The Asch family /

Self-published book on the history of the Asch family.

Directional dominance on stature and cognition in diverse human populations

Homozygosity has long been associated with rare, often devastating, Mendelian disorders1, and Darwin was one of the first to recognize that inbreeding reduces evolutionary fitness2. However, the effect of the more distant parental relatedness that is common in modern human populations is less well understood. Genomic data now allow us to investigate the effects of homozygosity on traits of public health importance by observing contiguous homozygous segments (runs of homozygosity), which are inferred to be homozygous along their complete length. Given the low levels of genome-wide homozygosity prevalent in most human populations, information is required on very large numbers of people to provide sufficient power3, 4. Here we use runs of homozygosity to study 16 health-related quantitative traits in 354,224 individuals from 102 cohorts, and find statistically significant associations between summed runs of homozygosity and four complex traits: height, forced expiratory lung volume in one second, general cognitive ability and educational attainment (P < 1 × 10−300, 2.1 × 10−6, 2.5 × 10−10 and 1.8 × 10−10, respectively). In each case, increased homozygosity was associated with decreased trait value, equivalent to the offspring of first cousins being 1.2 cm shorter and having 10 months’ less education. Similar effect sizes were found across four continental groups and populations with different degrees of genome-wide homozygosity, providing evidence that homozygosity, rather than confounding, directly contributes to phenotypic variance. Contrary to earlier reports in substantially smaller samples5, 6, no evidence was seen of an influence of genome-wide homozygosity on blood pressure and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, or ten other cardio-metabolic traits. Since directional dominance is predicted for traits under directional evolutionary selection7, this study provides evidence that increased stature and cognitive function have been positively selected in human evolution, whereas many important risk factors for late-onset complex diseases may not have been.

Monikulttuurinen huoltoriita oikeudellisena ongelmana : suomalaisten äitien ja ulkomaalaistaustaisten isien näkökulma internetkeskusteluissa.

Tutkin pro gradu –työssäni monikulttuurista huoltoriitaa oikeudellisen ongelman näkökulmasta. Huoltoriidoilla tarkoitetaan tässä tutkimuksessa myös sellaisia lapsen huoltoa koskevia kiistoja ja erimielisyyksiä, jotka eivät välttämättä etene tuomioistuimeen asti tai jotka jatkuvat oikeuden antaman virallisen päätöksen jälkeen, koska keskeistä on vanhempien oma käsitys huoltoriitaongelman olemassaolosta. Tavoitteena on selvittää, minkälaisia oikeudellisia ongelmia huoltoriitoihin liittyy, ja miten vanhemmat hahmottavat oman asemansa huoltoriidassa suhteessa lapsen toiseen vanhempaan ja toisaalta myös suhteessa oikeusjärjestelmään. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu monikulttuurisesta parisuhteesta eronneiden tai eroamassa olevien suomalaisäitien ja ulkomaalaistaustaisten isien internetkeskusteluista vuosilta 2006-2010. Aineistoa on analysoitu kvalitatiivisesti diskurssianalyyttisellä tutkimusotteella. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa on hyödynnetty grounded theorya aineiston kategorisoinnissa. Tutkimuksen keskeisenä teoreettisena viitekehyksenä on Patricia Ewickin ja Susan S. Silbeyn kirjoitukset oikeudellisesta ongelmasta ja oikeustajusta sekä Pierre Bourdieun teoria taloudellisesta, kulttuurisesta ja sosiaalisesta pääomasta. Vanhemmat välittävät puheensa välityksellä käsityksiään oikeustajusta eli siitä, onko heitä kohdeltu huoltoriidassa oikeudenmukaisesti. Oikeustajulla tarkoitetaan kuitenkin myös yleisiä suhtautumistapoja lakia ja oikeusjärjestelmää kohtaan. Oikeustajun omakohtainen ja yleinen ulottuvuus tulevat tässä tutkimuksessa näkyväksi oikeudellisen ongelman kautta. Sekä suomalaisten naisten että ulkomaalaistaustaisten miesten aloittamissa internetkeskusteluissa on havaittavissa useita eri oikeustajun muotoja. Naiset ilmaisevat puheensa välityksellä pääosin luottamusta suomalaisia oikeuskäytäntöjä ja viranomaisia kohtaan. Miehet sen sijaan näkevät oikeudelliset menettelyt usein epäoikeudenmukaisina. Tämän tutkimuksen tulosten perusteella keskeinen ero miesten ja naisten välillä on, että aineiston suomalaisnaiset käyttävät useimmiten lakia välineenä, kun taas ulkomaalaistaustaiset miehet esitetään pääsääntöisesti lain ohitse asettuvina. Miesten lain ohitse asettuminen näkyy huoltoriidassa sekä lain välttämisenä että sääntöjen ja lakien rikkomisena. Naisilla taas näyttää olevan usein miehiä enemmän taloudellista ja kulttuurista pääomaa, mikä mahdollistaa lain käyttämisen välineenä.

