Traditional patterns and textures as values for meaningful automatization in music

This contribution focuses on the accelerated loss of traditional sound patterning in music, parallel to the exponential loss of linguistic and cultural variety in a world increasingly 'globalized' by market policies and economic liberalization, in which scientific or technical justification plays a crucial role. As a suggestion to an alternative trend, composers and music theorists are invited to explore the world of design and patterning by grammar rules from non-dominant cultures, and to make an effort to understand their contextual usage and its transformation, in order to appreciate their symbolism and aesthetic depth. Practical examples are provided.

Oral health and menopause

Hormone therapy (HT) is widely used to relieve climacteric symptoms in order to increase the well-being of the women. The benefits as well as side-effects of HT are well documented. The principal menopausal oral symptoms are dry mouth (DM) and sensation of painful mouth (PM) due to various causes. Profile studies have indicated that HT users are more health-conscious than non-users. The hypothesis of the present study was that there are differences in oral health between woman using HT and those not using HT. A questionnaire study of 3173 women of menopausal age (50-58 years old) was done to investigate the prevalence of self-assessed sensations of PM and DM. Of those women participating in the questionnaire study, a random sample of 400 (200 using, 200 not using HT) was examined clinically in a 2-year follow-up study. Oral status was recorded according to WHO methods using DMFT and CPITN indices. The saliva flows were measured, salivary total protein, albumin and immunoglobulin concentrations and selected periodontal micro-organisms were analysed, and panoramic tomography of the jaws was taken. The patients filled in a structured questionnaire on their systemic health, medication and health habits. According to our questionnaire study there was no significant difference in the occurrence of self- assessed PM or DM between the HT users and non-users. According to logistic regression analyses, climacteric complaints significantly correlated with the occurrence of PM (p=0.000) and DM (p=0.000) irrespective of the use of HT, indicating that PM and DM are associated with climacteric symptoms in general. There was no difference between the groups in DMFT index values at follow up. The number of filled teeth (FT) showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in the HT group at follow-up. Periodontitis was diagnosed in 79% of HT users at baseline and in 71% at the follow-up. The values for non-HT users were 80% vs. 76%, respectively (Ns.). The mean numbers of ≥ 6 mm deep periodontal pockets were 0.9 ± 1.7 at baseline vs. 1.1 ± 2.1 two years later in the HT group, and 1.0 ± 1.7 vs. 1.2 ± 1.9, respectively, in the non-HT group. In a large Finnish national health survey, the prevalence of peridontitis of women of this age group was lower, but the prevalence of severe periodontitis seemed to be higher than in our study. Salivary albumin, IgG and IgM concentrations decreased in the HT group during the 2-year follow up (p<0.05), possibly indicating an improvement in epithelial integrity. No difference was found in any other salivary parameters or in the prevalence of the periodontal bacteria between or within the groups. In conclusion, the present findings showed that 50 to 58 year old women living in Helsinki have fairly good oral and dental health. The occurrence of PM and DM seemed to be associated with climacteric symptoms in general, and the use of HT did not affect the oral symptoms studied.

Tyttöjen kesken : Monikulttuurisuus ja sukupuolten tasa-arvo nuorisotyössä.

