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Research | Finnish-Russian Research Collaboration ProjectsThe University of Eastern Finland allocates a total of 1 050 000 euros of funding to five Finnish-Russian Research Collaboration projects in 2011-2015 as part of the implementation plan of the university’s strategy. The projects are listed below.
Companies Coping with Multiple Regulatory Systems in Russian Resource Extracting Business
Modern global society is characterized by the formation of flexible and multi-level governance regimes. In addition to the nation states, private actors, such as NGOs and corporations also become legitimate regulatory agents in global governance. One example is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme, which has spread fast in Russia. Multiplicity of rules creates a tighter regulation and increases pressure on the company. On the other hand, requirements of different regulatory systems, which contradict each other, allow multiple interpretations. Companies can strategically take advantage of the unclear legal environment and get engaged in reconciling the rules of the game. The research project focuses on resource extracting transnational corporations of Finnish and Russian origin in the field of forest and oil industries, the former having developed international certification scheme and the latter relying on nation-state legislation. The project takes an approach of companies as appliers of norms from both practical and theoretical point of view. From the practical point of view both public and private policy makers need information on how to manage in the environment of different competing and interacting rules of the game.From the theoretical point of view the complex world of norms leads us to ask the basic questions such as what law is and how does law guide society, and why is the role of private governance gaining more importance in today’s global business. Researchers: Minna Pappila and Svetlana Tulaeva Main Cooperation Partners in Russia: Center for Independent Social Research in St. Petersburg and it’s sister organization in Irkutsk. In the UEF the group works closely together with the Academy funded project Regulatory Regime of Integrated Forest Governance- Reconsidering the Role of Hard Law led by Professor Tapio Määttä Development of nanoparticles, biodegradable polymers and carbon nanotubes for sustained peptide delivery (NAMBIO)Project leader: Professor Kristiina Järvinen, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences UEF Partners:
Russian partners:
Areas of expertise:
Peptide delivery face challenges associated both with physico-chemical properties of peptides and drug delivery systems. Peptides need an effective delivery system to overcome rapid degradation after their administration but many traditional controlled delivery systems show an uncontrolled and incomplete peptide release and inactivation of peptides during the preparation.To overcome these challenges, this research is focused on peptide delivery via (i) mesoporous silicon nanoparticles, (ii) biodegradable surface-eroding photocrosslinked poly(ester anhydride)s and (iii) single wall carbon nanotubes. The delivery systems are developed to prolong action of peptides in general, but in the present work peptides suitable for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases are studied. These peptides include brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) (acute decompensated heart failure) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) (hypertension). Both BNP and ANP possess hypotensive activity, and thus, the biological activity of ANP and BNP released from the delivery system can be evaluated by monitoring of the intensity and dynamics of peptide induced hypotensive effects in conscious rats by radiotelemetry system. In vitro studies using isolated vessels and isolated heart are performed in order to clarify the interactions of nanocarriers with cardiovascular systems. Interestingly, our recent joint publication demonstrated that nanocarriers themselves can affect mean arterial pressure and heart rate after intravenous administration but the mechanisms explaining the effects need further studies. Role of partners: Mesoporous silicon nanoparticles are produced by prof. Vesa-Pekka Lehto (UEF) and docent Jarno Salonen (Turku Univ.). Biodegradable polymers are provided by Academy Prof. Jukka Seppälä (Aalto Univ.). Carbon nanotubes are produced by Russian partners prof. Alexander Eletskii and Dr. Anatoly Lobach. Prof. Olga Tarasova (Russia) and research director Pasi Tavi (UEF) are experts on in vitro studies in isolated tissues.Post doc Maria Vlasova (from Russia, now UEF) is responsible for performing in vivo and in vitro studies. Thus, the present research is based on tight Finnish-Russian research collaboration that combines pharmaceutics, molecular medicine, physiology and physics. Organometallic Glow: Highly Efficient Luminophores for Imaging and Elctroluminescent ApplicationsProject leader Prof. Tapani A. Pakkanen, Department of Chemistry, Joensuu Campus Russian partners
The current great attention to the luminescent compounds and materials can be attributed to the broad possibilities of their application in various areas of modern technology such as laser dyes, data storage and lighting devices, luminescent analytical methods widely used in biochemistry and medicine. In this respect the intrinsic properties of organometallic emitters have a potential in a) greatly improving the performance of the electroluminescent devices (used, e.g., in full colour flat displays), b) expanding the frontiers of the selective sensing/visualization of the bioorganic objects, increasing the capacity and lowering the costs of the medical diagnostics and therapeutical tools. The proposed project aims at the pioneering research direction that has significant prospectives for the fruitful development of the basic natural science and promising potential for modern and vitally important applications. The overall scientific objective is focused on the development of effective methodology and its theoretical optimization to provide a new generation of functional supramolecular coinage metal compounds and materials exhibiting tunable photophysical and electrochemical properties, which will allow building a fundamental basis for their practical application in the fields of efficient electroluminescent devices, photoluminescent and electrochemical sensors, and phosphorescent bioimaging labels. The mutually beneficial cooperation with Russian and other partners is one of the cornerstones of successful realization of the work. Its successful implementation will fruitfully develop the University’s expertise in the area of New Technologies and Materials, and simultaneously diversify the existing and initiate new interdisciplinary research connections between UEF and Russian scientific institutions. The effect of climate change on CO2, N2O and CH4 dynamics and ecosystem processes in Russian tundra (Finnish Warming Experiment in Russia, FiWER)
Higher temperatures predicted for the Arctic will drastically change the structure and functioning of tundra biome. The fate of carbon and nitrogen in tundra soils is of particular interest, since increased release of these elements from permafrost soils undergoing thawing as greenhouse gases may act as a significant positive feedback to global warming. At the same time, warming increases the plant productivity and carbon sink to arctic vegetation. Recently, it has been shown that specific arctic peat soils have high emissions of nitrous oxide, a strong greenhouse gas, and that permafrost thawing can induce emissions of this trace gas also from other arctic soils. This project aims at better understanding carbon and nitrogen cycling in different tundra soil and vegetation types as affected by warming and permafrost thawing. The overall objective of this project is to show how climate warming affects the exchange of the entity of three most important GHGs (CO2, N2O, CH4) and the underlying processes in fragmented tundra landscape. A major aim is to produce knowledge, which is currently lacking, on the effects of warming and concomitant changes in permafrost thawing depth/hydrology on the production and emissions of N2O in tundra landscape. Warming effects on greenhouse gas emissions, soil microbial processes and arctic vegetation will be studied with advanced methods, such as isotope techniques, at a field site located in Komi Republic, Russia, and in a set of laboratory experiments. The synthesis and use of novel polyamine analogues as tools for polyamine research and in development of novel therapeutic drugsThe research collaboration project is led by Professor Leena Alhonen. The project is based on the long-term collaboration between University of Eastern Finland (A.I. Virtanen Institute and the Department of Biosciences at Kuopio Campus) and the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.The project combines the internationally recognized polyamine research in Kuopio with the expert synthesis of polyamine analogues by Finnish and Russian chemists. We have established a unique set of tools consisting of genetically modifiedanimal models and cell lines as well as synthetic polyamine analogues with distinct properties to study the importance and action of the natural polyamines in vitro and in vivo. The novel polyamine analogues will used for
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