Speech Rhythm in an Interlanguage Perspective : Finnish Adolescents Speaking English

Speech rhythm is an essential part of speech processing. It is the outcome of the workings of a combination of linguistic and non-linguistic parameters, many of which also have other functions in speech. This study focusses on the acoustic and auditive realization of two linguistic parameters of rhythm: (1) sentence stress, and (2) speech rate and pausing. The aim was to find out how well Finnish comprehensive school pupils realize these two parameters in English and how native speakers of English react to Finnish pupils English rhythm. The material was elicited by means of a story-telling task and questionnaires. Three female and three male pupils representing different levels of oral skills in English were selected as the experimental group. The control group consisted of two female and two male native speakers of English. The stories were analysed acoustically and auditorily with respect to interstress intervals, weak forms, fundamental frequency, pausing, and speech as well as articulation rate. In addition, 52 native speakers of English were asked to rate the intelligibility of the Finnish pupils English with respect to speech rhythm and give their attitudes on what the pupils sounded like. Results showed that Finnish pupils can produce isochronous interstress intervals in English, but that too large a proportion of these intervals contain pauses. A closer analysis of the pauses revealed that Finnish pupils pause too frequently and in inappropriate places when they speak English. Frequent pausing was also found to cause slow speech rates. The findings of the fundamental frequency (F0) measurements indicate that Finnish pupils tend to make a slightly narrower F0 difference between stressed and unstressed syllables than the native speakers of English. Furthermore, Finnish pupils appear to know how to reduce the duration and quality of unstressed sounds, but they fail to do it frequently enough. Native listeners gave lower intelligibility and attitude scores to pupils with more anomalous speech rhythm. Finnish pupils rhythm anomalies seemed to derive from various learning- or learner-related factors rather than from the differences between English and Finnish. This study demonstrates that pausing may be a more important component of English speech rhythm than sentence stress as far as Finnish adolescents are concerned and that interlanguage development is affected by various factors and characterised by jumps or periods of stasis. Other theoretical, methodological and pedagogical implications of the results are also discussed.

Identification of the Meckel syndrome gene (MKS1) exposes a novel ciliopathy

Meckel syndrome (MKS, MIM 249000) is an autosomal recessive developmental disorder causing death in utero or shortly after birth. The hallmarks of the disease are cystic kidney dysplasia and fibrotic changes of the liver, occipital encephalocele with or without hydrocephalus and polydactyly. Other anomalies frequently seen in the patients are incomplete development of the male genitalia, club feet and cleft lip or palate. The clinical picture has been well characterized in the literature while the molecular pathology underlying the disease has remained unclear until now. In this study we identified the first MKS gene by utilizing the disease haplotypes in Finnish MKS families linked to the MKS1 locus on chromosome 17q23 (MKS1) locus. Subsequently, the genetic heterogeneity of MKS was established in the Finnish families. Mutations in at least four different genes can cause MKS. These genes have been mapped to the chromosomes 17q23 (MKS1), 11q13 (MKS2), 8q22 (MKS3) and 9q33 (MKS4). Two of these genes have been identified so far: The MKS1 gene (this work) and the MKS3 gene. The identified MKS1 gene was initially a novel human gene which is conserved among species. We found three different MKS mutations, one of them being the Finnish founder mutation. The information available from MKS1 orthologs in other species convinced us that the MKS1 gene is required for normal ciliogenesis. Defects of the cilial system in other human diseases and model organisms actually cause phenotypic features similar to those seen in MKS patients. The MKS3 (TMEM67) gene encodes a transmembrane protein and the gene maps to the syntenic Wpk locus in the rat, which is a model with polycystic kidney disease, agenesis of the corpus callosum and hydrocephalus. The available information from these two genes suggest that MKS1 would encode a structural component of the centriole required for normal ciliary functions, and MKS3 would be a transmembrane component most likely required for normal ciliary sensory signaling. The MKS4 locus was localized to chromosme 9q32-33 in this study by using an inbred Finnish family with two affected and two healthy children. This fourth locus contains TRIM32 gene, which is associated to another well characterized human ciliopathy, Bardet Biedl syndrome (BBS). Future studies should identify the MKS4 gene on chromosome 9q and confirm if there are more than two genes causing MKS Finnish families. The research on critical signaling pathways in organogenesis have shown that both Wnt and Hedgehog pathways are dependent on functional cilia. The MKS gene products will serve as excellent model molecules for more detailed studies of the functional role of cilia in organogenesis in more detail.