Mentoring in an Entrepreneurial Setting - The Mentor's Perspective

This paper discusses mentoring from the mentors' point of view in an entrepreneurial setting. The aim of the paper is to present why mentoring can be considered important for entrepreneurs who are mentors and under what circumstances mentoring is valuable for the mentor. A pilot mentorprogramme was conducted among women entrepreneurs during 1998. A study was made in order to examine the mentors’ perception of the programme. Firstly mentoring and entrepreneurship in Finland are discussed briefly. Secondly the results of the study are presented. The results of the study show that mentoring can be valuable for the mentors both on a vocational and a personal level. However, it is important to choose the mentees of the programme on a rather strict basis. The results demonstrate a need to be careful in choosing mentees.

Hyvän hallinnon muunnelmat : Julkisoikeudellinen tutkimus

This doctoral thesis analyses the concepts of good governance and good administration. The hypothesis is that the concepts are radically indeterminate and over-inclusive. In the study the mechanisms of this indeterminacy are examined: why are the concepts indeterminate; how does the indeterminacy work and, indeed, is it by any means plausible to try to define the concepts in a closed way? Therefore, the study focuses on various current perspectives, from which the concepts of good governance and good administration are relevant and what kind of discursive contents they may include. The approach is both legal (a right to good administration) and one of moral philosophy and discourse analysis. It appears that under the meta-discourse of good governance and good administration there are different sub-discourses: at least a legal sub-discourse, a moral/ethical sub-discourse and sub-discourses concerning economic effectiveness and the promotion of societal and economic development. The main claim is that the various sub-discourses do not necessarily identify each other s value premises and conceptual underpinnings: for which value could the attribute good be substituted in different discourses (for example, good as legal, good as ethical and so on)? The underlying presumption is, of course, that values are ultimately subjective and incommensurable. One possible way of trying to resolve the dynamics of possible discourse collisions is to employ the systems theory approach. Can the different discourses be interpreted as autopoietic systems, which create and change themselves according to their own criteria and are formed around a binary code? Can the different discourses be reconciled or are they indifferent or hostile towards each other? Is there a hegemonic super discourse or is the construction of a correct meaning purely contextual? The questions come back to the notions of administration and governance themselves the terms the good in its polymorphic ways is attempting to define. Do they engage different political rationalities? It can be suggested that administration is labelled by instrumental reason, governance by teleological reason. In the final analysis, the most crucial factor is that of power. It is about a Schmittian battle of concepts; how meanings are constructed in the interplay between conceptual ambiguity and social power. Thus, the study deals with administrative law, legal theory and the limits of law from the perspective of revealing critique.

Monikulttuurinen huoltoriita oikeudellisena ongelmana. Suomalaisten äitien ja ulkomaalaistaustaisten isien näkökulma internetkeskusteluissa.

Tutkin pro gradu –työssäni monikulttuurista huoltoriitaa oikeudellisen ongelman näkökulmasta. Huoltoriidoilla tarkoitetaan tässä tutkimuksessa myös sellaisia lapsen huoltoa koskevia kiistoja ja erimielisyyksiä, jotka eivät välttämättä etene tuomioistuimeen asti tai jotka jatkuvat oikeuden antaman virallisen päätöksen jälkeen, koska keskeistä on vanhempien oma käsitys huoltoriitaongelman olemassaolosta. Tavoitteena on selvittää, minkälaisia oikeudellisia ongelmia huoltoriitoihin liittyy, ja miten vanhemmat hahmottavat oman asemansa huoltoriidassa suhteessa lapsen toiseen vanhempaan ja toisaalta myös suhteessa oikeusjärjestelmään. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu monikulttuurisesta parisuhteesta eronneiden tai eroamassa olevien suomalaisäitien ja ulkomaalaistaustaisten isien internetkeskusteluista vuosilta 2006-2010. Aineistoa on analysoitu kvalitatiivisesti diskurssianalyyttisellä tutkimusotteella. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa on hyödynnetty grounded theorya aineiston kategorisoinnissa. Tutkimuksen keskeisenä teoreettisena viitekehyksenä on Patricia Ewickin ja Susan S. Silbeyn kirjoitukset oikeudellisesta ongelmasta ja oikeustajusta sekä Pierre Bourdieun teoria taloudellisesta, kulttuurisesta ja sosiaalisesta pääomasta. Vanhemmat välittävät puheensa välityksellä käsityksiään oikeustajusta eli siitä, onko heitä kohdeltu huoltoriidassa oikeudenmukaisesti. Oikeustajulla tarkoitetaan kuitenkin myös yleisiä suhtautumistapoja lakia ja oikeusjärjestelmää kohtaan. Oikeustajun omakohtainen ja yleinen ulottuvuus tulevat tässä tutkimuksessa näkyväksi oikeudellisen ongelman kautta. Sekä suomalaisten naisten että ulkomaalaistaustaisten miesten aloittamissa internetkeskusteluissa on havaittavissa useita eri oikeustajun muotoja. Naiset ilmaisevat puheensa välityksellä pääosin luottamusta suomalaisia oikeuskäytäntöjä ja viranomaisia kohtaan. Miehet sen sijaan näkevät oikeudelliset menettelyt usein epäoikeudenmukaisina. Tämän tutkimuksen tulosten perusteella keskeinen ero miesten ja naisten välillä on, että aineiston suomalaisnaiset käyttävät useimmiten lakia välineenä, kun taas ulkomaalaistaustaiset miehet esitetään pääsääntöisesti lain ohitse asettuvina. Miesten lain ohitse asettuminen näkyy huoltoriidassa sekä lain välttämisenä että sääntöjen ja lakien rikkomisena. Naisilla taas näyttää olevan usein miehiä enemmän taloudellista ja kulttuurista pääomaa, mikä mahdollistaa lain käyttämisen välineenä.

