Morphogenesis of Mammalian Endoplasmic Reticulum and Golgi Apparatus throughout the Cell Cycle

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus are organelles that produce, modify and transport proteins and lipids and regulate Ca2+ environment within cells. Structurally they are composed of sheets and tubules. Sheets may take various forms: intact, fenestrated, single or stacked. The ER, including the nuclear envelope, is a single continuous network, while the Golgi shows only some level of connectivity. It is often unclear, how different morphologies correspond to particular functions. Previous studies indicate that the structures of the ER and Golgi are dynamic and regulated by fusion and fission events, cytoskeleton, rate of protein synthesis and secretion, and specific structural proteins. For example, many structural proteins shaping tubular ER have been identified, but sheet formation is much more unclear. In this study, we used light and electron microscopy to study morphological changes of the ER and Golgi in mammalian cells. The proportion, type, location and dynamics of ER sheets and tubules were found to vary in a cell type or cell cycle stage dependent manner. During interphase, ER and Golgi structures were demonstrated to be regulated by p37, a cofactor of the fusion factor p97, and microtubules, which also affected the localization of the organelles. Like previously shown for the Golgi, the ER displayed a tendency for fenestration and tubulation during mitosis. However, this shape change did not result in ER fragmentation as happens to Golgi, but a continuous network was retained. The activity of p97/p37 was found to be important for the reassembly of both organelles after mitosis. In EM images, ER sheet membranes appear rough, since they contain attached ribosomes, whereas tubular membranes appear smooth. Our studies revealed that structural changes of the ER towards fenestrated and tubular direction correlate with loss of ER-bound ribosomes and vice versa. High and low curvature ER membranes have a low and high density of ribosomes, respectively. To conclude, both ER and Golgi architecture depend on fusion activity of p97/p37. ER morphogenesis, particularly of the sheet shape, is intimately linked to the density of membrane bound ribosomes.

Mig eller mej, själ eller sjel? Problem och lösningar vid transkription av svenska sångtexter

Abstract (Mig or mej, själ or sjel? Problems and solutions in the transcription of Swedish song texts): In this article I am pointing out and discussing problems and solutions concerning phonetic transcription of Swedish song texts. My material consists of 66 Swedish songs phonetically transcribed. The transcriptions were published by The Academy of Finnish Art Song in 2009. The first issue was which level of accuracy should be chosen. The transcriptions were created to be clear at a glance and suitable for the needs of interpretation of non Swedish speaking singers. The principle was to use as few signs and symbols as possible without sacrificing accuracy. Certain songs were provided with additional information whenever there was a chance of misinterpretation. The second issue was which geographic variety of the language should be visible in the transcription, Standard Swedish or Finland-Swedish? The songs in the volume are a selection of well-known works that are also of international interest. Most were composed by Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a substantial number of whose songs were based on poems written by Finland’s national poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804–1877). Thus I chose to use the variety of Swedish language spoken in Finland, in order to reflect the cultural origin of the songs. This variety differs slightly from the variety spoken in Sweden both on prosodic and phonetic level. In singing, the note-text gives the interpretor enough information about prosody. The differences concern mostly the phonemes. A fully consequent transcript was, however, difficult to make, due to vocal requirement. So, for example, in an unstressed final syllable the vowel was often indicated as a central vowel, which in singing is given a more direct emphasis than in a literal pronunciation, even if this central vowel does not occur in spoken Finland-Swedish.

Written Cancer Narratives : An Ethnomedical Study of Cancer Patients' Thoughts, Emotions and Experiences

