellisuudelle. Kysymykset jäsenneltiin ohjelman toiselle, SATAVESI -yhteistyön toimintamallin kehittäminen -vaiheelle annettujen tavoitteiden mukaan: vesien tila parantaminen, yhteistyön edistäminen, kansalaistoiminnan aktivoiminen, ja hanketoiminnan edistäminen. Ryhmähaastatteluja tehtiin neljä. Ensimmäinen ryhmähaastattelu koostui työryhmiin osallistuneista, toinen hankkeisiin osallistuneista, kolmas ohjelman ohjausryhmästä ja neljäs ohjelmaa hallinnoivien virastojen johtajista. Arvioinnin toimintaa ja tuloksellisuutta tarkastellaan neljän osa-alueen alla: yhteistoiminta, tiedontuotanto ja -hallinta tuloksista, koulutus- ja ympäristötoiminta sekä hanketoiminta ja koordinaatio. SATAVESI on lisännyt vesien tilan parantamisessa vaadittavaa asiantuntijoiden, virkamiesten ja kansalaisten välistä vuorovaikusta ja keskustelua. SATAVESI on kohdistanut ensisijaisesti huomionsa seurauksiin, ei syihin: kunnostustarve on tunnistettu, mutta kuormituksen alkulähteisiin tai muuhun ennaltaehkäisevään toimintaan ei ole juurikaan kiinnitetty huomiota. Suunnittelu- tai aloitevaiheessa olevien hankkeiden suuri määrä kertoo, että organisaatioiden ja muidenkin toimijoiden yhteistoiminta on alkanut tuottaa tulosta. SATAVESI ei ole tuottanut lisää vesien tilaan ja kunnostukseen liittyvää tietoa. Sen sijaan ohjelma on kerännyt van-haa tietoa ja pyrkinyt levittämään sitä paikallisille toimijoille, erityisesti suunnittelu- ja ideavaiheessa oleville kohde-hankkeille. Haastatteluissa esiin nousi tarve eräänlaiselle tietokeskukselle, joka tarjoaisi organisaatioiden tuottamaa ja ylläpitämää tietoa ja samalla toimisi linkkinä paikalliseen tietoon. SATAVESI on järjestänyt onnistuneita koulutustilaisuuksia. Ohjelma on kanavoinut ympäristöhuolen ja –toiveet toiminnaksi ja hankkeiksi. Ohjelma ei ole luonut pysyviä mekanismeja kansalaisten osallistumishalun kanavoimiseksi aktiiviseksi vesiensuojelutyöksi, vaikka kansalaistoiminnan aktivoiminen on ollut yksi tärkeimmistä ohjelman tavoitteista. Ohjelma on onnistuneesti purkanut jo järjestäytyneiden toimijoiden välisiä toimintaesteitä. SATAVEDEN projektihenkilöiden toimintaan on yleisesti oltu tyytyväisiä, ja toiminnan suotaisiin jatkuvan myös tulevaisuudessa. Ohjelma on täsmentänyt satakuntalaisen vesiensuojelutyön pyrkimystä, kohdentanut huomiota, auttanut priorisoimaan, parantanut hankkeiden laatua ja onnistunut hankkimaan vesiensuojelulle kasvavassa määrin rahoitusta ja tehostanut hankerahojen käyttöä. Riitojen tunnistamiseen ja käsittelyyn ei ohjelman kuluessa ole kuitenkaan kiinnitetty huomiota. Kun lähitulevaisuudessa suojelutyön huomio kohdistuu aluekokonaisuuksiin ja myös aiheuttajiin, ei vain kuormituksen seurauksiin, riitojen mahdollisuudet kasvavat. Kaiken kaikkiaan SATAVESI on onnistunut luomaan satakuntalaiselle vesiensuojelutyölle positiivisen imagon. Luodessaan myönteisen kollektiivisen mielikuvan ohjelma on tehokkaasti sitouttanut organisaatioita ja niiden jäseniä vesiensuojelutyöhön. On mahdollista, että tulevat alueelliset ympäristönsuojelun keksinnöt liittyvät nimenomaan vesiensuojeluun