Ryhmäidentiteetin mittaaminen verkkoroolipelissä World of Warcraft

The objective of the study was to explore the dimensions of group identity in the guilds of World of Warcraft. Previous research shows that social interaction has an important role in playing games for many players. Social identities are an important aspect of self-concept and since group related cues are more salient than personal clues in computer-mediated communication, the social gaming experience was approached through group identity. In the study a new scale will be developed to measure the group identity in games. Secondary goal is to study how different guild attributes affect the group identity and third goal is to explore the connection between group identity and gaming experience and amount of play. Subjects were 1203 guild members and 106 players not in a guild. The data was gathered by an Internet survey which measured group identity with nine scales, gaming experience with three scales and guild attributes with four scales. Also various background data was gathered. The construct of group identity was analyzed with explorative factor analysis. The typical experiences of group identity was analyzed with cluster analysis and effects of guild attributes with multivariate analysis of covariance. As a result of the study a new scale was developed which measured group identity on six dimensions: self-stereotyping, public and private evaluation, importance, interconnection of self and others and awareness of content. Group identity was experienced strongest in elder middle-sized guilds that had formal rules and that emphasized social interaction. The players with strong group identity had more positive gaming experience and played World of Warcraft more per week than the players who were not in a guild or identified to guild weakly. This result encourages game developers to produce environments that enhance group identity as it seems to increase the enjoyment in games. As a whole this study proposes that group identity in guilds is constructed from the same elements as in traditional groups. If this is truly the case, guild membership may have similar positive effects on individual’s mental well-being as traditional positively evaluated group memberships have.

Ateljeevaatteen valmistuksen työtavat Salon Kaarlo Forsmanin tuotannossa

The objective of the present study was to increase knowledge about the atelier culture of recent history, especially about the ways in which atelier clothes were made. I look at the ways of dress-making in the production of a renowned atelier, Salon Kaarlo Forsman. I also give a general outline of the atelier. The studying method I used was triangulation, which is a typical approach in case studies of recent history. My data include 23 dresses by the Salon Forsman, theme interviews of four of the Salon workers and one mannequin, data from my research work, as well as press material and archives. The basis of the analysis of these materials was a theme frame that I had put together with the help of pre-understanding. I then completed and defined the theme frame on the basis of the analysis of the data. I also analyzed the dresses in the fashion photos in the press material. Salon Kaarlo Forsman represents a certain cultural period, the years 1937-1986, and a place where a woman could have individual clothes made for her, from hats to fur coats. The atelier was particularly known for embroidery with beads, draping, and fantastic cuttings designed by the owner, fashion designer Kaarlo Forsman. I draw an outline of the work and practices of the atelier, but also that of Kaarlo Forsman’s life work, as he had a great influence on the sewing methods atelier clothes. Mr. Forsman was able to stretch the first period of modern fashion well into the third period by refusing new, labor-saving methods and sticking to individually designer clothes to the end of his enterprise. The crucial practices in the atelier that I present in this study are fitting, designing, finishing and sewing, as well as beading and the decoration of dresses. I compare the activity, practices and dress-making methods in the Forsman atelier to that of Haute Couture in Paris, which served as model for Finnish fashion houses. I point out the similarities and differences.

Vieraan aksentin arviointi ja mittaaminen suomessa

In the field of second language (L2) acquisition, the term `foreign accent´ is often used to refer to speech characteristics that differ from the pronunciation of native speakers. Foreign accent may affect the intelligibility and perceived comprehensibility of speech and it is also sometimes associated with negative attitudes. The degree of L2 learners foreign accent and the speech characteristics that account for it have previously been studied through speech perception experiments and acoustic measurements. Perception experiments have shown that native listeners are easily able to identify foreign accent in speech. However to date, no studies have been done on the assessment of foreign accent in the speech of non-native speakers of Finnish. The aim of this study is to examine how native speakers of Finnish rate the degree of foreign accentedness in the speech of Russian L2 learners of Finnish. Furthermore, phonetic analysis is used to study the characteristics of speech that affect the perceived strength of foreign accent. Altogether 96 native speakers of Finnish listened to excerpts of read-aloud and spontaneous Finnish speech from ten Russian and six Finnish female speakers. The Russian speakers were intermediate and advanced learners of Finnish and had all immigrated to Finland as adults. Among the listeners, was a group of teachers of Finnish as an L2, and it was presumed that these teachers had been exposed to foreign accent in Finnish and were used to hearing it. The temporal aspects and segmental properties of speech were phonetically analysed in the speech of the Russian speakers in order to measure their effect on the perceived degree of accent. Although wide differences were observed in the use of the rating scale among the listeners, they were still quite unanimous on which speakers had the strongest foreign accent and which had the mildest. The listeners background factors had little effect on their ratings, and the ratings of the teachers of Finnish as an L2 did not differ from those of the other listeners. However, a clear difference was noted in the ratings of the two types of stimuli used in the perception experiment: the read-aloud speech was rated as more strongly accented than the spontaneous speech. It is important to note that the assessment of foreign accent is affected by many factors and their complex interactions in the experimental setting. Futher the study found that, both the temporal aspects of speech, often associated with fluency, and the number of single deviant phonetic segments contributed to the perceived degree of accentedness in the speech of the native Russian speakers.