Since the second half of the 20th century, cancer has become a dominant disease in Western countries, endangering people regardless of age, gender, race or social status. Every year almost eight million people die of cancer worldwide. In Finland every fourth person is expected to fall ill with cancer at some stage of his or her life. During the 20th century, along with rapid changes in the medical system, people s awareness of cancer has increased a great deal. This has also influenced the image of cancer in popular discourse over the past decades. However, from the scientific point of view there is still much that is unclear about the disease. This thesis shows that this is a big problem for ordinary people, as, according to culture-bound illness ideology, people need an explanation about the origin of their illness in order to help them cope. The main aim of this thesis is to examine the process of being ill with cancer from the patient s point of view, in order to analyse attitudes and behaviour towards cancer and its significance and culture-bound images. This narrative-based study concentrates on patients voicings , which are important in understanding the cancer experience and when attempting to make it more open within current cultural and societal settings. The Kun sairastuin syöpään ( when I fell ill with cancer ) writing competition organised by Suomen Syöpäpotilaat ry (the Finnish Cancer Patients Association), Suomen Syöpäyhdistys ry (the Finnish Cancer Union), and Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran kansanrunousarkisto (the Finnish Literary Society Folklore Archive) was announced on the 1st of May 1994 and lasted until the 30th of September 1994. As a result, a total of 672 cancer narratives, totalling 6384 pages, were received, filled with experiences relating to cancer. Written cancer narratives form a body of empirical data that is suitable for content or textual analysis. In this thesis, content analysis is adopted in order to become familiar with the texts and to preselect the themes and analytical units for further examination. I use multiple perspectives in order to interpret cancer patients ideas and reasoning. The ethnomedical approach unites popular health beliefs that originated in Finnish folk medicine, as well as connecting alternative medicine, which patients make use of, with biomedicine, the dominant form of medicine today. In addition to this, patients narratives, which are composed of various structural segments, are approached from the folklorist s perspective. In this way they can be seen as short pathographies, reconstructions of self-negotiation and individual decision making during the illness process. Above all, cancer patients writing describe their feelings, thoughts and experiences. Factors that appear insignificant to modern medicine, overwhelmed as it is by medical technologies that concentrate on dysfunctional tissue within diseased bodies. Ethnomedical study of cancer patients writings gives access to the human side of cancer discourse, and combines both medical, and popular, knowledge of cancer. In my view, the natural world and glimpses of tradition are bound together with one general aim within cancer narratives: to tackle the illness and mediate its meanings. Furthermore, the narrative approach reveals that participants write with the hope of offering a different interpretation of the cancer experience, and thus of confronting culturally pre-defined images and ideologies.

Words as Events : Cretan Mantinádes in Performance and Composition

Words as Events introduces the tradition of short, communicative rhyming couplets, the mantinádes, which are still sung and recited in a variety of performance situations on the island of Crete. The local focus on communicative economy and artistry is further examined in an in-depth analysis of the processes and ideals of composition. Short genres of oral poetry have been widely neglected in folklore research; however, their demand for structural and semantic coherence as well as their dialogic nature appeals to very different human needs from those of the longer poems. In contemporary Crete, poems also appear in written contexts, they are submitted to modern mass media, and people widely exchange them as text messages. By striving to understand the tradition during a period of change, this study analyzes the larger principles that ground the communication, self-expression and creativity in the genre. The aim of this research is thus twofold: to present this specific register of dialogic oral poetry as well as to create a theoretical approach sensitive to the creativity of such short registers. The study is based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Crete between the years 1997 2009. An important aspect of the methodology was to create long-term ties with a number of key-informants who composed mantinádes. The interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological basis for this analysis is in the contemporary Finnish and international research on oral poetry and on anthropological research on communicative speech genres. These theoretical insights are extended by addressing questions of spontaneity and individual agency. Since mantinádes are at the same time a model for composition and a reserve of poems in fixed form, the aesthetics and objectives of performance and composition are also plural. In a traditional singing event, the basic motivation for the singers is to provide a meaningful contribution to a selected theme, which is the shared topic of the poetic dialogue. Consequently, similar topics giving rise to poetic associations can be encountered during various moments of everyday life: the dialogic nature is embodied in the tradition to such degree that it also arises in the performances and composition of single poems and outside of any institutionalized performance arenas. Therefore, as this study discusses in detail, even the apparently non-contextualized poems recited between locals or occurring in the contemporary mass media arenas, are understood and evaluated as utterances that provide an individual perspective within a certain dialogue.

