Fernando Pessoan ortonyymi ja heteronyymit modernistis-romanttisena myyttinä

Tutkimuksessani selvitän portugalilaisrunoilija Fernando Pessoan (1888-1935) heteronyymejä ja ortonyymiä modernistis-romanttisena myyttinä. Myytin piirteet paljastuivat Pessoan omia kirjoituksia ja runoja tutkimalla ja käyttämällä apuna Pessoa-tutkimusta. Tutkimusaineistonani ovat Pessoa-ortonyymin Mensagem-runoelma ja ”Autopsykografia”-runo, Álvaro de Campoksen vuonna 1917 Portugal Futurista –lehdessä julkaistu ”Ultimatum”-runomanifesti, Alberto Caeiron ”Guardador de Rebanhos”-runosikermä sekä Ricardo Reisin ”Oodit”-kokonaisuuteen kuuluvat runot: n:ro 59 ”Acima da verdade estão os deuses” (”Totuuden yläpuolella ovat jumalat”, 1914), n:ro 66 ”Olho os campos, Neera” (”Katson peltoja, Neera”, 1917), n:ro 181 ”Amo o que vejo” (”Rakastan sitä mitä näen”, 1934), n:ro 175 ”Estas só. Ninguem o sabe.” (”Olet yksin. Kukaan ei tiedä sitä”, 1933). Tutkimuksessani romanttisen runouden keskeisinä piirteinä pidetään uskoa taiteilijaneroon (geniukseen), mimeettiseen illuusioon (taide tavoittelee ulkoisen todellisuuden toisintamista mahdollisimman autenttisena) ja tekijän ja kokijan eli subjektin ja objektin erottamiseen toisistaan. Käsitänkin modernin runon tutkimuksessani hylänneen monia entisiä käsityksiä ja vastakkainasetteluja muun muassa tekijän ja ulkopuolisen maailman, mielen ja kielen välillä. Näitä moderneja ”rikkomuksia” identifioin ja määrittelen Pessoan heteronyymien runoudessa. Tutkimukseni apukäsitteitä ovat vilpittömyys ja autenttisuus, jotka kuvaavat runoilijan suhdetta itseensä ja muihin ja joita on pohtinut mm. Lionel Trilling teoksessaan Sincerity and authencity. Romanttisessa runoudessa suhde yhteisöön muodostui ensisijaisesti suhteessa omaan itseen, yhtenäiseen minuuteen nojaavan vilpittömyyden kautta, modernissa runoudessa hajanaisuutta ja yksilön suhdetta myös yhteisöön korostavan autenttisuuden avulla. Tutkimuksessani havaitsin, että Pessoa on jo tuotantonsa alusta lähtien kehittänyt tietoisesti modernistis-romanttista myyttiä – päätelmää tukivat niin Pessoan omat kirjoitukset kuin runoanalyysini. Pessoa ennusti ensimmäisen kerran romanttiseen nerotaiteilijaan vertautuvaa ”supra-Camõesia” ”A nova poesia Portuguesa Sociologicamente considerada” –esseessään vuonna 1912. Campoksen ”Ultimatum”-manifestissa puhuja uskoi muutaman useita kymmeniä persoonallisuuksia hallitsevan ”Synteesi-Ihmisen” tai ”supra-Camõesin” ilmestymiseen. ”Synteesi-Ihmisen” oli määrä palauttaa kukoistukseensa lamaantuneessa tilassa ollut Portugalin kirjallisuus uuteen kukoistukseensa. Eräänlaisen perustan koko myytille loi vuotta ennen Pessoan kuolemaa julkaistu Mensagem (suom. Viesti), jossa runoilija esittää saudosistisen ja sebastianistisen perustan. Teixeira de Pascoaesin kehittämä saudosismi näkyy Mensagemissa uskona Portugalin valtion perustajien ja laajentajien – löytöretkeilijöiden – edustamaan voittoisaan lusofoniseen mentaliteettiin, jonka Pessoa asettaa niin kansakunnan, runoilijan kuin ihmisen ihanteeksi. Toinen Mensagemissa esiintyvä myytin rakennusaine on sebastianismi eli usko kuningas Sebastianin (1554-1578) paluuseen. ”Synteesi-Ihminen”/”supra-Camões” oli reinkarnoitunut Sebastian, jonka piti palauttaa kansa ja kulttuuri kukoistukseensa lusofonisen valloittajamentaliteetin avulla. ”Autopsykografia”-runossaan Pessoa esittää puolestaan runoilijaa koskevan modernin poetiikan ongelmineen: esittävyyteen perustuva taide etäännyttää kokijan – taiteilijan – aina väistämättä ensimmäisestä, spontaanista ja luonnollisesta kokemuksesta ja tekee hänestä teeskentelijän ja simulakrumien (Baudrillard), toisen tason merkityksen tuottajan. ”Autopsykografian” moderni poetiikka koskee myös lukijaa, joka ei tavoita runoilijan välittämää merkitystä vaan kolmannen tason merkityksen. ”Autopsykografian” runous- ja ihmiskäsitys on moderni: runoilija on ammattimainen teeskentelijä, lähtökohtaisesti vilpillinen ja epäautenttinen. Pessoa ja Campos edustavat Pessoan objektiivisia heteronyymejä ja myytin modernia puolta. Pessoan subjektiiviset heteronyymit Reis ja Caeiro täydentävät objektiviisia, modernin ihmisen ahdistusta ja levottomuutta ilmaisseita Pessoaa ja Camposta ollen luonteeltaan romanttisia vilpittömyyden kannattajia. Caeiro arvosti näköaistia yli muiden aistien. Hänen tavoitteenaan oli katsoa aina kuin ensimmäistä kertaa, spontaanisti ja välittömästi kuin lapsi. Reis puolestaan korosti harmoniaa jumalten, ihmisten ja luonnon välillä ja uskoi kohtuullisiin aistinautintoihin. Molemmat muodostivat Pessoan myytin romanttisen puolen yhteisessä halussaan hylätä sosiaaliset roolit ja opetukset ja palata kohti yksilöllistä minää. Vilpittömyys ja autenttisuus ovat Caeiron ja Reisin ohjeita runoilijalle ja ihmiselle. Objektiiviset ja subjektiiviset heteronyymit yhdessä muodostavat modernistis-romanttisen myytin, joka kokonaisuudessaan on looginen: objektiiviset heteronyymit esittivät teeskentelyn, vilpillisyyden ja moderniuden ongelmat; subjektiiviset tarjosivat ratkaisua niihin, poisopettelua sosiaalisista rooleista ja rohkeutta mennä kohti omaa yksilöllistä minuutta.