Valuation of reduced eutrophication in the Gulf of Finland : Choice experiment with attention to heterogeneous and discontinuous preferences and respondent uncertainty

Eutrophication of the Baltic Sea is a serious problem. This thesis estimates the benefit to Finns from reduced eutrophication in the Gulf of Finland, the most eutrophied part of the Baltic Sea, by applying the choice experiment method, which belongs to the family of stated preference methods. Because stated preference methods have been subject to criticism, e.g., due to their hypothetical survey context, this thesis contributes to the discussion by studying two anomalies that may lead to biased welfare estimates: respondent uncertainty and preference discontinuity. The former refers to the difficulty of stating one s preferences for an environmental good in a hypothetical context. The latter implies a departure from the continuity assumption of conventional consumer theory, which forms the basis for the method and the analysis. In the three essays of the thesis, discrete choice data are analyzed with the multinomial logit and mixed logit models. On average, Finns are willing to contribute to the water quality improvement. The probability for willingness increases with residential or recreational contact with the gulf, higher than average income, younger than average age, and the absence of dependent children in the household. On average, for Finns the relatively most important characteristic of water quality is water clarity followed by the desire for fewer occurrences of blue-green algae. For future nutrient reduction scenarios, the annual mean household willingness to pay estimates range from 271 to 448 and the aggregate welfare estimates for Finns range from 28 billion to 54 billion euros, depending on the model and the intensity of the reduction. Out of the respondents (N=726), 72.1% state in a follow-up question that they are either Certain or Quite certain about their answer when choosing the preferred alternative in the experiment. Based on the analysis of other follow-up questions and another sample (N=307), 10.4% of the respondents are identified as potentially having discontinuous preferences. In relation to both anomalies, the respondent- and questionnaire-specific variables are found among the underlying causes and a departure from standard analysis may improve the model fit and the efficiency of estimates, depending on the chosen modeling approach. The introduction of uncertainty about the future state of the Gulf increases the acceptance of the valuation scenario which may indicate an increased credibility of a proposed scenario. In conclusion, modeling preference heterogeneity is an essential part of the analysis of discrete choice data. The results regarding uncertainty in stating one s preferences and non-standard choice behavior are promising: accounting for these anomalies in the analysis may improve the precision of the estimates of benefit from reduced eutrophication in the Gulf of Finland.

Technicolor

In technicolor theories the scalar sector of the Standard Model is replaced by a strongly interacting sector. Although the Standard Model has been exceptionally successful, the scalar sector causes theoretical problems that make these theories seem an attractive alternative. I begin my thesis by considering QCD, which is the known example of strong interactions. The theory exhibits two phenomena: confinement and chiral symmetry breaking. I find the low-energy dynamics to be similar to that of the sigma models. Then I analyze the problems of the Standard Model Higgs sector, mainly the unnaturalness and triviality. Motivated by the example of QCD, I introduce the minimal technicolor model to resolve these problems. I demonstrate the minimal model to be free of anomalies and then deduce the main elements of its low-energy particle spectrum. I find the particle spectrum contains massless or very light technipions, and also technibaryons and techni-vector mesons with a high mass of over 1 TeV. Standard Model fermions remain strictly massless at this stage. Thus I introduce the technicolor companion theory of flavor, called extended technicolor. I show that the Standard Model fermions and technihadrons receive masses, but that they remain too light. I also discuss flavor-changing neutral currents and precision electroweak measurements. I then show that walking technicolor models partly solve these problems. In these models, contrary to QCD, the coupling evolves slowly over a large energy scale. This behavior adds to the masses so that even the light technihadrons are too heavy to be detected at current particle accelerators. Also all observed masses of the Standard Model particles can be generated, except for the bottom and top quarks. Thus it is shown in this thesis that, excluding the masses of third generation quarks, theories based on walking technicolor can in principle produce the observed particle spectrum.

