Moniammatilliset työryhmät nuorten syrjäytymisen ehkäisyssä

Tarkastelen tutkielmassani, miten moniammatillisuus ilmenee eri ammattikuntien edustajista koostuvien työryhmien palavereissa. Palavereissa käsitellään nuorten syrjäytymistä ennaltaehkäisevään Luotsi-toimintaan tehtyjä lähetteitä ja kiinnostukseni kohteena on, minkälainen merkitys työryhmän moniammatillisuudella on nuorten tilanteiden kartoittamisessa ja onko moniammatillisella osaamisella merkitystä nuorten syrjäytymisen ehkäisemisessä. Sosiaalipsykologisesti erityisen kiinnostavaa on työryhmien vuorovaikutus ja sen merkitys nuorten tilanteiden käsittelyssä. Tutkimukseni pohjautuu sosiaalipsykologisiin, vuorovaikutusta ja ryhmädynamiikkaa käsitteleviin teorioihin ja keskeisimpinä teoreetikkoina ovat Michael Billig (1996) ja Robert Bales (1951). Tutkielmani aineistona on kolmessa Luotsi-työryhmässä nauhoitetut kuusi palaveria, joissa oli läsnä kolmen ammattikunnan edustajia (terveydenhoitajia, sosiaaliohjaajia, nuoriso-ohjaajia) sekä toiminnanjohtajia. Tutkimukseni päätutkimuskysymys oli: Miten moniammatillisuus ilmenee syrjäytymisvaarassa olevista nuorista käytävissä keskusteluissa ja palveleeko se nuorten syrjäytymisen ehkäisyä? Jos palvelee, niin miten? Analyysimenetelminä olivat aineistolähtöinen sisällönanalyysi sekä Balesin (1951) kehittämä vuorovaikutusprosessin analyysi (Interaction Process Analysis, IPA). Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittivat, että Luotsi-työryhmien lähetepalavereissa eri ammattikunnilla on tarjottavana toisiaan täydentävää ammatillista asiantuntijatietoa, jonka lisäksi eri ammattikunnilla on taipumus pohtia tarkemmin yhtä osaa nuoren elämästä siten, että nämä painotuserot myös täydentävät toisiaan. Nuorten elämäntilanteiden kokonaisvaltaiselle kartoitukselle on siis olemassa hyvät edellytykset. Moniammatillisen asiantuntijuuden hyödyntäminen nuoren syrjäytymisvaaran arvioimisessa jää kuitenkin pieneksi toisaalta sen vuoksi, että toimintaan lähetyt nuoret ovat usein toimintaan juuri kohderyhmää ja toisaalta siksi, että useimmiten Luotsi-työryhmillä oli hyvin tilaa uusille asiakkaille. Näin ollen tarve syrjäytymisvaaran arvioimiseksi syntyi vain harvoin. Moniammatillisuutta hyödynnetään kuitenkin ahkerasti kun työryhmissä mietitään, minkälaisin keinoin nuorta olisi mahdollista tukea. Työryhmien vuorovaikutus mahdollistaa useimmiten moniammatillisen asiantuntijuuden esille tuomisen, sillä ilmapiiri on pääosin positiivinen ja kannustava, jolloin ajatuksia on helppo jakaa. Työryhmissä esiintyy myös positiivista sosioemotionaalista toimintaa, jonka avulla työryhmän jäsenet kannustavat toisiaan kertomaan ajatuksistaan. Vuorovaikutukseen sisältyy kuitenkin myös riskitekijöitä, jotka saattavat haitata moniammatillisen asiantuntijuuden hyödyntämistä estämällä ryhmänjäseniä tuomaan esille mielipiteitään. Ryhmissä on esimerkiksi havaittavissa statuseroja, joiden seurauksena osallistumisaktiivisuus vaihtelee voimakkaasti ryhmänjäsenestä toiseen, eikä kaikilla ryhmänjäsenillä ole siten mahdollisuutta tuoda tietotaitoaan ryhmän käyttöön. Myös kiire asetti joissain palavereissa rajoitteita nuorten tilanteiden syvälliselle arvioimiselle. Näiden riskitekijöiden todellisia vaikutuksia nuoren edun kannalta ja niiden merkitystä subjektiivisiin kokemuksiin ryhmän vuorovaikutuksesta olisi hyvä tutkia jatkossa. Avainsanat: Moniammatillisuus, nuorten syrjäytyminen, vuorovaikutus, Interaction Process Analysis.

