Ohustatud Euroopa naaritsa (Mustela lutreola) sigimine ja käitumine tehiskeskkonnas

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneEuroopa naarits on kriitiliselt ohustatud imetaja, mis on loodusest kadumas. Päästmaks liiki väljasuremisest hakati naaritsaid pidama loomaaedades. Vangistuses on loomade paljundamine keeruline, kuna sealne keskkond erineb looma looduslikust elupaigast. Loomaaias elavatel naaritsatel on täheldatud probleeme sigimisega. Paljud ei saa järglasi, mis võib saada saatuslikuks asurkonna jätkusuutlikkusele. Käesolevas doktoritöös uurisin, miks on naaritsa sigimine loomaaias ebaedukas ja kuidas leida probleemile lahendus. Olukorrast parema ülevaate saamiseks uurisime, mis mõjutab pesakonna suurust ja poegade tõenäosust ellu jääda. Leidsime, et olulised on ema vanus ja kaal, kuid muidu oli emaste sigimisedu sarnane. Lisaks uurisime emase hormonaaltsüklit indlemise ja tiinuse ajal. Tulemused olid ootuspärased, hormonaaltsükkel järgis liigile tüüpilist rada. Me ei leidnud tõendeid, et paaritamiskatsete ebaõnnestumise põhjust tuleks otsida emastest. Leidsime, et ebaedu sigimisel on seotud vangistuses sündinud isastega. Mõni isane on paaritamiskatses emase vastu agressiivne või siis neil puudub indleva emase vastu huvi. Mõistmaks isaste käitumist vaatlesime naaritsate lapsepõlve – uurisime poegade vahelisi suhteid pesakonnas kasvamise ajal. Paljudel imetajatel on tõendatud, et varajane keskkond mõjutab isendi käitumist täiskasvanueas. Me ei leidnud, et naaritsatel oleks pesakonnaperioodil ebanormaalset käitumist. Nagu igati kohane, kulus poegade põhiaeg mängule. Agressiivsust ei olnud palju ja see ei tõusnud ajas. Pesakonnad ei erinenud käitumismustrilt üksteisest, seega ei leidnud me hälbiva poegade käitumisega pesakondi, mis oleksid võinud ebasobiva sigimiskäitumise tekkimist seletada. Töötasime välja metoodika naartisate iseloomutüüpide määramiseks, sest üha enam soovitatakse, et loomadesse tuleks loomaaias suhtuda neist igaühe iseloomu arvestades. Leidsime, et naaritsaid saab eristada julguse, uurivuse ja sotsiaalsuse alusel . Meie töös ilmnes, et probleemid sigimishooajal on seotud eelkõige vangistuses sündinud isastega, nende põhjuseid peaks otsima mujalt kui pesakonnaperioodist, abi võiks olla iga looma iseloomu tundmisest. Saadud tulemused on oluliseks alusteadmisteks töös, mis on suunatud naaritsate tehiskeskkonnas pidamise edukuse tõstmisele.European mink is a critically endangered carnivore which has almost disappeared from nature. To save the species from extinction a captive population was established. Unfortunately, keeping wild animals in captivity always causes problems, just because in a zoo everything is different from the species’ natural habitat. In the case of the European mink, there are problems with breeding in captive conditions. Some animals will fail to produce offspring which may threaten the persistence of the captive population. In this doctorial thesis, I addressed the reasons of breeding failures and how to find solutions to this problem. At first we studied what affects the size and survival of the litter. We found that the weight and age of the mother are most significant. Additionally we studied the hormonal cycle of the females during the mating season and gestation. Results were expectable: the hormonal cycle followed a profile typical of the species. Analysing the diaries kept at Tallinn zoo for 20 years, we did not find that something is wrong on the females’ side. Instead, we found that the breeding problems are caused by males which have been born in captivity. Some males are aggressive toward the female during the mating attempt or remain passive. To understand the reasons for kind of behaviour, we focused on the childhood of the mink: we studied the interactions between the cubs during the litter period. It has often been found that, in mammals, the early environment affects the development of the behaviour of an animal. In our study, however, we did not find abnormalities in cubs’ behaviour during the litter period. As it should be, the most frequent type of behaviour was play. Aggression was low, it did not rise in time and did not differ between the litters. We developed tests to identify personality types in European mink. We found that it is possible to distinguish individual mink in boldness, sociability and exploration. In summary, we found that the main reason why breeding fails in the European mink is in the behaviour of captive born males. The causes of behavioural distortion may not be related to the litter period, an analysis of personality types may help here. The knowledge obtained forms important basis information for the work aimed at improving keeping condition of captive European mink

