Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Liver and Heart In Iron Overload

Systemic iron overload (IO) is considered a principal determinant in the clinical outcome of different forms of IO and in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). However, indirect markers for iron do not provide exact quantification of iron burden, and the evidence of iron-induced adverse effects in hematological diseases has not been established. Hepatic iron concentration (HIC) has been found to represent systemic IO, which can be quantified safely with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), based on enhanced transverse relaxation. The iron measurement methods by MRI are evolving. The aims of this study were to implement and optimise the methodology of non-invasive iron measurement with MRI to assess the degree and the role of IO in the patients. An MRI-based HIC method (M-HIC) and a transverse relaxation rate (R2*) from M-HIC images were validated. Thereafter, a transverse relaxation rate (R2) from spin-echo imaging was calibrated for IO assessment. Two analysis methods, visual grading and rSI, for a rapid IO grading from in-phase and out-of-phase images were introduced. Additionally, clinical iron indicators were evaluated. The degree of hepatic and cardiac iron in our study patients and IO as a prognostic factor in patients undergoing alloSCT were explored. In vivo and in vitro validations indicated that M-HIC and R2* are both accurate in the quantification of liver iron. R2 was a reliable method for HIC quantification and covered a wider HIC range than M-HIC and R2*. The grading of IO was able to be performed rapidly with the visual grading and rSI methods. Transfusion load was more accurate than plasma ferritin in predicting transfusional IO. In patients with hematological disorders, the prevalence of hepatic IO was frequent, opposite to cardiac IO. Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome were found to be the most susceptible to IO. Pre-transplant IO predicted severe infections during the early post-transplant period, in contrast to the reduced risk of graft-versus-host disease. Iron-induced, poor transplantation results are most likely to be mediated by severe infections.Siirretty Doriast

A Case for Transitional Gender Justice in Mali

This thesis aims at analyzing the prospects of delivering transitional gender justice in Mali. Basing on (post-colonial) feminist accounts on transitional justice, this thesis critically analyzes the European Union support for Malian transitional justice process from the perspective of women's rights and gender justice promotion. Supported with empirical data collected in Mali among local civil society organizations and other actors working around transitional justice and human rights, this thesis argues for a holistic and transformational approach to promoting women’s rights within the transitional justice process in Mali. This transformational approach to gender justice takes into consideration the legal realm connected to transitional justice process together with the broader socio-political processes, which establish the foundations for more equitable gender relations in transitional contexts. This case study is a contribution to feminist discussions on transitional justice. Moreover, it aims at a critical scrutiny of European Union's approaches to promote women's rights through transitional justice processes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The thesis takes as its starting point the EU Policy Framework on support to transitional justice and its pledge on gender-sensitive approach to transitional justice. This policy approach follows an increasing concern among academics, practitioners and activists, who have aimed at pointing to gender biases inherent in dominant discourses of and approaches to transitional justice in fragile contexts. The European Union has a multifaceted role in supporting Malian transitional process. The results of the thesis indicate that the current European Union’s action in Mali in relation to transitional justice and gender justice focuses on strengthening the national formal justice system and supporting security sector reform by, for example, infrastructure support and training judicial and security personnel. These results suggest that through its support to the Malian transitional justice the EU is committed to the liberal state- and peacebuilding framework, where women’s rights enhancement and civil society inclusion do play a role, but where the shortcomings of the postcolonial state to deliver gender justice are not fully acknowledged. The results suggest that support for local civil society and conducting awareness-raising initiatives in communities may provide solutions in relation to delivering transitional gender justice and enforcing women’s rights in crisis-torn Mali. Embracing critical notions on the post-colonial state and its shortcomings in relation to women’s rights enforcement in a transitional context, this thesis argues that the EU’s approach to supporting transitional justice in Mali might partly fall short of its broader goals relating to gender justice promotion. These results are more broadly important in the Sub-Saharan African context, where the legacies of colonialism still have a major impact on state- and peacebuilding efforts that are informing transitional justice initiatives and international actors’ interventions regarding transitional peace and statebuilding processes. This thesis is thus a unique contribution to feminist discussions around transitional justice and the European Union support to transitional justice in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the prospects of enforcing women’s rights in Mali

Carbon footprint of food - an approach from national level and from a food portion

