Probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the mouth ��� in vitro studies on saliva-mediated functions and acid production

<b>Probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the mouth ��� <i>in vitro</i> studies on saliva-mediated functions and acid production</b> Probiotics are viable bacteria which, when used in adequate amounts, are beneficial to the health of the host. Although most often related to intestinal health, probiotic bacteria can be found also in the mouth after consumption of products that contain them. This study aimed at evaluating the oral effects of probiotic bacteria already in commercial use. In a series of <i>in vitro</i> studies, the oral colonisation potential of different probiotic bacteria, their acid production and potential saliva-mediated effects on oral microbial ecology were investigated. The latter included effects on the salivary pellicle, the adhesion of other bacteria, and the activation of the peroxidase system. Streptococcus <i>mutans, Streptococcus gordonii, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Helicobacter pylori </i>were used as bacterial indicators of the studied phenomena. There were significant differences between the probiotic strains in their colonisation potential. They all were acidogenic, although using different sugars and sugar alcohols. However, their acid production could be inhibited by the peroxidase system. Based on the results, it can be suggested that probiotic bacteria might influence the oral microbiota by different, partly species or strain-specific means. These include the inhibition of bacterial adhesion, modification of the enamel pellicle, antimicrobial activity, and activation of the peroxidase system. To conclude, probiotic strains differed from each other in their colonisation potential and other oral effects as evaluated <i>in vitro</i>. Both positive and potentially harmful effects were observed, but the significance of the perceived results needs to be further evaluated <i>in vivo</i>.

N��k��kulmia kielen oppimisen k��yt��nt��ihin. Turun yliopiston kielikeskus 30 vuotta - Perspectives on Language Learning in Practice. University of Turku Language Centre 30-year Celebration

