Expert Identity in Development of Core-Task-Oriented Working Practices for Mastering Demanding Situations

The point of departure in this dissertation was the practical safety problem of unanticipated, unfamiliar events and unexpected changes in the environment, the demanding situations which the operators should take care of in the complex socio-technical systems. The aim of this thesis was to increase the understanding of demanding situations and of the resources for coping with these situations by presenting a new construct, a conceptual model called Expert Identity (ExId) as a way to open up new solutions to the problem of demanding situations and by testing the model in empirical studies on operator work. The premises of the Core-Task Analysis (CTA) framework were adopted as a starting point: core-task oriented working practices promote the system efficiency (incl. safety, productivity and well-being targets) and that should be supported. The negative effects of stress were summarised and the possible countermeasures related to the operators' personal resources such as experience, expertise, sense of control, conceptions of work and self etc. were considered. ExId was proposed as a way to bring emotional-energetic depth into the work analysis and to supplement CTA-based practical methods to discover development challenges and to contribute to the development of complex socio-technical systems. The potential of ExId to promote understanding of operator work was demonstrated in the context of the six empirical studies on operator work. Each of these studies had its own practical objectives within the corresponding quite broad focuses of the studies. The concluding research questions were: 1) Are the assumptions made in ExId on the basis of the different theories and previous studies supported by the empirical findings? 2) Does the ExId construct promote understanding of the operator work in empirical studies? 3) What are the strengths and weaknesses of the ExId construct? The layers and the assumptions of the development of expert identity appeared to gain evidence. The new conceptual model worked as a part of an analysis of different kinds of data, as a part of different methods used for different purposes, in different work contexts. The results showed that the operators had problems in taking care of the core task resulting from the discrepancy between the demands and resources (either personal or external). The changes of work, the difficulties in reaching the real content of work in the organisation and the limits of the practical means of support had complicated the problem and limited the possibilities of the development actions within the case organisations. Personal resources seemed to be sensitive to the changes, adaptation is taking place, but not deeply or quickly enough. Furthermore, the results showed several characteristics of the studied contexts that complicated the operators' possibilities to grow into or with the demands and to develop practices, expertise and expert identity matching the core task. They were: discontinuation of the work demands, discrepancy between conceptions of work held in the other parts of organisation, visions and the reality faced by the operators, emphasis on the individual efforts and situational solutions. The potential of ExId to open up new paths to solving the problem of the demanding situations and its ability to enable studies on practices in the field was considered in the discussion. The results were interpreted as promising enough to encourage the conduction of further studies on ExId. This dissertation proposes especially contribution to supporting the workers in recognising the changing demands and their possibilities for growing with them when aiming to support human performance in complex socio-technical systems, both in designing the systems and solving the existing problems.

Tacit Pedagogical Knowing: At the Core of Teacher's Professionality

The purpose of this research was to examine class teachers' interactive pedagogical thinking and action, in other words their tacit pedagogical knowing. Tacit pedagogical knowing was defined as a process in interactive teaching situation, through which a teacher finds solutions to surprising and challenging situations, pedagogical moments, so that the lesson continues. Teachers are able to describe their tacit pedagogical knowing afterwards and also find some reasons for it as well. More specifically, the aim was to study, 1) how does a class teacher's tacit pedagogical knowing appear in teacher's actions, and 2) what kinds of contents include in class teacher's tacit pedagogical knowing. The research material was gathered from four class teachers by videotaping their lessons and by stimulated recall interviews. In addition to this, the researcher spent a relatively long time in the research participants' classrooms. She conducted initial interviews and orientating observations by means of participant observation in order to get to know the participants and their contexts better. A phenomenologically oriented approach, which proceeded by following abductive logic, was used in the analysis procedures of the videotaped and stimulated recall data. In addition to this, correlation examinations were used in the validation of stimulated recall data analyses. The appearance of the tacit pedagogical knowing was observed in the videotaped data. The contents of tacit pedagogical knowing were defined by the analyses of stimulated recall data. According to the research results, a class teacher's tacit pedagogical knowing appears in the maintenance of the pedagogical relation, the teacher's relation to content, and the didactical relation. The contents of class teacher's tacit pedagogical knowing were many sided. The maintenance of the pedagogical relation, the teacher's relation to content, and the didactical relation were elements of the contents as well. In addition to these, the maintenance of teacher's pedagogical authority, the maintenance of the student's role or pedagogical authority, and the awareness of the nature of the content of instruction are included in the contents of teacher's tacit pedagogical knowing. The phenomenon of tacit pedagogical knowing was observed to be clearly a process-like and relational phenomenon. Based on the research results, a model of teacher's tacit pedagogical knowing was developed. Using the model, it is possible to illustrate the factors that are at the core of teacher's professionality. This model could be used in the context of teacher education, supervision, or in-service training.