Physical properties of a boreal clay soil under differently managed perennial vegetation

The physical properties of surface soil horizons, essentially pore size, shape, continuity and affinity for water, regulate water entry into the soil. These properties are prone to changes caused by natural forces and human activity. The hydraulic properties of the surface soil greatly impact the generation of surface runoff and accompanied erosion, the major concern of agricultural water protection. The general target of this thesis was to improve our understanding of the structural and hydraulic properties of boreal clay soils. Physical properties of a clayey surface soil (0 - 10 cm, clay content 51%), with a micaceous/illitic mineralogy subjected to three different management practices of perennial vegetation, were studied. The study sites were vegetated buffer zones located side by side in SW Finland: 1) natural vegetation with no management, 2) harvested once a year, and 3) grazed by cattle. The soil structure, hydraulic properties, shrinkage properties and soil water repellency were determined at all sites. Two distinct flow domains were evident. The surface soil was characterized by subangular blocky, angular blocky and platy aggregates. Hence, large, partially accommodated, irregular elongated pores dominated the macropore domain at all sites. The intra-aggregate pore system was mostly comprised of pores smaller than 30 μm, which are responsible for water storage. Macropores at the grazed site, compacted by hoof pressure, were horizontally oriented and pore connectivity was poorest, which decreased water and air flux compared with other sites. Drying of the soil greatly altered its structure. The decrease in soil volume between wet and dry soil was 7 - 10%, most of which occurred in the moisture range of field conditions. Structural changes, including irreversible collapse of interaggregate pores, began at matric potentials around -6 kPa indicating, instability of soil structure against increasing hydraulic stress. Water saturation and several freezethaw cycles between autumn and spring likely weakened the soil structure. Soil water repellency was observed at all sites at the time of sampling and when soil was dryer than about 40 vol.%. (matric potential < -6 kPa). Therefore, water repellency contributes to water flow over a wide moisture range. Water repellency was also observed in soils with low organic carbon content (< 2%), which suggests that this phenomenon is common in agricultural soils of Finland due to their relatively high organic carbon content. Aggregate-related pedofeatures of dense infillings described as clay intrusions were found at all sites. The formation of these intrusions was attributed to clay dispersion and/or translocation during spring thaw and drying of the suspension in situ. These processes generate very new aggregates whose physical properties are most probably different from those of the bulk soil aggregates. Formation of the clay infillings suggested that prolonged wetness in autumn and spring impairs soil structure due to clay dispersion, while on the other hand it contributes to the pedogenesis of the soil. The results emphasize the dynamic nature of the physical properties of clay soils, essentially driven by their moisture state. In a dry soil, fast preferential flow is favoured by abundant macropores including shrinkage cracks and is further enhanced by water repellency. Increase in soil moisture reduces water repellency, and swelling of accommodated pores lowers the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Moisture- and temperature-related processes significantly alter soil structure over a time span of 1 yr. Thus, the pore characteristics as well as the hydraulic properties of soil are time-dependent.

Kansalaisuus työyhteisön arjessa : Maahanmuuttajien kertomuksia työelämästä

Citizenship in the everyday of a work community. Immigrants narratives of working life. Through globalisation and the mobility of workforce, citizenship has gained new forms, and the mere legal definition of citizenship no longer gives a comprehensive view of the citizenship of an individual. Also the social, cultural and financial dimensions of it are related to the concept of citizenship. In Finland, full citizenship is promoted, according to the Integration Act and social security system, by the requirement that immigrants should mainly get their livelihood through work. In my study I approach citizenship on four levels: the global, national, work community and private levels. In the study, the global has constituted the largest possible context, which refers to the local affects of global processes. The local and the global come together in the research in that globalisation is realised on the local level, i.e. in small communities such as work communities. The objective of the study is to examine how the citizenship of immigrants who live and work in Finland is constructed in the everyday life of a work community. The most central concept of the study is cultural script, which is based on prevailing forms of knowing, and which are constructed in different ways in different times and cultures. Conflicts of scripts in the working life and difficulties in understanding and applying them are in the centre of the study. In the study, the working life experiences of immigrants are approached through narrative research. The research material consists of the working life narratives of nine immigrants who live and work in Finland permanently. Each interviewee has been interviewed 2 4 times so the research material consists of 26 interviews. The material has been analysed from the points of view of perception, feeling and action. Deborah Tannen s and William Labov s as well as Matti Hyvärinen s method of expectancy analysis to locate cultural scripts has been utilised to organise the research material. In addition, David Herman s concepts of participatory roles and event types formed in narratives have been used in the analysis of the material. The basis in the analysis is that the world, events and experiences do not define the available processes; they are always culturally and individually anchored choices of the speaker and narrator. The most important results of the study are related to the gap between globalisation and everyday life. The discussion about the future need for workforce due to the changing population structure as well as about the benefits for national economy brought by internationalisation has continued in Finland for years. However, the working life narratives of the immigrants interviewed for the study show that an average citizen and member of a work community does not immediately encounter the macro level benefits in, for example, the mobility of workforce. In most of the working life narratives there was a point in speaking and saying, in which the immigrant worker either dares to speak or falls silent. Sometimes the courage to speak was related to language skills but more to the courage to be seen and to be part of a Finnish work community. Other workers that either speak their colleague with an immigrant background into a part of their work community or marginalise the colleague with their silence have an important role in a Finnish work community. In several working life narratives, the script of the Finnish working life and work community, the way to work, was opened to the immigrant and the so-called script exchange did not take place. The study shows that working life experiences and inclusion and exclusion built on the working life have an important role in the construction of active citizenship. The detailed analysis of the working life experience narratives gives new, relevant research data about citizenship as inclusion.