T��m�� julkaisu ilmestyy Turussa 18.���19.5.2009 j��rjestett��vien valtakunnallisten kielikeskusp��ivien yhteydess��. Turun yliopiston kielikeskus viett���� samaan aikaan 30-vuotisjuhlaansa. Er����n luokittelun mukaan 30���45-vuotias el���� <i>varsinaista keski-ik����ns��</i>, kun taas joissakin katsotaan, ett�� 28���35 vuoden ik�� on vasta ns. <o>j��sentymisen vaihe</i> ja ett�� <i>varhainenkin keski-ik��</i> sijoittuu vasta ik��vuosiin 35���42. Voitaneen siis sanoa, ett�� kielikeskus on ainakin ohittanut <i>nuoruusvuodet</i> ja on j��sentym��ss�� tai siirtym��ss�� keski-ik����n. T��m�� tuo mukanaan tietynlaista kypsymist��, itsens�� varaan asettumista, imagon ja profiilin vakiintumista. T��h��n kasvuun saattaa liitty�� my��s jonkinlainen aikuistumisen kriisi. Sen my��t�� kuitenkin ymm��rrys lis����ntyy ja oman paikan rakentaminen yliopistoyhteis��ss�� voimistuu. Arvo- ja ajatusmaailmaan tulee uusia kehityspiirteit��: olemassaolon ja toiminnan syvemm��t perustelut, illuusioiden v��heneminen, hallinnan tunne, tyydytys onnistuneesta toiminnasta ja realistinen voiman tunto. Laitos esitt��ytyy julkaisussa 13 kirjoituksen v��lityksell��. Tekstit ovat sis��ll��lt����n ja k��sittelytavaltaan hyvin erilaisia, mutta juuri sellaisina ne valottavat monipuolisesti laitoksen ja sen henkil��kunnan toimintaa ja tuntemuksia. Kuvaukset valaisevat laitoksen erikoisluonnetta ja kuvailevat henkil��kunnan erilaisia teht��vi��. Kielikeskus paljastuu dynaamisemmaksi ja heterogeenisemmaksi yksik��ksi kuin ensi silm��yksell�� saattaa luulla, mutta juuri siin�� piilee sen voima ja rikkaus. Juhlakirjaan toivottiin kirjoituksia kielikeskuksen opetukseen tai toimintaan liittyvist�� aiheista. Kirjaan sis��ltyy selontekojen ja kuvausten lis��ksi muutamia tiukan tieteellisi�� artikkeleita. Joukossa on my��s joitakin esseit��, jotka koskettelevat kielen ja kulttuurin v��lisi�� suhteita ja luovat katsauksia kielikeskuksen monikulttuuriseen arkeen. Useassa kirjoituksessa k��sitell����n kielipedagogisia ja -didaktisia kysymyksi��. Erityisesti tulee esiin kielikeskuksessa viime vuosina tehty uudistusty�� opetuksen ja oppimisedellytysten parantamiseksi. Samalla kun muun muassa opetusteknologiaa ja kielen oppimisen k��yt��nt��j�� virtuaalisissa oppimisymp��rist��iss�� on kehitetty, opettajan rooli on muovautunut uudentyyppiseksi: perinteisen opetushenkil��st��n ja muun henkil��kunnan teht��v��t ja toimenkuva ovat selv��sti l��hentyneet toisiaan. T��m�� suuntaus on jatkunut jo kauan ja jatkunee tulevaisuudessakin. Kolmekymment�� viime vuotta ovat olleet yliopistossa eritt��in nopean muutoksen aikaa. T��m�� on n��kynyt erityisesti kielikeskuksen toiminnan laajenemisessa ja kehityksess��, joissa tosin on ollut notkahduksiakin. Varsinkin nopea kansainv��listyminen, Euroopan yhteis��n laajentuminen ja koko maailman avautuminen ovat tuoneet mukanaan uusia haasteita, joihin kielikeskus on heti tarttunut: kielivalikoimaa on laajennettava, kielitaitoa kohennettava ja erilaisia kulttuureja tunnettava ja ymm��rrett��v�� syv��llisemmin. Turun yliopiston kielikeskus pyrkii omalta osaltaan t��ytt��m����n n��m�� velvoitteet ja luomaan toiminnallaan mahdollisimman hyv��t edellytykset yliopiston kansainv��listymiselle. N��m�� seikat on otettu huomioon laitoksen toimintalinjojen suunnittelussa ja kehitt��misess��. Kieli-ja viestint��opintojen rakenteiden uudistamista jatketaan yhteisty��ss�� tiedekuntien kanssa. Opintojen valinnaisuutta ja vapaaehtoisuutta pyrit����n lis����m����n sek�� turvaamaan kielivalintojen monipuolisuus ja kieliosaamisen laajaalaisuus resurssien mukaan. Toimintaa kehitet����n niin, ett�� siin�� otetaan entist�� paremmin huomioon yhteiskunnan monikulttuuristuminen ja Euroopan komission tavoite, jonka mukaan jokaisen EU- kansalaisen tulisi osata oman ��idinkielens�� lis��ksi v��hint����n kahta yhteis��n kielt��. Samalla otetaan huomioon globalisaation tuomat uudet haasteet tukemalla t��rkeimpien Euroopan yhteis��n ulkopuolisten kielten opetusta (mm. ven��j��, kiina, japani, arabia). Edelleen kielikeskus seuraa tarkoin keskustelua Suomen kielikoulutuspolitiikan perusteista ja tavoitteista ja ottaa toimintansa suunnittelussa huomioon valtakunnalliset suositukset Suomen kielikoulutuksen uudistamiseksi vastaamaan nykyp��iv��n ja tulevaisuuden tarpeita ja tavoitteita. Se ett�� kielikeskus on viime vuosina selv��stikin vakiinnuttanut asemansa yliopiston strategisesti t��rke��n�� yksikk��n��, ei tarkoita sit��, ett�� nyt voitaisiin turvautua pelk��st����n vanhoihin toimintamalleihin ja rutiineihin. P��invastoin, koko maailmassa, suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa ja yliopistojen toiminnassa tapahtuneet ja tapahtuvat suuret muutokset edellytt��v��t kielikeskustoimintojen vire���� kehitt��mist�� ja uudistusmielt��. Laitos onkin ilmoittanut tulossopimuksessaan tukevansa opetuskokeiluja ja innovatiivisia ratkaisuja. Opettajajohtoisen opetuksen ohella on voimakkaasti kehitetty my��s ohjattua itseopiskelua, monimuotoopetusta sek�� vaihtoehtoisia ja uudentyyppisi�� oppimismuotoja. Uutta opetusteknologiaa k��ytet����n tehokkaasti hyv��ksi ja kehitet����n edelleen. Opetuksessa ja ohjauksessa k��ytet����n suomalaisten ja ulkomaisten opiskelijoiden ty��panosta. Laitoksen suunnittelu- ja kehitt��misty��ss�� opiskelijat ovat toimineet viime vuosina aktiivisesti ja ansiokkaasti: yhteisty�� ylioppilaskunnan kanssa toimii erinomaisesti, ja sit�� on tarkoitus viel�� tehostaa. Laitos on saanut runsaasti kiitosta korkealaatuisesta toiminnastaan: muun muassa v. 1998 ja 2008 Turun yliopiston vuoden opettajan palkinnon, v. 1999 Turun yliopiston parhaan koulutusyksik��n palkinnon ja v. 2007 vuoden opintojaksopalkinnon. On toivottavaa, ett�� t��m�� tuloksellinen ty�� jatkuisi ja entisest����nkin paranisi tulevina vuosina. Hyv��t tulokset on saavutettu kovilla ponnistuksilla ja tiukalla sitoutumisella ty��h��n. Aina se ei ole ollut aivan helppoa nopeiden muutosten myllerryksess��, tiukentuneessa resurssitilanteessa ja vaatimusten ja odotusten ristiriidoissa. Toivon, ett�� p����osin hyvin sujunut yhteisty�� yliopiston johdon, tiedekuntien ja opiskelijoiden kanssa sek�� henkil��kunnan keskuudessa voisi s��ily�� ja kehitty�� ja ett�� alkava vuosikymmen kielikeskuksen historiassa voisi olla entist�� parempi. Hyv�� yhteisty�� on hyvien tulosten edellytys. Suurten uudistusten vuosi 2010 sis��lt���� mahdollisuuden parempaan, mutta se on samalla my��s riski ehk�� hyvinkin paljon muuttuvassa toimintaymp��rist��ss��. Lainaan lopuksi roomalaisen historioitsijan Sallustiuksen sanat: <i>Concordia res parvae crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur</i>. Yksimielisyys saa pienetkin asiat kukoistamaan, eripura suuretkin tuhoaa. Turun yliopistolla on hyv�� kielikeskus, jota kannattaa vaalia ja tukea. Kiit��n kaikkia kirjoittajia ja juhlajulkaisun toimittajia Minna Maijalaa, Timo Hulkkoa ja Jane Honkaa t��m��n julkaisun synnyst��. Samoin esit��n kiitokset kielikeskuksen kirjallisen viestinn��n lehtoreille, Markus Lahdelle ja Arja Lampiselle, jot ka ovat n��hneet vaivaa tekstien kielellisin�� korjaajina. Koko kielikeskuksen nykyist�� ja aikaisempaa henkil��kuntaa kiit��n ty��st��, jota laitoksen hyv��ksi on tehty kuluneiden 30 vuoden aikana. Erityisen kiitoksen ansaitsee laitoksen juhlatoimikunta kaikista juhlavuoden j��rjestelyist��.