Biochemical and structural properties of Potato virus A VPg

The potato virus A (PVA) genome linked protein (VPg) is a multifunctional protein that takes part in vital infection cycle events such as replication and movement of the virus from cell to cell. VPg is attached to the 5´ end of the genome and is carried in the tip structure of the filamentous virus particle. VPg is also the last protein to be cleaved from the polyprotein. VPg interacts with several viral and host proteins and is phosphorylated at several positions. These features indicate a central role in virus epidemiology and a requirement for an efficient but flexible mechanism for switching between different functions. -- This study examines some of the key VPg functions in more detail. Mutations in the positively charged region from Ala38 to Lys44 affected the NTP binding, uridylylation, and in vitro translation inhibition activities of VPg, whereas in vivo translation inhibition was not affected. Some of the data generated in this study implicated the structural flexibility of the protein in functional activities. VPg lacks a rigid structure, which could allow it to adapt conformationally to different functions as needed. A major finding of this study is that PVA VPg belongs to the class of ´intrinsically disordered proteins´ (IDPs). IDPs are a novel protein class that has helped to explain the observed lack of structure. The existence of IDPs clearly shows that proteins can be functional and adapt a native fold without a rigid structure. Evidence for the intrinsic disorder of VPg was provided by CD spectroscopy, NMR, fluorescence spectroscopy, bioinformatic analysis, and limited proteolytic digestion. The structure of VPg resembles that of a molten globule-type protein and has a hydrophobic core domain. Approximately 50% of the protein is disordered and an α-helical stabilization of these regions has been hypothesized. Surprisingly, VPg structure was stabilized in the presence of anionic lipid vesicles. The stabilization was accompanied by a change in VPg structure and major morphological modifications of the vesicles, including a pronounced increase in the size and appearance of pore or plaque like formations on the vesicle surface. The most likely scenario seems to be an α-helical stabilization of VPg which induces formation of a pore or channel-like structure on the vesicle surface. The size increase is probably due to fusion or swelling of the vesicles. The latter hypothesis is supported by the evident disruption of the vesicles after prolonged incubation with VPg. A model describing the results is presented and discussed in relation to other known properties of the protein.

Synthesis, Reactivity and Biological Activity of 17β-HSD1 Inhibitors Based on a Thieno[2,3-d]pryrimidin-4(3H)-one Core

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Western countries. In the early stages of development most breast cancers are hormone-dependent, and estrogens, especially estradiol, have a pivotal role in their development and progression. One approach to the treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancers is to block the formation of the active estrogens by inhibiting the action of the steroid metabolising enzymes. 17beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (17beta-HSD1) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of estradiol, the most potent female sex hormone. The 17beta-HSD1 enzyme catalyses the final step and converts estrone into the biologically active estradiol. Blocking 17beta-HSD1 activity with a specific enzyme inhibitor could provide a means to reduce circulating and tumour estradiol levels and thus promote tumour regression. In recent years 17beta-HSD1 has been recognised as an important drug target. Some inhibitors of 17beta-HSD1 have been reported, however, there are no inhibitors on the market nor have clinical trials been announced. The majority of known 17beta-HSD1 inhibitors are based on steroidal structures, while relatively little has been reported on non-steroidal inhibitors. As compared with 17beta-HSD1 inhibitors based on steroidal structures, non-steroidal compounds could have advantages of synthetic accessibility, drug-likeness, selectivity and non-estrogenicity. This study describes the synthesis of large group of novel 17beta-HSD1 inhibitors based on a non-steroidal thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one core. An efficient synthesis route was developed for the lead compound and subsequently employed in the synthesis of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one based molecule library. The biological activities and binding of these inhibitors to 17beta-HSD1 and, finally, the quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model are also reported. In this study, several potent and selective 17beta-HSD1 inhibitors without estrogenic activity were identified. This establishment of a novel class of inhibitors is a progressive achievement in 17beta-HSD1 inhibitor development. Furthermore, the 3D-QSAR model, constructed on the basis of this study, offers a powerful tool for future 17beta-HSD1 inhibitor development. As part of the fundamental science underpinning this research, the chemical reactivity of fused (di)cycloalkeno thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones with electrophilic reagents, i.e. Vilsmeier reagent and dimethylformamide dimethylacetal, was investigated. These findings resulted in a revision of the reaction mechanism of Vilsmeier haloformylation and further contributed to understanding the chemical reactivity of this compound class. This study revealed that the reactivity is dependent upon a stereoelectronic effect arising from different ring conformations.