Kampylobakteerit Korkeasaaren eläintarhan eläimissä

Kampylobakteerit on tunnistettu vasta viimeisten 30 vuoden aikana merkittäviksi ihmisten tautien aiheuttajiksi. Termofiiliset kampylobakteerit Campylobacter jejuni ja C. coli ovat yleisin bakteeriperäisten suolistoinfektioden syy maailmanlaajuisesti. Pääasiallinen oire on ripuli. C. jejuni voi aiheuttaa myös jälkitauteja, kuten reaktiivista niveltulehdusta, nokkosihottumaa tai kyhmyruusua (erytema nodosum). Näitä kuitenkin ilmaantuu harvoin (<1 %). Tärkein jälkitauti on Guillain-Barrén syndrooma, joka on akuutti ääreishermoja demyelinisoiva sairaus. Kesällä 2008 Helsingin yliopistossa toteutettiin tutkimus, jonka tarkoituksena oli kartoittaa kampylobakteerien esiintymistä Korkeasaaren eläintarhassa ja tunnistaa löytyneet kampylobakteerit lajitasolle. Aineisto koostui 196 tarhaeläimen ulostenäytteestä, kahdeksasta Korkeasaaressa vapaana olleen valkoposkihanhen ulostenäytteestä sekä 12 ympäristönäytteestä (vesinäytteitä). Vesinäytteet olivat eläinten kahluualtaista tai häkeissä kulkevista puroista. Ulostenäytteet olivat peräisin kaikkiaan 71 eläinlajista. Tutkituista eläinlajeista 40 oli nisäkkäitä, 26 oli lintuja ja viisi oli matelijoita. Näytteistä eristettyjen isolaattien tulosten perusteella ulostenäytteistä 21 (10,7 %) oli positiivisia kampylobakteerien suhteen. Eläinlajeja tarkasteltaessa kampylobakteerien suhteen positiivisia oli 17 (23,9 %) eläinlajia. Näistä kymmenen oli lintuja, kuusi nisäkkäitä ja yksi matelija. Positiiviseksi C. jejunin suhteen osoittautui 18 ulostenäytettä. Yhdestä emun näytteestä löytyi C. jejunin lisäksi myös C. coli. Kahdessa näytteessä, rubiini-ibis ja kannuskilpikonna, kasvoi jokin muu kampylobakteeri kuin C. jejuni tai C. coli. Eläinlajeja tarkasteltaessa voidaan todeta, että 15 (21,1 %) todettiin positiivisiksi C. jejunin suhteen. Näistä kymmenen oli lintuja ja viisi nisäkkäitä. C. coli löytyi vain yhdestä (1,4 %) eläinlajista (linnusta) sekä jokin muu kampylobakteeri kuin C. jejuni tai C. coli löytyi kahdesta (2,8 %) eläinlajista (yksi lintu ja yksi matelija). Vain yksi ulostenäyte osoittautui positiiviseksi arkobakteerin suhteen. Kyseessä oli rubiini-ibiksen näyte. Samasta näytteestä löydettiin myös C. jejuni. Kahdesta valkoposkihanhien näytteestä löytyi sekä helikobakteeri että C. jejuni. Viisi ympäristönäytettä osoittautui positiiviseksi arkobakteerien suhteen. Kolme positiivista näytettä oli lintualtaista ja kaksi nisäkkäiden altaista. Rubiini-ibiksen altaasta löytyi arkobakteerin lisäksi myös C. jejuni. Lähes kaikissa vesinäytteissä (9/12) oli koliformisia bakteereja Colilert® testillä yli määritysrajan (>2419,6 bakteeria 100 ml:ssa näytettä). Suurimmasta osasta vesinäytteitä (8/12) saatiin tulokseksi myös yli menetelmän määritysrajan E. colia. Kaikenkaikkiaan tulosten perusteella voi päätellä, että vierailijoiden riski saada kampylobakterioosi Korkeasaaren eläintarhassa on suhteellisen pieni. Ainoana suurempana riskitekijänä voisi pitää valkoposkihanhien ulostetta. Sitä on maassa runsaasti ja sitä saattaa myös kulkeutua kenkien mukana jopa kotiin asti. Eläintarhan työntekijöiden tulee muistaa hyvä käsihygienia oltuaan kosketuksissa joko eläimien kanssa tai käytyään näiden tarhoissa. Työntekijät saattavat myös levittää eläintarhan eläinten ulostetta saappaissaan vierailijoidenkin kulkureiteille.