Hiekkatympösen (Hebeloma cylindrosporum) L-aminohappo-oksidaasi -geenin eristäminen

Pohjoisella havumetsävyöhykkeellä typpi on usein kasvien kasvua rajoittava tekijä. Metsämaan typpivarannot koostuvat pääasiassa orgaaniseen ainekseen sitoutuneista typpiyhdisteistä, erityisesti aminohapoista. Ektomykorritsasienet osallistuvat metsämaassa tapahtuvaan typenkiertoon hajottamalla orgaanisia typpiyhdisteitä ja kuljettamalla niitä kasvien käytettäväksi. Sienisolun sisällä tapahtuvasta aminohappojen mineralisaatiosta tiedetään toistaiseksi melko vähän. Aminohappo-oksidaasit katalysoivat aminohappojen mineralisaatiota. Eräissä ektomykorritsaa muodostavien kantasienten suvuissa on osoitettu L-aminohappo-oksidaaseja (LAO). Toistaiseksi LAO-geeniä ei tunneta kantasienistä. Työssä kuvattiin ensimmäistä kertaa LAO-geeni kantasienistä. Hiekkatympösen LAO1- geenin cDNA:n 5´ ja 3´ päiden emäsjärjestykset määritettiin RACE-PCR -menetelmällä, josta saatujen sekvenssien perusteella suunniteltiin alukkeet koko geenin cDNA:n ja genomisen DNA:n monistamiseksi. Genomisen DNA ja cDNA -sekvenssien perusteella määritettiin hiekkatympösen LAO1-geenin rakenne. Hiekkatympösen LAO1-geeni koostuu viidestä eksonista ja neljästä intronista. Hiekkatympösen LAO1-geenin yläpuoliselta alueelta löydettiin typpimetabolian säätelyyn osallistuvan proteiinin sitoutumiskohta. LAO1-geeniä edeltävä geenin osittainen genominen DNA-sekvenssi määritettiin. Kangaslohisienen genomissa LAO1-geeniä edeltävä geeni oli ennustettu pyruvaattidekarboksylaasiksi. Lisäksi työssä määritettiin hiekkatympösen toisen LAOhomologin cDNA:n osittainen emäsjärjestys. Työssä tunnistettiin myös toisen kantasienen, kangaslohisienen, LAO-geeni. LAO-geeniksi tunnistettu kangaslohisienen geenimalli oli aiemmin ennustettu NCBI:n tietokannassa toiminnaltaan tuntemattomaksi proteiiniksi. Proteiinien sukupuun perusteella hiekkatympösen ja kangaslohisienen LAO:n kantamuoto on kahdentunut. Työstä saatu tutkimustulos tuo täysin uutta tietoa molekyylibiologian tasolla ektomykorritsasienten aminohappojen katabolisista reaktioista. Aminohappojen mineralisaation seurauksen muodostuneet ammoniumionit saattavat olla merkittävä typen lähde myös maan muille mikrobeille ja kasveille. On mahdollista, että ektomykorritsasienten LAO-entsyymi on yksi merkittävä tekijä metsämaan typenkierrossa.

Functions of Alphavirus Macrodomain-containing protein nsP3

Alphaviruses are positive strand RNA viruses that replicate in association with cellular membranes. The viral RNA replication complex consists of four non-structural proteins nsP1-nsP4 which are essential for viral replication. The functions of nsP1, nsP2 and nsP4 are well established, but the roles of nsP3 are mainly unknown. In this work I have clarified some of the functions of nsP3 in order to better understand the importance of this protein in virus replication. Semliki Forest virus (SFV) has been mostly used as a model alphavirus during this work, but some experiments have also been conducted with Sindbis and Chikungunya viruses. NsP3 is composed of three different protein domains. The N-terminus of nsP3 contains an evolutionarily conserved macrodomain, the central part of nsP3 contains a domain that is only found in alphaviruses, and the C-terminus of the protein is hypervariable and predicted to be unstructured. In this work I have analyzed the functions of nsP3 macrodomain, and shown that viral macrodomains bind poly(ADP-ribose) and that they do not resemble cellular macrodomains in their properties. Furthermore, I have shown that some macrodomains, including viral macrodomains of SFV and hepatitis E virus, also bind poly(A). Mutations in the ligand binding pocket of SFV macrodomain hamper virus replication but do not confer lethality, indicating that macrodomain function is beneficial but not mandatory for virus replication. The hypervariable C-terminus of nsP3 is heavily phosphorylated and is enriched in proline residues. In this work it is shown that this region harbors an SH3 domain binding motif (Sh3BM) PxRxPR through which cellular amphiphysin is recruited to viral replication sites and to nsP3 containing cytoplasmic aggregate structures. The function of Sh3BM was destroyed by a single point mutation, which led to impaired viral RNA replication in HeLa cells, pointing out the functional importance of amphiphysin recruitment by the Sh3BM. In addition, evidence is provided tho show that the endosomal localization of alphavirus replication is mediated by nsP3 and that the phosphorylation of hypervariable region might be important for the endosomal targeting. Together these findings demonstrate that nsP3 contains multiple important host interaction motifs and domains, which facilitate successful viral propagation in host cells.