Modern computed tomography techniques in stroke management

Technological development of fast multi-sectional, helical computed tomography (CT) scanners has allowed computed tomography perfusion (CTp) and angiography (CTA) in evaluating acute ischemic stroke. This study focuses on new multidetector computed tomography techniques, namely whole-brain and first-pass CT perfusion plus CTA of carotid arteries. Whole-brain CTp data is acquired during slow infusion of contrast material to achieve constant contrast concentration in the cerebral vasculature. From these data quantitative maps are constructed of perfused cerebral blood volume (pCBV). The probability curve of cerebral infarction as a function of normalized pCBV was determined in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Normalized pCBV, expressed as a percentage of contralateral normal brain pCBV, was determined in the infarction core and in regions just inside and outside the boundary between infarcted and noninfarcted brain. Corresponding probabilities of infarction were 0.99, 0.96, and 0.11, R² was 0.73, and differences in perfusion between core and inner and outer bands were highly significant. Thus a probability of infarction curve can help predict the likelihood of infarction as a function of percentage normalized pCBV. First-pass CT perfusion is based on continuous cine imaging over a selected brain area during a bolus injection of contrast. During its first passage, contrast material compartmentalizes in the intravascular space, resulting in transient tissue enhancement. Functional maps such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), and volume (CBV), and mean transit time (MTT) are then constructed. We compared the effects of three different iodine concentrations (300, 350, or 400 mg/mL) on peak enhancement of normal brain tissue and artery and vein, stratified by region-of-interest (ROI) location, in 102 patients within 3 hours of stroke onset. A monotonic increasing peak opacification was evident at all ROI locations, suggesting that CTp evaluation of patients with acute stroke is best performed with the highest available concentration of contrast agent. In another study we investigated whether lesion volumes on CBV, CBF, and MTT maps within 3 hours of stroke onset predict final infarct volume, and whether all these parameters are needed for triage to intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV-rtPA). The effect of IV-rtPA on the affected brain by measuring salvaged tissue volume in patients receiving IV-rtPA and in controls was investigated also. CBV lesion volume did not necessarily represent dead tissue. MTT lesion volume alone can serve to identify the upper size limit of the abnormally perfused brain, and those with IV-rtPA salvaged more brain than did controls. Carotid CTA was compared with carotid DSA in grading of stenosis in patients with stroke symptoms. In CTA, the grade of stenosis was determined by means of axial source and maximum intensity projection (MIP) images as well as a semiautomatic vessel analysis. CTA provides an adequate, less invasive alternative to conventional DSA, although tending to underestimate clinically relevant grades of stenosis.

Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) : Diagnostic methods and molecular pathology

Myotonic dystrophies type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) are the most common forms of muscular dystrophy affecting adults. They are autosomal dominant diseases caused by microsatellite tri- or tetranucleotide repeat expansion mutations in transcribed but not translated gene regions. The mutant RNA accumulates in nuclei disturbing the expression of several genes. The more recently identified DM2 disease is less well known, yet more than 300 patients have been confirmed in Finland thus far, and the true number is believed to be much higher. DM1 and DM2 share some features in general clinical presentation and molecular pathology, yet they show distinctive differences, including disease severity and differential muscle and fiber type involvement. However, the molecular differences underlying DM1 and DM2 muscle pathology are not well understood. Although the primary tissue affected is muscle, both DMs show a multisystemic phenotype due to wide expression of the mutation-carrying genes. DM2 is particularly intriguing, as it shows an incredibly wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. For this reason, it constitutes a real diagnostic challenge. The core symptoms in DM2 include proximal muscle weakness, muscle pain, myotonia, cataracts, cardiac conduction defects and endocrinological disturbations; however, none of these is mandatory for the disease. Myalgic pains may be the most disabling symptom for decades, sometimes leading to incapacity for work. In addition, DM2 may cause major socio-economical consequences for the patient, if not diagnosed, due to misunderstanding and false stigmatization. In this thesis work, we have (I) improved DM2 differential diagnostics based on muscle biopsy, and (II) described abnormalities in mRNA and protein expression in DM1 and DM2 patient skeletal muscles, showing partial differences between the two diseases, which may contribute to muscle pathology in these diseases. This is the first description of histopathological differences between DM1 and DM2, which can be used in differential diagnostics. Two novel high-resolution applications of in situ -hybridization have been described, which can be used for direct visualization of the DM2 mutation in muscle biopsy sections, or mutation size determination on extended DNA-fibers. By measuring protein and mRNA expression in the samples, differential changes in expression patterns affecting contractile proteins, other structural proteins and calcium handling proteins in DM2 compared to DM1 were found. The dysregulation at mRNA level was caused by altered transciption and abnormal splicing. The findings reported here indicate that the extent of aberrant splicing is higher in DM2 compared to DM1. In addition, the described abnormalities to some extent correlate to the differences in fiber type involvement in the two disorders.

