Bay of Bengal : a survey of the sea face of the Soondurbuns

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Determinants of Bone Strength and Predictors of Hip Fracture among Finnish Adults. Results from the Health 2000 Survey and the Mini-Finland Health Survey

The objective of this thesis was to identify the determinants of bone strength and predictors of hip fracture in representative samples of Finnish adults. A secondary objective was to construct a simple multifactorial model for hip fracture prediction over a 10-year follow-up period. The study was based on the Health 2000 Survey conducted during 2000 to 2001 (men and women aged 30 years or over, n=6 035) and the Mini-Finland Health Survey conducted during 1978 to 1980 (women aged 45 years or over, n=2 039). Study subjects participated in health interviews and comprehensive health examination. In the Health 2000 Survey, bone strength was assessed by means of calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS). The follow-up information about hip fractures was drawn from the National Hospital Discharge Register. In this study, age, weight, height, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (S-25(OH)D), physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption as well as menopause and eventual HRT in women were found to be associated with calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) and speed of sound (SOS). Parity was associated with a decreased risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women. Age, height, weight or waist circumference, quantitative ultrasound index (QUI), S-25(OH)D and fall-related factors, such as maximal walking speed, Parkinson’s disease, and the number of prescribed CNS active medication were significant independent predictors of hip fracture. At the population level, the incremental value of QUS appeared to be minor in hip fracture prediction when the fall-related risk factors were taken into account. A simple multifactorial model for hip fracture prediction presented in this study was based on readily available factors (age, gender, height, waist circumference, and fallrelated factors). Prospective studies are needed to test this model in patient-based study populations.

Becoming a caring nurse : the heart of the matter in nurse education

This thesis in caring science didactics is based on a thinking, where the fundamental basis for the didactic is science-based, i.e. it does not emanate from the nursing profession but brings forward a didactic that grows out of caring science and its core substance and ethos. This view on didactics arises from the caritative theory developed by Eriksson. The overall aim of the study is to clarify the meaning and essence of understanding, as well as to explore and deepen the understanding of student nurses' processes of understanding and becoming with the intention of developing a theory model for caring didactics. The overarching research questions are: What is the essence of understanding (of caring science knowledge)? What are the possibilities and importance of understanding in the appropriation of caring science? What characterizes and impels the process of becoming? The thesis consists of four sub studies and a summary section. The overall methodological approach is hermeneutic involving quantitative as well as qualitative methods. The data for the study has been collected through a longitudinal research project that followed student nurses at three universities during their entire education. The empirical sub studies form the basis for the interpreted knowledge that is formulated in the new understanding. This new understanding have, through additional theory-charging with the theory fragments from Gadamer, generated the heuristic synthesis which is illustrated in the theory model. The findings shows that understanding can be described as something unlimited, as an endless movement, which can be illustrated as a lying eighth, a lemniscate. The lemiscate of understanding is characterized by seeing, knowing and becoming and consists of seven differently named phases; the acquired horizon of understanding, the encounter of horizons, the dialogue of horizons, the fusion of horizons, application, reflection and shaping a new horizon of understanding. Bildung (formation), is the ultimate imprint of the endless spiral movement of understanding. Ethos and arête constitute the hubs around which the lemniscate of understanding circles. These include the spirit and driving force that the student carries within. The caring culture encloses the lemniscate of understanding. The caring culture provides the life space of understanding and the prevailing basic values are evinced in the culture.

