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Toxoplasma gondii on alkueläin, joka pystyy elämään parasiittina useimmissa lämminverisissä eläimissä, myös ihmisessä, sekä linnuissa ja matelijoissa. Vain kissaeläimissä tapahtuu toksooplasman suvullistalisääntymistä. Tässä tutkimuksessa pyrittiin kartoittamaan toksoplasma-infektion yleisyyttä suomalaisissa kisasoissa vasta-ainemäärityksen avulla. Näytteiksi kerättiin seerumia 141:ltä kissalta. Näytteet tutkittiin toksoplasma-spesifisten IgG-vasta-aineidenvaralta suoralla agglutinatiotestillä. Lisäksi kerättiin 110ulostenäytettä, joista etsittiin T. gondii-ovokystiasedimentaatiomenetelmällä. Aineisto oli peräisin pääasiassa löytökissoista. Toksoplasma-seroprevalenssiksi kokoaineistossa saatiin 44,7 %. Positiiviset tulokset esiintyivät useimmin vanhoilla (> 5v.) uroskissoilla. Myös naaraiden aineistossa prevalenssi kohosi iän myötä. Toksoplasman kaltaisia ovokystia löytyi yhdestä kymmenen kissan yhteisnäytteestä.

Tämä lisensiaatin tutkielma sisältää kirjallisuuskatsauksen ja kokeellisen osuuden, jossa tutkittiin suomalaisten kanien Toxoplasma gondii IgG-vasta-aine-esiintyvyyttä. Toxoplasma gondii on solunsisäinen alkueläin, joka kuuluu Apicomplexa-jakson Sarcocystiidae-heimoon. Lisääntymisessä on sekä suvuton että suvullinen vaihe. Suvullinen vaihe tapahtuu vain pääisännässä, kissaeläimessä, ja sen tuloksena syntyvä ookysta kehittyy sopivissa olosuhteissa isännän ulkopuolella infektiiviseksi muodoksi eli sporuloituneeksi ookystaksi. Väli-isäntänä voi toimia mikä tahansa tasalämpöinen eläin, ihminen ja kani mukaan luettuna. Kanin tartunta on usein oireeton, joten terveellä kanilla voi olla T. gondii -vasta-aineita. Kliinisessä muodossa esiintyy esimerkiksi kuumetta, syömättömyyttä, painonlaskua ja ripulia. Lisäksi voi esiintyä neurologisia oireita, kuten lihasvärinää ja ataksiaa. Kliiniset oireet ovat epäspesifiset eikä niiden perusteella voi tehdä diagnoosia. Diagnoosi voidaan tehdä serologisilla, biologisilla tai histologisilla menetelmillä sekä näiden yhdistelmällä. Lemmikkikanien toksoplasma-vasta-aineiden esiintyvyyttä ei ole aiemmin tutkittu Suomessa ja muuallakin maailmassa on tehty vain muutama tutkimus aiheesta. Esiintyvyyden tutkiminen on tärkeää, jotta saadaan käsitys tartunnan yleisyydestä Suomessa. Ulkomaisissa tutkimuksissa usealla oireettomalla kanilla on esiintynyt toksoplasma-vasta-aineita. Oireettoman tartunnan saaneen kanin käyttäminen jalostukseen voi aiheuttaa poikasille toksoplasmoosista johtuvia ongelmia. Oireettomat lihakanit voivat toimia tartunnanlähteenä ihmisille. Lisäksi neurologisten oireiden ja silmäsairauksien taustalla voi olla toksoplasmoosi. Aiemmin tehdyt prevalenssitutkimukset keskittyvät lihakaneihin, sillä lihakanien kasvatus on yleistä useissa maissa ja mahdollisesta tartuntariskistä ollaan kiinnostuneita. Euroopassa lemmikkikaneja on tutkittu vain Tsekissä vuonna 2010, jolloin vasta-aine-esiintyvyydeksi saatiin 19,2%. Hypoteesimme oli, että Suomessa esiintyvyys olisi noin puolet tästä (10%), sillä Suomen ilmasto-olosuhteet eivät ole yhtä hyvät ookystien säilymiselle tai kanien ulkoilulle ja täten ookystille altistumiselle. Näytteinä oli 290 kesykanin seeruminäytettä, joista 271 oli kerätty aiemmin ELL Johanna Mäkitaipaleen väitöskirjatyön yhteydessä ja 19 oli diagnostisia näytteitä. Suurin osa tutkituista kaneista oli lemmikkikaneja ja loput lihakaneja, joita kasvatettiin pienimuotoisesti samankaltaisissa oloissa kuin lemmikkikaneja. Kanien omistajat täyttivät kyselylomakkeen, jossa kysyttiin kanien hoidosta ja olosuhteista. Näytteet tutkittiin kaupallisella suoralla agglutinaatiotestillä (Toxo-Screen DA), jolla määritetään IgG-luokan T. gondii -vasta-aineita. Näytteistä 10 oli positiivisia, jolloin prevalenssiksi saatiin 3,45%. Tämä on huomattavasti hypoteesiamme ja aiempia ulkomaisia tutkimuksia alhaisempi tulos. Tulos osoittaa, että toksoplasma-vasta-aineita ei esiinny Suomessa kaneilla yhtä paljon kuin lemmikki- ja lihakaneilla muualla maailmassa.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to create an educational video, which portrays how to sew a t- shirt, so that with the support of the video students would be able to learn the pro-cess independently. Theoretical basis for developing was formed on the concepts of learn-ing of skills, self-determination and video learning material. Learning of skills is strongly practice-based, led by an example given by a skilled maker (teacher). Self-determination theory is -- agency Methodology Making of the thesis was guided by the principles of design-based research. A developing team consisting of the author of this thesis and a textile craft teacher, whose students would also test and use the material, carried out the design project. To determine usability, sev-enth grade students tested the created video. Data collected consisted of careful documen-tation of the whole design process. Methods of documentation include notes of design meetings, interviews, and notes made while observing testing. Collected data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The design process and results were described in chronological order in a so-called development depiction. Results and conclusions The project fortified the understanding that well designed video as such is not enough to serve all students. Therefore the implementation of the video should be considered early in the process. Now only those students who were already capable of independent work were able to benefit from the video. Nonetheless, as such the video made the teacher’s work easier, and the students working with the video were able to advance in their work.