Stroke and coronary heart disease in relation to hyperglycemia gender and age

This study was carried out to compare the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h plasma glucose (2-h PG) criteria for diabetes with regard to their relation to stroke mortality and the incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. In addition, the age-and gender difference in the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke and their relation with known cardiovascular disease risk factors and diabetes mellitus was examined. The study was a sub-data analysis of the Diabetes Epidemiology: Collaborative analysis Of Diagnostic criteria in Europe (DECODE) study including 25 181 individuals, 11 844 (47%) men and 13 345 (53%) women aged 25 to 90 years, from 14 European cohorts. In individuals without a history of diabetes elevated 2-h post-challenge glucose was a better predictor of stroke mortality than elevated fasting glucose in men, whereas the latter was better than the former in women. Elevated FPG and 2-h PG levels were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke incidence. 2-h PG contributed to the risk more strongly than FPG. No relationship between hyperglycemia and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke was found. The risk of CHD and ischemic stroke incidence increased with age in both genders, but was higher in all age groups in men than in women. The gender difference was, however, more marked for CHD than for ischemic stroke. Age, smoking and diabetes contributed to the development of both CHD and ischemic stroke. Elevated cholesterol levels predicted CHD only, whereas elevated blood pressure was a risk predictor for the incidence of ischemic stroke. The CHD and ischemic stroke risk was higher in men than in women with and without diabetes, however, the gender difference diminished for CHD but enlarged for ischemic stroke in diabetic individuals. The known risk factors including diabetes contributed differently to the risk of CHD and ischemic stroke in women and in men. Hyperglycemia defined by FPG or 2-h PG increases the risk of ischemic stroke in individuals without diabetes. FPG better predicts stroke mortality in women and 2-h PG in men. The risk of acute CHD and ischemic stroke is higher in men than in women in all ages, but such gender difference is more marked for CHD than for ischemic stroke. CHD risk is higher in men than in women, but the difference is reduced in diabetic population. Diabetes, however, increases stroke risk more in men than in women in all ages.