”En mä nyt mitää sateenkaarikorviksia käytä!” Sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden ruumiillinen tuottaminen toimisto- ja myymälätyöyhteisöissä

Tämän tutkielman tarkoitus on tarkastella sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden tuottamista työelämässä. Hahmotan sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden Judith Butlerin tavoin ruumiillisena ja esityksellisenä tekemisenä, jota tuotetaan julkisen toiston kautta. Olen yhdistänyt butlerilaiseen näkemykseen sukupuolesta ja seksuaalisuudesta Erving Goffmanin ajatuksia itsensä esittämisestä ja elämästä teatterina näyttämömetaforineen. Hahmotan siis sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden sosiaalisina konstruktioina, joita tuotetaan jokapäiväisessä vuorovaikutuksessa ruumiillisen toiminnan kautta. Tässä tutkielmassa viittaan ruumiillisella toiminnalla ulkonäköön, käyttäytymiseen, liikehdintään sekä puheääneen ja -tyyliin. Haastattelin tutkimustani varten kymmentä toimistossa ja myymälässä työskentelevää henkilöä. Pyrin lähestymään queer-teoreettisesta ajattelusta vaikuttuneena sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden kategorioita joustavasti. Annoin haastateltavien määritellä itse sukupuolensa ja seksuaalisuutensa. Lähestyin haastateltavien kuvauksia sukupuolesta ja seksuaalisuudesta subjektiuden ja toimijuuden näkökulmista tarkastellen samalla, miten heidän sukupuolensa ja seksuaalisuutensa ovat mahdollistaneet ja rajoittaneet heidän toimintaansa työelämässä. Haastateltavien oli ajoittain vaikea puhua sukupuolesta ja seksuaalisuudesta, minkä koen johtuvan osittain heteronormatiivisuuden institutionalisoidusta luonnollisuudesta, mutta myös suomalaisesta tasa-arvodiskurssista, jossa sukupuolesta ja seksuaalisuudesta puhutaan vähätellen ja työelämän kontekstissa vältellen. Tarkastelin haastateltavien kertomuksia diskursiivisina narratiiveina, eli tulkitsin haastateltavien kertomia kertomuksia yhdeksi mahdolliseksi tavaksi puhua sukupuolesta, seksuaalisuudesta ja työyhteisöstä. Ensimmäisenä tavoitteenani oli selvittää, miten toimisto- ja myymälätyöyhteisöissä tuotetaan sukupuolta ja seksuaalisuutta ruumiillisena toimintana. Haastateltavien kertomien tarinoiden perusteella sukupuolta ja seksuaalisuutta tuotetaan suomalaisissa toimisto- ja myymälätyöyhteisöissä ensinnäkin kaksijakoisten sukupuolityylien avulla. Toiseksi sukupuolityylien heteroseksuaalista luonnetta voidaan toisintoistaa lisäämällä ulkonäköön ei-heteroseksuaalisesta suuntautumisesta kertovia merkkejä, vaikkei työyhteisössä halutakaan korostaa sen enempää sukupuolta kuin seksuaalisuuttaakaan. Sekä toimisto- että myymälätyössä sukupuolta ja seksuaalisuutta korostava näyttäytyminen ja käyttäytyminen on kielletty, tai ainakaan usea haastateltava ei halunnut niitä tehdä. Tulkitsin tämän johtuvan ensinnäkin haastateltavien tekemästä kategorisesta rajanvedosta työn ja vapaa-ajan välille: liiallinen sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden korostaminen olisi työn kontekstissa epäsiistiä ja kielisi epäkompetentista toimijuudesta. Toimistossa ja myymälässä työskentelevien työntekijöiden halukkuus olla korostamatta sukupuolta ja seksuaalisuuttaan johtuu tulkintani mukaan myös työelämässä sovellettavasta vaikutelmanhallinnasta, jossa työntekijän on luotava vaikutelma itsestään pätevänä, ammattitaitoisena ja ruumiittomana työntekijänä. Asiakaspinnalla tehtävässä työssä vaikutelmaa ei kuitenkaan luoda vain itsestä, vaan esteettisen ja emotionaalisen ruumiinhallinnan avulla myös organisaation tuotteista ja palveluista. Suomalaisessa kulttuurissa työntekijöiden toimijuuden tila onkin tulkintani mukaan ristiriitainen: sukupuolittunut ja seksuaalinen ruumis tulisi peittää ja piilottaa, mutta toisaalta sitä on tuotava kaksijakoisten sukupuolityylien ja esteettisen ja emotionaalisen vaikutelmanhallinnan kautta esiin.

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.