Among Girls Youth Work, Multiculturalism and Gender Equality Finland s increasingly multicultural society concerns younger generations in a very particular manner. Starting already in pre-school kindergartens, children from different cultural backgrounds share their everyday existence. The focus of this study is Finland s increasingly multicultural society that has challenged youth work professionals in particular and made them rethink questions related to content, basic values and goals of youth work. These reconsiderations include the following essential questions: which of these pedagogic principles are defined as Finnish, and under what kinds of circumstances would the youth workers be ready to negotiate about them. These questions, which are related to multiculturalism, are then linked to the girls position, status and gender equality. The research examines how gender equality is articulated in relation to multiculturalism and vice versa, in what contexts youth work-related questions are negoatiated in, and how these negotiations then relate to gender issues. The present study combines theoretical concepts and debates from both post-colonial and youth research, and has benefited greatly from previous research which has examined the everyday lives of young people with multicultural backgrounds and conceptualised the different meanings of age, ethnicity, culture and gender. Neither multiculturalism nor gender equality is, however, taken as a given concept in this study; rather the research focuses on how youth workers understand and define these concepts and how they are used. The emphasis has been on monitoring the varying consequences of different understandings and definitions in terms of everyday work and practices. The goal of this study has been to find typical ways of conceptualising multiculturalism, gender equality and the role of girls in the context of youth work. The focus of the research is not just the youth workers different views but also the notions of the girls themselves. These are then further analysed by examining the ways the girls negotiate their agency. Examples of how the girls agency is defined and the different forms of agency that are offered to the girls within the context of leisure time activities and youth work have been sought. The kind of agency the girls then assume is also examined. The data in this research is comprised of interviews with young people with multicultural backgrounds (n=39), youth workers (n=42) and of ethnographic fieldwork (2003 2005). The fieldwork concentrated on following different types of youth work activities that were targeted at girls with migrant backgrounds. These were organized both by selected municipalities and NGOs. The research shows that various questions related to multicultural issues have enhanced the visibility of gender equality in the field of youth work. The identification of gender-based inequality is especially closely linked to the position of girls from migrant backgrounds. These girls are a source of particular worry and the aim of the many activity groups for migrant girls is to educate them so that they can become equal Finnish citizens . The youth work itself is seen as gender-neutral and equality based. Equality in this context is defined as a purely quantitative concept, and the solution to any possible inequalities is thus the exact same treatment for everyone . The girls themselves seem mainly confused by the role that is offered to them. They would need a voice and the possibility to have an impact on the planning of youth work activities. They want to have their views heard. The role of the victim assigned to them is very confining and makes it difficult to act. At the same time the research shows how gender-sensitive youth work is seen to mean youth work with girls. Gender-sensitive work with boys is not really done or is done very little, even if many of the interviewees are of the opinion that the true materialization of gender equality would require boys to be taken into account too. The principle of gender equality should be shared by the entire youth work profession. Keywords Youth work, equality, multiculturalism, gender sensitivity, agency, girls, young people, sexuality

Avoimesti sitoutuneena : Lähetystyö kristillisessä kasvatuksessa ja vapaaehtoistyössä

In this study the junction of Christian mission, Christian education and voluntary work are examined in the Christian student voluntary association Opiskelijain Lähetysliitto (OL), which is the Finnish successor to the Student Volunteer Movement. The main subjects are the structure and content of the mission education as one aspect of Lutheran education and the reasons for expressing the mission interest through voluntary work. The research questions are as follows: What kind of organization has the OL been? What has mission education been like in the OL? Why have the former chairpersons participated in the OL? How have purposiveness and intentionality arisen among the former chairpersons? The study is empirical despite having a historical and retrospective view, since the OL is explored during the period 1972 2000. The data consists of the OL s annual reports, membership applications (N=629) and interviews of all 25 former chairmen. Data is analysed by qualitative and quantitative content analysis in a partly inductive and partly deductive manner. The pedagogical framework arises from situational learning theory (Lave - Wenger 1991), which was complemented with the criteria for meaningful learning (Jonassen 1995), the octagon model of volunteer motivation (Yeung 2004) and the definitions of intentionality and purposiveness in the theory of teachers pedagogical thinking (Kansanen et al. 2000). The analysis of the archive data showed that the activities of the OL are reminiscent of those of the missions of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church congregations. The biggest difference was that all OL participants were young adults, the age group that is the greatest challenge to the Church. The OL is therefore an interesting context in which to explore mission education and mission interest. The key result of the study was the forming of a model of mission educa-tion. The model has three educational components: values, goals and methods. The gist of the model is formed by the goals. The main goal is the arousing and strengthening of mission interest which has emotional, cognitive and practical aspects. The subgoals create the horizontal vertical and inward outward dimensions of the model, which are the metalevels of mission education. The subgoals reveal that societal and religious education may embody a missionary dimension when they are understood as missionary training. Further, a distinction between mission education and missionary training was observed. The former emphasizes the main goal of the model and the latter underlines the subgoals. Based on the vertical dimension of the model the study suggests that the definition of religious competence needs to be complemented with missional competence. Reasons for participating in the OL were found to be diverse as noted in other studies on volunteering and motivating factors, and were typical to young people such as the importance of social relations. The study created new motivational themes that occurred in the middle of the continuity newness and the distance proximity dimensions, which were not found in Yeung s research. Mission interest as voluntary work appeared as oriented towards one s own spirituality or towards the social community. On the other hand, mission interest was manifested as intentional education in order to either improve the community or to promote the Christian mission. In the latter case the mission was seen as a purpose in life and as a future profession. Keywords: mission, Christian education, voluntary work, mission education, mission interest, stu-dent movement

