Browsing by Title
Now showing items 2340-2359 of 32623
-
(2021)This thesis examines the sociality between mushroom pickers and mushrooms in the Greater Helsinki region of Southern Finland. The focus of the thesis is on interspecies social relations and interaction, and there is an emphasis on the role of place in the material mediation of these relationships. Examining these relationships, a discussion then follows about whether these observations are enough to suggest a “mushroom personhood” in the cultural thought of mushroom enthusiasts. The thesis endeavors to further the understanding of the social interconnections of different lifeforms by examining how mushroomers and mushrooms engage with each other as well as their surroundings in the forest. The thesis is positioned within current debates over the possible causes and fixes for the global environmental crisis. The aim of the thesis is to shed light on the importance of context in mediating relationships between humans and other-than-humans, as well as to consider whether this interspecies sociality might have implications on understandings of personhood in the West. Fungi are a distinct kingdom of organisms, which include mushrooms. In this thesis, the term “mushroom” is used to refer to the visible fruiting bodies of a larger subterranean organism called the mycelium. Mushrooms are picked for sale, consumption, and various other purposes in many countries, and mushroom picking is a common hobby in Finland. The ethnographic data for this thesis was gathered through fieldwork among recreational mushroomers from the Greater Helsinki region over the period of two autumns in 2019 and 2020. This fieldwork comprised of participant observation with sixteen mushroom enthusiasts, supplemented by four recorded unstructured interviews. The ethnographic focus of the thesis is on how humans who engage in mushroom picking express their knowledge of the connections between different lifeforms, and how things like emotion, memory and experience inform their movement and decision-making in the forest. There is a special emphasis on how mushroomers speak about and to mushrooms, and how they describe their appearance and behavior. The primary theoretical framework for the thesis builds on Tim Ingold’s work in environmental anthropology, with a focus on the notion of dwelling. The dwelling perspective is employed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the interconnectedness of different lifeforms within their material environments. Special consideration is given to how the concept of “place” is created by—and conversely mediates—human–mushroom relationships. In this thesis, place is seen as a temporal concept fundamentally emergent in practice, created by an interplay of human and other-than-human activity in a material environment over time. The ethnographic evidence presented in this thesis points to significant sociality, respect, personification, and care between human mushroom pickers and mushrooms. Examples of such sociality range from the use of respectful and caring language in describing mushrooms, to directly speaking to the mushrooms themselves. Furthermore, the ethnographic data include examples of how mushroom pickers perceive mushroom behavior, appearance, and intentionality, and commonly use anthropomorphic language to describe them. The question of other-than-human personhood is discussed in relation to these observations, and the thesis suggests that mushrooms may indeed be considered relational persons within these highly social contexts. Sociality between humans and other species is often overlooked in research on Western societies, especially when it comes to fungi and other non-animals. The thesis presents an example of an attentive and respectful relationship between humans and other lifeforms within a contemporary Western sociocultural context and is thus positioned against the prevalent idea of a hyperseparation between nature and culture in the West.
-
(2023)Interculturality and mobility are increasing throughout the globe making societies more multicultural. Today, we can recognize English to be a lingua franca, a shared language for those who do not share their mother tongue. Due to this development, companies are transitioning into work environments where English is used as a business lingua franca (BELF). This thesis aims to investigate individuals’ experiences, opinions and emotions attached to BELF in work environments in Finland. Data for this study was collected in the beginning of 2023 through an anonymous online survey. The survey consisted of 28 questions, both multiple choice and open-ended questions. The survey was sent through email to potential respondents, gathering in total twenty responses. The analysis of the data is conducted through qualitative thematic analysis to identify categorical themes of language attitudes, experiences of BELF, and how respondents perceive cultural neutrality and forms of successful communication. The research findings suggest that negative experiences are more discussed and detectable as respondents can articulate and distinguish them better, in comparison to positive experiences. The research further demonstrates that respondents view BELF positively due to the different opportunities that are presented through the transition. Successful BELF communication is recognized to be successful through the use of field-specific vocabulary. Cultural neutrality is viewed in many ways by respondents, where it creates at times a cultural-neutral environment, but not always, leaving the study inconclusive on this matter. Furthermore, suggestions for future research focuses on the individual’s experience and qualitative research in order to get a more extensive understanding on the implications of BELF for individuals.
