Inotropic effects of extracts of Psidium guajava L. (guava) leaves on the guinea pig atrium

Many pharmacological effects have been ascribed to extracts of Psidium guajava L. (guava) leaves. However, in spite of its widespread use in Brazilian folk medicine and a reasonable number of scientific reports about it, we could not find any study dealing with its action on the mammalian myocardium. In the present study, by measuring isometric force, we observed that the crude extract of P. guajava (water-alcohol extract obtained by macerating dry leaves) depresses the guinea pig atrial contractility in a concentration-dependent fashion (N = 8 hearts, 15 trials). The compound with cardiac activity was concentrated by extraction in a Soxhlet apparatus using 17 M glacial acetic acid after removing the less polar fractions (hexane, chloroform, acetone, ethanol and methanol), suggesting that this compound is a highly polar substance. In the isolated guinea pig left atrium the acetic acid fraction (10-800 mg/l) of P. guajava 1) reversibly decreased myocardial force in a concentration-dependent fashion (EC50 = 0.07g/l, N = 5 hearts, 9 trials, P<0.05), 2) increased the atrial relaxation time measured at 20% of the force amplitude up to 35% (91 ± 15 to 123 ± 30 ms, N = 3 hearts, 6 trials, P<0.05), 3) abolished the positive staircase effect (Bowditch phenomenon) in a concentration-dependent fashion suggesting a decrease of the cellular inward calcium current (N = 4 hearts, 8 trials, P<0.05), and 4) its inotropic effect was abolished by cholinergic receptor blockade with 1.5 mM atropine sulfate, indicating a cholinergic involvement in the mechanism of action of the extract (N = 7 hearts, 15 trials, P<0.05). The acetic acid extract was 20 times more potent than crude extract (EC50 = 1.4 g/l). The results showed that extracts from P. guajava leaves depress myocardial inotropism.

Kaksivaiheisen lämmöntalteenottoprosessin soveltuvuus poistoilmanvaihtoiseen kerrostaloon

Diplomityön tavoitteena oli tarkastella perinteistä poistoilmanvaihtoa käyttävän kerrostalon lämmöntalteenottoa menetelmällä, joka yhdistää poistoilmalämpöpumpun ja maalämpöpumpun toiminnat. Nostamalla maalämpöpumpulle tulevan veden lämpötilaa saadaan nostettua järjestelmän COP-arvoa, jolla on suuri merkitys laitteen energiateknisen toiminnan kannalta. Laskelmat tehtiin Suomen rakennusmääräyskokoelman ohjeiden mukaisesti käyttämällä MX6- energiaohjelmaa sekä simuloimalla kylmäprosessia. Tulokset yhdistettiin taulukkolaskentaohjelmassa, ja näin saatiin teoreettinen säästölaskelma, joka perustuu arvioituun kuukausittaiseen energian keskikulutukseen, ts. taseeseen. Työssä todettiin, että poistoilmalämpöpumppu saattaisi kuluttaa poistoilman lämmöntalteenotossa liikaa sähköä, työssä tarkoitetulla tavalla. Kulutus olisi enemmän kuin maalämpöpumpun COP-arvon parantamisella saatava rahallinen hyöty. Koneellisen poistoilman välittämän energian tehokas käyttö on kuitenkin yksi mahdollisuus säästää maalämpöreikien poraamisessa, jos kerrostalossa harkittaisiin kokonaan maalämpöön siirtymistä.