The role of the nordic dimension for foreign trade relations of baltic states

Baltic Sea Region (BRS) can be seen as one good example of an attempt to integrate countries with different development levels. In the long run the Baltic Sea could be seen as the internal sea of European Union. However, as different are the development stages of BRS countries, different is their co-operation experience with European Union (EU). Foreign trade can be seen as one possibility for facilitating economic cooperation between countries. Foreign trade must have a positive impact on economic development of trading partners, when they are equal in the level of development, and foster economic growth even then, when their are unequal. Nevertheless, the one assumption of the theory is a free trade, but this assumption is not always fulfilled. Baltics as small transition countries have from one side not many possibilities for influencing foreign trade, because we are price and conditions takers. From other side, we are small enough to get more favourable conditions in trading with economic blocks and developed countries. Nevertheless, the better conditions compared to other third and associated countries, that we achieved for trading with EU, do not guarantee automatically higher volumes and more equal conditions in trade with above mentioned countries. Encouraging is the fact that European Union Council has approved the Action Plan for the Northern Dimension with external and cross-border policies of the European Union 2000-2003. The aim of current paper is to analyse the current situation in foreign trade of three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) in the context of fostering economic co-operation in Nordic Dimension. To accomplish this aim: - We analyse the openness or closeness of the trade in Baltic Sea region, find out its positive and negative aspects. -We will look at geographical distribution of foreign trade of three Baltics and analyse it. -We analyse the commodity structure of foreign trade of three Baltics with countries in BSR. -We will analyse the possibilities and risks of current situation in Baltics’ foreign trade in the context of economic globalisation and integration. Data of national statistic bureaus and national banks will be used for comparing the situation in Baltics’ foreign trade. The analysis will not cover transit trade and trade with services.

Attractiveness of Central and Eastern European Countries for Foreign Direct Investment in the Context of European Integration: The Case of Estonia