Korkeakoulutetun väestön sijoittuminen pääkaupunkiseudulla

Tutkielmassa käsitellään korkeakoulutetun väestön sijoittumista pääkaupunkiseudulla. Se asettuu osaksi seutua koskevaa empiiristä keskustelua sekä osaksi bourdieuläistä keskustelua luokkamauista ja kulttuurisesta pääomasta. Ensiksi mainittua se täydentää keskittyen vähemmälle huomiolle jääneeseen ylemmän keskiluokan tutkimukseen, jälkimmäistä kehystäen teoriaa uuden tyyppisellä empiirisellä tarkastelulla. Tutkielmassa pyritään ensin esittämään seudun erilaistumista yleisellä tasolla korkean koulutuksen ja aiemman tutkimuksen perusteella relevanteiksi rajattujen muiden tekijöiden osalta. Tämän jälkeen suhteutetaan korkeasti koulutettujen sijoittumista muuhun erilaistumiseen. Tässä ajatuksena on löytää korkeakoulutettujen osuudeltaan muut tekijät huomioon ottaen korkeita alueita. Teoreettisella tasolla pyritään kulttuurisen pääoman paikantamiseen kartalle. Tutkielma on osa Helsingin yliopiston Geotieteiden ja Maantieteen laitoksen Mari Vaattovaaran johtamaa projektia ja siinä käytetään Tilastokeskuksen vuoden 2008 ruututietokanta-aineistoa. Pääkaupunkiseutu on jaettu aineistossa sivultaan 250 metrin neliönmuotoisiin ruutuihin. Tämä mahdollistaa pääkaupunkiseudun varsin hienojakoisen tarkastelun. Erilaistumisen muotoja pyritään suhteuttamaan toisiinsa regressiomalleilla. Näissä käytetään painotetun neliösumman menetelmää. Menetelmällä pyritään vastaamaan havaittuun varianssin heteroskedastisuusongelmaan. Pääasiallisesti tulokset esitetään karkeina karttakuvauksina ja ehdollisina hajonta- ja jakaumakuvioina. Korkeakoulutettujen sijoittumisen havaittiin noudattavan aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa esitettyjä suuntalinjoja. Kuten hyvätuloisetkin, sijoittuvat korkeakoulutetut seudulla länsipainotteisesti ja merenrantaa myötäillen. Vakioitaessa väestön muuta sijoittumista, huomattiin erojen tasoittuvan. Mielenkiintoista oli tasoittuminen vahvasti niin talotyyppien, itä–länsi-akselin kuin kaupunkienkin osalta. Kaikilla näillä mittareilla oli suorissa tarkasteluissa havaittavissa eroja, mutta suuri osa havaittavista eroista selittyi pois tulojen, ikäryhmien ja perhetyyppien alueellisella jakautumisella. Näiltä osin korkeakoulutettujen sijoittuminen seudulla näyttäisi liittyvän sijoittumiseen muilla tekijöillä. Moranin I:llä mitattuna selittyi korkeakoulutettujen suhteellisten osuuksien välinen autokorrelaatio osin lisättäessä muita tekijöitä malliin, mutta silti viimeisenkin mallin virhetermeillä oli havaittavaa autokorrelaatiota. Tämä saattaisi viitata kulttuurisen pääoman paikantumiseen kartalle, mutta saattaa myös olla tulosta mallin heikkouksista. Kaikkiaan tutkielman anti on sekä näkökulmaltaan että menetelmältään uudenlaisissa kuvauksissa, jotka auttavat asettamaan korkeakoulutetun väestön sijoittumisen paremmin muun seudullisen erilaistumisen kontekstiin. Nämä kuvaukset poikkeavat aikaisemmista osin näkökulmansa ja osin menetelmien osalta.

Reacting to Complex Threats – the Securitization in the Speeches of Anders Fogh Rasmussen based on NATO´s New Strategic Concept

The purpose of this master´s thesis is to analyze how NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is trying to justify the existence of the military alliance through the use of security arguments. I am puzzled by the question: why does NATO still exist – what is NATO’s raison d'être. The New Strategic Concept (2010) forms the base for his argumentation. This thesis focuses on the security argumentation of NATO which is examined by analyzing the speeches the Secretary General. The theoretical framework of this study is based on constructivist approach to international security examining the linguistic process of securitization. Issues become securitized after Anders Fogh Rasmussen names them as threats. This thesis focuses on the securitization process relating to NATO and analyses what issues Rasmussen raises to the security agenda. Research data consists of the speeches by Anders Fogh Rasmussen. They are analyzed through J.L. Austin’s speech act taxonomy and Chaïm Perelman’s argumentation theories. The thesis will concentrate on the formulation and articulation of these threats which are considered and coined as “new threats” in contemporary international relations. I am conducting this research through the use of securitization theory. This study illustrates that the threats are constructed by NATO’s member-states in unison, but the resolutions are sounded through Rasmussen’s official speeches and transcripts. . Based on the analysis it can be concluded that Rasmussen is giving reasons for the existence of NATO. This takes place by making use of speech acts and different rhetorical techniques. The results of the analysis indicate that NATO remains an essential organization for the West and the rest of the world according to the Secretary General.

“And now to the rest of the trash…” Representations of begging Roma and an ideal society in two Nordic newspapers