Topographical, structural and geophysical characterization of fracture zones: implications for groundwater flow and vulnerability

The main objective of this study is to evaluate selected geophysical, structural and topographic methods on regional, local, and tunnel and borehole scales, as indicators of the properties of fracture zones or fractures relevant to groundwater flow. Such information serves, for example, groundwater exploration and prediction of the risk of groundwater inflow in underground construction. This study aims to address how the features detected by these methods link to groundwater flow in qualitative and semi-quantitative terms and how well the methods reveal properties of fracturing affecting groundwater flow in the studied sites. The investigated areas are: (1) the Päijänne Tunnel for water-conveyance whose study serves as a verification of structures identified on regional and local scales; (2) the Oitti fuel spill site, to telescope across scales and compare geometries of structural assessment; and (3) Leppävirta, where fracturing and hydrogeological environment have been studied on the scale of a drilled well. The methods applied in this study include: the interpretation of lineaments from topographic data and their comparison with aeromagnetic data; the analysis of geological structures mapped in the Päijänne Tunnel; borehole video surveying; groundwater inflow measurements; groundwater level observations; and information on the tunnel s deterioration as demonstrated by block falls. The study combined geological and geotechnical information on relevant factors governing groundwater inflow into a tunnel and indicators of fracturing, as well as environmental datasets as overlays for spatial analysis using GIS. Geophysical borehole logging and fluid logging were used in Leppävirta to compare the responses of different methods to fracturing and other geological features on the scale of a drilled well. Results from some of the geophysical measurements of boreholes were affected by the large diameter (gamma radiation) or uneven surface (caliper) of these structures. However, different anomalies indicating more fractured upper part of the bedrock traversed by well HN4 in Leppävirta suggest that several methods can be used for detecting fracturing. Fracture trends appear to align similarly on different scales in the zone of the Päijänne Tunnel. For example, similarities of patterns were found between the regional magnetic trends, correlating with orientations of topographic lineaments interpreted as expressions of fracture zones. The same structural orientations as those of the larger structures on local or regional scales were observed in the tunnel, even though a match could not be made in every case. The size and orientation of the observation space (patch of terrain at the surface, tunnel section, or borehole), the characterization method, with its typical sensitivity, and the characteristics of the location, influence the identification of the fracture pattern. Through due consideration of the influence of the sampling geometry and by utilizing complementary fracture characterization methods in tandem, some of the complexities of the relationship between fracturing and groundwater flow can be addressed. The flow connections demonstrated by the response of the groundwater level in monitoring wells to pressure decrease in the tunnel and the transport of MTBE through fractures in bedrock in Oitti, highlight the importance of protecting the tunnel water from a risk of contamination. In general, the largest values of drawdown occurred in monitoring wells closest to the tunnel and/or close to the topographically interpreted fracture zones. It seems that, to some degree, the rate of inflow shows a positive correlation with the level of reinforcement, as both are connected with the fracturing in the bedrock. The following geological features increased the vulnerability of tunnel sections to pollution, especially when several factors affected the same locations: (1) fractured bedrock, particularly with associated groundwater inflow; (2) thin or permeable overburden above fractured rock; (3) a hydraulically conductive layer underneath the surface soil; and (4) a relatively thin bedrock roof above the tunnel. The observed anisotropy of the geological media should ideally be taken into account in the assessment of vulnerability of tunnel sections and eventually for directing protective measures.

Information Visualization in a Business Decision Support System

Information visualization is a process of constructing a visual presentation of abstract quantitative data. The characteristics of visual perception enable humans to recognize patterns, trends and anomalies inherent in the data with little effort in a visual display. Such properties of the data are likely to be missed in a purely text-based presentation. Visualizations are therefore widely used in contemporary business decision support systems. Visual user interfaces called dashboards are tools for reporting the status of a company and its business environment to facilitate business intelligence (BI) and performance management activities. In this study, we examine the research on the principles of human visual perception and information visualization as well as the application of visualization in a business decision support system. A review of current BI software products reveals that the visualizations included in them are often quite ineffective in communicating important information. Based on the principles of visual perception and information visualization, we summarize a set of design guidelines for creating effective visual reporting interfaces.

