Plant adaptation to temperature and photoperiod

Selostus: Kasvien sopeutuminen lämpötilaan ja päivän pituuteen

Information System ProcessInnovation Adoption, Adaptation, Learning, and Unlearning: A Longitudinal Case Study

This thesis examines the history and evolution of information system process innovation (ISPI) processes (adoption, adaptation, and unlearning) within the information system development (ISD) work in an internal information system (IS) department and in two IS software house organisations in Finland over a 43-year time-period. The study offers insights into influential actors and their dependencies in deciding over ISPIs. The research usesa qualitative research approach, and the research methodology involves the description of the ISPI processes, how the actors searched for ISPIs, and how the relationships between the actors changed over time. The existing theories were evaluated using the conceptual models of the ISPI processes based on the innovationliterature in the IS area. The main focus of the study was to observe changes in the main ISPI processes over time. The main contribution of the thesis is a new theory. The term theory should be understood as 1) a new conceptual framework of the ISPI processes, 2) new ISPI concepts and categories, and the relationships between the ISPI concepts inside the ISPI processes. The study gives a comprehensive and systematic study on the history and evolution of the ISPI processes; reveals the factors that affected ISPI adoption; studies ISPI knowledge acquisition, information transfer, and adaptation mechanisms; and reveals the mechanismsaffecting ISPI unlearning; changes in the ISPI processes; and diverse actors involved in the processes. The results show that both the internal IS department and the two IS software houses sought opportunities to improve their technical skills and career paths and this created an innovative culture. When new technology generations come to the market the platform systems need to be renewed, and therefore the organisations invest in ISPIs in cycles. The extent of internal learning and experiments was higher than the external knowledge acquisition. Until the outsourcing event (1984) the decision-making was centralised and the internalIS department was very influential over ISPIs. After outsourcing, decision-making became distributed between the two IS software houses, the IS client, and itsinternal IT department. The IS client wanted to assure that information systemswould serve the business of the company and thus wanted to co-operate closely with the software organisations.

Mobile terminal adaptation in portal for better usability

Elektroniset finanssipalvelut, erityisesti Internetin kautta käytettynä, on kasvava alue. Elektronisten finanssipalveluiden tarjoajan tulee pystyä tarjoamaan laaja käytettävyys kaikkien kanavien kautta. Laajan käytettävyyden avulla asiakas voi valita haluamansa kanavan haluamanaan aikana. Palveluntarjoajalla tulee olla joustava arkkitehtuuri pystyäkseen tukemaan asiakkaiden muuttuvia vaatimuksia. Joustavalla arkkitehtuurilla päätelaitteeseen mukautuminen on mahdollista ja näin palveluntarjoaja pystyy tarjoamaan tuen monille eri päätelaitteille ja teknologioille helposti ja nopeasti. Diplomityö keskittyy tutkimaan mahdollisuutta monen kanavan tukeen ja päätelaitteeseen mukautumista Nordean tulevassa finanssiportaaliratkaisussa. Tämä pitäisi olla mahdollista uuden arkkitehtuurin kanssa, jonka TietoEnator on toteuttanut yhteistyössä Nordean kanssa. Sivujen rakenteen uudelleenjärjestelyillä saatiin hyviä tuloksia. Nykyisestä arkkitehtuurissa löydettiin myös puutteita ja jäljelle jäi avoimia kysymyksiä, jotka kirjattiin ylös. On selvästi nähtävissä, että tehokas päätelaitteeseen mukautuminen ja tuki monelle kanavalle tuo hyötyjä sekä pankille että asiakkaalle.

Type II aromatic polyketide biosynthetic tailoring enzymes: diversity and adaptation in Streptomyces secondary metabolism.