-
(2014)Serbian pääkaupungista Belgradista löytyy paljon niin visuaalista katutaidetta kuin sanallisenkin viestin sisältäviä graffiteja. Tutkielmassa selvitetään, mitä Belgradin sanallisen viestin sisältävät graffitit ilmaisevat ja millaisia viestejä ne välittävät. Lisäksi pohditaan, ketkä Belgradissa tekevät graffiteja ja käyttävät niiden avulla kaupunkitilaa sekä millaisia tulkintoja graffitien perusteella voidaan tehdä yhteiskunnasta, jossa ne ilmenevät. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu 623 valokuvatusta graffitista. Analyysissa graffitien viestit on litteroitu tekstimuotoon ja luokiteltu pääosin aineistolähtöisesti työstetyn luokitusjärjestelmän luokkiin. Sisällönanalyysi on tehty teemoittelun avulla. Lisäksi on käytetty erilaisia tekstianalyysin menetelmiä. Serbian aiemmat graffititutkimukset toimivat tutkielman viitekehyksenä. Tutkimusaineiston graffiteissa ilmaistut viestit taustoitetaan tutkielmassa ja asetetaan yhteiskunnalliseen kontekstiinsa. Graffiteissa ilmaistuja suvaitsemattomia viestejä peilataan erilaisista teoreettisista näkökulmista. Belgradin sanallisen viestin sisältävissä graffiteissa käsitellään laajasti eri aihepiirejä. Tutkimusaineiston perusteella voidaan kuitenkin todeta, että suvaitsemattomat sisällöt ja jalkapalloaiheiset graffitit korostuvat muiden aiheiden kustannuksella. Suvaitsemattomat graffitit ovat kansallismielisiä, rasistisia ja seksuaalivähemmistöjä kohtaan vihamielisiä, ja niitä levittää kansallismielisten järjestöjen blokki. Suvaitsemattomat graffitikampanjat ovat ammattimaisesti suunniteltuja ja toteutettuja. Suvaitsemattomien graffitien suuri määrä on todettu myös muissa Serbian graffiteja tarkastelleissa tutkimuksissa. Suvaitsemattoman aineiston vastavoimana voidaan nähdä sekä yhteiskuntakriittiset että anarkistien ja vasemmiston graffitit. Tämän aineiston levittäminen ei kuitenkaan ole järjestäytynyttä eikä laajalle levinnyttä. Anarkististen ja vasemmistograffitien taustalla on selvä poliittinen ideologia, kun taas yhteiskuntakriittiset graffitit kommentoivat serbialaisen yhteiskunnan tilaa henkilökohtaisista lähtökohdista ilman taustalla vaikuttavaa ideologiaa. Tämän vuoksi aiheiden kirjo on laaja ja hajanainen. Poliittisten ja yhteiskuntakriittisten graffitien täydellisenä vastakohtana näyttäytyvät epäpoliittiset elämän tarkoitusta ja ihmisenä olemista pohdiskelevat graffitit, rakkaudentunnustukset sekä erilaisia populaarikulttuuriviittauksia sisältävät graffitit. Monista tutkimusaineiston graffiteista käy ilmi sen tekijä järjestö- tai ryhmätasolla. Tekijöistä kertovat myös katutaiteilijoiden nimimerkit. Rakkaudentunnustuksissa kommunikoidaan etunimillä tai hellittelynimillä. Suvaitsemattomissa graffiteissa uusinnetaan tehokkaasti serbialaisen uskonnollis-kansallisen mytologian etnisiä stereotypioita. Suvaitsemattomat graffitit voivatkin kertoa yhteiskunnan suvaitsemattomasta arvopohjasta, mutta toisaalta ne voivat myös olla reaktioita yhteiskunnan asenneilmapiirin alkaneeseen muutokseen. Valtarakenteiden horjuessa ilmenee usein konservatiivisia vastareaktioita. Toisaalta selitystä serbialaisen yhteiskunnan tilaan voi etsiä myös oletettavasti vastakkaisten toimijoiden, demokraattisen valtionhallinnon ja kansallismielisten järjestöjen, retoriikan ja visuaalisten kampanjoiden yhteneväisyyksistä.
-
(2024)The thesis aims to investigate the palliative function of ideology that research has found in system justification theory. The purpose of the master's thesis is hence to investigate if belief in meritocracy can work as a protective factor against work-related exhaustion and burnout, in Finnish youth and young adults with the help of data gathered through The Finnish Youth Barometer. This type of research on burnout and belief in meritocracy is unique for the Nordic welfare countries, and the thesis aims to fill a gap in the research, through contributing with results from Finland. The thesis aims to respond to five research questions; Is there an association between gender and work exhaustion? Is there an association between gender and belief in meritocracy? Do the minority and majority differ in terms of work exhaustion? Do the minority and majority differ in terms of belief in meritocracy? Is work exhaustion associated with belief in meritocracy? The data used in the thesis was gathered through the Finnish Youth Barometer in 2019 as phone interviews based on a questionnaire. A work-related exhaustion variable was constructed from seven items in the data. Belief in meritocracy was measured with one item from the conducted survey. Correlation and regression analysis were utilized to explore the associations. The thesis found statistically significant support for both of the hypothesis that women scored higher than men on the work-exhaustion variable, and also that men scored higher on the belief in meritocracy variable. Research is divided regarding the well-being differences of the genders, and the results from previous studies are hence contradictive. The last hypothesis was partially supported, where belief in meritocracy was associated with lower work exhaustion, but only for women. The hypothesis was not supported for men, or for the minority group. However, the latter finding can be explained by an insufficient sample size. There may not have been sufficient statistical power to detect an effect for the minority sample. The results of the thesis indicated that belief in meritocracy can be predictive of lower work-exhaustion scores, just as previous research has found. Literature has named this phenomenon the palliative function of system justification. Future research could be conducted on a larger sample to further investigate the role of the minority in the complex relation of belief in meritocracy and burnout.
-
(2021)Tutkielma käsittelee Toini Topeliusta (1854-1910), 1800-luvun ja 1900-luvun taitteessa vaikuttanutta naisasianaista, sekä hänen käsityksiään ja tuottamiaan kuvia naisten ja tyttöjen samansukupuolisesta kumppanuudesta ja rakkaudesta tyttökirjassaan Kehitysaikana. Tytöistä kertoeli Tea. Tutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia sitä, kuinka Toini Topelius näki naisten väliset suhteet, ja täten omat ihmissuhteensa, sekä kuinka hän rakensi sukupuolta, naiseutta, osana näitä suhteita. Pääaineistonani tämän kuvan rakentamisessa toimii tyttökirjan lisäksi Toini Topeliuksen esitelmä, Mietteitä naisesta ja siveellisyyskäsitteestä, vuodelta 1892, sekä kirjailijan avoin kirje ruotsalaisen naisasialiikkeen lehteen, Dagnyyn, vuodelta 1887. Tutkielmani ammentaa historiantutkimuksesta, sukupuolentutkimuksesta, queertutkimuksesta ja tyttötutkimuksesta, ja näiden alojen teoriat ja tutkimus toimivatkin suunnannäyttäjinäni. Tyttökirja korostaa naisten ja tyttöjen henkistä yhteyttä ja samankaltaisuutta suhteiden kulmakivenä, ja kuvaa intensiivistä, romanttista rakkautta hahmojensa välille. Suhteet rakennetaan osana sekä naisasiaa 1800-luvun lopulla, että kirjailijan omia tuntemuksia elämänsä suhteista. Topelius myös koki, että naiset kykenivät tukemaan toisiaan paremmin heidän pyrinnöissään kohti emansipoitunutta elämää. Kirjailijan kuvat ja tapa järjestää naisten keskeisiä, samansukupuolisia suhteita kietoutuvat hänen tapaansa jäsentää sukupuolta. Suhteet tukivat naiseutta ja naiseksi kasvamista, joille naisasian ajatukset ja ideologiat toimivat kirjailijan mukaan hedelmällisenä kasvualustana. Toini Topeliuksen kuvauksissa sukupuoli tuottaa naisten välisiä suhteita, mutta suhteet myös tuottivat oikeanlaista, hyvää naiseutta.