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Homogeneous Nucleation

Nucleation is the first step in a phase transition where small nuclei of the new phase start appearing in the metastable old phase, such as the appearance of small liquid clusters in a supersaturated vapor. Nucleation is important in various industrial and natural processes, including atmospheric new particle formation: between 20 % to 80 % of atmospheric particle concentration is due to nucleation. These atmospheric aerosol particles have a significant effect both on climate and human health. Different simulation methods are often applied when studying things that are difficult or even impossible to measure, or when trying to distinguish between the merits of various theoretical approaches. Such simulation methods include, among others, molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. In this work molecular dynamics simulations of the homogeneous nucleation of Lennard-Jones argon have been performed. Homogeneous means that the nucleation does not occur on a pre-existing surface. The simulations include runs where the starting configuration is a supersaturated vapor and the nucleation event is observed during the simulation (direct simulations), as well as simulations of a cluster in equilibrium with a surrounding vapor (indirect simulations). The latter type are a necessity when the conditions prevent the occurrence of a nucleation event in a reasonable timeframe in the direct simulations. The effect of various temperature control schemes on the nucleation rate (the rate of appearance of clusters that are equally able to grow to macroscopic sizes and to evaporate) was studied and found to be relatively small. The method to extract the nucleation rate was also found to be of minor importance. The cluster sizes from direct and indirect simulations were used in conjunction with the nucleation theorem to calculate formation free energies for the clusters in the indirect simulations. The results agreed with density functional theory, but were higher than values from Monte Carlo simulations. The formation energies were also used to calculate surface tension for the clusters. The sizes of the clusters in the direct and indirect simulations were compared, showing that the direct simulation clusters have more atoms between the liquid-like core of the cluster and the surrounding vapor. Finally, the performance of various nucleation theories in predicting simulated nucleation rates was investigated, and the results among other things highlighted once again the inadequacy of the classical nucleation theory that is commonly employed in nucleation studies.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of abdominal organs in cats