Demi-glace-kastikepohjan valmistuksen optimointi ylipainekeittomenetelmälle

Tämän tutkimuksen kirjallisuusosan tavoitteena oli selvittää perinteisen kastikepohjan valmistukseen ja valmistuksen kokonaisvaltaiseen onnistumiseen vaikuttavia seikkoja. Lisäksi käsiteltiin kastikepohjan valmistukseen liittyviä ympäristö- ja energia-asioita, kuten eläinperäisten sivutuotteiden kierrätysmahdollisuuksia. Kokeellisessa osassa tutkimuksen keskeinen lähtökohta oli pyrkiä löytämään ratkaisu ylipainekeittomenetelmään liittyvään kastikepohjan liemiaineksen sameutumisongelmaan. Tutkimuksessa haluttiin löytää syyt sameuden muodostumiseen luiden painekeitossa (max. 1,5 bar). Näin pyrittiin selvittämään keinot sameuden syntymisen estämiseen tai tuotteesta poistamiseen. Ratkaisua etsittiin sekä keittoaika-paine-kombinaatiosta että proteolyyttisen entsyymivalmisteen käytöstä. Tavoitteena oli ulkonäöltään kirkas ja kuiva-ainepitoisuudeltaan mahdollisimman korkea naudanmakuinen demi-glace-kastikepohjaliemi. Liemiaineksista tarkasteltiin kuiva-aine-, kokonaisproteiini- ja sidekudosproteiinipitoisuuksia, pH-arvoja sekä sameutta, ja vertailtiin näitä tuloksia käytettyihin valmistusmenetelmiin ja -olosuhteisiin. Lisäksi otettiin selvää lämmöntalteenoton parantamis-mahdollisuuksista. Tutkimuksessa valmistetun kastikepohjaliemen kuiva-aine koostui pääasiassa proteiineista. Liemen valmistuksessa suuremmalla paineella päästiin hieman nopeammin samoihin kuiva-ainepitoisuuksiin kuin matalammalla paineella. Samoin tapahtui entsyymiä käytettäessä kuin käyttämättä jätettäessä. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella korkeaa kuiva-ainepitoisuutta tavoiteltaessa kastikepohjaliemen valmistuksessa on valittava korkean sidekudosproteiinin tai sameuden väliltä. Ylipainekeitolla luista saatiin irti lähes pelkästään sidekudosproteiinia, koska luita kuumennettaessa vain kollageeni liukeni veteen muiden proteiinien saostuessa. Lämmöntalteenottojärjestelmien rakentaminen pieneen elintarviketeollisuusyritykseen voi olla kannattamatonta, koska investointikustannuksia ei välttämättä pystytä maksamaan takaisin. Energiatehokkuuden parantaminen pienessä elintarviketeollisuusyrityksessä on haastavaa, mutta kuitenkin mahdollista ammattilaisten tekemien tarkkojen laskelmien ja arviointien avulla.

From Polymorph Screening to Dissolution Testing - Solid Phase Analysis during Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing

Solid materials can exist in different physical structures without a change in chemical composition. This phenomenon, known as polymorphism, has several implications on pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Various solid forms of a drug can possess different physical and chemical properties, which may affect processing characteristics and stability, as well as the performance of a drug in the human body. Therefore, knowledge and control of the solid forms is fundamental to maintain safety and high quality of pharmaceuticals. During manufacture, harsh conditions can give rise to unexpected solid phase transformations and therefore change the behavior of the drug. Traditionally, pharmaceutical production has relied on time-consuming off-line analysis of production batches and finished products. This has led to poor understanding of processes and drug products. Therefore, new powerful methods that enable real time monitoring of pharmaceuticals during manufacturing processes are greatly needed. The aim of this thesis was to apply spectroscopic techniques to solid phase analysis within different stages of drug development and manufacturing, and thus, provide a molecular level insight into the behavior of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) during processing. Applications to polymorph screening and different unit operations were developed and studied. A new approach to dissolution testing, which involves simultaneous measurement of drug concentration in the dissolution medium and in-situ solid phase analysis of the dissolving sample, was introduced and studied. Solid phase analysis was successfully performed during different stages, enabling a molecular level insight into the occurring phenomena. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was utilized in screening of polymorphs and processing-induced transformations (PITs). Polymorph screening was also studied with NIR and Raman spectroscopy in tandem. Quantitative solid phase analysis during fluidized bed drying was performed with in-line NIR and Raman spectroscopy and partial least squares (PLS) regression, and different dehydration mechanisms were studied using in-situ spectroscopy and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). In-situ solid phase analysis with Raman spectroscopy during dissolution testing enabled analysis of dissolution as a whole, and provided a scientific explanation for changes in the dissolution rate. It was concluded that the methods applied and studied provide better process understanding and knowledge of the drug products, and therefore, a way to achieve better quality.

Style and Readability in Football Texts

Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan jalkapallokieltä erikoiskielenä tyylintutkimuksen näkökulmasta. Tutkimusaineistoksi on valittu kuusi noin 2000 sanan pituista otosta erilaisista jalkapalloa käsittelevistä teksteistä, joista kolme on kirjoitettu suomeksi ja kolme englanniksi. Työssä pyritään selvittämään, mitä eroa yleiskieltä lähestyvillä ja erikoiskieliksi katsottavilla jalkapalloteksteillä on ja kuinka jalkapallokieli erikoiskielenä vertautuu muihin erikoiskieliin. Tutkimukseen sisältyy lisäksi tutkittuja tekstejä koskeva kyselyosio. Lopuksi pohditaan sitä, mitä merkitystä saadulla tiedolla on kääntämiselle. Käytetty tutkimustapa on luonteeltaan melko kvantitatiivinen, ja se pohjautuu pitkälti käsityksiin hyvästä luettavuudesta. Ensin teksteistä lasketaan keskimääräinen lausepituus, eri sanaluokkien frekvenssejä sekä aktiivi- ja passiivimuodossa olevien verbien suhde. Tämän jälkeen pohditaan, mitä merkitystä tuloksilla voisi olla tekstien tyylille ja luettavuudelle. Tekstit annetaan vielä luettaviksi koehenkilöille, jotka vastaavat tekstit luettuaan tyyliä ja luettavuutta koskevaan kyselyyn. Lopulta kyselyn tuloksia verrataan tyylianalyysin avulla saatuihin tuloksiin. Analysoiduista teksteistä saadut tulokset eivät vastaa aiemmin erikoiskielistä saatuja tuloksia, eikä jalkapallon erikoiskielestä synny kiistatonta kokonaiskuvaa. Substantiivien määrä etenkin suomenkielisissä jalkapalloteksteissä on niin suuri, että se vaikuttaa tekstien luettavuuteen ja tyyliin. Teksteissä käytetyt virkkeet eivät toisaalta ole kovin pitkiä tai monimutkaisia, mikä yhdistää jalkapallokieltä ja muissa urheilulajeissa käytettyä kieltä. Englanninkielisissä teksteissä käytetään enemmän adjektiiveja ja anaforista viittausta kuin suomenkielisissä, mikä on huomionarvoista käännöksissä, koska suomalaisilla kirjoittajilla vaikuttaisi analysoitujen tekstien perusteella todellakin olevan taipumusta substantiivien liialliseen käyttöön. Kyselystä saadut tulokset eivät vastaa frekvenssianalyyseistä saatuja tuloksia, ja kysely paljastaa myös sen, ettei lukunopeus ole aina luotettava luettavuuden mittari. Jos aihetta tutkittaisiin lisää, olisi tutkimusaineiston syytä olla laajempi, jotta saataisiin kouriintuntuvampia tuloksia. Mikäli tutkitaan myös tekstien luettavuutta, on syytä ottaa huomioon, ettei lukunopeuden mittaaminen ole välttämättä luotettava menetelmä luettavuuden toteamiseksi. Avainsanat Nyckelord Keywords Tyyli, luettavuus, rekisteri, tekstilaji, erikoiskielet, tyylintutkimus Säilytyspaikka Förvaringställe Where deposited Käännöstieteen laitoksen kirjasto

Käsityökohtaamisia muinaisuuden kanssa : Neulalla neulominen eli kinnasneulatekniikka ...muutakin kuin neulakinnas?