Convergence and divergence in global economy and social development : global perspectives on the contents of economic and soical development policy and its effects on rich and poor countries

The study of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development utilises comparative indicators to investigate the contents of economic and social development policy and their effects on the global samples that represent the rich industrial, semi-industrial and the poor developing nations. The study searchesfor answers to questions such as "what are the objectives of economic growth policies in globalisation under the imperatives of convergence and divergence, and how do these affect human well-being in consideration to the objectives of social policy in various nations?" The empirical verification of data utilises the concepts of the `logic of industrialism�� for comparative analysis that focuses mainly on identifying the levels of well-being in world nations after the Second World War. The perspectives of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development critically examine the stages of early development processes in global economy, distinguish the differences between economy and social development, illustrate the contents of economic and social development policies, their effects on rich and poor countries, and the nature of convergence and divergence in propelling economic growth and unequal social development in world nations. The measurement of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development utilised both economic and social data that were combined into an index that measures the precise levels of the effects of economic and social development policies on human well-being in the rich and poor nations. The task of finding policy solutions to resolve the controversies are reviewed through empirical investigations and the analyses of trends indicated within economic and social indicators and data. These revealed how the adoption of social policy measures in translating the gains from economic growth, towards promoting education, public health, and equity, generate social progress and longer life expectancy, higher economic growth, and sustain more stable macro economy for the nations. Social policy is concerned with the translation of benefits from objectives of global economic growth policies, to objectives of social development policy in nation states. Social policy, therefore, represents an open door whereby benefits of economic growth policies are linked with the broader objectives of social development policy, thereby enhancing the possibility of extending benefits from economic growth to all human being in every nation.

