UTUPub
Not a member yet
55238 research outputs found
Sort by
Digital Platforms as Second-Order Lead Firms: Beyond the Industrial/Digital Divide in Regulating Value Chains
Get PDFMajor parts of global trade in commodities and services are shifting to digital platforms. Yet, current regulatory debates surrounding global value chains (GVCs) and digital platforms are mostly siloed from each other. They share however the challenge of adjusting regulation to a novel mode of economic organization that breaks with our established cognitive frames in both law and economics. By consequence, we contend that both debates should be read in an interlinked manner – overcoming the industrial/digital divide. Digital platform operators should be understood as a ‘second-order lead firm’. To illustrate this, we assess the compatibility of the platform economy with the reigning model of GVC capitalism and its regulatory underpinnings.The imaginary of the platform as an intermediary separate from its users is pervasive in economic and legal thought. As a result, platforms are not explicitly targeted by GVC regulation focused on sustainability or security of supply. Neither do regulatory proposals focused on the interface between users and platforms, such as the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), address the radical effects of platforms on deeper tiers of production. To counter the legal arbitrage offered by digital platforms, we draw on recent GVC regulation and private law doctrine and contend that platform operators should conduct due diligence vis-à-vis the value chains intersecting on their platforms. Foundations exist to broaden conceptualizations of ‘lead firm’ and ‘value chain’ to cover ‘second-order lead firms’ and the value chains of their users, even if extra-territorial platforms pose a unique problem.</p
Språkanvändning och språkval bland finsk-norska ungdomar i Osloområdet
Get PDFI
artikeln studeras vilket språk (finska eller norska) de sex utvalda
ungdomarna i åldern 17-22 år använder i tre olika domäner (hemdomänen,
fritidsdomänen och massmediebruket) och hur språkvalet har förändrats
under de åtta åren som var mellan de två olika undersökningstillfällena.
Det belyses också faktorer som kan tänkas påverka dessa ungdomars
språkval. Materialet består av intervjuer och enkät. Studiens ansats är
sociolingvistisk. Resultaten i denna undersökning bevisar norskans
dominerande ställning i de undersökta ungdomarnas språkval. Undantag är
hemdomänen där informanterna också talar finska. Det har skett en del
förändringar i språkvalet, först och främst i hemdomänen. Språkvalet
förklaras bäst av faktorerna socialt nätverk och förändring av språklig
identitet. Resultaten visar vidare att några ungdomar är mer aktivt
tvåspråkiga än de andra.</p
Is there a relation between stillbirth and low levels of vitamin D in the population? A bi-national follow-up study of vitamin D fortification
Get PDFBackgroundStillbirth has been associated with low plasma vitamin D. Both Sweden and Finland have a high proportion of low plasma vitamin D levels (MethodsWe surveyed all pregnancies in Finland between 1994 and 2021 (n = 1,569,739) and Sweden (n = 2,800,730) with live or stillbirth registered in the Medical Birth Registries. The mean incidences before and after changes in the vitamin D food fortification programs in Finland (2003 and 2009) and Sweden (2018) were compared with cross-tabulation with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsIn Finland, the stillbirth rate declined from ~ 4.1/1000 prior to 2003, to 3.4/1000 between 2004 and 2009 (odds ratio [OR] 0.87, 95% CI 0.81–0.93), and to 2.8/1000 after 2010 (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.78–0.91). In Sweden, the stillbirth rate decreased from 3.9/1000 between 2008 and 2017 to 3.2/1000 after 2018 (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.78–0.89). When the level of the dose-dependent difference in Finland in a large sample with correct temporal associations decreased, it remained steady in Sweden, and vice versa, indicating that the effect may be due to vitamin D. These are observational findings that may not be causal.ConclusionEach increment of vitamin D fortification was associated with a 15% drop in stillbirths on a national level. If true, and if fortification reaches the entire population, it may represent a milestone in preventing stillbirths and reducing health inequalities.</div
Maternal prenatal mood problems and lower maternal emotional availability associated with lower quality of child's emotional availability and higher negative affect during still-face procedure