-
(2023)The article deals with feelings of belonging and non-belonging in first-year university students. The research material was collected using the empathy based method and analyzed using narrative analysis. Based on the analysis, six different narratives of belonging and non-belonging were identified. The narratives are built on both individual psychological and socially constructed experiences of belonging. Individual psychological dimensions were emphasized in the narratives describing positive experiences of belonging. Personality traits, like introversion, appeared to be very compatible for distance learning in the corona era. Social contexts, where the mentioned feelings of belonging were experienced somewhere other than in studies, appeared to be beneficial for studies. Remote meetings were usually perceived to mitigate the otherwise impossible social situation. Personality, especially the individual's resilience, also played a key role in the narrative of non-belonging. A personal incompatibility with the pandemic restrictions is to challenge personal validity. Remote meetings seem partly unreal and the narratives were plagued by doubt as to whether learning actually took place. The separation from concrete places and face-to-face encounters left the student detached from university as an institution and higher education studies in the narratives. The narratives of belonging and non-belonging are multidimensional and are defined through various intersecting, mutually defining categories.
-
(2022)Upplevelsen av hur man blir bemött av vårdpersonalen har en stor betydelse för själva vården och omsorgen. Detta är också en av kvalitetsaspekterna som uppföljs inom äldreomsorgen. I forskning om bemötandet har fokus i huvudsak riktats mot vårdtagaren och på de följder bemötandet har haft för vården eller omsorgen. Mycket litet forskning överlag har gjorts ur vårdarens – bemötarens – perspektiv. Syftet med denna studien är därför att studera hur vårdare konstruerar bemötandet, vilka diskurser som kan urskiljas i talet om bemötande och vilka implikationer dessa har i omsorgsarbetet. Studien är till sin natur kvalitativ och den har gjorts ur ett socialkonstruktionistiskt och ett diskursivt perspektiv. Materialet består av 12 semistrukturerade intervjuer med vårdare som arbetar på ett offentligt serviceboende med heldygnsomsorg. Svaren har analyserats med hjälp av den foucauldianska diskursanalysen. Resultaten visar att bemötandet konstrueras av uppmärksamhet, röstanvändning och beröring samt att vårdaren får kontakt och ger tid åt den äldre personen. Det urskiljs fyra diskurser om bemötandet: diskursen om behov och vård, diskursen om det professionella bemötandet, diskursen om det reflexiva bemötandet och diskursen om ömsesidighet. De tre första diskurserna är de dominerande. Den sistnämnda urskiljs i situationer för undantag eller då de rådande praktikerna ifrågasätts. Implikationer inom de dominerande diskurserna är en kategorisering av de äldre personerna utgående från sjukdom eller beteende vilket samtidigt även minskar på beaktandet av individualiteten i bemötandet, att vårdteknologi upplevs komma emellan vårdaren och den äldre personen och minska på närhet och beröring för de äldre personerna samt att våldsamma muntliga eller fysiska uttryck gentemot vårdarna anses vara en del av arbetet och som också normaliseras i talet. Resultaten påvisar ett behov att fästa uppmärksamhet på sättet hur vårdteknologin implementeras i omsorgen, på sättet att tala om de äldre personerna och framför allt på möjligheterna att minska på våldet gentemot vårdarna. Det rekommenderas också mera forskning om bemötandet i äldreomsorgen för att stöda utvecklingen av arbetsmetoderna samt planeringen och organiseringen av omsorgstjänsterna till att motsvara de kvalitetsförväntningar som riktas mot dem från servicebrukare, vårdare och samhälle även i fortsättningen.
-
(2019)Denna studie undersöker hur finlandssvenska kvinnor med hörselskada upplever det att vara kvinna och leva med en hörselskada i Finland. Eftersom det finns faktorer som pekar på att särskilt kvinnor med funktionsnedsättning, kan råka ut för en flerfaldig diskriminering. År 2016 ratificerade Finland FN- konventionen om rättigheter för personer med funktionsnedsättning, vilket också gör att ämnet är aktuellt. Studien är en kvalitativ intervjustudie som har utgått från svar av fem informanter varav en intervju utfördes skriftligen. Informanterna kontaktades via Svenska hörselförbundet rf. Som analysmetod har kvalitativ innehållsanalys använts, och den teoretiska referensramen utgår ifrån ett intersektionellt perspektiv med fokus på maktrelationer utgående från kategorierna funktionshinder, etnicitet och genus. Resultatet visar att det förekommer ojämlikheter till följd av informanternas funktionsnedsättning, etnicitet och genus, och att kvinnorna upplever olika utmaningar i vardagen. Kvinnorna upplever sig diskriminerade på olika vis där tillgång till information och vård på svenska var centrala teman. Informanterna upplevde också att de på många sätt lever ett liv som andra, även om de berättade att det i jämförelse med andra fanns små skillnader i vardagen. Studien visar även på att informanterna på många vis upplever att de får ta eget ansvar både gällande relationer och för att få den service och vård de behöver. Skillnaden mellan män och kvinnor upplevdes inte som central även om denna faktor också fanns närvarande. Även tekniken var en central faktor i informanternas vardag som upplevdes som positiv, men den hade också en negativ sida. Det fanns på så vis flera faktorer som visar på att informanterna på olika vis påverkades av maktrelationerna i det finska samhället gällande funktionsnedsättning, etnicitet och genus.