The aim of this study was to find out how the technique of knotless netting is perceived by the craftsperson of the twenty first century. In this study the craftspeople are represented by the researcher herself, seven craftspeople and teachers (3) teaching knotless netting as well as their students (21). The main interests of this study are the mental pictures and relationship to knotless netting that craftspeople have in the twenty first century. Points of focus are also the specific characteristics of knotless netting, as well as experimenting with new and different materials. The aim of these experiments has been to find new and unusual uses for knotless netting. Preserving knotless netting as a craft and technique are also questions dealt with in this study. The methodology of this study is a qualitative and phenomenographic study of several cases. The data collected are interviews of the teachers, observations in two knotless netting courses, questionnaires answered by the students in these courses and experimental samples made by the author and evaluated by other craftspeople. These samples were made during the years 2005-2008. The interviews, questionnaires and evaluations were conducted under winter and spring 2008. The reference literature is comprised from publications in several different fields. In this study ethnography is the most dominant field of reference due to the fact that knotless netting is so strongly linked to history and antiquity. In the past the technique of knotless netting has been passed down from generation to generation in whatever form the teacher has known. There are many different ways of stitching and binding in knotless netting. This technique is closely connected to traditional knotless netting mittens even today. Nowadays knotless knitting is taught in craft schools, evening classes and in other recreational courses. The concrete understanding of knotless netting by means of two-dimensional instructions is challenging. Craftspeople often require somebody to actually demonstrate the correct way to make the stitches and hold the work before they can proceed with the technique. The way knotless netting is perceived by craftspeople is linked to their backgrounds and preconstructed mental images concerning the technique. An etnographer approaches knotless netting in a different way from a crafts-scientist or a person in an evening class wishing to master the technique. The attitude of the teacher is passed on to students and also affects the way the student perceives knotless netting and its possibilities as a technique. A craftsperson has mixed feelings toward knotted netting. On the other hand the surfaces produced by this rare technique are intriguing but the costs due to the slow manufacturing process are seen as an encumbrance.

Technical efficiency of blood component preparation in blood centres of 10 European countries

Various reasons, such as ethical issues in maintaining blood resources, growing costs, and strict requirements for safe blood, have increased the pressure for efficient use of resources in blood banking. The competence of blood establishments can be characterized by their ability to predict the volume of blood collection to be able to provide cellular blood components in a timely manner as dictated by hospital demand. The stochastically varying clinical need for platelets (PLTs) sets a specific challenge for balancing supply with requests. Labour has been proven a primary cost-driver and should be managed efficiently. International comparisons of blood banking could recognize inefficiencies and allow reallocation of resources. Seventeen blood centres from 10 countries in continental Europe, Great Britain, and Scandinavia participated in this study. The centres were national institutes (5), parts of the local Red Cross organisation (5), or integrated into university hospitals (7). This study focused on the departments of blood component preparation of the centres. The data were obtained retrospectively by computerized questionnaires completed via Internet for the years 2000-2002. The data were used in four original articles (numbered I through IV) that form the basis of this thesis. Non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA, II-IV) was applied to evaluate and compare the relative efficiency of blood component preparation. Several models were created using different input and output combinations. The focus of comparisons was on the technical efficiency (II-III) and the labour efficiency (I, IV). An empirical cost model was tested to evaluate the cost efficiency (IV). Purchasing power parities (PPP, IV) were used to adjust the costs of the working hours and to make the costs comparable among countries. The total annual number of whole blood (WB) collections varied from 8,880 to 290,352 in the centres (I). Significant variation was also observed in the annual volume of produced red blood cells (RBCs) and PLTs. The annual number of PLTs produced by any method varied from 2,788 to 104,622 units. In 2002, 73% of all PLTs were produced by the buffy coat (BC) method, 23% by aphaeresis and 4% by the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) method. The annual discard rate of PLTs varied from 3.9% to 31%. The mean discard rate (13%) remained in the same range throughout the study period and demonstrated similar levels and variation in 2003-2004 according to a specific follow-up question (14%, range 3.8%-24%). The annual PLT discard rates were, to some extent, associated with production volumes. The mean RBC discard rate was 4.5% (range 0.2%-7.7%). Technical efficiency showed marked variation (median 60%, range 41%-100%) among the centres (II). Compared to the efficient departments, the inefficient departments used excess labour resources (and probably) production equipment to produce RBCs and PLTs. Technical efficiency tended to be higher when the (theoretical) proportion of lost WB collections (total RBC+PLT loss) from all collections was low (III). The labour efficiency varied remarkably, from 25% to 100% (median 47%) when working hours were the only input (IV). Using the estimated total costs as the input (cost efficiency) revealed an even greater variation (13%-100%) and overall lower efficiency level compared to labour only as the input. In cost efficiency only, the savings potential (observed inefficiency) was more than 50% in 10 departments, whereas labour and cost savings potentials were both more than 50% in six departments. The association between department size and efficiency (scale efficiency) could not be verified statistically in the small sample. In conclusion, international evaluation of the technical efficiency in component preparation departments revealed remarkable variation. A suboptimal combination of manpower and production output levels was the major cause of inefficiency, and the efficiency did not directly relate to production volume. Evaluation of the reasons for discarding components may offer a novel approach to study efficiency. DEA was proven applicable in analyses including various factors as inputs and outputs. This study suggests that analytical models can be developed to serve as indicators of technical efficiency and promote improvements in the management of limited resources. The work also demonstrates the importance of integrating efficiency analysis into international comparisons of blood banking.