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in the world have increased rapidly during the last decade. Most of the FDI inflows are targeted to developed countries (78% in 1999, about fifth of the flows are going to developing countries and Central and Eastern European transition countries are the host countries for only 2% of the world FDI. The necessity of foreign investments in the transition countries is the result of industrial restructuring in post-socialist Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries. New markets, lower production costs and higher profit rates have been the main motivators in investing to the transition countries. Privatization programs of some of these countries have also facilitated foreign direct investments. Lankes and Venables (1996) and Lankes and Stern (1998) have noted that previous studies have shown predominance of market seeking investors in Central and Eastern European countries and factor cost considerations appeared to be of less importance for the majority of investments. A study by Meyer (1995) showed also that local market of Central and Eastern European countries is the primary motive in making foreign direct investments and factor costs played only a secondary role in investing to those markets at the beginning of the transition process. Several other studies (for example Barrell et al. 1999; Borsos-Torstila 1998; Éltetö 1999, Garibaldi et al. 1999; Guimaraes et al. 1997; Holland et al. 1998a, 1998b; Wang et al. 1995; Ziacik 2000 have also shown the significance of the determinants that are important for these types of investors in explaining the foreign investments’ flows into the transition countries. Two other types of foreign investors are not so important due to the relative lack of natural resources and strategic assets in Central and Eastern European transition countries. However, it has to be considered that there are quite big differences in the shares of different types of foreign investors between countries and sectors. A number of Central and Eastern European transition countries are in the middle of process of integration to the European Union now. Economic integration has impact on the movement of the foreign direct investment. The main aim of this paper is to find out the possible changes in attractiveness of investment climate of the Central and Eastern European transition countries in the context of European integration. Taking into account this aim, paper is divided into four parts: * At first, theoretical foundations of foreign direct investments movements and results of the previous empirical research are presented. * Then, theoretical foundations of the impact of regional integration on foreign direct investment flows is discussed. * After this, determinants of FDI inflows in Central and Eastern European countries and in Estonia are analyzed by using generalized component, regression and multinominal logistic analysis, * Finally potential changes in attractiveness of the Central and Eastern European transition countries are discussed and some economic-political recommendations for the governments are presented. REFERENCES: 1. Barrell, R., Pain, N. Trade Restraints and Japanese Direct Investment Flows. - European Economic Review, 1999, Vol. 43, pp. 29-45. 2. Borsos-Torstila, J. Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment Operations of Finnish Multinational Companies in Transition Economies in 1990-1995. Helsinki, 1998, 180 p. 3. Ëltetö, A. The Impact of FDI on the Foreign Trade of Central European Countries. – Materials of the workshop "Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the International Competitiveness of CEEC Manufacturing and EU Enlargement", Budapest, November 19-20, 1999, 23 p. 4. Garibaldi, P., Mora, N., Sahay, R., Zettelmeyer, J. What Moves Capital to Transition Economies? – Materials of the IMF Conference "A Decade of Transition: Achievements and Challenges", February, 1999, 49 p. 5. Guimaraes, P., Rolfe, R.J., Doupnik, T., Woodward, D.P. The Locational Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Central Europe. – SSRN Journal, 1997, July, 17 p. 6. Holland, D., Pain, N. The Determinants and Impact of Foreign Direct Investment in the Transition Economies: A Panel Data Analysis. – Materials of the conference “Convergence or Divergence: Aspirations and Reality in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia” Buckinghamshire, 1998a, pp. 300-325. 7. Holland D., Pain, N. The Diffusion of Innovations in Central and Eastern Europe: A Study of the Determinants and Impact of Foreign Direct Investment. – Materials of the conference “Convergence or Divergence: Aspirations and Reality in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia”, Buckinghamshire, 1998b, 49 p. 8. Lankes, H.-P., Stern, N. Capital Flows to Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. – EBRD Working Paper, 1998, No. 27, 31 p. 9. Lankes, H.-P., Venables, A.J. Foreign Direct Investment in Economic Transition: The Changing Pattern of Investments. – Economies of Transition, 1996, Vol. 4, No. 2 pp. 331-347. 10. Meyer, K. Direct Foreign Investment in Eastern Europe: The Role of Labor Costs. - Comparative Economic Studies, 1995, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 69-88 (cited by http://www.ebscohost.com pp. 1-16). 11. Wang, Z.Q., Swain, N.J. The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Transforming Economies: Empirical Evidence from Hungary and China. – Weltwirtschaftlisches Archiv, 1995, Band 131, pp. 359-382. 12. Ziacik, T. An Assessment of the Estonian Investment Climate: Results of a Survey of Foreign Investors and Policy Implications. – BOFIT Discussion Papers, 2000, No. 3, 52 p.