Benzodiazepines and Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults. With Emphasis on Long-Term Use and Withdrawal

Benzodiazepines (BZD) and benzodiazepine related drugs (RD) are the most commonly used psychotropics among the aged. The use of other psychotropics taken concomitantly with BZD/ RD or their cognitive effects with BZD/RD have not been studied frequently. The aim of this academic thesis was to describe and analyse relationships between the use of BZD/RD alone or concomitantly with antipsychotics, antidepressants, opioids, antiepileptics, opioids and anticholinergics in the aged and their health. Especially, the relationships between long-term use of BZD/RD and cognitive decline were studied. Additionally, the effect of melatonin on BZD/RD withdrawal and the cognitive effects of BZD/RD withdrawal were studied. This study used multiple data sets: the first study (I) was based on clinical data containing aged patients (���65 years; N=164) admitted to Pori City Hospital due to acute disease. The second data set (Studies II and III) was based on population-based data from the Lieto Study, a clinico-epidemiological longitudinal study carried out among the aged (���65 years) in the municipality of Lieto. Follow-up data was formed by combining the cohort data collected in 1990-1991 (N=1283) and in 1998-1999 (N=1596) from those who participated in both cohorts (N=617). The third data set (Studies IV and V) was based on the Satauni Study���s data. This study was performed in the City of Pori in 2009-2010. In the RCT part of the Satauni Study, ninety-two long-term users of BZD/RD were withdrawn from their drugs using melatonin against placebo. The change of their cognitive abilities was measured during and after BZD/ RD withdrawal. BZD/RD use was related to worse cognitive and functional abilities, and their use may predict worse cognitive outcomes compared with BZD/RD non-users. Hypnotic use of BZD/RD could be withdrawn with psychosocial support in motivated participants, but melatonin did not improve the withdrawal results compared to those with placebo. Cognitive abilities in psychomotor tests did not show, or showed only modest, improvements for up to six months after BZD/RD withdrawal. This suggests that the cognitive effects of BZD/RD may be longlasting or permanent.

Modularity in Health and Social Services: Perspectives on Organization and Management