Econometric models of Finnish non-industrial private forest owners' timber supply and timber stock

This dissertation examines the short- and long-run impacts of timber prices and other factors affecting NIPF owners' timber harvesting and timber stocking decisions. The utility-based Faustmann model provides testable hypotheses of the exogenous variables retained in the timber supply analysis. The timber stock function, derived from a two-period biomass harvesting model, is estimated using a two-step GMM estimator based on balanced panel data from 1983 to 1991. Timber supply functions are estimated using a Tobit model adjusted for heteroscedasticity and nonnormality of errors based on panel data from 1994 to 1998. Results show that if specification analysis of the Tobit model is ignored, inconsistency and biasedness can have a marked effect on parameter estimates. The empirical results show that owner's age is the single most important factor determining timber stock; timber price is the single most important factor in harvesting decision. The results of the timber supply estimations can be interpreted using utility-based Faustmann model of a forest owner who values a growing timber in situ.

Use of biomass fuels in the brick-making industries of Sudan: Implications for deforestation and greenhouse gas emission

The study focuses on the potential roles of the brick making industries in Sudan in deforestation and greenhouse gas emission due to the consumption of biofuels. The results were based on the observation of 25 brick making industries from three administrative regions in Sudan namely, Khartoum, Kassala and Gezira. The methodological approach followed the procedures outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). For predicting a serious deforestation scenario, it was also assumed that all of wood use for this particular purpose is from unsustainable sources. The study revealed that the total annual quantity of fuelwood consumed by the surveyed brick making industries (25) was 2,381 t dm. Accordingly, the observed total potential deforested wood was 10,624 m3, in which the total deforested round wood was 3,664 m3 and deforested branches was 6,961 m3. The study observed that a total of 2,990 t biomass fuels (fuelwood and dung cake) consumed annually by the surveyed brick making industries for brick burning. Consequently, estimated total annual emissions of greenhouse gases were 4,832 t CO2, 21 t CH4, 184 t CO, 0.15 t N20, 5 t NOX and 3.5 t NO while the total carbon released in the atmosphere was 1,318 t. Altogether, the total annual greenhouse gases emissions from biomass fuels burning was 5,046 t; of which 4,104 t from fuelwood and 943 t from dung cake burning. According to the results, due to the consumption of fuelwood in the brick making industries (3,450 units) of Sudan, the amount of wood lost from the total growing stock of wood in forests and trees in Sudan annually would be 1,466,000 m3 encompassing 505,000 m3 round wood and 961,000 m3 branches annually. By considering all categories of biofuels (fuelwood and dung cake), it was estimated that, the total emissions from all the brick making industries of Sudan would be 663,000 t CO2, 2,900 t CH4, 25,300 t CO, 20 t N2O, 720 t NOX and 470 t NO per annum, while the total carbon released in the atmosphere would be 181,000 t annually.

Placental abruption : Studies on incidence, risk factors and potential predictive biomarkers