Terveyteen liittyvä elämänlaatu laitoskuntoutuksen vaikuttavuuden arvioinnissa : RAND-36-mittarin soveltuvuus työikäisten laitoskuntoutuksen ongelmaprofiilin määrittämiseen ja kuntoutuksen vaikutusten arvioimiseen

The aim of the present research was to examine the validity of the RAND-36 measure of health-related quality of life among the working age rehabilitation clients. The research included two cross-sectional studies and one follow-up study. The subjects of the first study (n = 794) participated in the first period of the five following types of rehabilitation: occupationally oriented medical rehabilitation, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, medical rehabilitation for job burnout, rehabilitation for supporting the work ability and capacity of disabled subjects (vocational rehabilitation) and individualized rehabilitation between October 2000 and October 2001. The subjects of the second study (n = 990) participated in the same rehabilitation during their first rehabilitation period between May 2007 and May 2008. The first subjects participated in a follow-up period no later than May 2003 with the exception of the individual rehabilitation clients (n = 588). Based on the ICF classification, the RAND-36 provides a diverse measure of the health-related quality of life and of the capacity for subjective, perceived physical and psycho-social functioning. The construct properties of the RAND-36 measure proved to be very consistent on the basis of both the cluster and confirmatory factor analyses. At the group level, the RAND-36 measure was shown to be illustrative and sensitive in differentiating the clients’ rehabilitation needs. The results of cluster analyses with the two cross-sectional data indicated a consistent five-cluster solution of rehabilitation groups on the basis of the eight subscales of health-related quality of life. Each of these clusters represented a clear difference in their need for rehabilitation. The RAND-36 measure proved to be sensitive to change. The changes observed in the pre- and post-conditions in relation to all the subscales of quality of life were statistically significant. Depending on the rehabilitation type, different changes in the subscales of the measure were observed, and these changes corresponded to the different emphasis and goals of the specific type of rehabilitation intervention. Similarly, changes in the subscales of the measure were observed in relation to the RAND groups formed by cluster analysis, which were logical and corresponded to the problem profiles of these groups. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a two-factor solution: an index of the capacity for physical functioning (self-rated general health, bodily pain, physical functioning, physical role functioning) and an index of the capacity for psycho-social functioning (psychological well-being, social functioning, psychological role functioning and energy). These two indices describing functional capacity proved also to be sensitive to change. This two-factor solution seems to be usable for group level analyses when assessing the effects of rehabilitation. The moderately strong correlation between the RAND-36 and work ability index suggests that they partly measure the same phenomenon: perceived health-related quality of life, subjective capacity for activity and perceived work ability have strong links. As expected, the capacity for physical functioning had a stronger correlation with work ability index than with the capacity for psycho-social functioning. According to the present research, the RAND-36 measure can be considered as a screening method for rehabilitation orientation in relation to rehabilitation needs and as a follow-up measure for the health-related quality of life among the working age clients. The RAND-36 measure is also shown to be a useful instrument in estimating the benefits of rehabilitation as well as in effectiveness research.