-
(2024)Lung cancer is a significant global health concern, as it remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. While all Nordic countries have shown improvement in the 5-year survival rates for lung cancer patients during the last decade, Finland has lagged in terms of survival outcomes. Previous studies have explored the variations in lung cancer guidelines across Nordic countries. Still, there is limited research that addresses the differences in the countries’ practices that could affect the survival outcomes. This thesis aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting a comprehensive benchmarking comparison of the current care and process practices for lung cancer patients across all Nordic countries. This thesis employed a non-interventional, prospective observational study design with three distinct phases. First, an expert workshop involving lung cancer experts from Finland (N=6) was organized to formulate relevant questions for the structured survey. Second, the survey was constructed via REDCap and distributed to healthcare professionals in Nordic hospitals and primary care units. Lastly, after analyzing the survey results, a Nordic expert workshop (N=8) was conducted to validate the results and identify the most important factors influencing the outcomes. Four main areas of differences in care practices between the Nordic countries were identified: a) discrepancies in access and resources available in primary care units, b) absence or presence of fast-track and structured pathways, c) medication adoption based on reimbursement policies, and d) outcome tracking and monitoring. While the differences in specialized care were minimal, this study emphasizes the need to develop primary care in Finland, in terms of resourcing and processes, to improve lung cancer outcomes. In conclusion, all countries follow similar care guidelines. Thus, differences in early recognition and timely access to care for lung cancer patients may explain the differences in the 5-year survival rates.
-
(2017)In the field of scientific research, computer simulation, Internet applications, e-commerce and many other applications, the amount of data is growing at an extremely fast pace. In order to analyze and utilize these large data resources, it is necessary to rely on effective data analysis techniques. The relational database (RDBMS) model has always been a dominant database model in database management. However, the traditional relational data management technology encountered great obstacles in the scalability, as it has difficulties with the big data analysis. Today, the cloud databases and NoSQL databases are attracting widespread attentions and become optional choices besides the relational database. This thesis mainly focuses on benchmarking studies of two multi-model NoSQL databases, ArangoDB and OrientDB and discusses the use of NoSQL for the big data analysis.
-
(2018)Beneficial ownership is a concept used in the OECD Model Tax Convention to deny the treaty benefits under Articles 10, 11 and 12 in artificial arrangements. The term has never been defined exactly in international tax context and thus, the meaning of the concept has remained somewhat vague during the past 50 years. The concept was never designed to be a wide general anti-avoidance provision. It was designed to be a tool with limited scope to interfere to treaty shopping schemes that do not comply with the economic nature of the arrangement. Despite the fact that the term originates from common law system, it should be interpreted as an individual treaty concept apart from the meaning it has in the common law legal praxis. The beneficial ownership of royalties is connected with beneficial ownership of intangible assets. Beneficial ownership of intangible assets requires that the owner is the legal owner of the asset and has sufficient level of economical ownership in addition to the legal ownership. If one of the requirements is not fulfilled, the owner should not be regarded as beneficial owner of the asset and thus, not the beneficial owner of the royalties. The legal ownership of an intangible asset is rather easy to determine. Economic ownership, on the other hand, may be harder to define due to the economic reality in which e.g. the multinational enterprises operate in globalized business world. The courts of different jurisdictions have taken different kind of approaches to interpreting beneficial ownership. The approaches can be divided into legal and economic approaches depending on the circumstances the courts take into account. Legal approaches concentrate on the formal facts under private law e.g. if the receiver of the income has a legal or contractual obligation to pass on the income or if one will have the right to the income instead of the creditors in case of bankruptcy of the receiver. Economic approaches are less formal than the legal approaches and concentrate on the economic reality instead of the formal facts under private law. Nearly all of the economic approaches use substance over form doctrine as the starting point. Some of the approaches go further and use e.g. transfer pricing methods in order to determine the level of economic ownership of the owner. It is not sufficient to fulfil the requirements set by the beneficial ownership limitation in order to receive the treaty benefits. Beneficial ownership is just one provision amongst many other anti-avoidance provisions. Even one provision is enough to deny the treaty benefits from a taxpayer and thus, an arrangement has to comply with other provisions in addition to the Article 12 of the OECD Model Convention.
