Regional development cooperation between Finland and ACS to support the development of Caribbean Small Island Developing States National Meteorological Services.

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The main focus of the project has been in Capacity Building in the area of Meteorological Network Design and Development, Hydrometeorological Data Management, Data Quality Control Procedures, Early Warning Systems and New Services Development.

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The overall objective of this project between FMI and NHMS was the promotion of economic development and reduced risks for the loss of life and property caused by severe weather and climate events in the Vietnamese society. The Project Purpose was the increased capacity of the National Hydro-Meteorological Service in the reduction of natural disaster risks and adaptation to climate change of the Vietnamese society.

Team

The use of wireless technologies has a lot of potential in finding new home-care related solutions, as well as in improving efficiency in hospitals. Number of applications is monifold both in medical and healthcare, e.g., a possibility of monitoring parameters at home and hospital. Self-care, selfmanagement and cost effectiveness will be the key factors towards the development of these new technological solutions. One example of utilizing wireless technologies leads to distributed hospital concept, in which measurement done at home are sent automatically to healthcare units database, and doctors or nursing staff obtain alarms when necessary. Wireless body area networks (WBAN) have been seen as a future implementation scheme of measuring human physiological parameters. Small and low power sensors installed on-body, or even in-body, are connected to each other and out-of-body using energy efficient wireless communication technique. Wireless connection will allow patients to move around, but still allowing the controlling capability of the nursing staff. The developed system can be transferred from hospitals to home due to the well defined interfaces between the WBAN and the access point of backbone network. In the project, suitable transceivers and network solutions for WBANs are investigated starting form channel models

Team

Ryuji Kohno (YNU)

The subject of this research work is the design and development of novel applications and services targeting wireless body area networks for health and medical-care applications to be used in the healthcare facility and home. The project focuses on realizing a number of areas including a channel model for tissue implanted device and onbody sensors for wireless body area networks. A central component of wireless body area networks is an antenna and there are several issues to consider when designing an antenna for WBAN’s applications, including power consumption, size, frequency, biocompatibility and the unique RF transmission challenges posed by the human body.

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The INES project concentrated on energy related data collection and sustainable energy planning in one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, Lao PDR (or Laos).The purpose of INES project was to (i) collect data on households energy consumption patterns and the impact on livelihoods; (ii) collect data on energy use in industry, agriculture and transportation; (iii) develop energy plannig models for Lao PDR with different relevant ministries; (iv) carry out training and capacity building in energy models development and their use in national planning and; (v) create scenarios for planning purposes together with ministry representatives, and disseminate the information with the aim in raising awareness and support in sustainable policy making. The overall aim of the project was to improve the access to renewable energy in Laos.

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Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Hanna Lakkala (FFRC), Mika Korkeakoski (FFRC), Juha Panula-Ontto (FFRC), Tytti Pasanen (FFRC), Visa Tuominen (FFRC), Khamso Kouphokam (MEM), Bouasavanh Khanthapat (NUOL), Ilkka Keskiväli (FFRC), Orkide Akgün (FFRC), Dorn Bouttasing (FFRC)

The COOL project aimed to identify capacity development needs, provide practical policy recommendations and analyse the role of these initiatives in Finnish development policy, while keeping in mind the targets of sustainability, poverty reduction and equity. As it is likely that both global and national climate funding will increase in the future, it was important to analyse the impacts and obstacles of these, and means to improve implementation. The project included five case studies and data collection trips in Laos and Cambodia in 2010 and 2011, and two disseminating workshops, one in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and another one in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Also a final dissemination event was held in Finland to report the concluding outputs of the project.

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Jyrki Luukkanen, Mira Käkönen, Visa Tuominen, Otto Bruun, Kamilla Karhunmaa, Hanna Kaisti, Douangta Buaphavong, Sithong Thongmanivong, Try Thuon, Ponlok Tin

Through an ethnographic study of Catholic and Anglican parishes in Kitgum, Northern Uganda, this study aims to find ways for conceptualising the relationship between Christianity and public culture in post-conflict society. The study contends that nuanced, contextualised understandings of the relationships between religion and politics are essential also for a more general understanding of politics and development in the region.

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The research is done in towards a doctoral dissertation. The study is focused on the Cameroon higher education system. The objective is to identify the strategic objectives of higher education in Cameroon; how they are determined and implemented at the system and institutional levels. The balanced scorecard (BSC) approach will then be used to show how the determination and implementation and evaluation of strategic objectives can be facilitated by the BSC approach.The endpoints would be to: -Highlight the feasibility of the BSC approach to the Cameroonian higher education -Determine the structural capacity of the Cameroonian Higher Education System to use the BSC in determining, implementing and evaluating its strategic objectives. -Outline a System and Institutional BSC for Cameroon based on the data from interviews and document reviews. To achieve this, policy document reviews and qualitative semi-structured interviews are conducted with policy makers and then one higher education institution.

Team

Bilola Theresia S.Doh

This research project approached one to three-year-old children’s everyday life and well-being from a multidisciplinary perspective (childhood geographies, sociological childhood studies, and developmental psychology). The main objective of the project was to address the dynamic interplay in between the culturally constructed meanings, ideals and expectations of (good) toddlerhood, the local level of practices, and the toddlers’ construction of places (lived-through-experiences). The project was based on a qualitative case study approach. In addition to analysis of Finnish curricula and guiding documents for ECEC, the project included ethnographic fieldwork in one daycare centre. The questions were: how are (good) toddlerhoods and the 'best interest of the child' narrated and materialized in everyday practices, and how do toddlers engage in construction of lived spaces (places)? In addition, with a comparative qualitative data from Brazil, two different cases were investigated to interpret how the commitment to the 'best interest of the child' was translated into local, culturally diverse practices in child care institutions.

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Professor Katia de Souza Amorim and research group CINDEDI (Centro de Investigação sobre Desenvolvimento e Educação Infantil); Elisa Tanner; Kaisa-Reeta Laitila; Sirja Hannula; Salla Jokinen