Studying the diurnal and seasonal acclimation of photosystem Ii using chlorophyll-a fluorescence

A small fraction of the energy absorbed in the light reactions of photosynthesis is re-emitted as chlorophyll-a fluorescence. Chlorophyll-a fluorescence and photochemistry compete for excitation energy in photosystem II (PSII). Therefore, changes in the photochemical capacity can be detected through analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence. Chlorophyll fluorescence techniques have been widely used to follow the diurnal (fast), and the seasonal (slow) acclimation in the energy partitioning between photochemical and non-photochemical processes in PSII. Energy partitioning in PSII estimated through chlorophyll fluorescence can be used as a proxy of the plant physiological status, and measured at different spatial and temporal scales. However, a number of technical and theoretical limitations still limit the use of chlorophyll fluorescence data for the study of the acclimation of PSII. The aim of this Thesis was to study the diurnal and seasonal acclimation of PSII in field conditions through the development and testing of new chlorophyll fluorescence-based tools, overcoming these limitations. A new model capable of following the fast acclimation of PSII to rapid fluctuations in light intensity was developed. The model was used to study the rapid acclimation in the electron transport rate under fluctuating light. Additionally, new chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were developed for estimating the seasonal acclimation in the sustained rate constant of thermal energy dissipation and photochemistry. The parameters were used to quantitatively evaluate the effect of light and temperature on the seasonal acclimation of PSII. The results indicated that light environment not only affected the degree but also the kinetics of response of the acclimation to temperature, which was attributed to differences in the structural organization of PSII during seasonal acclimation. Furthermore, zeaxanthin-facilitated thermal dissipation appeared to be the main mechanisms modulating the fraction of absorbed energy being dissipated thermally during winter in field Scots pine. Finally, the integration between diurnal and seasonal acclimation mechanisms was studied using a recently developed instrument MONI-PAM (Walz GmbH, Germany) capable of continuously monitoring the energy partitioning in PSII.

Automatic Lameness Detection in a Milking Robot : Instrumentation, measurement software, algorithms for data analysis and a neural network model

The aim of this thesis is to develop a fully automatic lameness detection system that operates in a milking robot. The instrumentation, measurement software, algorithms for data analysis and a neural network model for lameness detection were developed. Automatic milking has become a common practice in dairy husbandry, and in the year 2006 about 4000 farms worldwide used over 6000 milking robots. There is a worldwide movement with the objective of fully automating every process from feeding to milking. Increase in automation is a consequence of increasing farm sizes, the demand for more efficient production and the growth of labour costs. As the level of automation increases, the time that the cattle keeper uses for monitoring animals often decreases. This has created a need for systems for automatically monitoring the health of farm animals. The popularity of milking robots also offers a new and unique possibility to monitor animals in a single confined space up to four times daily. Lameness is a crucial welfare issue in the modern dairy industry. Limb disorders cause serious welfare, health and economic problems especially in loose housing of cattle. Lameness causes losses in milk production and leads to early culling of animals. These costs could be reduced with early identification and treatment. At present, only a few methods for automatically detecting lameness have been developed, and the most common methods used for lameness detection and assessment are various visual locomotion scoring systems. The problem with locomotion scoring is that it needs experience to be conducted properly, it is labour intensive as an on-farm method and the results are subjective. A four balance system for measuring the leg load distribution of dairy cows during milking in order to detect lameness was developed and set up in the University of Helsinki Research farm Suitia. The leg weights of 73 cows were successfully recorded during almost 10,000 robotic milkings over a period of 5 months. The cows were locomotion scored weekly, and the lame cows were inspected clinically for hoof lesions. Unsuccessful measurements, caused by cows standing outside the balances, were removed from the data with a special algorithm, and the mean leg loads and the number of kicks during milking was calculated. In order to develop an expert system to automatically detect lameness cases, a model was needed. A probabilistic neural network (PNN) classifier model was chosen for the task. The data was divided in two parts and 5,074 measurements from 37 cows were used to train the model. The operation of the model was evaluated for its ability to detect lameness in the validating dataset, which had 4,868 measurements from 36 cows. The model was able to classify 96% of the measurements correctly as sound or lame cows, and 100% of the lameness cases in the validation data were identified. The number of measurements causing false alarms was 1.1%. The developed model has the potential to be used for on-farm decision support and can be used in a real-time lameness monitoring system.