The primary aim of this thesis was the evaluation of the perfusion of normal organs in cats using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), to serve as a reference for later clinical studies. Little is known of the use of CEUS in cats, especially regarding its safety and the effects of anesthesia on the procedure, thus, secondary aims here were to validate the quantitative analyzing method, to investigate the biological effects of CEUS on feline kidneys, and to assess the effect of anesthesia on splenic perfusion in cats undergoing CEUS. -- The studies were conducted on healthy, young, purpose-bred cats. CEUS of the liver, left kidney, spleen, pancreas, small intestine, and mesenteric lymph nodes was performed to characterize the normal perfusion of these organs on ten anesthetized, male cats. To validate the quantification method, the effects of placement and size of the region of interest (ROI) on perfusion parameters were investigated using CEUS: Three separate sets of ROIs were placed in the kidney cortex, varying in location, size, or depth. The biological effects of CEUS on feline kidneys were estimated by measuring urinary enzymatic activities, analyzing urinary specific gravity, pH, protein, creatinine, albumin, and sediment, and measuring plasma urea and creatinine concentrations before and after CEUS. Finally, the impact of anesthesia on contrast enhancement of the spleen was investigated by imaging cats with CEUS first awake and later under anesthesia on separate days. -- Typical perfusion patterns were found for each of the studied organs. The liver had a gradual and more heterogeneous perfusion pattern due to its dual blood flow and close proximity to the diaphragm. An obvious and statistically significant difference emerged in the perfusion between the kidney cortex and medulla. Enhancement in the spleen was very heterogeneous at the beginning of imaging, indicating focal dissimilarities in perfusion. No significant differences emerged in the perfusion parameters between the pancreas, small intestine, and mesenteric lymph nodes. -- The ROI placement and size were found to have an influence on the quantitative measurements of CEUS. Increasing the depth or the size of the ROI decreased the peak intensity value significantly, suggesting that where and how the ROI is placed does matter in quantitative analyses. --- A significant increase occurred in the urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) to creatinine ratio after CEUS. No changes were noted in the serum biochemistry profile after CEUS, with the exception of a small decrease in blood urea concentration. The magnitude of the rise in the NAG/creatinine ratio was, however, less than the circadian variation reported earlier in healthy cats. Thus, the changes observed in the laboratory values after CEUS of the left kidney did not indicate any detrimental effects in kidneys. Heterogeneity of the spleen was observed to be less and time of first contrast appearance earlier in nonanesthetized cats than in anesthetized ones, suggesting that anesthesia increases heterogeneity of the feline spleen in CEUS. ---- In conclusion, the results suggest that CEUS can be used also in feline veterinary patients as an additional diagnostics aid. The perfusion patterns found in the imaged organs were typical and similar to those seen earlier in other species, with the exception of the heterogeneous perfusion pattern in the cat spleen. Differences in the perfusion between organs corresponded with physiology. Based on the results, estimation of focal perfusion defects of the spleen in cats should be performed with caution and after the disappearance of the initial heterogeneity, especially in anesthetized or sedated cats. Finally, these results indicate that CEUS can be used safely to analyze kidney perfusion also in cats. Future clinical studies are needed to evaluate the full potential of CEUS in feline medicine as a tool for diagnosing lesions in various organ systems.

Growing up in Affiliation with a Religious Community : A Case Study of Seventh-day Adventist Youth in Finland

This study investigates how the religious community as a socialization context affects the development of young people's religious identity and values, using Finnish Seventh-day Adventism as a context for the case study. The research problem is investigated through the following questions: (1) What aspects support the intergenerational transmission of values and tradition in religious home education? (2) What is the role of social capital and the social networks of the religious community in the religious socialization process? (3) How does the religious composition of the peer group at school (e.g., a denominational school in comparison to a mainstream school) affect these young people s social relations and choices and their religious identity (as challenged versus as reinforced by values at school)? And (4) How do the young people studied negotiate their religious values and religious membership in the diverse social contexts of the society at large? The mixed method study includes both quantitative and qualitative data sets (3 surveys: n=106 young adults, n=100 teenagers, n=55 parents; 2 sets of interviews: n=10 young adults and n=10 teenagers; and fieldwork data from youth summer camps). The results indicate that, in religious home education, the relationship between parents and children, the parental example of a personally meaningful way of life, and encouraging critical thinking in order for young people to make personalized value choices were important factors in socialization. Overall, positive experiences of the religion and the religious community were crucial in providing direction for later choices of values and affiliations. Education that was experienced as either too severe or too permissive was not regarded as a positive influence for accepting similar values and lifestyle choices to those of the parents. Furthermore, the religious community had an important influence on these young people s religious socialization in terms of the commitment to denominational values and lifestyle and in providing them with religious identity and rooting them in the social network of the denomination. The network of the religious community generated important social resources, or social capital, for both the youth and their families, involving both tangible and intangible benefits, and bridging and bonding effects. However, the study also illustrates the sometimes difficult negotiations the youth face in navigating between differentiation and belonging when there is a tension between the values of a minority group and the larger society, and one wants to and does belong to both. It also demonstrates the variety within both the majority and the minority communities in society, as well as the many different ways one can find a personally meaningful way of being an Adventist. In the light of the previous literature about socialization-in-context in an increasingly pluralistic society, the findings were examined at four levels: individual, family, community and societal. These were seen as both a nested structure and as constructing a funnel in which each broader level directs the influences that reach the narrower ones. The societal setting directs the position and operation of religious communities, families and individuals, and the influences that reach the developing children and young people are in many ways directed by societal, communal and family characteristics. These levels are by nature constantly changing, as well as being constructed of different parts, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, each of which alters in significance: for some negotiations on values and memberships the parental influence may be greater, whereas for others the peer group influences are. Although agency does remain somewhat connected to others, the growing youth are gradually able to take more responsibility for their own choices and their agency plays a crucial role in the process of choosing values and group memberships. Keywords: youth, community, Adventism, socialization, values, identity negotiations

How can a Bourdieusian perspective aid the analysis of MBA education?