-
(2024)Benefit corporation on yritys, jonka tarkoituksena on tuottaa voittoa osakkeenomistajilleen sillä ehdolla, että taloudellinen voitto saadaan aikaan harjoittamalla liiketoimintaa vastuullisista lähtökohdista. Benefit corporation -malli jakautuu kahteen eri pääkategoriaan: benefit corporation on oikeudellinen yhtiömuoto ja B Corp yksityisen sektorin tahon tarjoama sertifikaatti. Benefit corporation -ilmiön taustalla on kahden yhtiöoikeudellisen teorian, osakkeenomistajakeskeisyyden ja sidosryhmäteorian, välinen vastakkainasettelu. Voitontavoittelua ja sidosryhmien huomioimista yhdistelevän hybridimallin luomisen kannatuksen taustalla voidaan nähdä perinteisten yhteisömuotojen puutteellisuus, yritysmaailman epävarmuus yhteiskuntavastuun ja voiton tavoittelun yhdistämisen sallittavuudesta, kasvun ja omistajavaihdoksien tuomat haasteet sekä tahto valjastaa yrityssektori yhteiskuntavastuun suunnannäyttäjäksi. Ensimmäinen benefit corporation -laki saatettiin voimaan Marylandin osavaltiossa vuonna 2010. Benefit corporation -laki on nyky-ään voimassa yli neljässäkymmenessä Yhdysvaltain osavaltiossa ja muutamassa muussa Euroopan, Etelä-Amerikan ja Afrikan valtiossa. Benefit corporation -lainsäädäntö perustuu laajalti mallilainsäädäntöön, jonka neljä kulmakiveä ovat yhteiskuntavastuullisuutta ja voitontavoittelua yhdistävä toiminnan tarkoitus, yhtiön johdon sidosryhmiin liittyvät velvollisuudet, laajennettu kanneoikeus sekä avoimuutta ja läpinäkyvyyttä lisäävät raportointisäännökset. Ensimmäinen ja Suomessa jo nykyään mahdollinen tapa omaksua benefit corporation -malli on B Corp -sertifikaatin hankkiminen. Sertifikaatin myöntämisen edellytyksenä on maakohtaisten oikeudellisten vaatimusten täyttyminen. Mahdollisen kotimaisen benefit corporation -lain säätämisen kannalta tutkielmassa kartoitetaan relevantin yhtiöoikeudellisen sääntelyn nykytilaa. Tutkielmassa tullaan siihen lopputulokseen, että Suomen osakeyhtiölaki ei ole osakkeenomistajakeskeisyyden periaatteen mukainen, vaan voittoa osakkeenomistajille tuotetaan pitkällä aikavälillä valistuneen arvonmaksimoinnin hengessä. Yhtiön pitkän aikavälin taloudelliseen tuloksellisuuteen tähtäävä tarkoitussäännös sallii yhtiön johdolle käytännöllisesti katsoen melko laajat mahdollisuudet yhteiskuntavastuun tavoitteluun. Valistuneen arvonmaksimoinnin periaate osoittaa kotimaisen osakeyhtiölain kuuluvan kuitenkin niin sanotun heikon yhteiskuntavastuun piiriin. Vahvan yhteiskuntavastuullisuuden mukaisuus edellyttäisi mahdollisuutta sellaiseen päätöksentekoon, jossa voiton tavoittelu edes pitkällä aikavälillä ei ole avainasemassa ja sidosryhmien etujen huomioiminen nostetaan samalle tasolle osakkeenomistajien edun kanssa. Kotimaisen yhtiöoikeuden puitteissa pitkäaikaisen voitontavoittelun sivuuttavat vastuullisuuspyrkimykset voidaan mahdollistaa muuttamalla yhtiön toiminnan tarkoitusta yhtiöjärjestysmääräyksellä. Benefit corporation -lain säätämisessä kohdattaisiin Suomessa monia haasteita. Viherpesun torjunnan välineenä benefit corporation -yhtiömuoto olisi heikko, sillä sääntelystä puuttuva johdonmukaisuus ja täytäntöönpanomekanismien tehottomuus vähentävät ajan myötä benefit corporation -nimikkeen uskottavuutta ja painoarvoa. Valistuneen arvonmaksimoinnin mukaisella voitontavoittelulla ja yhtiöjärjestysmuutoksilla voidaan käytännössä luoda tarpeeksi kattava turvasatama vahvaan yhteiskuntavastuuseen sitoutuneen yhtiön johdolle, joka haluaa toteuttaa laajojakin vastuullisuushankkeita. Pelkkä yritysjohtajien mahdollinen epävarmuus voitontavoittelun rajoihin liittyvästä oikeustilasta ei yksinään riitä perusteeksi suomalaisen benefit corporation -lain säätämiselle. Toiminnan tarkoitusta koskevat benefit corporation -mallilainsäädännön säännökset eivät toteuta tavoitettaan sidosryhmien huomioimisesta selkeästi, kun tulkinnanvaraisuuksia on enemmän kuin käytännön suuntaviivoja. Lisäksi uuden yhtiömuodon lisääminen osakeyhtiön ja yleishyödyllisen yhteisön väliin voisi kuitenkin horjuttaa olemassa olevia yhteisömuotoja. Benefit corporation -yhtiömuotoa voitaisiin väärinkäyttää luomalla benefit corporationeista mielikuvaa ”hyvänä yrityksenä” siinä missä tavalliset osakeyhtiömuotoiset kilpailijat olisivat ”huonoja yrityksiä”, jotka eivät toimi vastuullisesti. Lain säätäminen voisi vahvistaa väärää käsitystä siitä, että perinteisiä osakeyhtiöitä johdetaan pelkkä osakkeenomistajien taloudellinen voitto tähtäimessä. Benefit corporation -raporttia laadittaessa käytettävän standardin vapaa valittavuus, tilintarkastajan varmentamisvelvollisuuden puuttuminen ja virallisen sanktion puute raportin julkaisematta jättämisestä tekevät benefit corporation -mallilainsäädännön mukaisesta raportointivelvollisuudesta alttiin väärinkäytölle ja viherpesulle. Lisäksi benefit corporation -mallin yleishyödyllisen toiminnan tarkoituksen täytäntöönpanomenettely näennäisesti laajentaa osakeyhtiölain mukaista kanneoikeutta, mutta loppujen lopuksi säännökset tuovat vähän konkretiaa ja paljon epäselvyyttä. Tutkielmassa tullaan siihen lopputulokseen, että benefit corporation -mallin mukainen voitontavoittelun ja yhteiskuntavastuun yhdistävä ”hybridiyhtiö” on mahdollista luoda olemassa olevan yhtiöoikeudellisen sääntelyn puitteissa. Lähitulevaisuuden vahvan yhteiskuntavastuun periaatteen mukainen yhtiö syntyy yleishyödyllisen toiminnan tarkoituksen mahdollistavalla yhtiöjärjestysmääräyksellä ja EU-sääntelyn mukaisilla vastuullisuusvelvoitteilla, eikä benefit corporation -laille näin ollen ole paikkaa suomalaisessa yhtiöoikeudessa.