Power and Distribution Network Structure in the People's Republic of China - The Case of an Inland City in Transition

The aim of the current study is to examine the influence of the channel external environment on power, and the effect of power on the distribution network structure within the People’s Republic of China. Throughout the study a dual research process was applied. The theory was constructed by elaborating the main theoretical premises of the study, the channel power theories, the political economy framework and the distribution network structure, but these marketing channel concepts were expanded with other perspectives from other disciplines. The main method applied was a survey conducted among 164 Chinese retailers, complemented by interviews, photographs, observations and census data from the field. This multi-method approach enabled not only to validate and triangulate the quantitative results, but to uncover serendipitous findings as well. The theoretical contribution of the current study to the theory of marketing channels power is the different view it takes on power. First, earlier power studies have taken the producer perspective, whereas the current study also includes a distributor perspective to the discussion. Second, many power studies have dealt with strongly dependent relationships, whereas the current study examines loosely dependent relationships. Power is dependent on unequal distribution of resources rather than based on high dependency. The benefit of this view is in realising that power resources and power strategies are separate concepts. The empirical material of the current study confirmed that at least some resources were significantly related to power strategies. The study showed that the dimension resources composed of technology, know-how and knowledge, managerial freedom and reputation was significantly related to non-coercive power. Third, the notion of different outcomes of power is a contribution of this study to the channels power theory even though not confirmed by the empirical results. Fourth, it was proposed that channel external environment other than the resources would also contribute to the channel power. These propositions were partially supported thus providing only partial contribution to the channel power theory. Finally, power was equally distributed among the different types of actors. The findings from the qualitative data suggest that different types of retailers can be classified according to the meaning the actors put into their business. Some are more business oriented, for others retailing is the only way to earn a living. The findings also suggest that in some actors both retailing and wholesaling functions emerge, and this has implications for the marketing channels structure.

Interrelations between Dry Eye Syndrome and Tear Fluid Phospholipid Transfer Protein

The simplified model of human tear fluid (TF) is a three-layered structure composed of a homogenous gel-like layer of hydrated mucins, an aqueous phase, and a lipid-rich outermost layer found in the tear-air interface. It is assumed that amphiphilic phospholipids are found adjacent to the aqueous-mucin layer and externally to this a layer composed of non-polar lipids face the tear-air interface. The lipid layer prevents evaporation of the TF and protects the eye, but excess accumulation of lipids may lead to drying of the corneal epithelium. Thus the lipid layer must be controlled and maintained by some molecular mechanisms. In the circulation, phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediate lipid transfers. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the presence and molecular mechanisms of lipid transfer proteins in human TF. The purpose was also to study the role of these proteins in the development of dry eye syndrome (DES). The presence of TF PLTP and CETP was studied by western blotting and mass spectrometry. The concentration of these proteins was determined by ELISA. The activities of the enzymes were determined by specific lipid transfer assays. To study the molecular mechanisms involved in PLTP mediated lipid transfer Langmuir monolayers and asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF) was used. Ocular tissue samples were stained with monoclonal antibodies against PLTP to study the secretion route of PLTP. Heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography was used for PLTP pull-down experiments and co-eluted proteins were identified with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry or Western blot analysis. To study whether PLTP plays any functional role in TF PLTP-deficient mice were examined. The activity of PLTP was also studied in dry eye patients. PLTP is a component of normal human TF, whereas CETP is not. TF PLTP concentration was about 2-fold higher than that in human plasma. Inactivation of PLTP by heat treatment or immunoinhibition abolished the phospholipid transfer activity in tear fluid. PLTP was found to be secreted from lacrimal glands. PLTP seems to be surface active and is capable of accepting lipid molecules without the presence of lipid-protein complexes. The active movement of radioactively labeled lipids and high activity form of PLTP to acceptor particles suggested a shuttle model of PLTP-mediated lipid transfer. In this model, PLTP physically transports lipids between the donor and acceptor. Protein-protein interaction assays revealed ocular mucins as PLTP interaction partners in TF. In mice with a full deficiency of functional PLTP enhanced corneal epithelial damage, increased corneal permeability to carboxyfluorescein, and decreased corneal epithelial occludin expression was demonstrated. Increased tear fluid PLTP activity was observed among human DES patients. These results together suggest a scavenger property of TF PLTP: if the corneal epithelium is contaminated by hydrophobic material, PLTP could remove them and transport them to the superficial layer of the TF or, alternatively, transport them through the naso-lacrimal duct. Thus, PLTP might play an integral role in tear lipid trafficking and in the protection of the corneal epithelium. The increased PLTP activity in human DES patients suggests an ocular surface protective role for this lipid transfer protein.