Sooliste representatsioonide dünaamika Eesti ühiskonna muutuste kontekstis

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneEesti taasiseseisvumisaeg on kantud kiiretest ja vastuolulistest muutustest ühiskonnas, millega kohanemine pole kõigi ühiskonnagruppide jaoks olnud ühtviisi kerge. Majanduslikule edule ja materiaalsetele hüvedele orienteeritud väärtuste domineerimine ei ole toetanud post-materiaalsete väärtuste esiletõusu, mis puudutab ka näiteks soolise võrdõiguslikkusega seotud väärtusi. Sooga seotud hoiakute muutumine määrab aga oluliselt sooliselt tasakaalustatuma ühiskonna arengut. Minu doktoritöö eesmärgiks on uurida sooliste representatsioonide dünaamikat Eesti ühiskonnas sotsiaalsete muutuste taustal, vaadeldes seda läbi diskursiivse enesepositsioneerimise ning staatuse kujunemisega seotud protsessidest lähtuvalt. Lisaks analüüsib doktoritöö infoühiskonna mõjusid soolisele sotsialiseerimisele. Töö tulemused näitavad, et soolisusega seotud teemadest rääkimine on varjatud ja diskursiivne ning toimub tihtipeale viisil, mis kannab ennekõike olemasoleva soosüsteemi põlistamise ja sooga seotud traditsiooniliste normidega sobitumise funktsiooni ning mis avaldub eriti selgelt tugevate maskuliinsete väärtustega ja konkurentsile orienteeritud (organisatsiooni)kultuuris. Teisalt aga ei saa rääkida selgetest soolistest identiteetidest ega öelda, kes on taolises soosüsteemis nn võitjad või kaotajad. Muutused ühiskonnas on loonud soolist ebavõrdsust erineval ning kohati isegi vastuolulisel moel. Seetõttu tuleb tähele panna, et soolised hierarhiad, läbipõimituna vanuse, rahvuse ja sotsiaalse staatusega, moodustavad keerukaid ja mitmetahulisi struktuure ühiskondlike muutuste kontekstis. Et muutuste kandjaks peetakse sageli just nooremaid põlvkondi, arvatakse sageli, et uued põlvkonnad toovad kaasa muutusi, eriti just kiirete tehnoloogiliste arengute kontekstis. Tulemused aga näitavad, et soolised mustrid on ka siin suhteliselt vastuolulised ning ühel või teisel viisil soolisi representatsioone taastootvad, mis omakorda peegeldub ka vanemate ebakindluses ühelt poolt kasvatusstiilide (soolistatud) valikul, kuid teisalt ka kiirete tehnoloogiliste ja sotsiaalsete muutustega kohanemisel.Estonia is a country that has faced numerous changes in the economic, political and social sphere in recent decades. Change in the value system has not been a linear process. Instead, it has been a mixture of the asymmetrical development of different values and unbalanced shifts for different social groups. The struggle between different value orientations is also visible in the gender system, with complex and multifaceted inequalities between men and women. My thesis aims to explore and contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of gender representations in the context of multiple and often paradoxical social transformations. The results of the thesis reveal that the simultaneity of change and stability in gender representations clearly reflects the overall trajectories of transformations in the Estonian society. The ambivalent and unbalanced changes in society are present in mindsets of people and do not allow for clear and undirected solutions in understanding, contextualising and explaining gender representations. The analysis of the self-positioning strategies of female professionals showed that gender related symbols and interactions are hidden and discursive, but in many ways help to preserve the status quo and therefore reproduce gender stereotypes. Rapid changes in society and life cultures create multiple paradoxes in understanding gender as the central factor in the context of societal changes. Mixed with different factors, such as age, ethnicity and social status, gender is part of the process of creating positions in social hierarchies. As young people and children are thought to bring change to old beliefs, especially in the context of rapid technological development, there is hope that new generations and new socialisation patterns will change gender representations. The results of my thesis, however, showed no clear-cut differences. The development and use of new technologies is creating paradoxes in which gender is intertwined with other characteristics and it is difficult to say what changes what. It is possible that gender stereotypes are unchangeable by nature and that they hinder transformative aspects in society. At the same time, rapid societal changes can lead to new formations and changes in gender representations. The parental mediation of children's internet use as a form of socialisation supports the reproduction of gender representations, but involves uncertainty and paradoxical, as well as unbalanced, parental practices

Inimtekkeliste hüdromorfoloogiliste muutuste mõju vooluvete seisundile suurselgrootute järgi Eestis (Euroopa, Balti ökoregioon)

