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Tiivistelmä Lihavuus on yleistynyt viime vuosikymmenten aikana räjähdysmäisesti. Tämän myötä myös lihavuuden liitännäissairaudet, kuten tyypin 2 diabetes ja maksan rasvoittuminen, ovat lisääntyneet. Lihavuuden yhteydessä kudoksissa nähdään nikotiiniamidi adeniini dinukleotidi (NAD+) -molekyylin pitoisuuksien laskua. NAD+ vaikuttaa sirtuiini-entsyymiperheen kautta mitokondrioiden toimintaan ja glukoosi- ja lipidiaineenvaihduntaan. NAD+:n pitoisuutta elimistössä on mahdollista nostaa oraalisilla NAD+:n esiasteilla, kuten nikotiiniamidi ribosidilla (NR), niasiinilla, nikotiiniamidilla ja nikotiiniamidimononukleotidilla (NMN), joista tässä tutkimuksessa tutkittiin NR:ää. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää NR:n vaikutuksia koko kehon aineenvaihduntaan ja tutkia sen käyttöä potentiaalisena hoitona lihavuuteen ja sen liitännäissairauksiin. Tutkimus toteutettiin 29-65 -vuotiailla monotsygoottisilla kaksosilla. Pareja oli lopullisissa tilastollisissa analyyseissä yhteensä 20 paria. Näistä 16 luokiteltiin painoindeksiltään toisistaan eroaviksi. Kaikki tähän ryhmään kuuluneet tutkittavat saivat NR-lisää. Neljä paria taas oli painoindeksiltään samankaltaisia. Heidät jaettiin sokkoutetusti NR- ja plaseboryhmiin. NR-lisä oli kuukauden annosnoston jälkeen käytössä neljä kuukautta annoksella 1 gramma vuorokaudessa. NR:n vaikutusta eri aineenvaihdunnan osa-alueisiin tutkittiin muun muassa verikokein, magneettikuvin ja kudosnäyttein. Tutkimuksessa selvisi, että NR-lisä nostaa merkittävästi veren NAD+:n ja sen aineenvaihduntatuotteiden pitoisuuksia. Toisaalta NR-lisän aikana kaksosten kehonkoostumuksessa ja aineenvaihdunnassa ei nähty paranemista. Paino ja rasvaprosentti nousivat tilastollisesti merkitsevästi mutta eivät kliinisesti merkittävästi. Tutkimuksessa nähty veren NAD+-pitoisuuksien nousu on linjassa aiempien tutkimusten kanssa, mutta vastaavia kehonkoostumuksen muutoksia ei ole raportoitu muissa ihmisillä tehdyissä NR tutkimuksissa. Tässä tutkimuksessa nähdyt muutokset kehonkoostumuksessa ja aineenvaihdunnassa vaativat jatkotutkimuksia.

Background: Treatment of chronic insomnia is problematic and alternative methods besides drug therapy are sought out for. The aim of the study was to find out about the effects of Neurosonic-low frequency therapy chair on patients with primary insomnia. Therapy is based on Whole-Body Vibration (WBV). Methods: This pilot study consisted of 16 adults (12 men, 4 women; age range 28 - 65) that suffered from insomnia with an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) of at least 15. They were randomized into control and intervention groups (8 + 8). Both groups received WBV-treatment for five times. At the start of the study control group had a three week period when they did not receive treatment. Measurements were taken using actigraphy, SCL-90-, WHO-5-, PSQI-, ISI-, EQ-5D-questionnaires and a structured sleep questionnaire based on the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire. Results: After treatment ISI-scores decreased in both groups. After treatment the WHO-5- and EQ-5D VAS-score were also ameliorated. Treatment also lowered SCL-90 scores related to anxiety, obsessive compulsive and somatization symptoms. Conclusions: Our results indicate that WBV-treatment has beneficial effects for people suffering from primary insomnia. WBV-treatment also seems to relieve anxiety. No major adverse effects were detected. WBV-treatment may be useful for example in the treatment of insomnia in situations where pharmacological treatment is insufficient. Further studies should be done to have more information about the usefulness of WBV based therapy in treatment of insomnia.