Identification of TGFβ signaling, p53, and actin stress fibers as targets of LKB1 tumor suppressor activity

Tumorigenesis is a consequence of inactivating mutations of tumor suppressor genes and activating mutations of proto-oncogenes. Most of the mutations compromise cell autonomous and non-autonomous restrains on cell proliferation by modulating kinase signal transduction pathways. LKB1 is a tumor suppressor kinase whose sporadic mutations are frequently found in non-small cell lung cancer and cervical cancer. Germ-line mutations in the LKB1 gene lead to Peutz-Jeghers syndrome with an increased risk of cancer and development of benign gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps consisting of hyperproliferative epithelia and prominent stromal stalk composed of smooth muscle cell lineage cells. The tumor suppressive function of LKB1 is possibly mediated by 14 identified LKB1 substrate kinases, whose activation is dependent on the LKB1 kinase complex. The aim of my thesis was to identify cell signaling pathways crucial for tumor suppression by LKB1. Re-introduction of LKB1 expression in the melanoma cell line G361 induces cell cycle arrest. Here we demonstrated that restoring the cytoplasmic LKB1 was sufficient to induce the cell cycle arrest in a tumor suppressor p53 dependent manner. To address the role of LKB1 in gastrointestinal tumor suppression, Lkb1 was deleted specifically in SMC lineage in vivo, which was sufficient to cause Peutz-Jeghers syndrome type polyposis. Studies on primary myofibroblasts lacking Lkb1 suggest that the regulation of TGFβ signaling, actin stress fibers and smooth muscle cell lineage differentiation are candidate mechanisms for tumor suppression by LKB1 in the gastrointestinal stroma. Further studies with LKB1 substrate kinase NUAK2 in HeLa cells indicate that NUAK2 is part of a positive feedback loop by which NUAK2 expression promotes actin stress fiber formation and, reciprocally the induction of actin stress fibers promote NUAK2 expression. Findings in this thesis suggest that p53 and TGFβ signaling pathways are potential mediators of tumor suppression by LKB1. An indication of NUAK2 in the promotion of actin stress fibers suggests that NUAK2 is one possible mediator of LKB1 dependent TGFβ signaling and smooth muscle cell lineage differentiation.

Applications of Treatment Effects Models and Semiparametric Estimation

This thesis is composed of an introductory chapter and four applications each of them constituting an own chapter. The common element underlying each of the chapters is the econometric methodology. The applications rely mostly on the leading econometric techniques related to estimation of causal effects. The first chapter introduces the econometric techniques that are employed in the remaining chapters. Chapter 2 studies the effects of shocking news on student performance. It exploits the fact that the school shooting in Kauhajoki in 2008 coincided with the matriculation examination period of that fall. It shows that the performance of men declined due to the news of the school shooting. For women the similar pattern remains unobserved. Chapter 3 studies the effects of minimum wage on employment by employing the original Card and Krueger (1994; CK) and Neumark and Wascher (2000; NW) data together with the changes-in-changes (CIC) estimator. As the main result it shows that the employment effect of an increase in the minimum wage is positive for small fast-food restaurants and negative for big fast-food restaurants. Therefore, it shows that the controversial positive employment effect reported by CK is overturned for big fast-food restaurants and that the NW data are shown, in contrast to their original results, to provide support for the positive employment effect. Chapter 4 employs the state-specific U.S. data (collected by Cohen and Einav [2003; CE]) on traffic fatalities to re-evaluate the effects of seat belt laws on the traffic fatalities by using the CIC estimator. It confirms the CE results that on the average an implementation of a mandatory seat belt law results in an increase in the seat belt usage rate and a decrease in the total fatality rate. In contrast to CE, it also finds evidence on compensating-behavior theory, which is observed especially in the states by the border of the U.S. Chapter 5 studies the life cycle consumption in Finland, with the special interest laid on the baby boomers and the older households. It shows that the baby boomers smooth their consumption over the life cycle more than other generations. It also shows that the old households smoothed their life cycle consumption more as a result of the recession in the 1990s, compared to young households.