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Inimesed on muutnud väga paljude vooluveekogude hüdromorfoloogiat: voolukiirust, põhja iseloomu ja voolusängi kuju. Sellised muutused on nende veekogude elustikku sageli oluliselt mõjutanud. Enamik Eesti jõgedest on vähemalt mingis osas õgvendatud, paljud ka paisutatud. Õgvendamise käigus kaevatakse kogu vooluveekogu või mõni selle osa sirgeks. Tulemuseks on voolukiiruse ja põhja iseloomu ühtlustumine. Paisutamise käigus muudetakse kiirevooluline jõelõik seisuveeliseks järveks, kuhu setib muda. Suurselgrootud on palja silmaga nähtavad, veekogude põhjal, taimedel, setete sees või veepinnal elavad loomad. Neid on veekogude seisundi indikaatoritena kogu maailmas palju kasutatud, sest nad reageerivad ennustatavalt mitmesugusele inimtegevusele, eriti orgaanilisele ja happelisele veereostusele. Pole selge, kas Eestis seni kasutatav vooluvete seisundi hindamissüsteem suurselgrootute järgi sobib ka hüdromorfoloogiliste muutuste usaldusväärseks iseloomustamiseks. Praeguse doktoritöö eesmärgiks oli hinnata paisutamise ja õgvendamise mõju vooluvete suurselgrootute seisundile. Selleks kasutati nii senist hindamissüsteemi kui töötati välja uus hindeks hüdromorfoloogiliselt muudetud jõeosade üle otsustamiseks. Paljud suurselgrootud osutusid vooluvete paisutamise ja/või õgvenduse suhtes oluliselt tundlikeks. Uus indeks MESH võimaldas usaldusväärselt hinnata paisjärvede mõju suurselgrootutele.Alteration of hydromorphology as a consequence of human activities (e.g. damming and channelization) poses a significant threat to habitat quality and in turn to riverine communities. Taxonomic composition of benthic macroinvertebrates has been widely used as an indicator of running water quality. It is not clear whether the metrics included in the Estonian multimetric index of biological quality reflect hydromorphological disturbances appropriately. The aims of this Theses were 1) to assess the effect of damming and channelization on stream biological quality using current national multimetric index, and 2) to develop new index specially for hydromorphologically degraded streams. Most macroinvertebrate-based indices of biological quality, belonging to the corresponding national multimetric index, were significantly and negatively influenced both by damming and channelization. The new index The MESH distinguished reliably the above-dam macroinvertebrate communities from those of the other area

Fundamental frequency in Estonian emotional read-out speech

Fundamental frequency (F0, perceived as pitch) is an important prosodic cue of emotion. The aim of the present study was to find out if sentence emotion has any influence detectable in the F0 height and range of Estonian read-out speech. Thus the F0 of each vowel found in Estonian read-out sentences was measured, and its median for three emotions (anger, joy, sadness) and for neutral speech was calculated. In addition, the F0 range was measured for emotional and neutral speech, as well as the height of F0 for sentence-initial and sentence-final positions. The results revealed that in the investigated material, F0 was highest for joy and lowest for anger. The F0 range, however, was widest for anger and narrowest for sadness. The differences in F0 height at the beginning versus the end of sentences were not statistically significant, either for pairs of emotions or for emotions compared with neutral speech

La traducción del subjuntivo al estonio a base de la traducción estonia de La sombra del viento de Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Töö koosneb põhiosast ja 1 lisasthttp://tartu.ester.ee/record=b2655298~S1*es

On Attribute-Based Encryption for Circuits from Multilinear Maps

Töös antakse ülevaade atribuudipõhisest krüpteerimisest. Tutvustatakse Garg et al artiklis "Attribute-Based Encryption for Circuits from Multilinear Maps" esitatud konstruktsiooni. Tehakse ka mõned ettepanekud antud konstruktsiooni parandamiseks, ja tõestatakse saadud konstruktsiooni turvalisus.In this work, an overview of Attribute-Based Encryption is given. A recent construction given by Garg et al in the paper "Attribute-Based Encryption for Circuits from Multilinear Maps" is introduced. Some improvements are suggested for that construction, and the security of the resulting scheme is proved