The evaluation of food chain environmental impacts was conducted using an environmental accounting model developed for the Finnish food sector, and a model of a Finnish standard lunch plate, which followed nutritional recommendations and represented division of a plate into three parts; half of the plate comprising vegetables, one quarter protein and one quarter carbohydrate.The impacts on climate change were analysed over the whole food chain. Different methods of food processing were assessed: preparation of a standard lunch plate at home, public food service preparation of lunch portions and industrial processing of ready‐made food. The overall aim was to help consumers make environmentally responsible choices in consumption and identify the key areas requiring improvement in terms of climate change and the food supply chain.According to environmental accounting in the food sector, the food chain accounts for 7% of CO2 emissions, 43% of CH4 emissions, and 50% of N2O emissions produced across the entire economy. Impact contribution of the Finnish food chain in climate change was calculated to be 14%. Food represented 15‐20% of the climate change impact of daily consumption. The carbon footprint ranged from 570g to 3.5kg equivalent CO2 for a single food portion. Impact profiles of portions varied depending on raw material composition and production procedure. Producers of animal products, food consumers making their food choices, and particularly decision makers in public catering are the critical stakeholders for minimizing climate change impacts of the food chain

Characters in Modern Tibetan Fiction Set in Pre-1950s Central Tibet : Aristocrats, Common Folk and Others

Volume: 2016 Host publication title: Ancient Currents, New Traditions Host publication sub-title: Papers Presented at the Fourth International Seminar of Young TibetologistsPeer reviewe

Designing a Repeatable Collaboration Method for Setting Up Emerging Value Systems for New Technology Fields

Nowadays, even large multinational enterprises must collaborate with other companies when creating and mobilizing new technology applications. They might not possess all the capabilities needed or they might even find it economically unfeasible to internally master all the relevant value activities in a traditional value chain. Thus, new technology business fields are increasingly being formed by networked value systems. However, there are no established management practices on how to instigate and nurture emerging value systems. In this design science research, we will develop and test a repeatable collaboration method for setting up an emerging value system in a new technology field. We will apply collaboration engineering as the design approach and group support systems as a technique when developing our process artefact. The agenda setting is performed collaboratively by finding out the major barriers facing the birth of a new field, and the actions needed to overcome those barriers. We will apply our method to mobile marketing. We found that the use of a carefully designed ICT-enabled collaboration method can facilitate the stakeholders in an emerging field to work together and provide initiatives towards the creation of a new value system. The developed collaboration method is also repeatable and easily transferable to emerging technology-based businesses other than mobile marketing

One-year Treatment with 0.1% Tacrolimus Ointment versus a Corticosteroid Regimen in Adults with Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis: A Randomized, Double-blind, Comparative Trial

Peer reviewe

Opiskelijoiden itsearvioinnin laaduntarkastelua suuren kurssin kontekstissa

This study is part of an ongoing larger project concerning student self-assessment skills in university courses. We have developed a method enabling large cohorts of students to assess their own learning outcomes and to give their own course grades with the help of an automatic verification system. This paper explores the question of accuracy, namely, whether the self-assessed grades correspond to the students’ actual skills, and how well the automatic system can pick up issues in the self-assessment. Based on an expert’s evaluation of the skills of two students, we conclude that although for large part the model works as intended, there are some cases where neither the self-assessment nor the computer verification seem to be accurate.Peer reviewe

A Repeatable Collaboration Process for Developing a Road Map for Emerging New Technology Business: Case Mobile Marketing

The unique and little practiced characteristics of mobile as a marketing medium create a need to set up an action and research agenda regularly to foster the development of the mobile marketing value system. Numerous stakeholders take part in the network to deliver the mobile services. Strengthening their inter-organizational relationships is critical for the emerging value system to evolve. Our paper employs Collaboration Engineering to address this undertaking by designing a standard process that actors in mobile marketing, as well as in other emerging new technology businesses, can use to collaboratively develop a road map for the future. The first field test of this process was conducted in London in connection with the Mobile Marketing Summit ’04 organized by Nokia. The results are promising. Together with senior management of 25 leading brand marketers and advertising agencies we were able to outline an extensive road map while strengthening the network formation in the field

Kulttuurin paikka? Kulttuuri asuinalueiden kehittämisessä - Tapaus Suomen Kansallisteatteri Kontulassa

Kulttuurista on tullut monin tavoin kaupunkien ja asuinympäristöjen kehittämisen väline. Tässä raportissa osoitetaan ruotsalaisten ja suomalaisten esimerkkien avulla että kulttuuria ja taidetta käytetään monipuolisesti erilaisten ympäristöjen parantamisen välineinä. Hankkeiden laajempia pitkäaikaisvaikutuksia on kuitenkin usein vaikea osoittaa. Raportissa tarkastellaan erityisesti Suomen Kansallisteatterin yleisötyötä Helsingin Kontulassa kuvaamalla Reittejä-Kontulaan- projektin vaiheita ja arvioimalla hankkeen vaikutuksia sekä Kontulassa että Kansallisteatterissa. Johtopäätöksiä ovat, että Reittejä Kontulaan-hankkeessa teatterin yleisötyö on tuonut Kontulaan tekemistä, voimaannuttanut asukkaita ja luonut yhteisöjä. Lisäksi hankkeessa on onnistuttu toimimaan alueen ehdoilla tinkimättä kuitenkaan taiteilijoiden asettamista taiteellisista tavoitteista