There is a lack of integrative conceptual models that would help to better understand the underlying reasons for the alleged problems of MBA education. To address this challenge, we draw on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to examine MBA education as an activity with its own ‘economy of exchange’ and ‘rules of the game.’ We argue that application of Bourdieu’s theoretical ideas elucidates three key issues in debate around MBA education: the outcomes of MBA programs, the inculcation of potentially problematic values and practices through the programs, and the potential of self-regulation such as accreditation and ranking for impeding development of MBA education. First, Bourdieu’s notions of capital – intellectual, social and symbolic – shed light on the ‘economy of exchange’ in MBA education. Critics of MBA programs have pointed out that the value of MBA degrees lies not only in ‘learning.’ Bourdieu’s framework allows further analysis of this issue by distinguishing between intellectual (learning), social (social networks), and symbolic capital (credentials and prestige). Second, the concept of ‘habitus’ suggests how values and practices are inculcated through MBA education. This process is often a ‘voluntary’ one where problematic or ethically questionable ideas may be regarded as natural. Third, Bourdieu’s reflections on the ‘doxa’ and its reproduction and legitimation illuminate the role of accreditation and ranking in MBA education. An analysis of such self-regulation explains in part how the system may turn out impeding change.

Cultural differences and postmerger problems: Misconceptions and cognitive simplifications.

Researchers and practitioners have increasingly explained post-merger organizational problems with cultural differences, especially in the context of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. It is suggested here that cultural differences have great explanatory power in the context of post-merger change processes. There are, however, problems with a number of superficial cultural conceptions that are common in research in this area and in managerial rhetoric. This critical article provocatively delineates misconceptions widely held by researchers and practitioners in this field, which not only disregard cultural differentiation, fragmentation, inconsistencies and ambiguities, but further, illustrate a lack of understanding of cultural permeability and embeddedness in the environment, an overemphasis on abstract values and lack of attention to organizational practices, an overemphasis on initial structural differences and lack of attention to the new cultural layer, a lack of recognition of the political dimensions and a failure to recognize cultural differences as sources of value and learning. In this article, the theoretical problems associated with these misconceptions are examined and new conceptual perspectives suggested. The risks at stake for decision makers are also discussed.

Topics in Spatial Econometrics - With Applications to House Prices

Topics in Spatial Econometrics — With Applications to House Prices Spatial effects in data occur when geographical closeness of observations influences the relation between the observations. When two points on a map are close to each other, the observed values on a variable at those points tend to be similar. The further away the two points are from each other, the less similar the observed values tend to be. Recent technical developments, geographical information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) have brought about a renewed interest in spatial matters. For instance, it is possible to observe the exact location of an observation and combine it with other characteristics. Spatial econometrics integrates spatial aspects into econometric models and analysis. The thesis concentrates mainly on methodological issues, but the findings are illustrated by empirical studies on house price data. The thesis consists of an introductory chapter and four essays. The introductory chapter presents an overview of topics and problems in spatial econometrics. It discusses spatial effects, spatial weights matrices, especially k-nearest neighbours weights matrices, and various spatial econometric models, as well as estimation methods and inference. Further, the problem of omitted variables, a few computational and empirical aspects, the bootstrap procedure and the spatial J-test are presented. In addition, a discussion on hedonic house price models is included. In the first essay a comparison is made between spatial econometrics and time series analysis. By restricting the attention to unilateral spatial autoregressive processes, it is shown that a unilateral spatial autoregression, which enjoys similar properties as an autoregression with time series, can be defined. By an empirical study on house price data the second essay shows that it is possible to form coordinate-based, spatially autoregressive variables, which are at least to some extent able to replace the spatial structure in a spatial econometric model. In the third essay a strategy for specifying a k-nearest neighbours weights matrix by applying the spatial J-test is suggested, studied and demonstrated. In the final fourth essay the properties of the asymptotic spatial J-test are further examined. A simulation study shows that the spatial J-test can be used for distinguishing between general spatial models with different k-nearest neighbours weights matrices. A bootstrap spatial J-test is suggested to correct the size of the asymptotic test in small samples.