Organizations that provide health and social services operate in a complex and constantly changing environment. Changes occur, for example, in ageing, technology and biotechnology, and customers��� expectations, as well as the global economic situation. Organizations typically aim to adapt the changes by introducing new organizational structures and managerial practices, such as process and lean management. Only recently has there been an interest in evaluating whether organizations providing health and social services could apply modularity in order to respond to some of the changes. The concept of modularity originates from manufacturing, but is applied in many other disciplines, such as information technology and logistics. However, thus far, the literature concerning modularity in health and social services is scarce. Therefore the purpose of this thesis is to increase understanding concerning modularity and the possibilities to apply modularity in the health and social services context. In addition, the purpose is to shed light on the viewpoints that are worth taking into account when considering the application of modularity in the health and social services context. The aim of the thesis is to analyze the way in which the modular structures are applied in the health and social services context and to analyze what advantages and possible barriers, as well as managerial concerns, might occur if modularity is applied in the health and social services context. The thesis is conducted by using multiple methods in order to provide a broad aspect to the topic. A systematic literature review provided solid ground for pre-understanding the topic and supported the formulation of the research questions. Theoretical reasoning provided a general overview of the special characteristics of the health and social services context and their effect on application of modularity. Empirical studies concentrated on managerial concerns of modularity particularly from the perspective of health and social services for the elderly. Results of the thesis reveal that structures in products, services, processes, and organizations are rather modular in health and social services. They can be decomposed in small independent units, while the challenges seem to occur especially in the compatibility of the services. It seems that health and social services managers have recognized this problem and they are increasingly paying attention to this challenge in order to enhance the flexible compatibility of services. Advantages and possible barriers of modularity are explored in this thesis, and from the theoretical perspective it could be argued that modularity seems to be beneficial in the context of health and social services. In fact, it has the potential to alleviate several of the challenges that the health and social services context is confronting. For example, modular structures could support organizations in their challenging task to respond to customers��� increasing demand for heterogeneous services. However, special characteristics of the health and social services context create barriers and provide significant challenges in application of modularity. For example, asymmetry of information, negative externalities, uncertainty of demand, and rigid regulation prevent managers from extensively drawing benefits from modularity. Results also reveal that modularity has managerial implications in health and social service. Modularity has the potential to promote and support new service development and outsourcing. Results also provide insights into network management and increases managerial understanding of different network management strategies. Standardization in health and social services is extensive due to legislation and recommendations. Modularity provides alternative paths to take an advantage of standardization while still ensuring the quality of the services. Based on this thesis, it can be concluded, both from a theoretical perspective and from empirical results concerning modularity in health and social services, that modularity might fit well and be beneficial. However, the special characteristics of the health and social services context prevent some of the benefits of modularity and complicate its application. This thesis contributes to the academic literature on the organization and management of health and social services by describing modularity as an alternative way for organizing and managing health and social services. In addition, it contributes to the literature of modularity by exploring the applicability of modularity in the context of health and social services. It also provides practical contribution to health and social services managers by evaluating the pros and cons of modularity when applied to health and social services.

Nordic Perspectives on Encountering Foreignness

The foreign can be revered, produced, reproduced, submerged, feared or suppressed, but it has never failed to engage one way or the other. In this volume, a multidisciplinary research network Enfore (Encountering Foreignness ��� Nordic Perspectives since the Eighteenth Century) focuses on the cultural dynamics of ���foreignness���. The authors explore the continuous negotiation between ���ours��� and ���theirs��� and the making of ���our��� place in the context of the wider world. They are using the concept of foreignness as an analytical tool for making visible this heterogeneous, variable and diverse phenomenon. Drawing on the findings within the Nordic context, the group will contribute to an understanding of the general processional and dynamic character of foreignness and of the relationship between metropolitan centers and peripheral areas elsewhere in Europe and in the wider world.

Verbal learning in mild cognitive impairment and alzheimer's disease : behavioural and neural approaches

The main focus of the present thesis was at verbal episodic memory processes that are particularly vulnerable to preclinical and clinical Alzheimer���s disease (AD). Here these processes were studied by a word learning paradigm, cutting across the domains of memory and language learning studies. Moreover, the differentiation between normal aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD was studied by the cognitive screening test CERAD. In study I, the aim was to examine how patients with amnestic MCI differ from healthy controls in the different CERAD subtests. Also, the sensitivity and specificity of the CERAD screening test to MCI and AD was examined, as previous studies on the sensitivity and specificity of the CERAD have not included MCI patients. The results indicated that MCI is characterized by an encoding deficit, as shown by the overall worse performance on the CERAD Wordlist learning test compared with controls. As a screening test, CERAD was not very sensitive to MCI. In study II, verbal learning and forgetting in amnestic MCI, AD and healthy elderly controls was investigated with an experimental word learning paradigm, where names of 40 unfamiliar objects (mainly archaic tools) were trained with or without semantic support. The object names were trained during a 4-day long period and a follow-up was conducted one week, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after the training period. Manipulation of semantic support was included in the paradigm because it was hypothesized that semantic support might have some beneficial effects in the present learning task especially for the MCI group, as semantic memory is quite well preserved in MCI in contrast to episodic memory. We found that word learning was significantly impaired in MCI and AD patients, whereas forgetting patterns were similar across groups. Semantic support showed a beneficial effect on object name retrieval in the MCI group 8 weeks after training, indicating that the MCI patients��� preserved semantic memory abilities compensated for their impaired episodic memory. The MCI group performed equally well as the controls in the tasks tapping incidental learning and recognition memory, whereas the AD group showed impairment. Both the MCI and the AD group benefited less from phonological cueing than the controls. Our findings indicate that acquisition is compromised in both MCI and AD, whereas long13 term retention is not affected to the same extent. Incidental learning and recognition memory seem to be well preserved in MCI. In studies III and IV, the neural correlates of naming newly learned objects were examined in healthy elderly subjects and in amnestic MCI patients by means of positron emission tomography (PET) right after the training period. The naming of newly learned objects by healthy elderly subjects recruited a left-lateralized network, including frontotemporal regions and the cerebellum, which was more extensive than the one related to the naming of familiar objects (study III). Semantic support showed no effects on the PET results for the healthy subjects. The observed activation increases may reflect lexicalsemantic and lexical-phonological retrieval, as well as more general associative memory mechanisms. In study IV, compared to the controls, the MCI patients showed increased anterior cingulate activation when naming newly learned objects that had been learned without semantic support. This suggests a recruitment of additional executive and attentional resources in the MCI group.