Bättre folk, bättre smak? : Suomenruotsalaisten maku ja kulttuuripääoma

The aim of my thesis, which consists of five original articles and a summarizing chapter, is to study the identity, lifestyle and cultural taste of the Finnish Swedes, i.e. the Swedish-speaking language minority in Finland, from a qualitative point of view. The Finnish Swedes are a somewhat special minority, first of all because of their wide-ranging language rights guaranteed by the constitution, and secondly because of the common image that Finnish Swedes represent a more legitimate or better lifestyle and taste than the Finnish-Speaking Finns. This conception is corroborated by the fact that, in comparison to the language majority, the Swedish-speakers have better health, employment, income and so on according to a number of quantitative studies. My research data is composed of twenty-six focus group interviews conducted among a geographically and socio-economically wide range of Swedish-speaking Finns. Group sizes ranged from 3 to 11 people. In the interviews, culture was approached through a framework of seven topics: music, cinema, television, arts, reading, eating and clothing. In each focus group interview, two subfields of culture were discussed along with a short section about cultural events and participation and definitions on good and bad taste. After discussing culture and taste, there was a final discussion on the Finnish Swede identity. The main theoretical framework of my thesis comes from Pierre Bourdieu (1979) and his followers: I am asking whether the status of being a Swedish-speaker can be used as a means of distinction. The main research questions are the following: (1) How does the Swedish-speaking minority look studied in the light of extensive qualitative data and in a framework of lifestyle and taste? (2) What kind of differences in lifestyle, taste and linguistic identity are there between different Finnish Swedes and how do those connect with socio-economical position, place of residence or age? I also ask how belonging to the language minority might work as a tool for cultural distinction and how different Swedish-speaking groups take use of it. My main research question is (3) whether mother tongue is a remarkable factor of lifestyle or cultural taste in contemporary Finland.

Maskuliinisuuden rakentuminen alakoulussa

Objectives: Inspiration for this study came from the public discourse and concern for boys poor school achievement, as well as from the author s own perceptions. There was an interest to know if this concern is justified and what are its underlying causes. Previous studies have shown that masculinity is one of the key aspects of boys' poor school achievement. The objective of this research is to study the construction of masculinity in primary school and how this construct of masculinity is manifested by school achievement. Based on previous studies, the pursuit of hegemonic masculinity does not fit with good school grades. If a boy succeeds in school, this success must be compensated for by means of different factors demonstrating hegemonic masculinity. Methods: The research material was obtained by using the etnographic method. The research settled itself feministic school-etnographic research field. The research subjects comprised pupils and teachers of a 5th grade comprehensive school class (10-11-year-olds) in the Uusimaa county. There were twenty-nine (29) pupils (18 boys and 11 girls) in this class and five (5) different teachers who taught the class. The research material was composed of field notes and researcher's diary based on researcher's observations, short group discussions with pupils and interviews of five boys. The field notes consisted of twenty-six (26) lessons and also observations of breaks and eating periods. In short group discussions the researcher discussed with all the pupils that were given a permission for interview. The material was analysed with thematic and analytic reading that led to the writing of an analysis. Results and conclusions: The most salient result of this study was that different masculinities are constructed in primary school. The majority of boys aimed at hegemonic masculinity and the school community strongly supported this. This was shown in speech and in behaviour. School success and mainstream masculinity could be compatible, but success also required compensatory aspects. In addition to these observations, the researcher was able to identify a group of boys which truly wanted to achieve well in school and did not care to strive for hegemonic masculinity. Thus, there should be more room and opportunities for different kinds of masculinity in the school environment. Teachers and the overall school environment should support the different ways of being a boy, and it seems there is a need for gender sensitive pedagogy.