Hygro-elasto-plastic behavior of planar orthotropic material

The mechanical and hygroscopic properties of paper and board are factors affecting the whole lifecycle of a product, including paper/board quality, production, converting, and material and energy savings. The progress of shrinkage profiles, loose edges of web, baggy web causing wrinkling and misregistration in printing are examples of factors affecting runnability and end product quality in the drying section and converting processes, where paper or board is treated as a moving web. The structural properties and internal stresses or plastic strain differences built up during production also cause the end-product defects related to distortion of the shape of the product such as sheet or box. The objective of this work was to construct a model capable of capturing the characteristic behavior of hygroscopic orthotropic material under moisture change, during different external in-plane stretch or stress conditions. Two independent experimental models were constructed: the elasto-plastic material model and the hygroexpansivity-shrinkage model. Both describe the structural properties of the sheet with a fiber orientation probability distribution, and both are functions of the dry solids content and fiber orientation anisotropy index. The anisotropy index, introduced in this work, simplifies the procedure of determining the constitutive parameters of the material model and the hygroexpansion coefficients in different in-plane directions of the orthotropic sheet. The mathematically consistent elasto-plastic material model and the dry solids content dependent hygroexpansivity have been constructed over the entire range from wet to dry. The presented elastoplastic and hygroexpansivity-shrinkage models can be used in an analytical approach to estimate the plastic strain and shrinkage in simple one-dimensional cases. For studies of the combined and more complicated effects of hygro-elasto-plastic behavior, both models were implemented in a finite element program for a numerical solution. The finite element approach also offered possibilities for studying different structural variations of orthotropic planar material, as well as local buckling behavior and internal stress situations of the sheet or web generated by local strain differences. A comparison of the simulation examples presented in this work to results published earlier confirms that the hygro-elasto-plastic model provides at least qualitatively reasonable estimates. The application potential of the hygro-elasto-plastic model is versatile, including several phenomena and defects appearing in the drying, converting and end-use conditions of the paper or board webs and products, or in other corresponding complex planar materials.

Cyclophosphamide in the treatment of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Prednisone is the initial treatment of primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. However, when immunosuppressive agents in combination with steroids are used in the treatment of prednisone-dependent and prednisone-resistant patients the remission rate is variable. We report a long-term trial using cyclophosphamide (2.0 to 3.0 mg/kg body weight for 12 weeks) in combination with prednisone (1.0 to 2.0 mg/kg body weight), as compared with prednisone alone for the treatment of prednisone-resistant and frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Fifty-four patients (34 males and 20 females) with a diagnosis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, followed-up for an average of 86.1 ± 82.4 months, were evaluated. Complete remission occurred in 20.4% and partial remission in 14.8% of the patients treated with steroids and in 26.7 and 20.0% of the patients treated with cyclophosphamide + prednisone, respectively. Of the 24 prednisone-resistant patients treated with steroids in combination with cyclophosphamide, 33.3% obtained a complete/partial response. At the time of final evaluation, 25% of the patients treated with prednisone and 10.0% of those treated with prednisone in combination with cyclophosphamide had reached end-stage renal disease. Persistent nephrotic syndrome and progressive renal insufficiency were more frequently observed among the patients treated with prednisone alone (50.0 vs 33.3% and 33.3 vs 16.7%, respectively). The treatments were well tolerated and no patient experienced adverse reactions requiring discontinuation of medications. Although open-label and non-randomized, the present trial showed that cyclophosphamide is a reasonable choice for the treatment of primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and prednisone-resistant nephrotic syndrome.

The modest but growing Brazilian presence in psychiatric, psychobiological and mental health research: assessment of the 1998-2002 period

The objective of the present survey was to assess the Brazilian scientific production in psychiatry, psychobiology, and mental health during the 1998-2002 period. The universities' graduate programs concentrate the vast majority of the scientific production in Brazil. We assessed the annual reports from the graduate programs to the Brazilian Ministry of Education concerning master's and doctoral theses and the articles published in journals indexed by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI). There are nine Master's and Doctoral graduate programs dedicated to research in psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, psychobiology, and mental health in the country, seven being located in southern states. During the 5-year period, from 1998 to 2002, 186 students received their doctorate degree (37/year). The programs published 637 articles in journals indexed by ISI, the majority of them in journals with an impact factor higher than 2. The research advisors' productivity varied among graduate programs, ranging from 0.6 to 2.0 articles per year in ISI-indexed journals. Despite the substantial barriers faced by the Brazilian scientific community (mainly financial and writing difficulties), Brazil's scientific mental health production is on the rise. The number of articles published in ISI-indexed journals has doubled without a significant increase in the number of graduate theses, suggesting that there was an improvement in both the quality of the scientific production and the productivity of the graduate programs. Based on these data, it is reasonable to predict a tendency to an increase in production over the next few years.