Trace element analysis is a useful tool for the study of migration and migratory connectivity in birds. Trace elements are present in the environment and, through the food chain, can be incorporated into tissues such as growing feathers. Since the concentrations of elements remain stable after the feather has stopped growing, and trace element abundances can vary at very small geographical scales, the concentration of trace elements in feathers can provide information on the location where a feather was moulted. Trace element analysis is still rarely used and there are important gaps in our understanding of how trace elements can vary at different organizational levels such as within a feather, between individuals or even between species. It is also not clear if large-scale geographical patterns can be detected by the method, as trace element concentrations can vary a lot even at small scales, which could make it impossible to see larger-scale patterns. To address that, my objectives were (1) analysing the variability of trace element concentrations within feathers, between individuals and between species and (2) determining whether trace element levels differed in feathers grown in Africa compared to feathers grown in Europe. This would shed insight on the suitability of trace element analysis for the study of migration and migratory connectivity. I analysed the concentration of 18 trace elements in the rachis of feathers from willow warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus) and barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) collected in Finland. I plucked three belly feathers from willow warblers collected in spring, whose feathers had grown in Africa. These feathers were used to analyse variability of trace element concentrations within feathers and between individuals. They were also compared to feathers plucked from barn swallows collected in spring (two feathers per bird) to analyse variability between the feathers of two species that winter in the same region. Finally, African-grown feathers of willow warblers were compared to European-grown feathers of willow warblers collected in autumn (two feathers per bird) to look for differences in trace element concentrations in feathers grown on two different continents. Trace element concentrations were analysed using Laser-Ablation Inductively-Coupled-Plasma Mass-Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), which allowed to measure concentration at hundreds to thousands of points along the feather rachis. The concentration of each of the 18 elements was used as the response variable in linear mixed models (LMM). To model variation in concentration within the feather I used location along the feather rachis as the explanatory variable and explored how well it predicted concentration of each element. To compare variation between feathers and individuals I fit models including and excluding the feather and individual that each measurement belonged to as random effects and compared them using AIC. To compare between willow warbler and barn swallow feathers grown in Africa I included species identity as the explanatory variable and looked at how the concentration of the 18 elements differed between them. Finally, I followed the same approach to compare willow warbler feathers moulted in Africa and in Europe. For most elements there was little variation along the feather rachis, with concentration remaining stable from feather base to tip. Zn and S showed an increase in concentration starting at the feather base until the central part of the feather and then remained constant toward the tip. Feathers belonging to the same individual showed mostly similar trace element concentrations, although there were exceptions and differences between feathers of different willow warbler individuals were also little. 10 out of 18 elements showed significant differences in feathers of willow warblers and barn swallows grown in Africa. Eight of those elements were more abundant in willow warbler feathers, while only two were more abundant in barn swallow feathers.12 out of 18 elements showed significant differences between their level in African-grown feathers and European-grown feathers. Of those, 10 elements showed higher levels in African-grown feathers, while only two were higher in European-grown feathers. My results suggest that trace elements can show variation at different organizational levels. Variability within feathers was important in at least two elements, which could be caused by physiological processes. This means that when designing sample collection for trace element analysis, unless we know that an element does not vary along a feather, it is important to consider which part of feathers we are sampling. Variability between feathers and individuals was lower than within feather variability, but still significant. Future studies should account for possible within and between individual differences in their design. Differences between barn swallows and willow warblers were large, which was expected based on the literature. It is still unknown what drives these differences between species: some explanations suggested have been physiological and dietary differences or differences in their habitats. I also found clear differences between feathers of willow warblers grown in Europe and Africa. While the exact cause is still not known, this means that at least in willow warbler feathers it is possible to study large scale geographical patterns by trace element analysis. LA-ICP-MS has potential to be a powerful tool to study migration and migratory connectivity in birds. It allows to detect variation in trace elements at continental scales while also allowing to control for different levels of variability in the study design. I encourage researchers to adopt its use in their research.