Evidence in European Asylum Procedures

This thesis explores the particular framework of evidentiary assessment of three selected appellate national asylum procedures in Europe and discusses the relationship between these procedures, on the one hand, and between these procedures and other legal systems, including the EU legal order and international law, on the other. A theme running throughout the thesis is the EU strivings towards approximation of national asylum procedures and my study analyses the evidentiary assessment of national procedures with the aim of pinpointing similarities and differences, and the influences which affect these distinctions. The thesis first explores the frames construed for national evidentiary solutions by studying the object of decision-making and the impact of legal systems outside the national. Second, the study analyses the factual evidentiary assessment of three national procedures - German, Finnish and English. Thirdly, the study explores the interrelationship between these procedures and the legal systems influencing them and poses questions in relation to the strivings of EU and methods of convergence. The thesis begins by stating the framework and starting points for the research. It moves on to establish keys of comparison concerning four elements of evidentiary assessment that are of importance to any appellate asylum procedure, and that can be compared between national procedures, on the one hand, and between international, regional and national frameworks, on the other. Four keys of comparison are established: the burden of proof, demands for evidentiary robustness, the standard of proof and requirements for the methods of evidentiary assessment. These keys of comparison are then identified in three national appellate asylum procedures, and in order to come to conclusions on the evidentiary standards of the appellate asylum procedures, relevant elements of the asylum procedures in general are presented. Further, institutional, formal and procedural matters which have an impact on the evidentiary standards in the national appellate procedures are analysed. From there, the thesis moves on to establish the relationship between national evidentiary standards and the legal systems which affect them, and gives reasons for similarities and divergences. Further, the thesis studies the impact of the national frameworks on the regional and international level. Lastly, the dissertation makes a de lege ferenda survey of the relationship between EU developments, the goal of harmonization in relation to national asylum procedures and the particular feature of evidentiary standards in national appellate asylum procedures. Methodology The thesis follows legal dogmatic methods. The aim is to analyse legal norms and legal constructions and give them content and context. My study takes as its outset an understanding of the purposes for legal research also regarding evidence and asylum to determine the contents of valid law through analysis and systematization. However, as evidentiary issues traditionally are normatively vaguely defined, a strict traditional normative dogmatic approach is not applied. For the same reason a traditionalist and strict legal positivism is not applied. The dogmatics applied to the analysis of the study is supported by practical analysis. The aim is not only to reach conclusions concerning the contents of legal norms and the requirements of law, but also to study the use and practical functioning of these norms, giving them a practcial context. Further, the study relies on a comparative method. A functionalist comparative method is employed and keys of comparison are found in evidentiary standards of three selected national appellate asylum procedures. The functioning equivalences of German, Finnish and English evidentiary standards of appellate asylum procedures are compared, and they are positioned in an European and international legal setting. Research Results The thesis provides results regarding the use of evidence in national appellate asylum procedures. It is established that evidentiary solutions do indeed impact on the asylum procedure and that the results of the procedure are dependent on the evidentiary solutions made in the procedures. Variations in, amongst other things, the interpretation of the burden of proof, the applied standard of proof and the method for determining evidentiary value, are analysed. It is established that national impacts play an important role in the adaptation of national appellate procedures to external requirements. Further, it is established that the impact of national procedures on as well the international framework as on EU law varies between the studied countries, partly depending on the position of the Member State in legislative advances at the EU level. In this comparative study it is, further, established that the impact of EU requirements concerning evidentiary issues may be have positive as well as negative effects with regard to the desired harmonization. It is also concluded that harmonization using means of convergence that primaly target legal frameworks may not in all instances be optimal in relation to evidentiary standards, and that more varied and pragmatic means of convergence must be introduced in order to secure harmonization also in terms of evidence. To date, legal culture and traditions seem to prevail over direct efforts at procedural harmonization.