The validity and 4-year test-retest reliability of the Brazilian version of the Eating Attitudes Test-26

In a cross-sectional study conducted four years ago to assess the validity of the Brazilian version of the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) for the identification of abnormal eating behaviors in a population of young females in Southern Brazil, 56 women presented abnormal eating behavior as indicated by the EAT-26 and the Edinburgh Bulimic Investigation Test. They were each matched for age and neighborhood to two normal controls (N = 112) and were re-assessed four years later with the two screening questionnaires plus the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The EAT results were then compared to diagnoses originating from the CIDI. To evaluate the temporal stability of the two screening questionnaires, a test-retest design was applied to estimate kappa coefficients for individual items. Given the prevalence of eating disorders of 6.2%, the CIDI psychiatry interview was applied to 161 women. Of these, 0.6% exhibited anorexia nervosa and 5.6%, bulimia nervosa (10 positive cases). The validity coefficients of the EAT were: 40% sensitivity, 84% specificity, and 14% positive predictive value. Cronbach's coefficient was 0.75. For each EAT item, the kappa index was not higher than 0.344 and the correlation coefficient was lower than 0.488. We conclude that the EAT-26 exhibited low validity coefficients for sensitivity and positive predictive value, and showed a poor temporal stability. It is reasonable to assume that these results were not influenced by the low prevalence of eating disorders in the community. Thus, the results cast doubts on the ability of the EAT-26 test to identify cases of abnormal eating behaviors in this population.

Pienen yhtiön tilinpäätösvarmennus

Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tavoitteena oli tutkia, onko tilinpäätöksen yleisluonteinen tarkastus riittävä varmennusmuoto pienten yritysten tilinpäätöksille hallinnollisesti raskaan tilintarkastuksen sijaan. Tilinpäätöksen varmennusmuotoina tutkimuksessa käsitellään kansainvälisten ISA-standardien mukaisesti suoritettua kohtuullisen varmuuden tuottavaa tilintarkastusta sekä ISRE 2400 -standardin mukaisesti suoritettua rajoitetun varmuuden tuottavaa yleisluonteista tarkastusta. Tutkimusmuotona käytettiin laadullista tutkimusmenetelmää. Tutkimuksen empiirisenä aineistona käytettiin Euroopan komission ja IAASB:n konsultaatiopapereihin lähetettyjä kommenttikirjeitä. Tutkimustulosten perusteella havaittiin, että ISA-tilintarkastusstandardeja ei koeta hallinnollisesti raskaiksi pienille yrityksille ja ISA-standardien lakisääteistä sovel-tamista kannatetaan. Alemman varmuustason yleisluonteinen tarkastus koettiin kuitenkin mahdolliseksi vaihtoehdoksi tilintarkastukselle erityisesti pienten yritysten tilinpäätösten varmentamisessa.

Ohuiden päällystyskerrosten applikointi puukuitupohjaisille materiaaleille

Työn aiheena oli tutkia vaahdon soveltuvuutta ohuiden päällystyskerrosten applikointiin paperin tai kartongin pinnalle. Paperia ja kartonkia päällystetään teollisessa mittakaavassa eri menetelmillä, mutta niille kaikille yhteistä on päällystyspastan laimentaminen vedellä ennen applikointia ja laimennusveden haihduttaminen applikoinnin jälkeen päällysteen asettamiseksi. Laimennus on tärkeää pastan komponenttien tasaisen levittämisen vuoksi, mutta veden haihduttaminen kuluttaa valtavasti energiaa. Tekstiiliteollisuudessa on saavutettu merkittäviä säästöjä kuivausenergiassa korvaamalla laajalti vedellä laimentaminen vaahdottamisella. Diplomityön kirjallisessa osassa käytiin läpi vaahdon kemiallisia ja fysikaalisia ominaisuuksia sekä selvitettiin mitä kemikaaleja ja laitteita vaahdotukseen käytetään. Lisäksi luotiin katsaus vaahtoprosessien käyttöön tekstiiliteollisuudessa ja muilla aloilla. Kokeellinen osa koostui esikokeista, joissa selvitettiin pastan koostumuksen vaikutuksia vaahtoamiseen, ja pilot-mittakaavan koeajoista, joissa esikokeiden tuloksia hyödynnettiin. Esikokeissa huomiota kiinnitettiin varsinkin eri polyvinyylialkoholien (PVA) seosten erinomaiseen vaahtoavuuteen. Pilot-koeajoissa vaahtopäällystys vaikutti lupaavalta menetelmältä, joskaan täysin tyydyttävää päällystystulosta ei saavutettu. Suurimpana ongelmana esiintyi ilman pääseminen pohjapaperin ja päällysteen väliin ja siitä seuraava huono päällystejälki. Toisen ongelmakokonaisuuden muodostivat päällysteeseen jäävät reiät. Vaahtopäällystys vaikuttaa lupaavalta tekniikalta ohuiden päällystekerrosten applikointiin, mutta pastareseptejä tulee optimoida ja ratkaista päällysteen alle pääsevän ilman ongelma.