-
(2019)Continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) can be seen as an essential part of modern software development. CI/CD consists of always having software in a deployable state. This is accomplished by continuously integrating the code into a main branch, in addition to automatically building and testing it. Version control and dedicated CI/CD tools can be used to accomplish this. This thesis consists of a case study which aim was to find the benefits and challenges related to the implementation of CI/CD in the context of a Finnish software company. The study was conducted with semi-structured interviews. The benefits of CD that were found include faster iteration, better assurance of quality, and easier deployments. The challenges identified were related to testing practices, infrastructure management and company culture. It is also difficult to implement a full continuous deployment pipeline for the case project, which is mostly due to the risks involved updating software in business-critical production use. The results of this study were found to be similar to the results of previous studies. The case company's adoption of modern CI/CD tools such and GitLab and cloud computing are also discussed. While the tools can make the implementation of CI/CD easier, they still come with challenges in adapting them to specific use cases.
-
(2021)Isomorphic web applications combine the best parts of static Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages and single-page applications. An isomorphic web application shares code between the server and the client. However, there is not much existing research on isomorphic web applications. Improving the performance, user experience and development experience of web applications are popular research topics in computer science. This thesis studies the benefits and challenges of isomorphism in single-page applications. To study the benefits and challenges of isomorphism in single-page applications, a gray literature review and a case study were conducted. The articles used in the gray literature review were searched from four different websites. To make sure the gray literature could be used in this study, a quality assessment process was conducted. The case study was conducted as a developer survey, where developers familiar with isomorphic web applications were interviewed. The results of both studies are then compared and the key findings are compared together. The results of this study show that isomorphism in single-page applications brings benefits to both the developers and the end-users. Isomorphism in single-page applications is challenging to implement and has some downsides, but they mostly affect developers. The performance and search engine optimization of the application are improved. Implementing isomorphism makes it possible to share code between the server and the client, but it increases the complexity of the application. Framework and library compatibility are issues that must be addressed by the developers. The findings of this thesis give motivation for developers to implement isomorphism when starting a new project or transforming existing single-page applications to use isomorphism.
-
(2024)This licentiate thesis includes a literature review and a research section. The populations of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in the Baltic Sea and Finland have decreased. Still, the number of eiders nesting on the Bengtskär islet in the outer archipelago of Finland has been steadily increasing. In the literature review, the reader is first introduced to the biology of the common eiders and the situation of the Bengtskär eiders, after which the microbes and intestinal parasites that threaten the health of common eiders are discussed. The aim is to find out why eiders have died in Bengtskär between 2019 and 2021, and thus to increase the knowledge of veterinarians, biologists, and other interested parties about the health status of Bengtskär eiders. We hypothesize that the results will not be supposed to provide a single explanatory factor for the death of all birds, as no epidemics or mass deaths of eiders have been found in the area in these years. Another hypothesis is that we found Polymorphus minutus acanthocephalans in the intestines of several birds. The research material consists of 35 common eiders collected in 2019–2021, found dead in the Bengtskär islet. The birds have been stored at –20 °C before the examinations. The birds collected in 2019 were examined at the turn of 2019–2020 and the rest in January 2022. Necropsy included records of macroscopic findings and histological examinations and was performed by a pathologist. The eiders were also subjected to bacteriological cultures and, if necessary, additional studies to determine the bacterial species. Adult birds were examined for selected viruses and intestinal parasites using PCR. The pathologist has given the eiders diagnoses that probably explain the individual's death. The results show that the most common cause of death was bacterial infection (32,3 %), which was, however, limited only to ducklings (10/18) and unhatched fetuses (2/5). In full-grown birds, no growth was found in bacterial cultures and all virus tests were PCR-negative. We found three different intestinal parasites from the eiders: Profilicollis sp. acanthocephalan, Schistocephalus solidus tapeworm, and Echinostoma sp. trematoda. The majority (71,9 %) of the birds were in good or very good nutritional status, of these there were 15 ducklings and four fetuses. 62,9 % of all birds were females. In most ducklings and fetuses, death was probably caused by a bacterial infection, with the navel most likely acting as the port of infection. Unfavorable environmental conditions affect the closure of the navel and thus expose the ducklings to infections. All the bacteria found in eiders in this study belong to the normal microbiome of the birds' skin or digestive tract. The causes of death of adult eiders were the so-called usual, as they largely consisted of individual cases, and no single explanatory factor was found. The result corresponds to the hypothesis presented for the study. Contrary to expectations, the Polymorphus minutus acanthocephalan was not found in PCR studies. However, the study showed for the first time the Profilicollis sp. acanthocephalan in Finnish common eiders. The results are presented in English in Appendix 1.