Tumorigenesis in celiac disease

Celiac disease is life-long autoimmune disorder of the small intestine, which is caused by a reaction to gliadin found in wheat, rye and barley in genetically predisposed individuals. Proline- and glutamine -rich proteins cause villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia with extensive inflammation in the epithelium and lamina propria. Symptoms of celiac disease vary considerably and elimination of gluten from diet is the only way to treat disease. In small intestine of celiac disease patient transglutaminase 2 (TG2) modifies gluten peptides, which causes T-cell activation and inflammation in the epithelium of mucosa. T-cell activation induces development of celiac disease specific antibodies. These celiac disease specific antibodies recognise TG2 and interfere in vitro and in vivo in angiogenesis. Abnormal angiogenesis is typical in many disorders, such in cancer, in which TG2 has a crucial role in the development and growth of tumor. Overexpression of TG2 has been shown to correlate with accelerated growth of tumor. TG2-specific antibodies are suggested to inhibit differentation of epithelial cell, increase their proliferation, decrease their barrier-function and increase the permeability of blood vessels. The aims of the pilot study were to establish whether celiac disease TG2 antibodies affect in vivo tumorigenesis and tumorangiogenesis as well as to try to clarify the mechanism behind the phenomenon. Tumor xenograft model was used in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Human oesophageal carcinoma (OE-19) cancer cells were incubated with celiacs TG2 miniautoantibody (mini 2.8), non-celiac miniautoantibody (mini 6.2) or PBS before cancer cells were injected to mice subcutaneously. During the experiment mice were weighted and tumor size was measured couple of times per week. To estimate the volumes of tumors the following formula was used: π/6 * L* W* H. Experiment lasted for four weeks after which the mice were euthanized, cardiac blood and tissue samples taken and tumours were excised and weighted. Sections were made from tumors and immunohistochemical stainings were done to compare blood vessel areas and to study general tumors´morphology and other parameters. Western blot -analyse were performed to cancer cells. The masses and volumes were clearly smaller in mini 2.8-group compared to control groups and the necrotic area of tumor in mini 2.8 was smallest as percentage compared to control groups. Blood vessel area were smallest in mini 2.8 group. Results suggest that celiac disease anti-TG2-autoantibodies inhibit tumor growth, but the number of animals is insufficient to give an accurate outcome.

Generation of Minimum Leakage Input Vectors with Constrained NBTI Degradation

Technology scaling has caused Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) to emerge as a major circuit reliability concern. Simultaneously leakage power is becoming a greater fraction of the total power dissipated by logic circuits. As both NBTI and leakage power are highly dependent on vectors applied at the circuit’s inputs, they can be minimized by applying carefully chosen input vectors during periods when the circuit is in standby or idle mode. Unfortunately input vectors that minimize leakage power are not the ones that minimize NBTI degradation, so there is a need for a methodology to generate input vectors that minimize both of these variables.This paper proposes such a systematic methodology for the generation of input vectors which minimize leakage power under the constraint that NBTI degradation does not exceed a specified limit. These input vectors can be applied at the primary inputs of a circuit when it is in standby/idle mode and are such that the gates dissipate only a small amount of leakage power and also allow a large majority of the transistors on critical paths to be in the “recovery” phase of NBTI degradation. The advantage of this methodology is that allowing circuit designers to constrain NBTI degradation to below a specified limit enables tighter guardbanding, increasing performance. Our methodology guarantees that the generated input vector dissipates the least leakage power among all the input vectors that satisfy the degradation constraint. We formulate the problem as a zero-one integer linear program and show that this formulation produces input vectors whose leakage power is within 1% of a minimum leakage vector selected by a search algorithm and simultaneously reduces NBTI by about 5.75% of maximum circuit delay as compared to the worst case NBTI degradation. Our paper also proposes two new algorithms for the identification of circuit paths that are affected the most by NBTI degradation. The number of such paths identified by our algorithms are an order of magnitude fewer than previously proposed heuristics.