The Finnish Competition State and Entrepreneurial Policies in the Helsinki Region

The thesis examines the intensification and characteristics of a policy that emphasises economic competitiveness in Finland during the 1990s and early 2000s. This accentuation of economic objectives is studied at the level of national policy-making as well as at the regional level through the policies and strategies of cities and three universities in the Helsinki region. By combining the analysis of state policies, urban strategies and university activities, the study illustrates the pervasiveness of the objective of economic competitiveness and growth across these levels and sheds light on the features and contradictions of these policies on a broad scale. The thesis is composed of five research articles and a summary article. At the level of national policies, the central focus of the thesis is on the growing role of science and technology policy as a state means to promote structural economic change and its transformation towards a broader, yet ambivalent concept of innovation policy. This shift brings forward a tension between an increasing emphasis on economic aspects – innovations and competitiveness – as well as the expanding scope of issues across a wide range of policy sectors that are being subsumed under this market- and economy oriented framework. Related to science and technology policy, attention is paid to adjustments in university policy in which there has been increasing pressure for efficiency, rationalisation and commercialisation of academic activities. Furthermore, political efforts to build an information society through the application of information and communication technologies are analysed with particular attention to the balance between economic and social objectives. Finally, changes in state regional policy priorities and the tendency towards competitiveness are addressed. At the regional level, the focus of the thesis is on the policies of the cities in Finland’s capital region as well as strategies of three universities operating in the region, namely the University of Helsinki, Helsinki University of technology and Helsinki School of Economics. As regards the urban level, the main focus is on the changes and characteristics of the urban economic development policy of the City of Helsinki. With respect to the universities, the thesis examines their attempts to commercialise research and thus bring academic research closer to economic interests, and pays particular attention to the contradictions of commercialisation. Related to the universities, the activities of three intermediary organisations that the universities have established in order to increase cooperation with industry are analysed. These organisations are the Helsinki Science Park, Otaniemi International Innovation Centre and LTT Research Ltd. The summary article provides a synthesis of the material presented in the five original articles and relates the results of the articles to a broader discussion concerning the emergence of competition states and entrepreneurial cities and regions. The main points of reference are Bob Jessop’s and Neil Brenner’s theses on state and urban-regional restructuring. The empirical results and considerations from Finland and the Helsinki region are used to comment on, specify and criticise specific parts of the two theses.

The Rocky Road of Social Sustainability : The Impact of Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and Development on the Local Realities in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

The objective of this study is to examine the social impacts of the integrated conservation and development project (ICDP) aimed at biodiversity conservation and local socio-economic development in the Ranomafana National Park (RNP), Madagascar. Furthermore, the study explores social sustainability and justice of the ICDP in Ranomafana. This ethnographically informed impact study uses of various field methods. The research material used consists of observation, interviews (key-person and focus group), school children's writings, official statistics and project documents. Fieldwork was conducted in three phases in 2001, 2002 and 2004 in twelve villages around the park, as well as in neighbouring areas of Ranomafana. However, four of those twelve villages were chosen for closer study. This study consists of five independent articles and a concluding chapter. Social impacts were studied through reproductive health indicators as well as a life security approach. Equity and distribution of benefits and drawbacks of ICDP were analysed and the actors related to the conservation in Ranomafana were identified. The children and adolescents' environmental views were also examined. The reproductive health indicators studied showed a poor state of reproductive health in the park area. Moreover, the existing social capital in the villages seemed to be fragmented due to economic difficulties that were partly caused by the conservation regulations. The ICDP in Ranomafana did not pay attention to the heterogeneity of the affected communities even though the local beneficiaries of the ICDP varied according to their ethnicity, living place, wealth, social position and gender. In addition, various conservation actors (local people in various groups, local authorities, tourist business owners, conservation NGOs and scientists) contest their interests over the forest, conservation and its related activities. This study corroborates the same type of evidence and conclusions discussed in other similar cases elsewhere: so called social conservation programmes still cannot meet the needs of the people living near the protected areas; on the contrary, they even have a reverse impact on the people's lives. A fundamental misunderstood assumption in the conservation process in Ranomafana was to consider the local people as a problem for biodiversity conservation. Major reasons for the failure of the ICDP in Ranomafana include a lack of local institutions that would have been able to communicate as equals with the conservation NGOs as well as to transfer the tradition of the authoritarian governance in conservation management together with the over-appreciation of scientific biodiversity, and lack of will to understand the local people's rights to use the forest for their livelihoods.