Members of the bacterial genus Streptomyces are well known for their ability to produce an exceptionally wide selection of diverse secondary metabolites. These include natural bioactive chemical compounds which have potential applications in medicine, agriculture and other fields of commerce. The outstanding biosynthetic capacity derives from the characteristic genetic flexibility of Streptomyces secondary metabolism pathways: i) Clustering of the biosynthetic genes in chromosome regions redundant for vital primary functions, and ii) the presence of numerous genetic elements within these regions which facilitate DNA rearrangement and transfer between non-progeny species. Decades of intensive genetic research on the organization and function of the biosynthetic routes has led to a variety of molecular biology applications, which can be used to expand the diversity of compounds synthesized. These include techniques which, for example, allow modification and artificial construction of novel pathways, and enable gene-level detection of silent secondary metabolite clusters. Over the years the research has expanded to cover molecular-level analysis of the enzymes responsible for the individual catalytic reactions. In vitro studies of the enzymes provide a detailed insight into their catalytic functions, mechanisms, substrate specificities, interactions and stereochemical determinants. These are factors that are essential for the thorough understanding and rational design of novel biosynthetic routes. The current study is a part of a more extensive research project (Antibiotic Biosynthetic Enzymes; www.sci.utu.fi/projects/biokemia/abe), which focuses on the post-PKS tailoring enzymes involved in various type II aromatic polyketide biosynthetic pathways in Streptomyces bacteria. The initiative here was to investigate specific catalytic steps in anthracycline and angucycline biosynthesis through in vitro biochemical enzyme characterization and structural enzymology. The objectives were to elucidate detailed mechanisms and enzyme-level interactions which cannot be resolved by in vivo genetic studies alone. The first part of the experimental work concerns the homologous polyketide cyclases SnoaL and AknH. These catalyze the closure of the last carbon ring of the tetracyclic carbon frame common to all anthracycline-type compounds. The second part of the study primarily deals with tailoring enzymes PgaE (and its homolog CabE) and PgaM, which are responsible for a cascade of sequential modification reactions in angucycline biosynthesis. The results complemented earlier in vivo findings and confirmed the enzyme functions in vitro. Importantly, we were able to identify the amino acid -level determinants that influence AknH and SnoaL stereoselectivity and to determine the complex biosynthetic steps of the angucycline oxygenation cascade of PgaE and PgaM. In addition, the findings revealed interesting cases of enzyme-level adaptation, as some of the catalytic mechanisms did not coincide with those described for characterised homologs or enzymes of known function. Specifically, SnoaL and AknH were shown to employ a novel acid-base mechanism for aldol condenzation, whereas the hydroxylation reaction catalysed by PgaM involved unexpected oxygen chemistry. Owing to a gene-level fusion of two ancestral reading frames, PgaM was also shown to adopt an unusual quaternary sturucture, a non-covalent fusion complex of two alternative forms of the protein. Furthermore, the work highlighted some common themes encountered in polyketide biosynthetic pathways such as enzyme substrate specificity and intermediate reactivity. These are discussed in the final chapters of the work.

Poptähden muotokuva. Myytit, arkkityypit ja Michael Jacksonin video Smooth Criminal (1988)

Tämä tutkielma käsittelee poptähti Michael Jacksonin tähtikuvaa populaarina myyttinä arkkityyppien näkökulmasta. Tutkimus käsittelee myös tähteyden historiaa ja siirtymää klassisesta Hollywood -tähteydestä postmoderniin tähteyteen. Tutkimus pyrkii selvittämään Jacksonin positiota kulttuurisella tähtikentällä ja sitä, mitä uutta rajatilasankarin, initiaation ja tricksterin arkkityypit voivat kertoa tunnetusta poptähdestä. Tutkimusaineistoksi on valittu Jacksonin Moonwalker –elokuva (1988) ja sen sisällä oleva Smooth Criminal -osio, joka sisältää juonellisen tarinan ja musiikkivideokohtauksen. Smooth Criminal -musiikkikohtaus viittaa kulta-ajan Hollywood -tähden Fred Astairen Band Wagon –musikaalin (1953) Girl Hunt Ballet -musikaalinumeroon. Tutkimuksen kulttuurihistoriallisessa osiossa tuodaan vertailuun Astairen ja Jacksonin erilaiset tähteydet, videoiden narratiivit ja sankaruudet, joita tähdet ilmentävät narratiiveissa. Arkkityyppeihin keskittyvässä osiossa sama Smooth Criminal -narratiivi luetaan uudestaan näiden kolmen arkkityypin kautta, jolloin Jacksonin tähtikuvasta avautuu uusia aspekteja. Tutkimuksen teoreettisen rungon muodostavat sveitsiläisen analyyttisen psykologian perustajan Carl Gustav Jungin teoria arkkityypeistä ja tätä teoriaa soveltava postjungilainen tutkimus. Tutkimuksen kulttuurihistoriallinen puoli pohjaa perinteiseen tähtitutkimukseen ja erityisesti Richard Dyerin sekä Edgar Morinin teoksiin. Käytän postjungilaista elokuva- ja tähtitutkimusta tutkimuksessani, joista tärkeimpiä ovat John Izodin ja Luke Hockleyn teokset. Tutkimuksen perusteella voidaan todeta, että tähteys on kulttuurisidonnaista ja ilmentää omaa aikaansa. Astairen tähteys ja narratiivin sankaruus koostuu muutamista pelkistetyistä aspekteista. Jackson on tähtenä eräänlainen hybridisankari, jossa yhdistyvät monet vastakkaiset merkitykset. Rajatilasankarin, initiaation ja tricksterin arkkityypit ovat kaikki löydettävissä tutkinnan kohteena olevasta narratiivista. Arkkityyppien kautta voi nähdä, että Jacksonin ilmensi tähteydessään myös näitä kaikille ihmisille yhteisiä psyykkisiä sisältöjä, mikä voi osaltaan selittää hänen globaalia suosiotaan.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Finnish children and adolescents : diagnosis, cognition, behavior, adaptation and brain metabolic alterations