The immune system is crucial in the central nervous system (CNS), protecting sensitive tissues, promoting regeneration, and maintaining homeostasis. It is involved in CNS-disorders, such as neurodegenerative diseases and neurological insults related to stroke. Critical myeloid leukocytes in the CNS are microglia, divided into pro-inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes. This polarization achieves modulation of the inflammatory response by amplifying or dampening it. Therefore, microglia are widely investigated in CNS-disorders. β2-integrins are adhesion proteins that mediate inflammation. They are expressed explicitly on leukocytes, including microglia. Important processes, such as phagocytosis and cell motility, are regulated by β2-integrins. They also relay downstream signals, altering inflammation in many settings, although their effects on microglial properties and stroke are currently poorly understood. We here aimed to investigate the role of β2-integrins in stroke-related injury and microglia polarization in vivo using knock-in (KI) mice, which lack functional β2-integrins. Our results show that in a mouse model of haemorrhagic stroke, the functional outcome was less severe in β2-integrin KI versus wild-type (WT) mice (P = 0.0147), suggesting that β2-integrins are involved in stroke pathophysiology. Furthermore, by using flow cytometry we observed significantly lower frequencies of M1 microglia in the KI mouse brain (P = 0.0096). Therefore, our findings reveal neuroprotective aspects by inhibiting β2-integrins in neuroinflammation. Investigating microglial properties mediated by β2-integrins could contribute to the understanding of neuroinflammatory events, leading to the development of therapies for poorly treated CNS-disorders. Our results suggest that β2-integrins should be further explored as molecular targets for novel stroke treatments.

The goal of this thesis was to examine women’s sexual harassment as an expression of moral turmoil in contemporary Egypt. The wide-spread sexual harassment of women in Cairo has roused considerable national and international attention and it has recently been named 'the phenomenon' and the 'social cancer'. Six semi-structured ethnographic street interviews were carried out in Downtown Cairo to investigate the moral turmoil and the phenomenon of sexual harassment, as well as the associations between them. A total of 8 interviewees, 4 women and 4 men, varying in age from twenties to seventies were contacted on the streets of Cairo. The interview themes were slightly different for women and for men. Women’s interviews focused on the experience of walking on the streets and possible experiences of harassment and on moral changes they had observed. Men’s interviews focused on their opinions of changes of moral values and on their personal opinions on sexual harassment. As the Egyptian society is of a traditional nature, the interview questions needed to be flexible and tailored to the interviewed persons. The interviews supported the idea that moral turmoil is taking place and that of the vulnerability of women in the public space. The entire sample agreed that specific factors can be held responsible for the negative moral change, including poverty, deterioration of public education, and the lack of moral education. Logically, the amelioration of economic standards covers a great side of the solution to the problem, however, education and moral education seemed of immense importance. A brief comparison made between Piaget and Durkheim’s moral education models has been reflected on the philosophy adopted by the Egyptian Ministry of Education. It appeared that the public education scheme has similarities to Durkheim’s model, pushing moral education into the schooling experience, delivering norms and traditions constructed from religion-in the Egyptian case-to children. That was an expected result; however, this research suggests that since pushing moral education in the child education will happen enviably –considering the difficulty of changing a traditional society- the role of the educator in moral education should be more of a guiding task, leaving children the space for value and moral responsibility development. That should come hand in hand with the alleviation of public education as well as the educator from the desperate circumstances they are suffering. With the rising movements of fundamental Islam, reflections on the representations women in the public space are of concern. It has been shown that there are dangers on the position of women in society, that they are getting excluded from the functional core of society. Sexual harassment was proved not to be only a hazard for their safety and comfort, but also, an endangering factor for gender dynamics, and women efficiency in society.