Sopimusoikeus ja sopimuskäytäntö: miten nettisopimuksia tehdään ja voidaan tehdä

Johdanto Työssä käsitellään sopimusten tekemistä internetissä. Tavoitteena on löytää mahdollisia nettisopimusten sopimussunnittelussa huomioon otettavia asioita. Näkökulmaksi on otettu sopimuskäytäntö. Sopimuskäytäntö lähtökohtana tutkimukselle Työssä esitellään sopimuskäytännön ja perinteisen analyyttisen sopimusoikeuden välinen ristiriita. Koska yritykset eivät halua ratkaista ongelmiaan tuomioistuimessa, tuomioistuimiin päätyy vain marginaalinen osa sopimuksista. Yritysten näkökulmasta tuomioistuimiin päätyneet sopimukset ovat olleet epäonnistuneita. Tämän takia pelkästään tuomioistuinratkaisuja tutkimalla ei tavoiteta käytännön sopimustoiminnan ongelmia ja ei pystytä tarjoamaan niihin ratkaisumalleja. Sama ongelma koskee myös kuluttajasopimuksia. Tässä työssä on tutkittu käytännön sopimustoimintaa eli sopimuskäytäntöä. Sopimusoikeuden tutkimukseen on tuotu uutta näkökulmaa. Sopimuksen syntyminen nettikaupassa Kirjoittaja esittää yleisen sopimusmallin nettisopimuksille. Sopimusmallin keskeisiä näkökohtia ovat sopimuksen prosessiluonne. Sopimusmallissa käydään läpi kaikkia niitä vaiheita, jotka voivat vaikuttaa päätökseen sitoutua sopimukseen. Työssä myös esitetään, että sopimukseen sisältö määräytyy näiden vaiheiden mukaisesti. Koska pitkällä tähtäimellä tehdyssä sopimustoiminnassa syntyy ajoittain ongelmia, työssä myös käsitellään yrityksen mahdollisuuksia hallita näitä sopimushäiriöitä. Arviot kahdesta avoimesta sopimusjärjestelmästä Tutkielmassa myös käydään läpi kaksi yleisölle avointa nettisopimusjärjestelmää. Toinen on tavarakauppa Amazon.com ja toinen Genetic Anomalies, Inc.:in tekemä tietokonepeli ChronX. Kumpaankin yritetään soveltaa esiteltyä yleistä sopimusmallia. Loppupäätelmät Keskeiseksi johtopäätökseksi tutkielmassa tulee, että yrityksen tulee pyrkiä tarjoamaan asiakkailleen mahdollisimaan hyvin tietoa heidän sopimusjärjestelmästään ja tuotteistaan. Tällä ei tarkoiteta valtavaa määrää epäselkeästi esitettyä tietoa. Tiedon jakaminen ja asiakaspalautteen hallinta ovat tutkimuksen mukaan yritysten suurin haaste nettikaupassa. Tutkielmassa myös esitetään, että näitä tuloksia saattaa voida soveltaa tavanomaiseenkin kaupankäyntiin.

Molecular genetics of tooth agenesis

Congenital missing of teeth, tooth agenesis or hypodontia, is one of the most common developmental anomalies in man. The common forms in which one or a few teeth are absent, may cause occlusal or cosmetic harm, while severe forms which are relatively rare always require clinical attention to support and maintain the dental function. Observation of tooth agenesis is also important for diagnosis of malformation syndromes. Some external factors may cause developmental defects and agenesis in dentition. However, the role of inheritance in the etiology of tooth agenesis is well established by twin and family studies. Studies on familial tooth agenesis as well as mouse null mutants have also identified several genetic factors. However, these explain syndromic or rare dominant forms of tooth agenesis, whereas the genes and defects responsible for the majority of cases of tooth agenesis, especially the common and less severe forms, are largely unknown. In this study it was shown, that a dominant nonsense mutation in PAX9 was responsible for severe tooth agenesis (oligodontia) in a Finnish family. In a study of tooth agenesis associated with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, it was shown that severe tooth agenesis was present if the causative deletion in 4p spanned the MSX1 locus. It was concluded that severe tooth agenesis was caused by haploinsufficiency of these transcription factors. A summary of the phenotypes associated with known defects in MSX1 and PAX9 showed that, despite similarities, they were significantly different, suggesting that the genes, in addition to known interactions, also have independent roles during the development of human dentition. The original aim of this work was to identify gene defects that underlie the common incisor and premolar hypodontia. After excluding several candidate genes, a genome-wide search was conducted in seven Finnish families in which this phenotype was inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. A promising locus for second premolar agenesis was identified in chromosome 18 in one family and this finding was supported by results from other families. The results also implied the existence of other loci both for second premolar agenesis and for incisor agenesis. On the other hand the results did not lend support for comprehensive involvement of the most obvious candidate genes in the etiology of incisor and premolar hypodontia. Rather, they suggest remarkable genetic heterogeneity of tooth agenesis. The available evidence suggests that quantitative defects during tooth development predispose to a failure to overcome a developmental threshold and to agenesis. The results of the study increase the understanding of the etiology and heredity of tooth agenesis. Further studies may lead to identification of novel genes that affect the development of teeth.