Cost Reduction of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines

Electrical machine drives are the most electrical energy-consuming systems worldwide. The largest proportion of drives is found in industrial applications. There are, however many other applications that are also based on the use of electrical machines, because they have a relatively high efficiency, a low noise level, and do not produce local pollution. Electrical machines can be classified into several categories. One of the most commonly used electrical machine types (especially in the industry) is induction motors, also known as asynchronous machines. They have a mature production process and a robust rotor construction. However, in the world pursuing higher energy efficiency with reasonable investments not every application receives the advantage of using this type of motor drives. The main drawback of induction motors is the fact that they need slipcaused and thus loss-generating current in the rotor, and additional stator current for magnetic field production along with the torque-producing current. This can reduce the electric motor drive efficiency, especially in low-speed, low-power applications. Often, when high torque density is required together with low losses, it is desirable to apply permanent magnet technology, because in this case there is no need to use current to produce the basic excitation of the machine. This promotes the effectiveness of copper use in the stator, and further, there is no rotor current in these machines. Again, if permanent magnets with a high remanent flux density are used, the air gap flux density can be higher than in conventional induction motors. These advantages have raised the popularity of PMSMs in some challenging applications, such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), wind turbines, and home appliances. Usually, a correctly designed PMSM has a higher efficiency and consequently lower losses than its induction machine counterparts. Therefore, the use of these electrical machines reduces the energy consumption of the whole system to some extent, which can provide good motivation to apply permanent magnet technology to electrical machines. However, the cost of high performance rare earth permanent magnets in these machines may not be affordable in many industrial applications, because the tight competition between the manufacturers dictates the rules of low-cost and highly robust solutions, where asynchronous machines seem to be more feasible at the moment. Two main electromagnetic components of an electrical machine are the stator and the rotor. In the case of a conventional radial flux PMSM, the stator contains magnetic circuit lamination and stator winding, and the rotor consists of rotor steel (laminated or solid) and permanent magnets. The lamination itself does not significantly influence the total cost of the machine, even though it can considerably increase the construction complexity, as it requires a special assembly arrangement. However, thin metal sheet processing methods are very effective and economically feasible. Therefore, the cost of the machine is mainly affected by the stator winding and the permanent magnets. The work proposed in this doctoral dissertation comprises a description and analysis of two approaches of PMSM cost reduction: one on the rotor side and the other on the stator side. The first approach on the rotor side includes the use of low-cost and abundant ferrite magnets together with a tooth-coil winding topology and an outer rotor construction. The second approach on the stator side exploits the use of a modular stator structure instead of a monolithic one. PMSMs with the proposed structures were thoroughly analysed by finite element method based tools (FEM). It was found out that by implementing the described principles, some favourable characteristics of the machine (mainly concerning the machine size) will inevitable be compromised. However, the main target of the proposed approaches is not to compete with conventional rare earth PMSMs, but to reduce the price at which they can be implemented in industrial applications, keeping their dimensions at the same level or lower than those of a typical electrical machine used in the industry at the moment. The measurement results of the prototypes show that the main performance characteristics of these machines are at an acceptable level. It is shown that with certain specific actions it is possible to achieve a desirable efficiency level of the machine with the proposed cost reduction methods.