This Master’s thesis examines the modes of nature’s resistance to colonialism in E. M. Forster’s 1924 novel A Passage to India. The theoretical background for the analysis consists of discussion and definition of the nature of “nature”, and the inevitability of the postcolonial inflection to ecocriticism when examining nature in a work of literature set in colonial context. The analysis locates colonialism in the British characters of the novel, as they are either part of the colonial apparatus in British India or have personal connections to the aforementioned type of characters, thus oftentimes nature’s resistance to colonialism is directly exemplified by what it “does” against the characters. Nature resists the characters’ various efforts to get a hold of India, realized through desire to identify and catalogue various aspects of it, to have a specific aesthetic experience of it, or through actually being involved in the colonial apparatus. The resistance is realized through two modes: elusiveness and hostility. Various aspects of India’s nature in the novel elude the characters’ attempts to attain definitive knowledge or certain aesthetic experience of them, denying them the power of knowledge. On the other hand, the instances of nature’s hostility, which is sometimes real and sometimes perceived by the characters as such, functions to repel the colonizers from India, or at least to weaken their hold on it. Overall, nature in A Passage to India is a powerful “other” that compliments the native Indians’ struggle against the British Raj.

Technology companies have challenged the incumbent banks in payments. Their digital and personalized services utilize their expertise in cloud computing, AI, and machine learning. In addition, global tech giants or BigTech are providing bank-like services capitalizing on well-established brands, significant financial resources, and access to behavioral data. Competition has increased efficiency, expanded access to finance, improved market diversification, and helped recovery from the pandemic, but also increased cyber risks, reliance on infrastructure providers, and excess volatility that might aggregate to systemic problems inhibiting growth and diminishing welfare. The thesis highlights the factors behind the emergence of digital competitors and examines their stability implications with an extensive literature review. The swift emergence has been caused by technological development, changes in market structure and regulation, and distrust in banks. Technological change has made possible the development of new products and services that agile startups have utilized while banks have struggled to complete the expensive digitalization process of their services. Increased regulation and low-interest rates have also hindered banks' ability to compete with the entrants. In addition to efficiency raising financial inclusion has been one of the core positives brought by FinTech as affordable solutions have allowed previously unbanked groups to get services. However, entrants have been able to work under lower levels of supervision. Regulatory arbitrage can increase volatility and aggregate into system-wide risks through contagion. Some experts are concerned that the ongoing transformation in the financial sector could result in disintermediation, where banks may play a reduced role in the digital financial landscape. This has raised concerns about the effectiveness of monetary policy transmission. Studies suggest that as banks become less important, the impact of monetary policy shocks on lending and the real economy may be diminished. This could pose challenges in maintaining stability. The full extent of FinTech’s effect on market stability is yet to be determined. However, studies have shown its positive role in digitizing the financial industry, enhancing product and service quality, and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Regulation plays a crucial role in balancing innovation and stability. Prematurely imposing restrictions on emerging innovations may hinder the progress that could otherwise enhance overall welfare. Regulators aim to protect consumers and ensure a level playing field. Striking the right balance is essential to foster innovation while mitigating risks. The regulator’s challenge is to combine fostering innovation and competition while limiting malpractice but also to provide a level playing field for firms. This objective is complicated by the rapid pace of development, classification problems, and tradeoffs between increased market efficiency and stability.