The Molecular Basis of Hydrolethalus Syndrome

Hydrolethalus syndrome (HLS) is a severe fetal malformation syndrome that is inherited by an autosomal recessive manner. HLS belongs to the Finnish disease heritage, an entity of rare diseases that are more prevalent in Finland than in other parts of the world. The phenotypic spectrum of the syndrome is wide and it is characterized by several developmental abnormalities, including hydrocephalus and absent midline structures in the brain, abnormal lobation of the lungs, polydactyly as well as micrognathia and other craniofacial anomalies. Polyhydramnios are relatively frequent during pregnancy. HLS can nowadays be effectively identified by ultrasound scan already at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. One of the main goals in this study was to identify and characterize the gene defect underlying HLS. The defect was found from a previously unknown gene that was named HYLS1. Identification of the gene defect made it possible to confirm the HLS diagnosis genetically, an aspect that provides valuable information for the families in which a fetus is suspected to have HLS. Neuropathological findings of mutation confirmed HLS cases were described for the first time in detail in this study. Also, detailed general pathological findings were described. Since HYLS1 was an unknown gene with no relatives in the known gene families, many functional studies were performed in order to unravel the function of the gene and of the protein it codes for. Studies showed, for example, that the subcellular localization of the HYLS1 protein was different when the normal and the defective forms were compared. In addition, HYLS1 was shown to possess transactivation potential which was significantly diminished in the defective form. According to the results of this study it can be stated that HYLS1 most likely participates in transcriptional regulation and also in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism and that the function of HYLS1 is critical for normal fetal development.