Dialogue in the crisis of representation : realism and antirealism in the context of the conversation between theologians and quantum physicists in G��ttingen 1949-1961

The aim of this study is to analyse the content of the interdisciplinary conversations in G��ttingen between 1949 and 1961. The task is to compare models for describing reality presented by quantum physicists and theologians. Descriptions of reality indifferent disciplines are conditioned by the development of the concept of reality in philosophy, physics and theology. Our basic problem is stated in the question: How is it possible for the intramental image to match the external object?Cartesian knowledge presupposes clear and distinct ideas in the mind prior to observation resulting in a true correspondence between the observed object and the cogitative observing subject. The Kantian synthesis between rationalism and empiricism emphasises an extended character of representation. The human mind is not a passive receiver of external information, but is actively construing intramental representations of external reality in the epistemological process. Heidegger's aim was to reach a more primordial mode of understanding reality than what is possible in the Cartesian Subject-Object distinction. In Heidegger's philosophy, ontology as being-in-the-world is prior to knowledge concerning being. Ontology can be grasped only in the totality of being (Dasein), not only as an object of reflection and perception. According to Bohr, quantum mechanics introduces an irreducible loss in representation, which classically understood is a deficiency in knowledge. The conflicting aspects (particle and wave pictures) in our comprehension of physical reality, cannot be completely accommodated into an entire and coherent model of reality. What Bohr rejects is not realism, but the classical Einsteinian version of it. By the use of complementary descriptions, Bohr tries to save a fundamentally realistic position. The fundamental question in Barthian theology is the problem of God as an object of theological discourse. Dialectics is Barth��s way to express knowledge of God avoiding a speculative theology and a human-centred religious self-consciousness. In Barthian theology, the human capacity for knowledge, independently of revelation, is insufficient to comprehend the being of God. Our knowledge of God is real knowledge in revelation and our words are made to correspond with the divine reality in an analogy of faith. The point of the Bultmannian demythologising programme was to claim the real existence of God beyond our faculties. We cannot simply define God as a human ideal of existence or a focus of values. The theological programme of Bultmann emphasised the notion that we can talk meaningfully of God only insofar as we have existential experience of his intervention. Common to all these twentieth century philosophical, physical and theological positions, is a form of anti-Cartesianism. Consequently, in regard to their epistemology, they can be labelled antirealist. This common insight also made it possible to find a common meeting point between the different disciplines. In this study, the different standpoints from all three areas and the conversations in G��ttingen are analysed in the frameworkof realism/antirealism. One of the first tasks in the G��ttingen conversations was to analyse the nature of the likeness between the complementary structures inquantum physics introduced by Niels Bohr and the dialectical forms in the Barthian doctrine of God. The reaction against epistemological Cartesianism, metaphysics of substance and deterministic description of reality was the common point of departure for theologians and physicists in the G��ttingen discussions. In his complementarity, Bohr anticipated the crossing of traditional epistemic boundaries and the generalisation of epistemological strategies by introducing interpretative procedures across various disciplines.