Tämä tutkielma käsittelee kommunikatiivisen kielenopetuksen paradigman ilmenemistä Suomen perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteissa vuodesta 1970 vuoteen 2016. Tutkielman tarkoituksena on selvittää, miten kommunikatiivisen kielenopetuksen paradigma näkyy Suomen perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelmien vieraiden kielten opetusta käsittelevissä osioissa eri vuosikymmenillä. Tutkielman analyyttinen viitekehys perustuu kahdeksaan Jacobsin ja Farrellin (2003) määrittelemään kommunikatiivisen kielenopetuksen paradigman muutoksen osa-alueeseen. Tutkielman teoriatausta käsittelee kommunikatiivisen kielenopetuksen paradigmaa, vieraan kielen opetusta suomalaisessa peruskoulussa sekä suomalaista perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelmaa. Tutkielman aineisto muodostuu perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelmista vuosilta 1970, 1985, 1994, 2004 ja 2014. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu näiden opetussuunnitelmien A-kielen tai ensimmäisen vieraan kielen osioista. Tutkielma on toteutettu kvalitatiivisen aineistonanalyysin perusteita seuraten. Aineiston analyysin metodina on teoriaohjaava sisällönanalyysi, Directed Content Analysis. Laadullisen aineiston analyysin tulokset on lisäksi määrällistetty. Analyysin tulokset osoittavat, että kommunikatiivinen kielenopetuksen paradigma ei esiintynyt juuri ollenkaan vuoden 1970 opetussuunnitelmassa. Vuoteen 1985 mennessä kommunikatiivisen kielenopetuksen paradigman vaikutteet olivat kuitenkin saavuttaneet Suomen, sillä vuoden 1985 opetussuunnitelmassa esiintyi jo useita paradigman osa-alueita. Vuoden 1994 erittäin lyhyt opetussuunnitelma ei juurikaan sisältänyt kommunikatiiviseen kielenopetuksen paradigman elementtejä. Vuoden 2004 opetussuunnitelma seurasi kommunikatiivisen kielenopetuksen paradigmaa selvästi vahvemmin kuin mikään edeltäjänsä. Kaikkein vahvimmin kommunikatiivisen kielenopetuksen paradigma ilmenee viimeisimmässä, vuoden 2014 opetussuunnitelmassa, josta löytyy seitsemän kahdeksasta kommunikatiivisen kielenopetuksen paradigman muutoksen osa-alueesta. Tulokset osoittavat viiden vuosikymmenen aikana kielenopetuksessa tapahtuneen suuren paradigman muutoksen. Tutkielman tulokset myös vahvistavat paradigman muutosten hitauden.

Energy usage and efficiency is an important topic in the area of cloud computing. It is estimated that around 10% of the world’s energy consumption goes towards the global ICT system [1]. One key aspect of the cloud is virtualization, which allows for the isolation and distribution of system resources through the use of virtual machines. In recent years, container technology, which allows for the virtualization of individual processes, has become a popular virtualization technique. However, there is limited research into the scalability of these containers from both an energy efficiency and system performance perspective. This thesis aims to investigate this issue through large-scale benchmarking experiments. Results of the benchmarking experiments indicate that not necessarily the total amount of containers, but the assigned task of each individual container are relevant when considering energy efficiency. Key findings show a link between latency measurements performed by individual containers and allocated CPU cores on the host machine, with additional CPU cores causing a drop in latency as the amount of containers increase. Further, power consumption seems to hit its peak when CPU utilisation is only at 50%, with additional CPU utilisation causing no increase in power consumption. Finally, RAM utilisation seems to scale linearly with the total amount of containers involved.

Multi-tier dispute resolution (“MDR”) clauses are tailored clauses that prescribe a layered process of dispute resolution, wherein parties in dispute must first undertake one or more alternative dispute resolution processes before they can refer the dispute to adjudication before an arbitral tribunal or a court. The use of MDR-clauses has become increasingly commonplace in Nordic commercial contracts, but the extent to which a Nordic arbitral tribunal or court would be willing to enforce this order of dispute resolution, and what remedies or sanctions such enforcement would result in, are questions that neither legislators nor legal scholars have provided a comprehensive and satisfying answer to. This scholarly and legislative gap in turn calls into question the usefulness and efficiency of this increasingly common contractual clause. This thesis aims to answer the question of what the Nordic (with a primary focus on the Finnish) legal systems can learn from the way legal scholars, legislators and judges in the Continental European and Anglo-American legal systems have approached the enforcement of MDR-clauses, and how such lessons could aid in creating a working legislative framework for their enforcement in the Nordics. As a result of a general lack of discussion on the subject by Nordic lawyers, this thesis primarily employs a comparative method. Specifically, the comparative research focuses on jurisdictions within the Anglo-American legal system and their Continental European counterparts, where relatively definitive and mostly consistent case law and scholarly debate regarding the enforcement of MDR-clauses has emerged over time. While the analysis concludes that enforceability of MDR-clauses in the Nordics is uncertain at best, it also identified several key concepts necessary for a functional legislative scheme allowing for such enforcement. Given the general disinterest in the subject matter shown by Nordic lawyers, this thesis concludes that legislative change is unlikely to develop on a national level, but rather that international harmonization, preferably from the EU, is required to effect change in the enforceability of MDR-clauses.