Personnel Managers and Crisis Situations. Emotion-handling Strategies

This study focuses on personnel managers in crisis situations. The interviewed personnel managers referred to emotions as a central element to be dealt with in a crisis. However, until recently, the exploration of emotions in organisational life has been de-emphasised or ignored. This study aims to bring to the surface aspects of personnel work that have so far been neglected or remained invisible. It specifically examines how personnel managers handle employees’ and their own emotions in a crisis. Based on the interviews, a number of emotional episodes were constructed. They describe the type and context of the crisis and the person(s) whose emotions are handled. The main findings of the study are the five emotion-handling strategies that could be constructed from the data. The negotiation-like manner in which personnel managers handled emotions in crisis situations proved especially interesting. They were actually negotiating emotional value for their organisations. Further, they handled their own emotions within the frame of two logics of appropriateness labelled mothering and guide-following. The episodes described also enabled identification of the values enacted by the personnel managers in handling emotions. The study provides descriptive information on emotion handling, a current and relevant feature in the practice of personnel management. It seeks to offer a frame for developing practical principles that can be helpful in a crisis. It also offers the opportunity to consider a variety of difficult situations that personnel managers may confront in their work.

The Impact of Readily Detected- and Underlying Attributes on Social Integration in Cross-Cultural Settings

The benefits and drawbacks of homogeneity and heterogeneity have been debated at length. Whereas some researchers assert that heterogeneity is beneficial for groups that are engaged in complex problem solving, the other researchers emphasize the potential costs associated with diversity. The inconsistency is a result of the incomplete measurement of diversity and focus one or two types of diversity. Most research concentrates on the readily detected/visible characteristics, making the assumption that such characteristics are related to underlying attributes (e.g., attitudes and values). In many cases, the demographic characteristics do not covary perfectly with the psychological attributes. Thus both types of attributes need to be utilized to fully understand the impact of diversity. The present research with four essays takes into account both types of attributes and tests their impact on social integration in cross-cultural settings. The results indicate that: (1) readily detectable- and underlying attributes are not related; (2) diversity has overall a negative impact on social integration; (3) socio-cultural context potentially influences the salience of diversity; and (4) diversity and social integration influences the formation of social cognition in form of transactive memory directories. The limits of research and managerial implications are discussed.

Volatility Smile Dynamics in Scenario Analysis

The objective of this paper is to suggest a method that accounts for the impact of the volatility smile dynamics when performing scenario analysis for a portfolio consisting of vanilla options. As the volatility smile is documented to change at least with the level of implied at-the-money volatility, a suitable model is here included in the calculation process of the simulated market scenarios. By constructing simple portfolios of index options and comparing the ex ante risk exposure measured using different pricing methods to realized market values, ex post, the improvements of the incorporation of the model are monitored. The analyzed examples in the study generate results that statistically support that the most accurate scenarios are those calculated using the model accounting for the dynamics of the smile. Thus, we show that the differences emanating from the volatility smile are apparent and should be accounted for and that the methodology presented herein is one suitable alternative for doing so.

Bootstrapping the Error Correction Model Cointegration Test

This paper is concerned with using the bootstrap to obtain improved critical values for the error correction model (ECM) cointegration test in dynamic models. In the paper we investigate the effects of dynamic specification on the size and power of the ECM cointegration test with bootstrap critical values. The results from a Monte Carlo study show that the size of the bootstrap ECM cointegration test is close to the nominal significance level. We find that overspecification of the lag length results in a loss of power. Underspecification of the lag length results in size distortion. The performance of the bootstrap ECM cointegration test deteriorates if the correct lag length is not used in the ECM. The bootstrap ECM cointegration test is therefore not robust to model misspecification.