Kiinteistön välillinen omistaminen konsernirakenteessa kiinteistöstä saatavan tulon tuloverotuksen näkökulmasta

Pro gradu –tutkielman ensisijaisena tavoitteena on selvittää miksi kiinteistön omista-minen on perusteltua järjestää konsernissa kiinteistöyhtiön välityksellä. Tutkielman aiheen käsittely on rajattu koskemaan vain kotimaista lainsäädäntöä. Tutkimuson-gelman perusteella tutkielmassa keskitytään tarkastelemaan emoyhtiön näkökulmas-ta siihen kohdistuvia tuloverovaikutuksia, kun se omistaa kiinteistöyhtiön. Tutkielmas-sa on tutkimusmetodina sovellettu lainoppia ja tutkimus kuuluu vero-oikeuden alaan. Koska vero-oikeutta tulkitaan lain sanamuodon mukaisesti, tutkimuksessa annetaan runsaasti painoarvoa voimassa olevalle lainsäädännölle. Kuitenkin tulkinnanvaraisis-sa kysymyksissä tutkielmassa on myös hyödynnetty korkeimman hallinto-oikeuden ratkaisukäytäntöä sekä vero-oikeudellista kirjallisuutta. Tutkielmassa selvitettyjen seikkojen perusteella voidaan todeta, että yksiselitteisen tulkintasuosituksen antaminen tutkimusongelman ratkaisemiseksi on haastavaa, kos-ka jokaisen yrityksen tarpeet kiinteistön omistamiseen vaihtelevat liiketoiminnan olo-suhteiden mukaisesti. Toisaalta konsernirakenteen synnyttämistä emoyhtiön ja kiin-teistöyhtiön välille voidaan perustella esimerkiksi osinkotulon verotehokkaalla kana-voimiselle kiinteistöyhtiön tasolta emoyhtiölle sekä konsernin efektiivisen veroasteen pienentämisellä konserniyhtiöiden välisen lainan avulla. Lisäksi kiinteistöyhtiön luovu-tustilanteessa verotuksen tulolähdejaon merkitys korostuu, kun ratkaistaan voidaanko myyntiin soveltaa elinkeinoverolain mukaista käyttöomaisuusosakkeiden luovutuksen verovapaussäännöksiä, ja toisaalta, miten mahdollisia kiinteistöyhtiön myynnistä johtuvia luovutustappioita käsitellään emoyhtiön tuloverotuksen näkökulmasta.

Proximal tubular dysfunction as an indicator of chronic graft dysfunction

New strategies are being devised to limit the impact of renal sclerosis on graft function. Individualization of immunosuppression, specifically the interruption of calcineurin-inhibitors has been tried in order to promote better graft survival once chronic graft dysfunction has been established. However, the long-term impact of these approaches is still not totally clear. Nevertheless, patients at higher risk for tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis (TA/IF) development should be carefully monitored for tubular function as well as glomerular performance. Since tubular-interstitial impairment is an early event in TA/IF pathogenesis and associated with graft function, it seems reasonable that strategies directed at assessing tubular structural integrity and function would yield important functional and prognostic data. The measurement of small proteins in urine such as α-1-microglobulin, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, alpha/pi S-glutathione transferases, β-2 microglobulin, and retinol binding protein is associated with proximal tubular cell dysfunction. Therefore, its straightforward assessment could provide a powerful tool in patient monitoring and ongoing clinical assessment of graft function, ultimately helping to facilitate longer patient and graft survival associated with good graft function.

The influence of stress on fear memory processes

It is well recognized that stressful experiences promote robust emotional memories, which are well remembered. The amygdaloid complex, principally the basolateral complex (BLA), plays a pivotal role in fear memory and in the modulation of stress-induced emotional responses. A large number of reports have revealed that GABAergic interneurons provide a powerful inhibitory control of the activity of projecting glutamatergic neurons in the BLA. Indeed, a reduced GABAergic control in the BLA is essential for the stress-induced influence on the emergence of associative fear memory and on the generation of long-term potentiation (LTP) in BLA neurons. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) subfamily of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in the BLA plays a central role in the consolidation process and synaptic plasticity. In support of the view that stress facilitates long-term fear memory, stressed animals exhibited a phospho-ERK2 (pERK2) increase in the BLA, suggesting the involvement of this mechanism in the promoting influence of threatening stimuli on the consolidation fear memory. Moreover, the occurrence of reactivation-induced lability is prevented when fear memory is encoded under intense stressful conditions since the memory trace remains immune to disruption after recall in previously stressed animals. Thus, the underlying mechanism in retrieval-induced instability seems not to be functional in memories formed under stress. All these findings are indicative that stress influences both the consolidation and reconsolidation fear memory processes. Thus, it seems reasonable to propose that the emotional state generated by an environmental challenge critically modulates the formation and maintenance of long-term fear memory.