Placental abruption, one of the most significant causes of perinatal mortality and maternal morbidity, occurs in 0.5-1% of pregnancies. Its etiology is unknown, but defective trophoblastic invasion of the spiral arteries and consequent poor vascularization may play a role. The aim of this study was to define the prepregnancy risk factors of placental abruption, to define the risk factors during the index pregnancy, and to describe the clinical presentation of placental abruption. We also wanted to find a biochemical marker for predicting placental abruption early in pregnancy. Among women delivering at the University Hospital of Helsinki in 1997-2001 (n=46,742), 198 women with placental abruption and 396 control women were identified. The overall incidence of placental abruption was 0.42%. The prepregnancy risk factors were smoking (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.1, 2.7), uterine malformation (OR 8.1; 1.7, 40), previous cesarean section (OR 1.7; 1.1, 2.8), and history of placental abruption (OR 4.5; 1.1, 18). The risk factors during the index pregnancy were maternal (adjusted OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.1, 2.9) and paternal smoking (2.2; 1.3, 3.6), use of alcohol (2.2; 1.1, 4.4), placenta previa (5.7; 1.4, 23.1), preeclampsia (2.7; 1.3, 5.6) and chorioamnionitis (3.3; 1.0, 10.0). Vaginal bleeding (70%), abdominal pain (51%), bloody amniotic fluid (50%) and fetal heart rate abnormalities (69%) were the most common clinical manifestations of placental abruption. Retroplacental blood clot was seen by ultrasound in 15% of the cases. Neither bleeding nor pain was present in 19% of the cases. Overall, 59% went into preterm labor (OR 12.9; 95% CI 8.3, 19.8), and 91% were delivered by cesarean section (34.7; 20.0, 60.1). Of the newborns, 25% were growth restricted. The perinatal mortality rate was 9.2% (OR 10.1; 95% CI 3.4, 30.1). We then tested selected biochemical markers for prediction of placental abruption. The median of the maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) multiples of median (MoM) (1.21) was significantly higher in the abruption group (n=57) than in the control group (n=108) (1.07) (p=0.004) at 15-16 gestational weeks. In multivariate analysis, elevated MSAFP remained as an independent risk factor for placental abruption, adjusting for parity ≥ 3, smoking, previous placental abruption, preeclampsia, bleeding in II or III trimester, and placenta previa. MSAFP ≥ 1.5 MoM had a sensitivity of 29% and a false positive rate of 10%. The levels of the maternal serum free beta human chorionic gonadotrophin MoM did not differ between the cases and the controls. None of the angiogenic factors (soluble endoglin, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1, or placental growth factor) showed any difference between the cases (n=42) and the controls (n=50) in the second trimester. The levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) showed no difference between the cases (n=181) and the controls (n=261) (median 2.35 mg/l [interquartile range {IQR} 1.09-5.93] versus 2.28 mg/l [IQR 0.92-5.01], not significant) when tested in the first trimester (mean 10.4 gestational weeks). Chlamydia pneumoniae specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) as well as C. trachomatis specific IgG, IgA and chlamydial heat-shock protein 60 antibody rates were similar between the groups. In conclusion, although univariate analysis identified many prepregnancy risk factors for placental abruption, only smoking, uterine malformation, previous cesarean section and history of placental abruption remained significant by multivariate analysis. During the index pregnancy maternal alcohol consumption and smoking and smoking by the partner turned out to be the major independent risk factors for placental abruption. Smoking by both partners multiplied the risk. The liberal use of ultrasound examination contributed little to the management of women with placental abruption. Although second-trimester MSAFP levels were higher in women with subsequent placental abruption, clinical usefulness of this test is limited due to low sensitivity and high false positive rate. Similarly, angiogenic factors in early second trimester, or CRP levels, or chlamydial antibodies in the first trimester failed to predict placental abruption.

Exhaled nitric oxide : Variability and association with bronchial hyperresponsiveness and atopy

Airway inflammation is a key feature of bronchial asthma. In asthma management, according to international guidelines, the gold standard is anti-inflammatory treatment. Currently, only conventional procedures (i.e., symptoms, use of rescue medication, PEF-variability, and lung function tests) were used to both diagnose and evaluate the results of treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. New methods for evaluation of degree of airway inflammation are required. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas which is produced in the airways of healthy subjects and especially produced in asthmatic airways. Measurement of NO from the airways is possible, and NO can be measured from exhaled air. Fractional exhaled NO (FENO) is increased in asthma, and the highest concentrations are measured in asthmatic patients not treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Steroid-treated patients with asthma had levels of FENO similar to those of healthy controls. Atopic asthmatics had higher levels of FENO than did nonatopic asthmatics, indicating that level of atopy affected FENO level. Associations between FENO and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) occur in asthma. The present study demonstrated that measurement of FENO had good reproducibility, and the FENO variability was reasonable both short- and long-term in both healthy subjects and patients with respiratory symptoms or asthma. We demonstrated the upper normal limit for healthy subjects, which was 12 ppb calculated from two different healthy study populations. We showed that patients with respiratory symptoms who did not fulfil the diagnostic criteria of asthma had FENO values significantly higher than in healthy subjects, but significantly lower than in asthma patients. These findings suggest that BHR to histamine is a sensitive indicator of the effect of ICS and a valuable tool for adjustment of corticosteroid treatment in mild asthma. The findings further suggest that intermittent treatment periods of a few weeks’ duration are insufficient to provide long-term control of BHR in patients with mild persistent asthma. Moreover, during the treatment with ICS changes in BHR and changes in FENO were associated. FENO level was associated with BHR measured by a direct (histamine challenge) or indirect method (exercise challenge) in steroid-naïve symptomatic, non-smoking asthmatics. Although these associations could be found only in atopics, FENO level in nonatopic asthma was also increased. It can thus be concluded that assessment of airway inflammation by measuring FENO can be useful for clinical purposes. The methodology of FENO measurements is now validated. Especially in those patients with respiratory symptoms who did not fulfil the diagnostic criteria of asthma, FENO measurement can aid in treatment decisions. Serial measurement of FENO during treatment with ICS can be a complementary or an alternative method for evaluation in patients with asthma.