Since begging East European Roma became a common view in the streets of larger Nordic cities, vivid discussions about their presence and activities have been carried out in the mass media. This thesis examines the public debates in Finland and Norway through a discursive analysis and comparison of press content from the two countries. The aim of the study is firstly to identify the prominent discourses which construct certain images of the beggars, as well as the elements and internal logics that these discourses are constructed around. But in addition to scrutinizing representations of the Roma, also an opposite perspective is applied. In accordance with the theoretical concept of ‘othering’, debates about ‘them’ are assumed to simultaneously reveal something significant about ‘us’. The second research question is thus what kind of images of the ideal Finnish and Norwegian societies are reflected in the data, and which societal values are salient in these images. The analysis comprises 79 texts printed in the main Finnish and Norwegian quality newspapers; Helsingin Sanomat and Aftenposten. The data consists of news articles, editorials, columns and letters to the editor from a three-month period in the summer of 2010. The analysis was carried out within the theoretical and methodological framework of critical discourse analysis as outlined by Norman Fairclough. A customized nine-step coding scheme was developed in order to reach the most central dimensions of the texts. Seven main discourses were identified; the Deprivation-solidarity, Human rights, Order, Crime, Space and majority reactions, Authority control, and Authority critique discourse. These were grouped into two competing normative stances on what an ideal society looks like; the exclusionary and the inclusionary stance. While the exclusionary stance places the begging Roma within a frame of crime, illegitimate use of public space and threat to the social order, the other advocates an attitude of solidarity and humanitarian values. The analysis points to a dominance of the former, although it is challenged by the latter. The Roma are “individualized” by quoting and/or presenting them by name in a fair part of the Finnish news articles. In Norway, the opposite is true; there the beggars are dominantly presented as anonymous and passive. Overall, the begging Roma are subjected to a double bind as they are faced with simultaneous expectations of activity and passivity. Theories relating to moral panics and ‘the good enemy’ provide for a deepened understanding of the intensity of the debates. Keywords: East European Roma, begging, media, newspapers, Helsingin Sanomat, Aftenposten, critical discourse analysis, Norman Fairclough, othering, ideal society, moral panics, good enemy, double bind, Finland, Norway

Optimal Use of Treatment Modalities and Treatment Results of Osteosarcoma and Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcomas are malignant tumours of mesenchymal origin. Because of infiltrative growth pattern, simple enucleation of the tumour causes a high rate of local recurrence. Instead, these tumours should be resected with a rim of normal tissue around the tumour. Data on the adequate margin width are scarce. At Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) a multidisciplinary treatment group started in 1987. Surgical resection with a wide margin (2.5 cm) is the primary aim. In case of narrower margin radiation therapy is necessary. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy remains unclear. Our aims were to study local control by the surgical margin and to develop a new prognostic tool to aid decision-making on which patients should receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity or the trunk wall referred to HUCH during 1987-2002 form material in Studies I and II. External validation material comes from the Lund university sarcoma registry. The smallest surgical margin of at least 2.5 centimetres yielded local control of 89 per cent at five years. Amputation rate was 9 per cent. The proposed prognostic model with necrosis, vascular invasion, size on a continuous scale, depth, location and grade worked well both in Helsinki material and in the validation material, and it also showed good calibration. Based on the present study, we recommend the smallest surgical margin of 2-3 centimetres in soft tissue sarcoma irrespective of grade. Improvement in local control was present but modest in margins wider than 1 centimetre. In cases where gaining a wider margin would lead to a considerable loss of function, smaller margin is to be considered combined to radiation therapy. Patients treated with inadequate margins should be offered radiation therapy irrespective of tumour grade. Our new prognostic model to estimate 10-year survival probability in patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities or trunk wall showed good dicscrimination and calibration. For time being the prognostic model is available for scientific use and further validations. In the future, the model may aid in clinical decision-making. For operable osteosarcoma, neoadjuvant multidrug chemotherapy followed by delayed surgery and multidrug adjuvant chemotherapy is the treatment of choice. Overall survival rates at five years are approximately 75 per cent in modern trials with classical osteosarcoma. All patients diagnosed and reported to the Finnish Cancer Registry with osteosarcoma in Finland during 1971-2005 form the material in Studies III and IV. Limb-salvage rate increased from 23 per cent to 78 per cent during 1971-2005. The 10-year sarcoma-specific survival for the whole study population improved from 32 per cent to 62 per cent. It was 75 per cent for patients with a local high-grade osteosarcoma of the extremity diagnosed during 1991-2005. This study outlines the improved prognosis of osteosarcoma patients in Finland with modern chemotherapy. The 10-year survival rates are good also in an international scale. Nonetheless, their limb-salvage rate remains inferior to those seen for highly selected patient series. Overall, the centralisation of osteosarcoma treatment would most likely improve both survival and limb-salvage rates even further.

Impaired spermatogenesis in Finnish boars and bulls

Maintenance of breeding efficiency and high semen quality is essential for reproductive success in farm animals. Early recognition of possible inheritable factors causing infertility requires constant attention. This thesis focuses on describing different manifestations of impaired spermatogenesis, their impact on fertility and partly also their incidence in populations. The reasons for spermatogenic failure are various. An interruption of germ cell differentiation, spermatogenic arrest, can lead to infertility. The incidence of azoospermia was investigated in the 1996 2005 survey of Finnish AI and farm breeding boars. We focused on the diagnosis, testicular morphometry and the possible reasons for the condition. The incidence of azoospermia was significantly higher in Yorkshire boars than in the Landrace breed. The most common diagnosis in Yorkshire boars was germ cell arrest at the primary spermatocyte level. The second most frequent diagnosis in Yorkshire boars was segmental aplasia of the Wolffian ducts with idiopathic epididymal obstruction. Other reasons for azoospermia were infrequent. In the second study we investigated the incidence of two relatively well-defined specific sperm defects in Finnish Yorkshire and Landrace boars during the same survey, the immotile short-tail sperm (ISTS) defect and the knobbed acrosome (KA) defect. In the Finnish Yorkshire boars the inherited ISTS defect, and the probably inherited KA defect, were important causes of infertility during 1996 2005. The ISTS defect was found in 7.6% and the KA defect in 0.8% of the Yorkshire boars. No Landrace boars were diagnosed with either of these two defects. In the third study we described a new sterilizing sperm defect in an oligoasthenoterazoospermic bull. Because of its morphological characteristics this defect was termed the multinuclear-multiflagellar sperm (MNMFS) defect. The number of Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubuli was highly increased in the MNMFS bull compared with the number in normal bulls. In the following two studies we used a combined approach of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), flow cytometry and morphometric studies to provide information on the cytogenetic background of macrocephalic bull spermatozoa. We described cellular features of diploid spermatozoa and compared the failures in the first and second meiotic divisions. In the last study we describe how the transplantation of testicular cells was used to determine whether spermatogonia derived from donor animals are able to colonize and produce motile spermatozoa in immune-competent unrelated boars suffering the ISTS defect. Transplantation resulted in complete focal spermatogenesis, indicated by the appearance of motile spermatozoa and confirmed by genotyping.