Dynamic Factor Models and Forecasting Finnish Macroeconomic Variables

In recent years, thanks to developments in information technology, large-dimensional datasets have been increasingly available. Researchers now have access to thousands of economic series and the information contained in them can be used to create accurate forecasts and to test economic theories. To exploit this large amount of information, researchers and policymakers need an appropriate econometric model.Usual time series models, vector autoregression for example, cannot incorporate more than a few variables. There are two ways to solve this problem: use variable selection procedures or gather the information contained in the series to create an index model. This thesis focuses on one of the most widespread index model, the dynamic factor model (the theory behind this model, based on previous literature, is the core of the first part of this study), and its use in forecasting Finnish macroeconomic indicators (which is the focus of the second part of the thesis). In particular, I forecast economic activity indicators (e.g. GDP) and price indicators (e.g. consumer price index), from 3 large Finnish datasets. The first dataset contains a large series of aggregated data obtained from the Statistics Finland database. The second dataset is composed by economic indicators from Bank of Finland. The last dataset is formed by disaggregated data from Statistic Finland, which I call micro dataset. The forecasts are computed following a two steps procedure: in the first step I estimate a set of common factors from the original dataset. The second step consists in formulating forecasting equations including the factors extracted previously. The predictions are evaluated using relative mean squared forecast error, where the benchmark model is a univariate autoregressive model. The results are dataset-dependent. The forecasts based on factor models are very accurate for the first dataset (the Statistics Finland one), while they are considerably worse for the Bank of Finland dataset. The forecasts derived from the micro dataset are still good, but less accurate than the ones obtained in the first case. This work leads to multiple research developments. The results here obtained can be replicated for longer datasets. The non-aggregated data can be represented in an even more disaggregated form (firm level). Finally, the use of the micro data, one of the major contributions of this thesis, can be useful in the imputation of missing values and the creation of flash estimates of macroeconomic indicator (nowcasting).

Jauheiden erottuminen

Partikkelisysteemien segregaatio eli erottuminen on ilmiö, jossa tasalaatuisen jauheseoksen komponenteilla on taipumus erota toisistaan. Jauheen erottumistaipumus riippuu partikkelien ominaisuuksista, ympäröivistä olosuhteista ja partikkelien välisistä vuorovaikutuksista. Segregaatiomekanismeja on esitetty kirjallisuudessa valtava määrä ja pienetkin erot partikkelien välisissä ominaisuuksissa ja vuorovaikutuksissa voivat johtaa täysin eri segregaatiomekanismeihin. Segregaatioilmiö on lääketeollisuuden näkökulmasta hyvin keskeinen, eikä sitä tunneta vielä riittävän hyvin, jotta siltä osattaisiin systemaattisesti välttyä. Nykyinen segregaatiotutkimus perustuu suurelta osin yrityksen ja erehdyksen kautta tapahtuvaan oppimiseen. Todellisen segregaatioilmiön ymmärtämiseen tarvittaisiin innovatiivisia tutkimusmenetelmiä. Kokeellisen osan tarkoituksena oli kehittää ja perustestata menetelmä, jolla voidaan tutkia erilaisten partikkelisysteemien erottumiskäyttäytymistä, ja käyttää tätä menetelmää farmaseuttisten rae- ja pellettiseosten segregaation tutkimiseen. Tavoitteena oli todistaa kehitetyn Babel-laitteen toimintaperiaatteen soveltuvuus partikkelisysteemien erottumiskäyttäytymisen tutkimiseen, mutta suoritetut kokeet olivat lähinnä menetelmän ja laitteen testausta. Ongelmiksi muodostuivat Babel-laitteen asettamat rajoitukset, partikkelien sähköistyminen ja partikkelien väliset vuorovaikutukset. Käytetyt suoraviivaiset lähestymistavat eivät riittäneet segregaation aiheuttamiseen Babel-laitteella. Vertikaalisen ravistelun seurauksena syntynyt konvektiopyörre esti segregaation syntymisen. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan sanoa, että Babel-laite mittaa hyvin ja toistettavasti sekä se kykenee erottamaan erikokoiset partikkelit ja erilaiset kokojakaumat toisistaan. Laitteen kehittämistavoitteena olisi saada segregaatio paremmin näkyviin jauheseoksissa ravistelun seurauksena. Tällöin voitaisiin tehdä päätelmiä jauheseoksen erottumistaipumuksesta ja systeemissä vallitsevista erottumismekanismeista. Laitteen ja menetelmän jatkokehittäminen voisi tuottaa hyödyllistä lisätietoa, mikä edesauttaisi segregaation ymmärtämistä ilmiönä entistä paremmin