-
(2023)The shallow bays and inlets of the coastal Baltic Sea consist of a patchy seafloor with different sediment types that are affected by anthropogenic pressure, such as organic matter loading. Benthic macrofauna affects the carbon and nutrient stock capacity of such coastal areas by storing these elements in their body tissues and thus working as a temporary carbon and nutrient pool. These nutrient stocks are especially stable when the animals are large and long-lived. Fluctuations in organic input have been suggested to modify the diversity, abundance, and biomass of the benthic communities and therefore affect the nutrient reserves bound within the fauna. However, there is little information on how stress, in form of increasing sediment organic matter content, change the stocks and stoichiometric ratios of benthic macrofaunal communities. This thesis investigates if the changes in sediment organic matter affect benthic community composition and organism size and its ability to function as a carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) pool by measuring: 1) how the benthic faunal diversity, abundance, and biomass composition and 2) the C:N:P content and ratios of the benthic fauna change between three different sediment categories. A significant difference was found between sandy and muddy sediments in terms of benthic biomass and abundance, as well as the carbon and phosphorus stocks. Large long-living bivalves were found in sandy sediments, but overall organism size was not significantly different between the sediment categories. In general, the results show that higher sediment organic matter content resulted in fewer individuals, biomass, and thus a smaller storage capacity of carbon and nutrients. No statistical differences were found between the C:N and N:P and C:P ratios along the three sediment types. However, somewhat more P was bound within the fauna at sites with more organic matter, compared to the sandy and mixed sediments. The results highlight the importance of macrofauna in the functional performance of the ecosystem function and their potential for shifts with increasing disturbance. In conclusion, the increase in sediment organic matter can significantly change the capacity of macrofaunal communities to bind carbon and nutrients and this might have implications for the coastal nutrient filter. More research regarding the fauna's ability to adapt to the changing environment is needed.
-
(2013)Suomen loppusijoituskonseptin (KBS – 3) mukaan ydinvoimaloiden käytetty polttoaine tullaan sijoittamaan Olkiluodon kallioperään noin 400 metrin syvyyteen. Se eristetään elollisesta luonnosta useiden teknisten ja luonnollisten vapautumisesteiden avulla. Puristettu bentoniittisavi on yksi näistä, ja sen tarkoituksena on muun muassa estää mahdollisesti loppusijoituskohteesta vapautuneiden radionuklidien pääseminen kosketuksiin veden kanssa. Bentoniittisavesta voi vapautua suotuisissa oloissa stabiileja kolloidisia hiukkasia, jotka sekoittuvat pohjaveteen. Bentoniittikolloidien pinnan negatiivisen nettovarauksen vuoksi, ne sitovat herkästi esimerkiksi liuoksessa olevia metallikationeja. Mikäli loppusijoituskohteesta pääsisi vapautumaan radionuklideja, on mahdollista, että ne teknisistä vapautumisesteistä huolimatta joutuisivat kosketuksiin pohjaveden kanssa. Suomen loppusijoituskohteen graniittisen kallioperän kivimineraalien ominaisuuksista johtuen pohjaveteen mahdollisesti joutuneet radioaktiiviset metallikationit, esimerkiksi kolmenarvoiset aktinidit, sorboituisivat lujasti kivimineraaleihin tai saostuisivat. Stabiileilla bentoniittikolloideilla on huomattava negatiivinen pintavaraus ja vaikka niilläkin on vuorovaikutuksia kalliomateriaalin kanssa, ne yleisesti hylkivät pohjavesiverkoston kalliopintoja kulkeutuen virtaavan veden mukana pitkiäkin matkoja. Sitoessaan radionuklideja kolloidit voivat täten mobilisoida muutoin erittäin niukkaliukoisia metalleja, jolloin niiden potentiaaliseen kulkeutumiseen liittyvät fysikaaliset ja kemialliset prosessit pohjavesisysteemissä on tunnettava ja huomioitava ydinjätteen loppusijoituksen turvallisuusarvioinnissa. Tämän tutkielman kokeellisessa osiossa selvitettiin bentoniittikolloidien kulkeutumista sekä niiden vaikutusta radionuklidien (Sr-85 ja Eu-152) liikkuvuuteen graniittisissa kivimurske- ja luonnonrakokolonneissa. Kolonnien hydrodynaamiset virtausolosuhteet määritettiin kivimateriaaliin pidättymättömän merkkiaineen (I-125) avulla. ICP – MS:sta analyysia hyödynnettiin määritettäessä bentoniittikolloidien sisältämä alumiinipitoisuus, jonka avulla saatiin laskennallisesti bentoniittikolloidiliuosten sekä kolloidien kulkeutumiskokeiden näytteiden kolloidipitoisuudet. Lisäksi tutkittiin dynaamisen valonsironnan avulla määritettyjen kolloidiliuosten laskentataajuuksien sekä massaspektrometrisesti saatujen kolloidipitoisuuksien välistä riippuvuutta. Bentoniittikolloidien kulkeutumisen havaittiin riippuvan suuresti kolonnin kivimateriaalista, mutta myös eluentin virtausnopeudesta. Kivimurskekolonneilla virtausnopeuksilla 20 – 40 µL/min kolonnien läpi kulkeutui 1,5 – 6,1 % kolonniin syötetyistä bentoniittikolloideista. Rakokolonnin läpi kulkeutui puolestaan huomattavasti suurempi osa kolloideista: virtausnopeudella 10 µL/min yli 25 % ja nopeudella 20 µL/min yli 62 %. Bentoniittikolloidien havaittiin myös kasvattavan selkeästi Sr-85:n liikkuvuutta rakokolonnissa. Kolloideilla ei sen sijaan havaittu olevan vaikutusta Sr-85:n kulkeutumiseen kivimurskekolonneissa. Lisäksi bentoniittikolloidiliuosten dynaamisella valonsironta-menetelmällä saatujen laskentataajuuksien ja ICP – MS:sesti määritettyjen liuosten kolloidipitoisuuksien välillä havaittiin olevan selkeä lineaarinen riippuvuus.