Wood and fiber properties of Norway spruce and its suitability for thermomechanical pulping.

In the first part of the study, the selected wood and fiber properties were investigated in terms of their occurrence and variation in wood, as well as their relevance from the perspective of thermomechanical pulping process and related end-products. It was concluded that the most important factors were the fiber dimensions, juvenile wood content, and in some cases, the content of heartwood being associated with extremely dry wood with low permeability in spruce. With respect to the above properties, the following three pulpwood assortments of which pulping potential was assumed to vary were formed: wood from regeneration cuttings, first-thinnings wood, and sawmill chips. In the experimental part of the study the average wood and fiber characteristics and their variation were determined for each raw material group prior to pulping. Subsequently, each assortment - equaling about 1500 m3 roundwood - was pulped separately for a 24 h period, at constant process conditions. The properties of obtained newsgrade thermomechanical pulps were then determined. Thermomechanical pulping (TMP) from sawmill chips had the highest proportion of long fibers, smallest proportion of fines, and had generally the coarsest and longest fibers. TMP from first-thinnings wood was just the opposite, whereas that from regeneration cuttings fell in between the above two extremes. High proportion of dry heartwood in wood originating from regeneration cuttings produced a slightly elevated shives content. However, no differences were found in pulp specific energy consumption. The obtained pulp tear index was clearly best in TMP made from sawmill chips and poorest in pulp from first-thinnings wood, which had generally inferior strength properties. No dramatical differences in any of the strength properties were found between pulp from sawmill residual wood and regeneration cuttings. Pulp optical properties were superior in TMP from first-thinnings. Unexpectedly, no noticeable differences, which could be explained with fiber morphology, were found in sheet density, bulk, air permeance or roughness between the three pulps. The most important wood quality factors in this study were the fiber length, fiber cross-sectional dimensions and percentage juvenile wood. Differences found in the quality of TMP manufactured from the above spruce assortments suggest that they could be segregated and pulped separately to obtain specific product characteristics, i.e., for instance tailor-made end-products, and to minimize unnecessary variation in the raw material quality, and hence, pulp quality.

Language universals and linguistic complexity : Three case studies in core argument marking

In this dissertation I study language complexity from a typological perspective. Since the structuralist era, it has been assumed that local complexity differences in languages are balanced out in cross-linguistic comparisons and that complexity is not affected by the geopolitical or sociocultural aspects of the speech community. However, these assumptions have seldom been studied systematically from a typological point of view. My objective is to define complexity so that it is possible to compare it across languages and to approach its variation with the methods of quantitative typology. My main empirical research questions are: i) does language complexity vary in any systematic way in local domains, and ii) can language complexity be affected by the geographical or social environment? These questions are studied in three articles, whose findings are summarized in the introduction to the dissertation. In order to enable cross-language comparison, I measure complexity as the description length of the regularities in an entity; I separate it from difficulty, focus on local instead of global complexity, and break it up into different types. This approach helps avoid the problems that plagued earlier metrics of language complexity. My approach to grammar is functional-typological in nature, and the theoretical framework is basic linguistic theory. I delimit the empirical research functionally to the marking of core arguments (the basic participants in the sentence). I assess the distributions of complexity in this domain with multifactorial statistical methods and use different sampling strategies, implementing, for instance, the Greenbergian view of universals as diachronic laws of type preference. My data come from large and balanced samples (up to approximately 850 languages), drawn mainly from reference grammars. The results suggest that various significant trends occur in the marking of core arguments in regard to complexity and that complexity in this domain correlates with population size. These results provide evidence that linguistic patterns interact among themselves in terms of complexity, that language structure adapts to the social environment, and that there may be cognitive mechanisms that limit complexity locally. My approach to complexity and language universals can therefore be successfully applied to empirical data and may serve as a model for further research in these areas.