Monitoring of Fungal Growth and Degradation of Wood

Valko- ja ruskolahosienet tunnetaan luonnossa tehokkaimpina puun ja karikkeen lignoselluloosan lahottajina. Valkolahosienet pystyvät hajottamaan kaikkia puun osia: ligniiniä, selluloosaa ja hemiselluloosaa. Selektiivisesti ligniiniä hajottavat sienet lahottavat puusta suhteessa enemmän vaikeasti hajoavaa ligniiniä kuin selluloosaa tai hemiselluloosaa, jolloin jäljelle jää valkoista ja miltei puhdasta selluloosaa. Bioteknisissä sovelluksissa juuri selektiviiviset valkolahottajat ovat kiinnostavia. Niiden avulla voidaan puuhaketta esikäsitellä esimerkiksi paperinvalmistuksessa haitallisen ligniinin poistamiseksi. Ruskolahosienet ovat huomattavia puun, puutavaran ja puisten rakenteiden lahottajia, kuten tässä työssä käytetty Gloeophyllum trabeum (saunasieni ) ja Poria (Postia) placenta (istukkakääpä). Ruskolahosienet hajottavat puusta hemiselluloosan lisäksi selluloosaa, jolloin jää jäljelle ruskea ja jauhomaiseksi mureneva ligniini. Ruskolahosienet muovaavat ligniiniä jonkin verran. Kahden ruskolahosienen G. trabeumin ja P. placentan lisäksi tutkittiin valkolahosieniä, joista Ceriporiopsis subvermispora (karstakääpä) ja harvinainen Physisporinus rivulosus -sieni (talikääpä) hajottavat ligniiniä erittäin selektiivisesti. Phanerochaete chrysosporium on kaikkialla paljon tutkittu sieni, ja Phlebia radiata valkolahosientä (rusorypykkä) on tutkittu paljon mikrobiologian osastolla. Lisäksi tutkittiin Phlebia tremellosa -sienten (hytyrypykkä) ligninolyyttisten entsyymien tuottoa ja 14C-leimatun synteettisen ligniinin (DHP) hajotusta. P. radiata ja P. tremellosa -sienten on todettu aiemmin hajottavan ligniiniä selektiivisesti. Työssä selvitettiin miten sienten kasvua voi mitata, miten vertailukelpoisia eri mittaamismenetelmillä saadut tulokset ovat ja ilmenevätkö sienten aktiivisimmat kasvuvaiheet samaan aikaan eri menetelmillä mitattuna. Tärkeimmät tulokset olivat seuraavat havainnot: (i) P. radiata ja P. tremellosa -sienikannat tuottivat ligniini- ja mangaaniperoksidaasientsyymejä (LiP ja MnP) sekä lakkaasia, ja sienistä puhdistettiin 2-3 LiP- ja P. radiatasta yksi MnP-entsyymi; (ii) P. tremellosa -sienet hajottivat leimattua synteettistä ligniiniä (DHP) yhtä hyvin kuin paljon tutkitut P. chrysosporium ja P. radiata -sienet; (iii) puu, sienen luonnollinen kasvualusta, lisäsi valkolaho- ja ruskolahosienten demetoksylaatiota [O14CH3]-leimatusta ligniinin malliyhdisteestä 14CO2:ksi ilman puuta olleeseen alustaan verrattuna; (iv) demetoksylaatio (14CO2:n tuotto) oli normaalissa ilma-atmosfäärissä useimmiten parempi happeen verrattuna; (v) hapessa paras 14CO2:n tuotto saatiin puupalakasvatuksissa, joihin oli lisätty ravinnetyppeä tai typen lisäksi glukoosia sekä valkolaho- että ruskolahosienillä; (vi) ilmassa 14CO2:n tuotto oli puulla voimakkainta valkolahosienillä ilman lisäravinteita, kun taas G. trabeum -sienellä se oli yhtä hyvä eri alustoissa; (vii) biomassan muodostuminen rihmastojen ergosterolipitoisuuksista mitattuna oli ruskolahosienillä parempi kuin valkolahosienillä; (viii) ja biomassojen huippupitoisuudet olivat 6:lla sienellä eri suuruisia ja niiden maksimimäärien ajankohdat vaihtelivat viiden viikon kasvatusten kuluessa. Mikrobiologian osastolla Viikissä eristetty ja paljon tutkittu P. radiata -valkolahosieni oli mukana kaikissa tehdyissä kokeissa. Sienen LiP-aktiivisuus ja 14CO2:n tuotto 14C-rengas-leimatusta synteettisestä ligniinistä (DHP) korreloivat erittäin hyvin. Biomassan muodostuminen ergosterolilla määritettynä tuki hyvin entsyymiaktiivisuusmittauksilla ja isotooppikasvatuksilla saatuja tuloksia.