Long-term outcomes of esophageal atresia

Esophageal atresia (EA), a common congenital anomaly comprising interrupted esophagus with or without a tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), affects one in 2840 newborns. Over half have associated anomalies. After EA repair in infancy, gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and esophageal dysmotility and respiratory problems are common. As there exist no previous population-based long-term follow-up-studies on EA, its long-term sequelae are unclear. The aims of this study were to assess the cancer incidence (I), esophageal morbidity and function (II), respiratory morbidity (III), and the spinal defects (IV) in adults with repaired EA. All patients treated for EA at the Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki, from 1947 to 1985 were identified, and those alive with their native esophagus were contacted, and the first hundred who replied made up the study group. The patients were interviewed, they filled in symptom questionnaires, and they underwent esophageal endoscopy and manometry, pulmonary function tests, and a full orthopedic evaluation was performed with radiographs of the spine. The questionnaire was also sent by mail to adults with repaired EA not attending the clinical study, and to 287 general population-derived controls matched for age, gender, and municipality of residence. Incidence of cancer among the study population was evaluated from the population-based countrywide cancer registry. 169 (72%) adults with repaired EA replied; 101 (42%) (58 male) participated in the clinical studies at a median age of 36 years (range, 22-56). Symptomatic GER occurred in 34% and dysphagia in 85% of the patients and in 8% and 2% of the controls (P<0.001 for both). The main endoscopic findings included hiatal hernia (28%), Barrett´s esophagus (11%), esophagitis (8%), and stenotic anastomosis (8%). Histology revealed esophagitis in 25 individuals, and epithelial metaplasia in another 21. At immunohistochemistry, CDX2-positive columnar epithelial metaplasia was present in all 21 individuals, and 6 of these also demonstrated goblet cells and MUC2 positivity. In all histological groups, GER and dysphagia were equally common (P=ns). Esophageal manometry demonstrated non-propagating peristalsis in most of the patients, and low ineffective pressure of the distal esophageal body in all. The changes were significantly worse in those with epithelial metaplasia (P≤0.022). Anastomotic complications (OR 8.6-24, 95%CI 1.7-260, P=0.011-0.008), age (OR 20, 95%CI 1.3-310, P=0.034), low distal esophageal body pressure (OR 2.6, 95%CI 0.7-10, P=0.002), and defective esophageal peristalsis (OR 2.2, 95%CI 0.4-11, P=0.014) all predicted development of epithelial metaplasia. Despite the high incidence of esophageal metaplasia, none of the EA patients had suffered esophageal cancer, according to the Finnish Cancer Registry. Although three had had cancer (SIR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.20-2.8). The overall cancer incidence among adults with repaired EA did not differ from that of the general Finnish population. Current respiratory symptoms occurred in 11% of the patients and 2% of the controls (P<0.001). Of the patients, 16%, and 6% of the controls had doctor-diagnosed asthma (P<0.001). A total of 56% and 70% of the patients and 20% and 50% of the controls had a history of pneumonia and of bronchitis (P<0.001 for both). Respiratory-related impaired quality of life was observable in 11% of the patients in contrast to 6% of the controls (P<0.001). PFT revealed obstruction in 21 of the patients, restriction in 21, and both in 36. A total of 41 had bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) in HCT, and 15 others had an asthma-like response. Thoracotomy-induced rib fusion (OR 3.4, 95%CI 1.3-8.7, P=0.01) and GER-associated epithelial metaplasia in adulthood (OR 3.0, 95%CI 1.0-8.9, P=0.05) were the most significant risk factors for restrictive ventilatory defect. Vertebral anomalies were evident in 45 patients, predominating in the cervical spine in 38. The most significant risk factor for the occurrence of vertebral anomalies was any additional anomaly (OR 27, 95%C I8-100). Scoliosis (over 10 degrees) was observable in 56 patients, over 20 degrees in 11, and over 45 degrees in one. In the EA patients, risk for scoliosis over 10 degrees was 13-fold (OR 13, 95%CI 8.3-21) and over 20 degrees, 38-fold (OR 38, 95%CI 14-106) when compared to that of the general population. Thoracotomy-induced rib fusion (OR 3.6, 95%CI 0.7-19) and other associated anomalies (OR 2.1, 95%CI 0.9-2.9) were the strongest predictive factors for scoliosis. Significant esophageal morbidity associated with EA extends into adulthood. No association existed between the esophageal symptoms and histological findings. Surgical complications, increasing age, and impaired esophageal motility predicted development of epithelial metaplasia after repair of EA. According to our data, the risk for esophageal cancer is less than 500-fold that of the general population. However, the overall cancer incidence among adults with repaired EA did not differ from that of the general population. Adults with repaired EA have had significantly more respiratory symptoms and infections, as well as more asthma, and allergies than does the general population. Thoracotomy-induced rib fusion and GER-associated columnar epithelial metaplasia were the most significant risk factors for the restrictive ventilatory defect that occurred in over half the patients. Over half the patients with repaired EA are likely to develop scoliosis. Risk for scoliosis is 13-fold after repair of EA in relation to that of the general population. Nearly half the patients had vertebral anomalies. Most of these deformities were diagnosed neither in infancy nor during growth. The natural history of spinal deformities seems, however, rather benign, with spinal surgery rarely indicated.

Distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms

Objective: Distal anterior cerebral artery (DACA) aneurysms represent about 6% of all intracranial aneurysms. So far, only small series on treatment of these aneurysms have been published. Our aim is to evaluate the anatomic features, microneurosurgical techniques, treatment results, and long-term outcome in patients treated for DACA aneurysms. Patients and methods: We analyzed the clinical and radiological data on 517 consecutive patients diagnosed with DACA aneurysm at two neurosurgical centers serving solely the Southern (Helsinki) and Eastern (Kuopio) Finland in 1936–2007, and used a defined subgroup of the whole study population in each part of the study. Detailed anatomic analysis was performed in 101 consecutive patients from 1998 to 2007. Treatment results were analyzed in 427 patients treated between 1980 to 2005, the era of CT imaging and microneurosurgery. Long-term treatment outcome of ruptured DACA aneurysm(s) was evaluated in 280 patients with a median follow-up of 10 years; no patients were lost to follow-up. Results: DACA aneurysms, found most often (83%) at the A3 segment of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), were smaller (median 6 mm vs. 8 mm), more frequently associated with multiple aneurysms (35% vs. 18%), and presented more often with intracerebral hematomas (ICHs) (53% vs. 26%) than ruptured aneurysms in general. They were associated with anomalies of the ACA in 23% of the patients. Microsurgical treatment showed similar complication rates (treatment morbidity 15%, treatment mortality 0.4%) as for other ruptured aneurysms. At one year after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), DACA aneurysms had equally favorable outcome (GOS≥4) as other ruptured aneurysms (74% vs. 69%) but their mortality was lower (13% vs. 24%). Factors predicting unfavorable outcome for ruptured DACA aneurysms were advanced age, Hunt&Hess≥3, rebleeding before treatment, ICH, intraventricular hemorrhage, and severe preoperative hydrocephalus. The cumulative relative survival ratio showed 16% excess mortality in patients with ruptured DACA aneurysm during the first three years after SAH compared to the matched general population. From the fourth year onwards, there was no excess mortality during the follow-up. There were four episodes of recurrent SAH, only one due to treated DACA aneurysm, with a 10-year cumulative risk of 1.4%. Conclusions: The special neurovascular features and frequent association with anterior cerebral artery anomalies must be taken into account when planning occlusive treatment of DACA aneurysms. Clipping of DACA aneurysms provides a long-lasting result, with very small rates of rebleeding. After surviving three years from rupture of DACA aneurysm, the long-term survival of these patients becomes similar to that of the matched general population.

Finnish Short-Term Stock Returns

Functioning capital markets are a crucial part of a competitive economy since they provide the mechanisms to allocate resources. In order to be well functioning a capital market has to be efficient. Market efficiency is defined as a market where prices at any time fully reflect all available information. Basically, this means that abnormal returns cannot be predicted since they are dependent on future, presently unknown, information. The debate of market efficiency has been going on for several decades. Most academics today would probably agree that financial markets are reasonably efficient since virtually nobody has been able to achieve continuous abnormal positive returns. However, it is clear that a set of return anomalies exists, although they are apparently to small to enable substantial economic profit. Moreover, these anomalies can often be attributed to market design. The motivation for this work is to expand the knowledge of short-term trading patterns and to offer some explanations for these patterns. In the first essay the return pattern during the day is examined. On average stock prices move during two time periods of the day, namely, immediately after the opening and around the formal close of the market. Since stock prices, on average, move upwards these abnormal returns are generally positive and cause the distinct U-shape of intraday returns. In the second essay the results in the first essay are examined further. The return pattern around the former close is shown to partly be the result of manipulative action by market participants. In the third essay the focus is shifted towards trading patterns of the underlying stocks on days when index options and index futures on the stocks expire. Generally no expiration day effect was found. However, some indication of an expiration day effect was found when a large amount of open in- or at-the-money contracts existed. Also, the effects were likelier to be found for shares with high index-weight but fairly low trading volume. Last, in the forth essay the attention is turned to the behaviour of different tax clienteles around the dividend ex-day. Two groups of investors showed abnormal trading behaviour. Domestic non-financial investors, especially domestic companies, showed a dividend capturing behaviour, i.e. buying cum-dividend and selling ex-dividend shares. The opposite behaviour was found for foreign investors and domestic financial institutions. The effect was more notable for high yield, high volume stocks.