Developmental-like responses in injured mature central neurons

Traumatic insults to the central nervous system are frequently followed by profound and irreversible neuronal loss as well as the inability of the damaged neurons to regenerate. One of the major therapeutic challenges is to increase the amount of surviving neurons after trauma. Thus it is crucial to understand how injury affects neuronal responses and which conditions are optimal for survival to prevent neuronal loss. During development neuronal survival is thought to be dependent on the competition for the availability of survival-promoting molecules called neurotrophic factors. Much less is known on the survival mechanisms of mature neurons under traumatic conditions. Increasing amount of evidence points towards the possibility that after injury neuronal responses might aquire some developmental characteristics. One of the important examples is the change in the responses to the neurotransmitter GABA: it is inhibitory in the intact mature neurons, but can induce excitation during development and after trauma. An important step in the maturation of GABAergic transmission in the CNS is the developmental shift in the action of GABAA receptor from depolarization in immature neurons to hyperpolarization in mature neurons. GABAA-mediated responses are tightly linked to the homeostasis of the chloride anion (Cl-), which in neurons is mainly regulated by Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter NKCC1 and K+-Cl- cotransporter KCC2. Trauma-induced functional downregulation of KCC2 promotes a shift from hyperpolarizing GABAA-mediated responses to depolarizing. Other important consequences of neuronal trauma are the emergence of dependency of central neurons on brain-derived neuro¬trophic factor (BDNF) for survival, as well as the upregulation of neurotrophin receptor p75NTR. Our aim was to answer the question whether these post-traumatic events are interrelated, and whether the regulation of BDNF and KCC2 expression is different under traumatic conditions and in intact neurons. To study responses of injured mature central neurons, we used an in vitro and in vivo axotomy models. For in vitro studies, we lesioned organotypic hippocampal slices between CA3 and CA1 regions, which resulted in selective axotomy of the CA3 neurons and denervation of the CA1 neurons. Some experiments were repeated in vivo by lesioning the neurons of the corticospinal tract at the internal capsule level, or by lesioning spinal motoneurons at the ventral root. We show that intact mature neurons do not require BDNF for survival, whereas in axotomized neurons apoptosis is induced upon BDNF deprivation. We further show that post-traumatic dependency on BDNF is mediated by injury-induced upregulation of p75NTR. Post-traumatic increase in p75NTR is induced by GABAA-mediated depolarization, consequent opening of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, and the activation of Rho kinase ROCK. Thus, post-traumatic KCC2 downregulation leads to the dependency on BDNF through the induction of p75NTR upregulation. Neurons that survive after axotomy over longer period of time lose BDNF dependency and regain normal KCC2 levels. This phenomenon is promoted by BDNF itself, since after axotomy contrary to normal conditions KCC2 is upregulated by BDNF. The developmentally important thyroid hormone thyroxin regulates BDNF expression during development. We show that in mature intact neurons thyroxin downregulates BDNF, whereas after axotomy thyroxin upregulates BDNF. The elevation of BDNF expression by thyroxin promoted survival of injured neurons. In addition, thyroxin also enhanced axonal regeneration and promoted the regaining of normal levels of KCC2. Thus we show that this hormone acts at several levels on the axotomy-initiated chain of events described in the present work, and could be a potential therapeutic agent for the injured neurons. We have also characterized a previously unknown downregulatory interaction between thyroxin and KCC2 in intact neurons. In conclusion, we identified several important interactions at the neurotrophin-protein and hormone-neurotrophin level that acquire immature-like characteristics after axotomy and elucidated an important part of the mechanism by which axotomy leads to the requirement of BDNF trophic support. Based on these findings, we propose a new potential therapeutic strategy where developmentally crucial agents could be used to enhance survival and regeneration of axotomized mature central neurons.