Get PDFOur aim was to study the effects of maternal perinatal mood and maternal emotional availability on child emotional availability and negative affect during the still-face procedure (SFP). The sample included 214 women who participated in a prospective study. We assessed maternal mood problems using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and PRAQ questionnaire during pregnancy and using STAI and EPDS questionnaires during pregnancy and at 6 months after delivery. Maternal and child emotional availability were studied using the Emotional Availability Scales during the SFP at 6 months. We observed and quantified child's negative affect during SFP episodes. We found that mothers with maternal mood problems (anxiety and/or depression) during pregnancy, but not postnatally, showed less optimal maternal structuring during the SFP, and the children showed lower involvement and responsiveness during interactions with their mothers. Furthermore, lower maternal emotional availability was related to the child's higher negative affect during the SFP. Our findings underline the independent roles of both prenatal stress exposure and maternal caregiving behavior in a child's socioemotional development
"Kaverien kanssa ruvettiin harrastamaan ATK:ta" - Tietokoneiden tulo 1980-luvun suomalaisiin koteihin
Get PDF 1970-luvun lopulla ja 1980-luvulla suomalaisiin koteihin alkoivat saapua niin kutsutut kotimikrot, erityisesti kuluttajille suunnatut tietokoneet. Ammattikäyttöön tarkoitettuihin laitteisiin verrattuna kotimikrot olivat edullisia, ominaisuuksiltaan vaatimattomia ja ulkomuodoltaan muovisen lelumaisia. Kotitietokoneet olivat yhtäältä vallankumouksellisia tulokkaita – ajatus omasta tietokoneesta kotona olisi vielä kymmenen vuotta aiemmin ollut lähinnä tieteisfiktiota – ja toisaalta osa suomalaisten talouksien teknistymistä, jonka myötä videonauhurit, pelilaitteet ja kasettisoittimet tulivat osaksi arkea. Tässä artikkelissa aihetta lähestytään domestikaatioteorian neliportaisen mallin kautta: miksi ja miten laite hankittiin, mihin se sijoitettiin, miten se asettui osaksi arkea ja miten se vaikutti käyttäjiensä elämään kotona sekä kodin ulkopuolella. Tutkimusmateriaalina ovat kesällä 2022 tehtyyn verkkokyselyyn saadut 350 vastausta, joilla saavutettiin hyvä kattavuus niin maantieteellisesti kuin eri laitteidenkin osalta. Jotkin tulokset ovat linjassa jo olemassa olevien tutkimusten kanssa: pelit olivat kotimikrojen tärkein käyttökohde ja keskeisiä käyttäjiä olivat etenkin perheen lapset sekä nuoret. Uutta tietoa kysely tuotti etenkin tietokoneen hankintaprosessista motiiveineen, laitteen fyysisestä sijoittumisesta kotitalouteen sekä ei-käyttäjistä – perheenjäsenistä, joita laite ei syystä tai toisesta kiinnostanut. </p
Surface modification of upconverting nanoparticles by layer-by-layer assembled polyelectrolytes and metal ions
Get PDFSustainable Steps in the Snow: Exploring factors associated with active school commuting in Finland
Get PDFPhysical inactivity of children and youth is a major health problem. Active commuting could increase the amount of physical activity and be a more environmentally friendly traffic mode choice compared with motorized vehicles. Parents have an integral role in determining the options a child has for commuting. We explored parental barriers and motivators associated with the active commute of their children. This cross-sectional study used the CLIMATE NUDGE Survey data of parents with school-aged children. A set of 25 possible influencing factors included demographic factors, social aspects, and pro-environmental attitudes, and questions about the motivating role of journey characteristics and health effects. The data were analyzed with two multinomial logistic regression analyses (N = 320): first, comparing those who either never or sometimes commute actively to those who always do so, and second, those who always or sometimes commute actively to those who never do so. Results indicated the strongest determinants to differentiate those who always and those who never use active commute, were commute distance and parental beliefs about social commute norms. The longer the commute distance was, the more likely the child was to belong to the never active commuter group and less likely to belong to the always active commuter group. The more parents believed their child's peers commuted actively, the more likely it was that their child always commuted actively and less likely they never did so. We found several factors associated with active commuting, yet somewhat surprisingly neither environmental attitudes nor climate change related reasons were significantly associated with active commuting. To conclude, instead of highlighting environmental aspects to promote active commute, we recommend highlighting social norms and perception of the commute distance, and addressing weather-related barriers and health related motivators.</p