Corporate Funding on the European Debt Capital Market

The integrated European debt capital market has undoubtedly broadened the possibilities for companies to access funding from the public and challenged investors to cope with an ever increasing complexity of its market participants. Well into the Euro-era, it is clear that the unified market has created potential for all involved parties, where investment opportunities are able to meet a supply of funds from a broad geographical area now summoned under a single currency. Europe’s traditionally heavy dependency on bank lending as a source of debt capital has thus been easing as corporate residents are able to tap into a deep and liquid capital market to satisfy their funding needs. As national barriers eroded with the inauguration of the Euro and interest rates for the EMU-members converged towards over-all lower yields, a new source of debt capital emerged to the vast majority of corporate residents under the new currency and gave an alternative to the traditionally more maturity-restricted bank debt. With increased sophistication came also an improved knowledge and understanding of the market and its participants. Further, investors became more willing to bear credit risk, which opened the market for firms of ever lower creditworthiness. In the process, the market as a whole saw a change in the profile of issuers, as non-financial firms increasingly sought their funding directly from the bond market. This thesis consists of three separate empirical studies on how corporates fund themselves on the European debt capital markets. The analysis focuses on a firm’s access to and behaviour on the capital market, subsequent the decision to raise capital through the issuance of arm’s length debt on the bond market. The specific areas considered are contributing to our knowledge in the fields of corporate finance and financial markets by considering explicitly firms’ primary market activities within the new market area. The first essay explores how reputation of an issuer affects its debt issuance. Essay two examines the choice of interest rate exposure on newly issued debt and the third and final essay explores pricing anomalies on corporate debt issues.

Physical Properties of Deep Drill Cores : Implications for Meteorite Impact Effects and Crustal Structures

Physical properties provide valuable information about the nature and behavior of rocks and minerals. The changes in rock physical properties generate petrophysical contrasts between various lithologies, for example, between shocked and unshocked rocks in meteorite impact structures or between various lithologies in the crust. These contrasts may cause distinct geophysical anomalies, which are often diagnostic to their primary cause (impact, tectonism, etc). This information is vital to understand the fundamental Earth processes, such as impact cratering and associated crustal deformations. However, most of the present day knowledge of changes in rock physical properties is limited due to a lack of petrophysical data of subsurface samples, especially for meteorite impact structures, since they are often buried under post-impact lithologies or eroded. In order to explore the uppermost crust, deep drillings are required. This dissertation is based on the deep drill core data from three impact structures: (i) the Bosumtwi impact structure (diameter 10.5 km, 1.07 Ma age; Ghana), (ii) the Chesapeake Bay impact structure (85 km, 35 Ma; Virginia, U.S.A.), and (iii) the Chicxulub impact structure (180 km, 65 Ma; Mexico). These drill cores have yielded all basic lithologies associated with impact craters such as post-impact lithologies, impact rocks including suevites and breccias, as well as fractured and unfractured target rocks. The fourth study case of this dissertation deals with the data of the Paleoproterozoic Outokumpu area (Finland), as a non-impact crustal case, where a deep drilling through an economically important ophiolite complex was carried out. The focus in all four cases was to combine results of basic petrophysical studies of relevant rocks of these crustal structures in order to identify and characterize various lithologies by their physical properties and, in this way, to provide new input data for geophysical modellings. Furthermore, the rock magnetic and paleomagnetic properties of three impact structures, combined with basic petrophysics, were used to acquire insight into the impact generated changes in rocks and their magnetic minerals, in order to better understand the influence of impact. The obtained petrophysical data outline the various lithologies and divide rocks into four domains. Based on target lithology the physical properties of the unshocked target rocks are controlled by mineral composition or fabric, particularly porosity in sedimentary rocks, while sediments result from diverse sedimentation and diagenesis processes. The impact rocks, such as breccias and suevites, strongly reflect the impact formation mechanism and are distinguishable from the other lithologies by their density, porosity and magnetic properties. The numerous shock features resulting from melting, brecciation and fracturing of the target rocks, can be seen in the changes of physical properties. These features include an increase in porosity and subsequent decrease in density in impact derived units, either an increase or a decrease in magnetic properties (depending on a specific case), as well as large heterogeneity in physical properties. In few cases a slight gradual downward decrease in porosity, as a shock-induced fracturing, was observed. Coupled with rock magnetic studies, the impact generated changes in magnetic fraction the shock-induced magnetic grain size reduction, hydrothermal- or melting-related magnetic mineral alteration, shock demagnetization and shock- or temperature-related remagnetization can be seen. The Outokumpu drill core shows varying velocities throughout the drill core depending on the microcracking and sample conditions. This is similar to observations by Kern et al., (2009), who also reported the velocity dependence on anisotropy. The physical properties are also used to explain the distinct crustal reflectors as observed in seismic reflection studies in the Outokumpu area. According to the seismic velocity data, the interfaces between the diopside-tremolite skarn layer and either serpentinite, mica schist or black schist are causing the strong seismic reflectivities.