Monologeista dialogiksi : Keskustelua koulusta käytävien ohipuhumisten muuttamisesta neuvotteluksi sosiaalisen konstruktionismin hengessä.

From monologues to dialogue. A discussion about changing the fragmented character of the debate concerning schools to one of negotiation, in the spirit of social constructionism. The starting point for the study is the assumption that the interested parties concerning schools such as teachers, students, public servants within school administration or politics construct the idea of the school in disparate ways. It looks as if the representatives of the various interested parties perceive the school in distinctive ways or with particular emphases. Additionally, there are not many discussion forums where these different interested parties have an equal right to speak and be heard. It seems that the lack of dialogue characterizes the debate about school. At the centre of the study are negotiations concerning schools, and the conditions that promote changing the fragmented character of this school debate in a more promising and collectively responsible process of negotiation. The aims of the study are to find both an empirical and theoretical basis for more equal ways to negotiate about school, and to increase cultural self reflection. Social constructionism plays a key role in aspiring to meet these research aims. The research questions are (1) How do the informants of the study construct the idea of school in their texts, and (2) What kind of prospects does social constructionism bring to the negotiations about school. The research informants construct the idea of school in their texts in several ways. To sum up: school is constructed as a place for learning, a place for building the future, a place where ethical education is lived out, a place for social education and Bildung, and a place where the students well-being is ensured. The previously presented assumption that the interested parties of a school construct the idea of a school in disparate ways or with various emphases seems to have support in the informants texts. Based on that, a condition can be put forward: different perspectives should have an equal opportunity to be heard in negotiations about school. It would also be helpful if there was a chance for different perspectives to be documented and/or in some way, visualized. This ensures that different constructions of school are within reach of all the participants. Additionally, while making the process of negotiation transparent, this documentation becomes an important medium for self reflection. On one hand it visualizes the complexity of the school. On the other hand it protects the school and education from serving as the spokesman of any single truth that is presented as objective or universal. Social constructionism seems to offer a stable theoretical basis for changing the fragmented character of the school debate in one of negotiation. More equal and collectively responsible school negotiation presumes that certain aspects or conditions drawn from postmodernism and social constructionism have been studied. In the study, six conditions are presented that can be seen as mediums for changing the fragmented character of the school debate into one of more equal negotiation. Keywords: social constructionism, Kenneth J. Gergen, school negotiation, education policy, dialogue.

Geometric Characterizations for Patterson-Sullivan Measures of Geometrically Finite Kleinian Groups

The main results of this thesis show that a Patterson-Sullivan measure of a non-elementary geometrically finite Kleinian group can always be characterized using geometric covering and packing constructions. This means that if the standard covering and packing constructions are modified in a suitable way, one can use either one of them to construct a geometric measure which is identical to the Patterson-Sullivan measure. The main results generalize and modify results of D. Sullivan which show that one can sometimes use the standard covering construction to construct a suitable geometric measure and sometimes the standard packing construction. Sullivan has shown also that neither or both of the standard constructions can be used to construct the geometric measure in some situations. The main modifications of the standard constructions are based on certain geometric properties of limit sets of Kleinian groups studied first by P. Tukia. These geometric properties describe how closely the limit set of a given Kleinian group resembles euclidean planes or spheres of varying dimension on small scales. The main idea is to express these geometric properties in a quantitative form which can be incorporated into the gauge functions used in the modified covering and packing constructions. Certain estimation results for general conformal measures of Kleinian groups play a crucial role in the proofs of the main results. These estimation results are generalizations and modifications of similar results considered, among others, by B. Stratmann, D. Sullivan, P. Tukia and S. Velani. The modified constructions are in general defined without reference to Kleinian groups, so they or their variants may prove useful in some other contexts in addition to that of Kleinian groups.