-
(2011)Screening of drugs of abuse has to combine sensitivity, selectivity and repeatability. The conventional screening methods include immunoassay screening followed by a more sensitive confirmation method. The aim of the study was to develop a simple, yet sensitive sample preparation method for screening of benzodiazepines and amphetamine derivatives in urine samples with silicon micropillar array electrospray ionization chip (µPESI) coupled to mass spectrometric analysis. Another aim was to evaluate the suitability of µPESI in biological sample analysis. Ideally, the developed method would provide an alternative to immunoassay screening method in forensic urine analysis. The sample preparation methods were separately optimized for benzodiazepines and amphetamine derivatives. Methods used included solid- phase extraction with Oasis HLB cartridge and C18-phase containing ZipTip®-pipette tip, liquid-liquid extraction, and dilution and filtering without prior extraction. Optimization focused, however, on ZipTip®-extraction. The compounds were spiked in blank urine to their cut-off levels, 200 ng/ml for benzodiazepines and 300 ng/ml for amphetamine derivatives. For benzodiazepines, every extraction phase was optimized. The sample pH was adjusted to 5, the ZipTip® phase was conditioned with acetonitrile and washed with a mixture of water (pH 5) and acetonitrile (10 % v/v) and the sample was eluted with a mixture of acetonitrile, formic acid and water (95:1:4 v/v/v). For amphetamine derivatives, pH values of sample and solvents were optimized. The sample pH was adjusted to 10, the ZipTip® phase was conditioned with a mixture of water and ammoniumbicarbonate (pH 10, 1:1 v/v), washed with a mixture of water and acetonitrile (1:5 v/v) and the sample was eluted with methanol. The optimized methods were tested with authentic urine samples obtained from Yhtyneet Medix Laboratories and compared to the results of quantitative GC/MS analysis. Benzodiazepine samples were hydrolyzed prior to extraction to improve recovery. All samples were measured with Q-TOF Micro apparatus and hydrolyzed benzodiazepine samples additionally with microTOF apparatus in Yhtyneet Medix Laboratories. Based on the results the developed method needs more optimization to function properly. The main problems were lack of reproducibility and poor sample ionization. Manual sample preparation and adding to the chip sample introduction spot increased variation. Authentic benzodiazepine samples gave false negative and authentic amphetamine derivative samples false positive results. False negatives may be due to the lack of sensitivity and false positives due to the contamination of sample cone, chips or solvents.
-
(2016)The aged are the biggest age group of using psychotropics. The most used ones of these drugs are hypnotic and sedatives that consists mainly of benzodiazepines and related drugs. However, the aged are extremely sensitive for these drugs that are also noted as potentially inappropriate drugs for the aged in the national, but also in the various international recommendations and care guidelines. Despite the care guidelines, benzodiazepine compounds are usually used for years and often concomitantly. Research material of this longitudinal, observational study with two cohorts was collected from structured interviews at two similar acute wards in Pori City Hospital during one month in 2015. The research protocol of an early similar study which was conducted in 2004 was followed. Results of the two studies (2004 and 2015) were compared. Interviews were conducted among patients aged ≥ 65 years. Users of benzodiazepines or related drugs (2004: n=38, 2015: n=32) were further interviewed. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of the usage of benzodiazepine compounds in the aged between the years 2004 and 2015. In particular the medicines information sources and amount of information on these drugs i.e. knowledge on adverse drug reactions was studied and compared. Additionally a systematic review was conducted to explore the current evidence on interventions to rationalize the use of benzodiazepines and related drugs in the aged. In 2004, 54% of the interviewed patients (n=64) were using benzodiazepine compounds. However, in 2015 there were 34% (n=36) using. In 2015 regular usage of these drugs was decreased and irregular usage (given on an as-needed basis) was increased compared to the year 2004. None of the patients used long-acting benzodiazepines in 2015. Medicines information is provided notably more by doctors and pharmacies to 2004, but still the information focused more on benefits of drug other than adverse drug reactions. However, the patients' knowledge about the adverse drug reactions of benzodiazepine compounds has increased. The patients got presented adverse drug reactions known on mean of five in the year 2015, while the same value in 2004 was three. In the both years, the most of the patients were aware of the dependence these drugs may cause. The usage of benzodiazepine and related drugs in the aged has become better, but there is still need to improve multi-professional cooperation and applicate new interventions for rationalize the usage of benzodiazepinecompounds.
-
(2014)The body changes its response to medicine by age. Thus, medicines information for the elderly needs to differ from information targeted to younger adults. Package leaflets (PLs) are among the key sources of medicines information among general public. Although not generally recommended, benzodiazepines are commonly used by the elderly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usability of benzodiazepine PLs and their information content from the elderly perspective. Additionally, the study aimed to explore how medicines information targeted to elderly in PLs aligns with the information targeted to health care professionals (HCPs). The study focused on PLs of benzodiazepines and their derivatives (diazepam, alprazolam, oxazepam, zopiclone and temazepam) that are commonly used but not recommended for the elderly. The usability of PLs was evaluated by using the Medication Information Design Assessment Scale (MIDAS). The informational content of PLs was studied by identifying all references for the elderly and comparing them to information targeted to HCPs in Database of medication for the elderly, Beer's criteria, Kapseli 35 publication, Martindale, Current Care Guideline for insomnia and the Summaries of Product Characteristics. The usability of the PLs in this study required several improvements. The mean of MIDAS-credits was 6,22 (n = 27; range 5,00-7,00), the scale maximum being 13. Sufficient line spacing and highlighting of important information were among the poorly represented elements. The occurrence of different font-sizes also varied. The most proficiently represented features included headings, contrast and the usage of upper and lower case in text. The PLs included in the content-analysis contained references to the elderly in all cases except one (n = 35). The references were categorized to general warnings, side effects and dose recommendations. They were in line with the information targeted to HCPs, but relatively short and often inadequate. Most PLs did not give an adequate overall picture of the medicine use among the elderly. The PLs for benzodiazepines need to be improved from the elderly perspective both in terms of information content and usability. Attention both from the medicine authorities and the pharmaceutical industry is required. Alternatively, separate drug-specific information leaflets for the elderly may be developed.
Now showing items 2340-2359 of 32623