Myocardial Blood Flow and Metabolic Rate of Oxygen Measurement in the Right and Left Ventricles at Rest and During Exercise Using O-15-Labeled Compounds and PET
Get PDFAims: Simultaneous measurement of right (RV) and left ventricle (LV) myocardial blood flow (MBF), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and oxygen consumption (MVO2) non-invasively in humans would provide new possibilities to understand cardiac physiology and different patho-physiological states.Methods: We developed and tested an optimized novel method to measure MBF, OEF, and MVO2 simultaneously both in the RV and LV free wall (FW) using positron emission tomography in healthy young men at rest and during supine bicycle exercise.Results: Resting MBF was not significantly different between the three myocardial regions. Exercise increased MBF in the LVFW and septum, but MBF was lower in the RV compared to septum and LVFW during exercise. Resting OEF was similar between the three different myocardial regions (similar to 70%) and increased in response to exercise similarly in all regions. MVO2 increased approximately two to three times from rest to exercise in all myocardial regions, but was significantly lower in the RV during exercise as compared to septum LVFW.Conclusion: MBF, OEF, and MVO2 can be assessed simultaneously in the RV and LV myocardia at rest and during exercise. Although there are no major differences in the MBF and OEF between LV and RV myocardial regions in the resting myocardium, MVO2 per gram of myocardium appears to be lower the RV in the exercising healthy human heart due to lower mean blood flow. The presented method may provide valuable insights for the assessment of MBF, OEF and MVO2 in hearts in different pathophysiological states.</div
Identification of metabolites produced by six gut commensal Bacteroidales strains using non-targeted LC-MS/MS metabolite profiling
Get PDFAs the most abundant gram-negative bacterial order in the gastrointestinal tract, Bacteroidales bacteria have been extensively studied for their contribution to various aspects of gut health. These bacteria are renowned for their involvement in immunomodulation and their remarkable capacity to break down complex carbohydrates and fibers. However, the human gut microbiota is known to produce many metabolites that ultimately mediate important microbe-host and microbe-microbe interactions. To gain further insights into the metabolites produced by the gut commensal strains of this order, we examined the metabolite composition of their bacterial cell cultures in the stationary phase. Based on their abundance in the gastrointestinal tract and their relevance in health and disease, we selected a total of six bacterial strains from the relevant genera Bacteroides, Phocaeicola, Parabacteroides, and Segatella. We grew these strains in modified Gifu anaerobic medium (mGAM) supplemented with mucin, which resembles the gut microbiota’s natural environment. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based metabolite profiling revealed 179 annotated metabolites that had significantly differential abundances between the studied bacterial strains and the control growth medium. Most of them belonged to classes such as amino acids and derivatives, organic acids, and nucleot(s)ides. Of particular interest, Segatella copri DSM 18205 (previously referred to as Prevotella copri) produced substantial quantities of the bioactive metabolites phenylethylamine, tyramine, tryptamine, and ornithine. Parabacteroides merdae CL03T12C32 stood out due to its ability to produce cadaverine, histamine, acetylputrescine, and deoxycarnitine. In addition, we found that strains of the genera Bacteroides, Phocaeicola, and Parabacteroides accumulated considerable amounts of proline-hydroxyproline, a collagen-derived bioactive dipeptide. Collectively, these findings offer a more detailed comprehension of the metabolic potential of these Bacteroidales strains, contributing to a better understanding of their role within the human gut microbiome in health and disease
Microbiome: Finding common connections: Ecological associations among gut bacteria are largely consistent across hosts in a population of wild baboons
Get PDFEcological associations among gut bacteria are largely consistent across hosts in a population of wild baboons