In my master’s thesis, I have examined Saxo’s portrayal of the warrior culture of the Vikings in his work of history, Gesta Danorum. Even though the source value of Saxo’s work regarding the Viking past has been questioned by many scholars, I have argued for Gesta Danorum’s potential as a source of the warrior culture of the Vikings. In fact, the connection between Saxo’s accounts and the historical research made on the Viking past is quite striking. References to the Viking-age mentalities, practices and beliefs are both numerous and diverse. As I have sought to demonstrate in my work, the warrior culture of the Vikings emerges from various themes, covering the traits of the warriors along with their pagan ways, the notions of masculinity and the idea of warrior women, the conceptions of honour, revenge and death as well as the definitions of an honourable combat. The militarism of Saxo’s warriors mirrors the typical characterization of the Viking Age as a violent period. In Gesta, military activities, such as war campaigns, military training and warlike achievements are at the centre of the narrative. In fact, Saxo’s descriptions of the traits of the male warriors and their activities resonate with the current scholarly appreciation of the Viking communities. Interestingly, the pagan elements in the work are also clearly perceptible. Several of Saxo’s kings and warriors have associations with Odin and the pagan tradition. Furthermore, Saxo introduces more specialized groups of warriors, berserks and the wielders of magic, who have close connections to the Vikings’ pagan past. As to Gesta’s warrior women and women with masculine qualities, I argue that there may be more to read about their characters than it has previously been observed. In the light of the recent historical and archaeological research, it is possible to argue that Viking-age societies may have respected masculine qualities both in men and women, even though the more traditional female role was relevant and appreciated. Of this, Gesta serves as a versatile testimony, describing numerous women leading a warrior’s life and participating in masculine domains. In addition to these themes, there are many more Viking aspects in Gesta that have not received much attention, such as the conceptions of honour and rightful revenge. Gesta is filled with the examples of blood feuds as well as the reasons behind them and their severe aftermaths. The Viking views on death and the afterlife are also presented, including descriptions of the Viking funerary rites and the ideas related to them. In fact, Gesta serves as an illustrative source of the conceptions the Vikings had of an honourable, warrior’s death. Viking mentalities are further represented in Saxo’s definitions of an honourable combat, as he goes through different rules, battle tactics and types of combat, such as duelling.

This study explores the interconnections between dance and geography. The main research questions are: 1. How can dance locate black feminist geographies? 2. What is the role of embodied expression in black feminist geographies? An essential part of this study is to consider dance as an opening of geographical knowledge and new ways of being. The embodied nature of dance and black feminisms will be analyzed. This study is both theoretical and empirical, but the methodological emphasis is on the theoretical discussion.Empirical material was gathered in Brazil using qualitative methods, 6 interviews were conducted with female dancers from Olinda, Brazil. The empirical material of two dances is discussed along with the theoretical frame and more closely in the final chapter. The results of this study were that dance works as an embodied practice of expression which brings black feminist geographies into being through movement. Dance forms a liminal space, which connects the body with material and physical space in time and space through embodiment. Dance can work as a spatial practice to elude power structures and form agency. The study is structured as follows. First, I will introduce the research questions and fieldwork, followed by the theoretical framework, and finally I will conclude with analysis on how dance can trace black feminist geographies.