Modern techniques in detection, identification and quantification of bacteria and peptides from foods

Standards have been placed to regulate the microbial and preservative contents to assure that foods are safe to the consumer. In a case of a food-related disease outbreak, it is crucial to be able to detect and identify quickly and accurately the cause of the disease. In addition, for every day control of food microbial and preservative contents, the detection methods must be easily performed for numerous food samples. In this present study, quicker alternative methods were studied for identification of bacteria by DNA fingerprinting. A flow cytometry method was developed as an alternative to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, the golden method . DNA fragment sizing by an ultrasensitive flow cytometer was able to discriminate species and strains in a reproducible and comparable manner to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. This new method was hundreds times faster and 200,000 times more sensitive. Additionally, another DNA fingerprinting identification method was developed based on single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism (SE-AFLP). This method allowed the differentiation of genera, species, and strains of pathogenic bacteria of Bacilli, Staphylococci, Yersinia, and Escherichia coli. These fingerprinting patterns obtained by SE-AFLP were simpler and easier to analyze than those by the traditional amplified fragment length polymorphism by double enzyme digestion. Nisin (E234) is added as a preservative to different types of foods, especially dairy products, around the world. Various detection methods exist for nisin, but they lack in sensitivity, speed or specificity. In this present study, a sensitive nisin-induced green fluorescent protein (GFPuv) bioassay was developed using the Lactococcus lactis two-component signal system NisRK and the nisin-inducible nisA promoter. The bioassay was extremely sensitive with detection limit of 10 pg/ml in culture supernatant. In addition, it was compatible for quantification from various food matrices, such as milk, salad dressings, processed cheese, liquid eggs, and canned tomatoes. Wine has good antimicrobial properties due to its alcohol concentration, low pH, and organic content and therefore often assumed to be microbially safe to consume. Another aim of this thesis was to study the microbiota of wines returned by customers complaining of food-poisoning symptoms. By partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, ribotyping, and boar spermatozoa motility assay, it was identified that one of the wines contained a Bacillus simplex BAC91, which produced a heat-stable substance toxic to the mitochondria of sperm cells. The antibacterial activity of wine was tested on the vegetative cells and spores of B. simplex BAC91, B. cereus type strain ATCC 14579 and cereulide-producing B. cereus F4810/72. Although the vegetative cells and spores of B. simplex BAC91 were sensitive to the antimicrobial effects of wine, the spores of B. cereus strains ATCC 14579 and F4810/72 stayed viable for at least 4 months. According to these results, Bacillus spp., more specifically spores, can be a possible risk to the wine consumer.

Microbes in the tailoring of barley malt properties

Microbes have a decisive role in the barley-malt-beer chain. A major goal of this thesis was to study the relationships between microbial communities and germinating grains during malting. Furthermore, the study provided a basis for tailoring of malt properties with natural, malt-derived microbes. The malting ecosystem is a dynamic process, exhibiting continous change. The first hours of steeping and kilning were the most important steps in the process with regard to microbiological quality. The microbial communities consisting of various types of bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi formed complex biofilms in barley tissues and were well-protected. Inhibition of one microbial population within the complex ecosystem led to an increase of non-suppressed populations, which must be taken into account because a shift in microbial community dynamics may be undesirable. Both bacterial and fungal communities should be monitored simultaneously. Using different molecular approaches we showed that the diversity of microbes in the malting ecosystem was greater than expected. Even some new microbial groups were found in the malting ecosystem. Suppression of Gram-negative bacteria during steeping was advanategous for grain germination and malt brewhouse performance. Fungal communities including both filamentous fungi and yeasts significantly contributed to the production of microbial beta-glucanases and xylanases, and were also involved in proteolysis. Well-characterized lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum VTT E-78076 and Pediococcus pentosaceus VTT E-90390) proved to be an effective way of balancing the microbial communities in malting. Furthermore, they had positive effects on malt characteristics and notably improved wort separation. Previously the significance of yeasts in the malting ecosystem has been largely underestimated. This study showed that yeast community was an important part of the industrial malting ecosystem. Yeasts produced extracellular hydrolytic enzymes with a potentially positive contribution to malt processability. Furthermore, several yeasts showed strong antagonistic activity against field and storage moulds. Addition of a selected yeast culture (Pichia anomala VTT C-04565) into steeping restricted Fusarium growth and hydrophobin production and thus prevented beer gushing. Addition of P. anomala C565 into steeping water tended to retard wort filtration, but the filtration was improved when the yeast culture was combined with L. plantarum E76. The combination of different microbial cultures offers a possibility to use ther different properties, thus making the system more robust. Improved understanding of complex microbial communities and their role in malting enables a more controlled process management and the production of high quality malt with tailored properties