Facilitatory effects of an auditory warning stimulus in a visual location identification task and a visual shape identification task

The occurrence of a weak auditory warning stimulus increases the speed of the response to a subsequent visual target stimulus that must be identified. This facilitatory effect has been attributed to the temporal expectancy automatically induced by the warning stimulus. It has not been determined whether this results from a modulation of the stimulus identification process, the response selection process or both. The present study examined these possibilities. A group of 12 young adults performed a reaction time location identification task and another group of 12 young adults performed a reaction time shape identification task. A visual target stimulus was presented 1850 to 2350 ms plus a fixed interval (50, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1600 ms, depending on the block) after the appearance of a fixation point, on its left or right side, above or below a virtual horizontal line passing through it. In half of the trials, a weak auditory warning stimulus (S1) appeared 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1600 ms (according to the block) before the target stimulus (S2). Twelve trials were run for each condition. The S1 produced a facilitatory effect for the 200, 400, 800, and 1600 ms stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA) in the case of the side stimulus-response (S-R) corresponding condition, and for the 100 and 400 ms SOA in the case of the side S-R non-corresponding condition. Since these two conditions differ mainly by their response selection requirements, it is reasonable to conclude that automatic temporal expectancy influences the response selection process.

HIGH PRESSURE VAPOR-LIQUID EQUILIBRIA OF PALM FATTY ACIDS DISTILLATES-CARBON DIOXIDE SYSTEM

Vapor-Liquid equilibria of palm fatty acids distillates/carbon dioxide system has been investigated experimentally at temperatures of 333, 353, and 373 K and pressures of 20, 23, 26, and 29 MPa using the static method. Experimental data for the quasi-binary system palm fatty acids distillates/carbon dioxide has been correlated with Redlich-Kwong-Aspen equation of state. Modeling shows good agreement with experimental data. Selectivity obtained indicates that supercritical carbon dioxide is a reasonable solvent for separating saturated (palmitic acid) and unsaturated (oleic+linoleic acids) fatty acids from palm fatty acids distillates in a continuous multistage countercurrent column.

Issues in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: A critical discourse analysis

Negotiating trade agreements is an important part of government trade policies, economic planning and part of the globally operating trading system of today. European Union and the United States have been active in the formation of trade agreements in global comparison. Now these two economic giants are engaged in negotiations to form their own trade agreement, the so called Transnational Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The purpose of this thesis is to understand the reasons for making a trade agreement between two economic areas and understanding the issues it may include in the case of the TTIP. The TTIP has received a great deal of attention in the media. The opinions towards the partnership have been extreme, and the debate has been heated. The purpose of this study is to introduce the nature of the public discussion regarding the TTIP from Spring 2013 until 2014. The research problem is to find out what are the main issues in the agreement and what are the values influencing them. The study was conducted applying methods of critical discourse analysis to the chosen data. This includes gathering the issues from the data based on the attention each has received in the discussion. The underlying motives for raising different issues were analysed by investigating the authors’ position in the political, economic and social circuits. The perceived economic impacts of the TTIP are also under analysis with the same criteria. Some of the most respected economic newspapers globally were included in the research material as well as papers or reports published by the EU and global organisations. The analysis indicates a clear dichotomy of the attitudes towards the TTIP. Key problems include lack of transparency in the negotiations, the misunderstood investor-state dispute settlement, the constantly expanding regulatory issues and the risk of protectionism. The theory and data does suggest that the removal of tariffs is an effective tool for reaching economic gains in the TTIP and even more effective would be the reducing of non-tariff barriers, such as protectionism. Critics are worried over the rising influence of corporations over governments. The discourse analysis reveals that the supporters of the TTIP have values related to increasing welfare through economic growth. Critics do not deny the economic benefits but raise the question of inequality as a consequence. Overall they represent softer values such as sustainable development and democracy as a counter-attack to the corporate values of efficiency and the maximising of profits.