Learning Challenges in Biogas Production for Sustainability : An activity theoretical study of a network from a swine industry chain

This study is about the challenges of learning in the creation and implementation of new sustainable technologies. The system of biogas production in the Programme of Sustainable Swine Production (3S Programme) conducted by the Sadia food processing company in Santa Catarina State, Brazil, is used as a case example for exploring the challenges, possibilities and obstacles of learning in the use of biogas production as a way to increase the environmental sustainability of swine production. The aim is to contribute to the discussion about the possibilities of developing systems of biogas production for sustainability (BPfS). In the study I develop hypotheses concerning the central challenges and possibilities for developing systems of BPfS in three phases. First, I construct a model of the network of activities involved in the BP for sustainability in the case study. Next, I construct a) an idealised model of the historically evolved concepts of BPfS through an analysis of the development of forms of BP and b) a hypothesis of the current central contradictions within and between the activity systems involved in BP for sustainability in the case study. This hypothesis is further developed through two actual empirical analyses: an analysis of the actors senses in taking part in the system, and an analysis of the disturbance processes in the implementation and operation of the BP system in the 3S Programme. The historical analysis shows that BP for sustainability in the 3S Programme emerged as a feasible solution for the contradiction between environmental protection and concentration, intensification and specialisation in swine production. This contradiction created a threat to the supply of swine to the food processing company. In the food production activity, the contradiction was expressed as a contradiction between the desire of the company to become a sustainable company and the situation in the outsourced farms. For the swine producers the contradiction was expressed between the contradictory rules in which the market exerted pressure which pushed for continual increases in scale, specialisation and concentration to keep the production economically viable, while the environmental rules imposed a limit to this expansion. Although the observed disturbances in the biogas system seemed to be merely technical and localised within the farms, the analysis proposed that these disturbances were formed in and between the activity systems involved in the network of BPfS during the implementation. The disturbances observed could be explained by four contradictions: a) contradictions between the new, more expanded activity of sustainable swine production and the old activity, b) a contradiction between the concept of BP for carbon credits and BP for local use in the BPfS that was implemented, c) contradictions between the new UNFCCC1 methodology for applying for carbon credits and the small size of the farms, and d) between the technologies of biogas use and burning available in the market and the small size of the farms. The main finding of this study relates to the zone of proximal development (ZPD) of the BPfS in Sadia food production chain. The model is first developed as a general model of concepts of BPfS and further developed here to the specific case of the BPfS in the 3S Programme. The model is composed of two developmental dimensions: societal and functional integration. The dimension of societal integration refers to the level of integration with other activities outside the farm. At one extreme, biogas production is self-sufficient and highly independent and the products of BP are consumed within the farm, while at the other extreme BP is highly integrated in markets and networks of collaboration, and BP products are exchanged within the markets. The dimension of functional integration refers to the level of integration between products and production processes so that economies of scope can be achieved by combining several functions using the same utility. At one extreme, BP is specialised in only one product, which allows achieving economies of scale, while at the other extreme there is an integrated production in which several biogas products are produced in order to maximise the outcomes from the BP system. The analysis suggests that BP is moving towards a societal integration, towards the market and towards a functional integration in which several biogas products are combined. The model is a hypothesis to be further tested through interventions by collectively constructing the new proposed concept of BPfS. Another important contribution of this study refers to the concept of the learning challenge. Three central learning challenges for developing a sustainable system of BP in the 3S Programme were identified: 1) the development of cheaper and more practical technologies of burning and measuring the gas, as well as the reduction of costs of the process of certification, 2) the development of new ways of using biogas within farms, and 3) the creation of new local markets and networks for selling BP products. One general learning challenge is to find more varied and synergic ways of using BP products than solely for the production of carbon credits. Both the model of the ZPD of BPfS and the identified learning challenges could be used as learning tools to facilitate the development of biogas production systems. The proposed model of the ZPD could be used to analyse different types of agricultural activities that face a similar contradiction. The findings could be used in interventions to help actors to find their own expansive actions and developmental projects for change. Rather than proposing a standardised best concept of BPfS, the idea of these learning tools is to facilitate the analysis of local situations and to help actors to make their activities more sustainable.