The purpose of my study was to trace primary school students’ socio-digital activities ranging from ordinary to more advanced practices across informal and formal contexts. I examined young people’s socio-digital learning ecology, the intensity and complexity of socio-digital participation (SDP) and the socio-digital competences associated with technologies preferred by both girls and boys. By relying on Ito and colleagues’ Gen-res of Participation, I distinguished friendship-driven and interest-driven practices in informal settings. My study extends these genres to consider also the socio-digital activities under advanced instructional settings in accordance with Connected Learning. The data were collected during academic year 2016-2017 from four primary schools in the capital area of Helsinki, Finland. Total of 296 students, 5th (n=164), 6th (n=76) and 7th (n=56) grade students (136 girls and 160 boys) responded to Socio-Digital Participation Inventory (SDP2.0). In each school, a group of teachers and their students took part in co-invention (STEAM) projects that use digital fabrication technologies for bringing elements of maker culture to schools; the data were collected before implementing the maker projects. Many of the teachers were involved in digital innovation activities organized by Innokas Network (https://globalinnokas.com/) and, thereby, enacted more sophisticated socio-digital practices in their class-rooms than Finnish schools in general. The intensity of socio-digital participation (SDP2.0) was measured with 48 items elaborated by relying on earlier studies. The instrument used Likert-type scale from 1=never to 7=all the time for examining how often participants use various digital technologies. Socio-digital competences were measured with 15 items by asking how well young people master certain technology-mediated practices. Items were measured with Likert scale form 1=not at all to 5=very fluently. I conducted the statistical analyses using R. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to construct both students’ Socio-digital Learning Ecology (WLS with Oblimin rotation) and to compose the dimensions for their Socio-digital Competences (MinRes with Promax rotation). The latter were conceptualized as 1) Academic Socio-digital Competences, 2) Artistic Socio-digital Competences and 3) Technical Socio-digital Competences. The factors of Socio-digital Participation were then subjected to Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) as clustering variables to create Socio-Digital Participation Profiles, which were further conceptualized as 1) Hanging out participators, 2) Messing around participators and 3) Geeking out participators. Finally, students’ Socio-digital competences, composed by EFA, were analysed as a function of gender and SDP profiles using two-way factorial ANOVA. None of the analyses revealed any interaction effects. Participation profiles had statistically significant main effects on each competence dimension: Geeking out participators had evaluated their competences higher compared to other two groups and Messing around participators higher than Hanging out participators, as confirmed by post hoc (Scheffé) group comparisons. Gender had analogous main effects on Artistic and Technical Socio-digital competences according to which girls saw themselves as more competent with Artistic technologies and boys with Technical aspects of digital technologies. In average, the students of the present sample participated more frequently in messing around and geeking out activities in school compared to corresponding informal practices, if the recreational gaming is opted out. Regarding the participation profiles, there were no differences between girls and boys while with respect to self-reported socio-digital competences; girls saw themselves as more competent with artistic and boys with technical aspects of digital technologies. Consequently, I concluded that innovative and technology-motivated teachers may promote a more equal socio-digital participation and build of young people’s 21st century skills through digital-pedagogical practices that are attractive both for girls and boys

The objective of this study was to examine the tracking of serum cholesterol and lipoprotein levels from birth to the age of 20 years. The study was performed from a unique material of 200 healthy children, whose serum cholesterol and lipoprotein levels were examined at birth and at the ages of 12 months, 5 years, 11 years and 20 years. No previous study has had such a long follow-up time with the same individuals examined repeatedly at the same ages. The extent to which an individual maintains his position relative to the rest of the population is called tracking. Significant tracking of serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol appeared at the age of 12 months and it became stronger with age. Triglycerides showed no significant tracking. High total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels tended to be lower at next examination. However, extremely high total cholesterol values showed strong tracking.

Exporting abroad is relatively rare activity. Only large, high productive firms with high-quality goods are involved in international trade. Self-selection effect drives high productive firms with high quality goods to export, less productive firms with lower-quality products serve only domestic market, and non-profitable firms with quality lower than domestic cutoff quality level exit the market immediately. Resource reallocation shifts skilled labor from manufacturing to R&D sector when less productive firms exit the markets. R&D-based endogenous growth model presented here assumes that all firms face same ex-ante probability to survive and zero probability of default. After paying learning costs firms occur own quality level and decide whether to enter markets or not. Trade liberalization extend the size of market and gives opportunities to efficient firms become exportes. Analysis of the model concludes that trade has ambiguous effects on the long-run growth. Freer trade increases knowledge spillovers and has pro-growth effect. However, trade liberalization increases domestic cutoff quality level and consequently R&D costs in innovation sector. Increasing expected sunk costs decrease motivation to innovate and therefore also slow down investments in R&D sector. Increase in effective discounted rate also decreases expected discounted benefits and has negative effect on growth rate. Consequently, a move from autarky to trade has ambiguous effects on the long-run growth and on average global quality level. Model presented here is based on research paper written by Dinopoulos and Unel, 2011: Quality Heterogeneity and Global Economic Growth.