Social class as a factor for the construction of a musician’s identity : The Musician’s social background and identity questionnaire (MSBIQ) – a cross-sectional comparative quantitative online survey research study of music students at two higher education institutions in Finland

There is currently little empirical knowledge regarding the construction of a musician’s identity and social class. With a theoretical framework based on Bourdieu’s (1984) distinction theory, Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) theory of ecological systems, and the identity theories of Erikson (1950; 1968) and Marcia (1966), a survey called the Musician’s Social Background and Identity Questionnaire (MSBIQ) is developed to test three research hypotheses related to the construction of a musician’s identity, social class and ecological systems of development. The MSBIQ is administered to the music students at Sibelius Academy of the University of Arts Helsinki and Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, representing the ’highbrow’ and the ’middlebrow’ samples in the field of music education in Finland. Acquired responses (N = 253) are analyzed and compared with quantitative methods including Pearson’s chi-square test, factor analysis and an adjusted analysis of variance (ANOVA). The study revealed that (1) the music students at Sibelius Academy and Metropolia construct their subjective musician’s identity differently, but (2) social class does not affect this identity construction process significantly. In turn, (3) the ecological systems of development, especially the individual’s residential location, do significantly affect the construction of a musician’s identity, as well as the age at which one starts to play one’s first musical instrument. Furthermore, a novel finding related to the structure of a musician’s identity was the tripartite model of musical identity consisting of the three dimensions of a musician’s identity: (I) ’the subjective dimension of a musician’s identity’, (II) ’the occupational dimension of a musician’s identity’ and, (III) ’the conservative-liberal dimension of a musician’s identity’. According to this finding, a musician’s identity is not a uniform, coherent entity, but a structure consisting of different elements continuously working in parallel within different dimensions. The results and limitations related to the study are discussed, as well as the objectives related to future studies using the MSBIQ to research the identity construction and social backgrounds of a musician or other performing artists.

Current State of Ontology Matching. A Survey of Ontology and Schema Matching

Ontology matching is an important task when data from multiple data sources is integrated. Problems of ontology matching have been studied widely in the researchliterature and many different solutions and approaches have been proposed alsoin commercial software tools. In this survey, well-known approaches of ontologymatching, and its subtype schema matching, are reviewed and compared. The aimof this report is to summarize the knowledge about the state-of-the-art solutionsfrom the research literature, discuss how the methods work on different application domains, and analyze pros and cons of different open source and academic tools inthe commercial world.

3D Mesh Simplification. A survey of algorithms and CAD model simplification tests

Simplification of highly detailed CAD models is an important step when CAD models are visualized or by other means utilized in augmented reality applications. Without simplification, CAD models may cause severe processing and storage is- sues especially in mobile devices. In addition, simplified models may have other advantages like better visual clarity or improved reliability when used for visual pose tracking. The geometry of CAD models is invariably presented in form of a 3D mesh. In this paper, we survey mesh simplification algorithms in general and focus especially to algorithms that can be used to simplify CAD models. We test some commonly known algorithms with real world CAD data and characterize some new CAD related simplification algorithms that have not been surveyed in previous mesh simplification reviews.

The Baltic republics : a strategic survey

Finnish Defence Studies is published under the auspices of the War College, and the contributions reflect the fields of research and teaching of the College. Finnish Defence Studies will occasionally feature documentation on Finnish Security Policy. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily imply endorsement by the War College.

Åland islands : a strategic survey

Finnish Defence Studies is published under the auspices of the National Defence College, and the contributions reflect the fields of research and teaching of the College. Finnish Defence Studies will occasionally feature documentation on Finnish Security Policy. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily imply endorsement by the National Defence College.

User Experience Patterns for/of Innovation by Design: A Survey on Design Practices in the Software Development and Innovation Lifecycle

The User Experience (UX) designers are undoubtedly aware of how many UX design methods currently exist and that sometimes it becomes a problem to choose an appropriate one. What are all of methods that designers have in their “arsenal”? When can they use them? This thesis presents the research on the design methods in the contemporary context of User Experience (UX) and Innovations by using a survey approach. The study is limited to cover the domain of consumer mobile services development and provider companies around the world. The study follows 2 clear objectives: (1) to understand what design methods are currently used in that context and to what extent they are used (2) to identify at what stage according to the UX design thinking process for creating innovations they are placed. The study contributes to the research in the field of UX design and Innovations and extends the knowledge in that field together with communities’ (UXPA, SIGCHI, SIGSOFT) members’ cooperation. The research is vital due to lack of information on design practices and their application in the chosen context.