Liminal Belonging: West African male asylum seekers’ narratives of the asylum experience whilst in Finland

The dominant discourses on the issue of asylum have placed it on a uniquely higher level of scrutiny as a politically very sensitive area for social research. Today, member states within the EU have implemented stricter policies to control new arrivals, whilst instituting statutory procedures to manage the existing asylum claims. In 2010, the number of applicants for asylum in Finland totalled 5988, out of which 1784 were given positive decisions. This thesis endeavour to highlight asylum seekers in the discourses about them by adding their voices to the discussions of them in contemporary Finland. Studies, which has concentrated on asylum seekers in Finland, uses the living conditions within asylum reception centres to assess the impacts of structural barriers on asylum seekers’ efforts to deal with the asylum process. By highlighting the impacts of the entire asylum process, which I believe starts from the country of origin; I focus on examining narratives of dealing with the experience of liminality whilst waiting for asylum, and then explore areas of possible participation within informal social networks for West African asylum seekers in Finland. The overall aim is to place the current research within the broader sociological discussion of ‘belonging’ for asylum seekers who are yet to be recognized as refugees, and who exist in a state of limbo. Methodologically, oral interviews, self-written autobiographical narratives, and ethnographic field work are qualitatively combined as data in this thesis for an empirical study of West African male asylum seekers in Finland. Narrative analysis is employed to analyze the data for this thesis. The ethnographic research data for the study began in May 2009 and ended in August of 2010. Altogether, ten interviews and four self-written narratives were collected as data. In total seven hours of audio recording were made, along eleven pages of hand-written autobiographical narratives. Field observation notes are employed in the study to provide contexts to the active interactional processes of interpretation throughout the analysis. Findings from the study suggest that within the experience of liminality, which surrounds the entire asylum process, participations within informal social networks are found to be important to the process of re-making place and the sense of belonging. My study shows that this is necessary to countering the experience of boredom, stress and social isolation, which permeate all aspects of life for West African asylum seekers, whilst they wait for asylum decisions in Finland.

Microfinance, Efficiency and Agricultural Production in Bangladesh

The objectives of this study were to make a detailed and systematic empirical analysis of microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers in Bangladesh and also examine how efficiency measures are influenced by the access to agricultural microfinance. In the empirical analysis, this study used both parametric and non-parametric frontier approaches to investigate differences in efficiency estimates between microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers. This thesis, based on five articles, applied data obtained from a survey of 360 farm households from north-central and north-western regions in Bangladesh. The methods used in this investigation involve stochastic frontier (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) in addition to sample selectivity and limited dependent variable models. In article I, technical efficiency (TE) estimation and identification of its determinants were performed by applying an extended Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier production function. The results show that farm households had a mean TE of 83% with lower TE scores for the non-borrowers of agricultural microfinance. Addressing institutional policies regarding the consolidation of individual plots into farm units, ensuring access to microfinance, extension education for the farmers with longer farming experience are suggested to improve the TE of the farmers. In article II, the objective was to assess the effects of access to microfinance on household production and cost efficiency (CE) and to determine the efficiency differences between the microfinance participating and non-participating farms. In addition, a non-discretionary DEA model was applied to capture directly the influence of microfinance on farm households production and CE. The results suggested that under both pooled DEA models and non-discretionary DEA models, farmers with access to microfinance were significantly more efficient than their non-borrowing counterparts. Results also revealed that land fragmentation, family size, household wealth, on farm-training and off farm income share are the main determinants of inefficiency after effectively correcting for sample selection bias. In article III, the TE of traditional variety (TV) and high-yielding-variety (HYV) rice producers were estimated in addition to investigating the determinants of adoption rate of HYV rice. Furthermore, the role of TE as a potential determinant to explain the differences of adoption rate of HYV rice among the farmers was assessed. The results indicated that in spite of its much higher yield potential, HYV rice production was associated with lower TE and had a greater variability in yield. It was also found that TE had a significant positive influence on the adoption rates of HYV rice. In article IV, we estimated profit efficiency (PE) and profit-loss between microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers by a sample selection framework, which provided a general framework for testing and taking into account the sample selection in the stochastic (profit) frontier function analysis. After effectively correcting for selectivity bias, the mean PE of the microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers were estimated at 68% and 52% respectively. This suggested that a considerable share of profits were lost due to profit inefficiencies in rice production. The results also demonstrated that access to microfinance contributes significantly to increasing PE and reducing profit-loss per hectare land. In article V, the effects of credit constraints on TE, allocative efficiency (AE) and CE were assessed while adequately controlling for sample selection bias. The confidence intervals were determined by the bootstrap method for both samples. The results indicated that differences in average efficiency scores of credit constrained and unconstrained farms were not statistically significant although the average efficiencies tended to be higher in the group of unconstrained farms. After effectively correcting for selectivity bias, household experience, number of dependents, off-farm income, farm size, access to on farm training and yearly savings were found to be the main determinants of inefficiencies. In general, the results of the study revealed the existence substantial technical, allocative, economic inefficiencies and also considerable profit inefficiencies. The results of the study suggested the need to streamline agricultural microfinance by the microfinance institutions (MFIs), donor agencies and government at all tiers. Moreover, formulating policies that ensure greater access to agricultural microfinance to the smallholder farmers on a sustainable basis in the study areas to enhance productivity and efficiency has been recommended. Key Words: Technical, allocative, economic efficiency, DEA, Non-discretionary DEA, selection bias, bootstrapping, microfinance, Bangladesh.