Central Diffraction at ALICE

The ALICE experiment is shown to be well suited for studies of exclusive final states from central diffractive reactions. The gluon-rich environment ofthe central system allows detailed QCD studies and searches for exotic mesonstates, such as glueballs, hybrids and new charmonium-like states. It wouldalso provide a good testing ground for detailed studies of heavy quarkonia. Dueto its central barrel performance, ALICE can accurately measure the low-masscentral systems with good purity. The efficiency of the Forward MultiplicityDetector (FMD) and the Forward Shower Counter (FSC) system for detectingrapidity gaps is shown to be adequate for the proposed studies. With thisdetector arrangement, valuable new data can be obtained by tagging centraldiffractive processes.

LIN28B, LIN28A, KISS1, and KISS1R in idiopathic central precocious puberty

Abstract Background Pubertal timing is a strongly heritable trait, but no single puberty gene has been identified. Thus, the genetic background of idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) is poorly understood. Overall, the genetic modulation of pubertal onset most likely arises from the additive effect of multiple genes, but also monogenic causes of ICPP probably exist, as cases of familial ICPP have been reported. Mutations in KISS1 and KISSR, coding for kisspeptin and its receptor, involved in GnRH secretion and puberty onset, have been suggested causative for monogenic ICPP. Variation in LIN28B was associated with timing of puberty in genome-wide association (GWA) studies. LIN28B is a human ortholog of the gene that controls, through microRNAs, developmental timing in C. elegans. In addition, Lin28a transgenic mice manifest the puberty phenotypes identified in the human GWAS. Thus, both LIN28B and LIN28A may have a role in pubertal development and are good candidate genes for monogenic ICPP. Methods Thirty girls with ICPP were included in the study. ICPP was defined by pubertal onset before 8 yrs of age, and a pubertal LH response to GnRH testing. The coding regions of LIN28B, LIN28A, KISS1, and KISS1R were sequenced. The missense change in LIN28B was also screened in 132 control subjects. Results No rare variants were detected in KISS1 or KISS1R in the 30 subjects with ICPP. In LIN28B, one missense change, His199Arg, was found in one subject with ICPP. However, this variant was also detected in one of the 132 controls. No variation in LIN28A was found. Conclusions We did not find any evidence that mutations in LIN28B or LIN28A would underlie ICPP. In addition, we confirmed that mutations in KISS1 and KISS1R are not a common cause for ICPP.

Monetary policy rules and estimated reaction functions for the European Central Bank

This thesis studies the interest-rate policy of the ECB by estimating monetary policy rules using real-time data and central bank forecasts. The aim of the estimations is to try to characterize a decade of common monetary policy and to look at how different models perform at this task.The estimated rules include: contemporary Taylor rules, forward-looking Taylor rules, nonlinearrules and forecast-based rules. The nonlinear models allow for the possibility of zone-like preferences and an asymmetric response to key variables. The models therefore encompass the most popular sub-group of simple models used for policy analysis as well as the more unusual non-linear approach. In addition to the empirical work, this thesis also contains a more general discussion of monetary policy rules mostly from a New Keynesian perspective. This discussion includes an overview of some notable related studies, optimal policy, policy gradualism and several other related subjects. The regression estimations are performed with either least squares or the generalized method of moments depending on the requirements of the estimations. The estimations use data from both the Euro Area Real-Time Database and the central bank forecasts published in ECB Monthly Bulletins. These data sources represent some of the best data that is available for this kind of analysis. The main results of this thesis are that forward-looking behavior appears highly prevalent, but that standard forward-looking Taylor rules offer only ambivalent results with regard to inflation. Nonlinear models are shown to work, but on the other hand do not have a strong rationale over a simpler linear formulation. However, the forecasts appear to be highly useful in characterizing policy and may offer the most accurate depiction of a predominantly forward-looking central bank. In particular the inflation response appears much stronger while the output response becomes highly forward-looking as well.