The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is a multilateral investment treaty with over 50 contracting parties that solely concerns the energy sector, which is of crucial importance in combatting climate change. Further, more investor claims have been brought forward under the ECT than under any other investment agreement, and some of the largest arbitral awards have been rendered under its auspices. These factors combined make the ECT a very significant instrument for the global climate as a whole. This paper is based on the premise that more and more countries would wish to cut back on their use of highly polluting fossil fuels to produce energy. However, it is often argued that the investment protection clauses, which are also included in the ECT, cause ‘regulatory chill’, meaning that states are wary of passing stricter regulations, as such measures might well result in investor-state dispute settlement proceedings. Therefore, it is plausible that the investment protection clauses of the ECT are in fact slowing down the transition from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy, and various NGOs in fact view the ECT solely as a tool of the fossil fuel industry used for this purpose. In this paper, I challenge such simplified take on the ECT and argue that states are in fact able to pass stricter regulations to protect the environment without breaching their ECT obligations towards foreign investors, and further, also should do so. This paper can most readily be described as a doctrinal research, as it concerns specific treaty provisions and all the claims made within it can be traced back to formal legal sources. In particular, I have relied on the texts of the ECT framework, and various judicial decisions. Therefore, large parts of this paper are comprised of treaty interpretation and analogic reasoning. The precise questions to which I have sought answers using these methods are: 1) What are the environmental aspects of the ECT; 2) Can the ECT, in its current form, be interpreted and applied in an environmentally sustainable way, and if so, how this could be done; 3) Why the ECT should be interpreted and applied in such way; and 4) Does the ECT require amendments to its current text? It is well known that the ECT framework contains a plethora of environmental provisions, however, due to their soft formulation, they are often overlooked as it would be difficult to find a state to be in breach of them. According to the findings of this paper this is, however, erroneous. Based on the sheer volume of environmental provisions, and the great significance placed upon them within the Preamble of the ECT and European Energy Charter, I have developed a novel, more balanced, take on the object and purpose of the ECT, which places significance on both the protection of investments and environment, unlike the tribunals applying the ECT have thus far done. Furthermore, I have found that despite the soft formulation of the environmental provisions, a state may still rely on them when responding to investor claims. However, the degree to which a state can do so depends greatly on the claims made – the text of the ECT places little to no significance to environmental matters in cases of alleged expropriation, whereas on alleged breaches of e.g. the FET standard environmental matters may be of great significance. Additionally, the text of the ECT allows for a state to argue that measures to protect the environment fall under the allowed exceptions of the ECT. Having identified the various environmental aspects of the ECT, and developed techniques for responding states to utilise them, I have also discussed why the presented findings should be applied, and whether it would be enough. It is evident that matters such as sustainable development and protection of the environment are gaining foothold within the law both on national and international level. As the ECT is not situated in a void, these global trends should be considered when applying it. As the findings of this paper would encourage states to pass legitimate measures for the protection of the environment, there are relatively clear policy reasons as to why the application of the findings would be desirable. Many of the findings made in this paper were reached through teleological interpretation of the ECT. While such interpretative approach is perfectly valid, it would nevertheless be beneficial for the text of the ECT to be amended to explicitly incorporate the interpretations made within this paper. Amending a multilateral treaty such as the ECT is, however, difficult. Therefore, the findings of this paper can be of great importance for states wishing to pass measures to protect the environment, as they offer greater certainty of the legality of their actions towards foreign investors.