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can potentially affect the developing fetus in devastating ways, leading to a range of physical, neurological, and behavioral alterations most accurately termed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Despite the fact that it is a preventable disorder, prenatal alcohol exposure today constitutes a leading cause of intellectual disability in the Western world. In Western countries where prevalence studies have been performed the rates of FASD exceed, for example, autism spectrum disorders, Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy. In addition to the direct effects of alcohol, children and adolescents with FASD are often exposed to a double burden in life, as their neurological sequelae are accompanied by adverse living surroundings exposing them to further environmental risk. However, children with FASD today remain remarkably underdiagnosed by the health care system. This thesis forms part of a larger multinational research project, The Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (the CIFASD), initiated by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in the U.S.A. The general aim of the present thesis was to examine a cohort of children and adolescents growing up with fetal alcohol-related damage in Finland. The thesis consists of five studies with a broad focus on diagnosis, cognition, behavior, adaptation and brain metabolic alterations in children and adolescents with FASD. The participants consisted of four different groups: one group with histories of prenatal exposure to alcohol, the FASD group; one IQ matched contrast group mostly consisting of children with specific learning disorder (SLD); and two typically-developing control groups (CON1 and CON2). Participants were identified through medical records, random sampling from the Finnish national population registry and email alerts to students. Importantly, the participants in the present studies comprise a group of very carefully clinically characterized children with FASD as the studies were performed in close collaboration with leading experts in the field (Prof. Edward Riley and Prof. Sarah Mattson, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, U.S.A; Prof. Eugene Hoyme, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, U.S.A.). In the present thesis, the revised Institute of Medicine diagnostic criteria for FASD were tested on a Finnish population and found to be a reliable tool for differentiating among the subgroups of FASD. A weighted dysmorphology scoring system proved to be a valuable additional adjunct in quantification of growth deficits and dysmorphic features in children with FASD (Study 1). The purpose of Study 2 was to clarify the relationship between alcohol-related dysmorphic features and general cognitive capacity. Results showed a significant correlation between dysmorphic features and cognitive capacity, suggesting that children with more severe growth deficiency and dysmorphic features have more cognitive limitations. This association was, however, only moderate, indicating that physical markers and cognitive capacity not always go hand in hand in individuals with FASD. Behavioral problems in the FASD group proved substantial compared to the typically developing control group. In Study 3 risk and protective factors associated with behavioral problems in the FASD group were explored further focusing on diagnostic and environmental factors. Two groups with elevated risks for behavioral problems emerged: length of time spent in residential care and a low dysmorphology score proved to be the most pervasive risk factor for behavioral problems. The results underscore the clinical importance of appropriate services and care for less visibly alcohol affected children and highlight the need to attend to children with FASD being raised in institutions. With their background of early biological and psychological impairment compounded with less opportunity for a close and continuous caregiver relationship, such children seem to run an especially great risk of adverse life outcomes. Study 4 focused on adaptive abilities such as communication, daily living skills and social skills, in other words skills that are important for gradually enabling an independent life, maintain social relationships and allow the individual to become integrated into society. The results showed that adaptive abilities of children and adolescents growing up with FASD were significantly compromised compared to both typically-developing peers and IQ-matched children with SLD. Clearly different adaptive profiles were revealed where the FASD group performed worse than the SLD group, who in turn performed worse than the CON1 group. Importantly, the SLD group outperformed the FASD group on adaptive behavior in spite of comparable cognitive levels. This is the first study to compare adaptive abilities in a group of children and adolescents with FASD relative to both a contrast group of IQ-matched children with SLD and to a group of typically-developing peers. Finally, in Study 5, through magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRS) evidence of longstanding neurochemical alterations were observed in adolescents and young adults with FASD related to alcohol exposure in utero 14-20 years earlier. Neurochemical alterations were seen in several brain areas: in frontal and parietal cortices, corpus callosum, thalamus and frontal white matter areas as well as in the cerebellar dentate nucleus. The findings are compatible with neuropsychological findings in FASD. Glial cells seemed to be more affected than neurons. In conclusion, more societal efforts and resources should be focused on recognizing and diagnosing FASD, and supporting subgroups with elevated risk of poor outcome. Without adequate intervention children and adolescents with FASD run a great risk of marginalization and social maladjustment, costly not only to society but also to the lives of the many young people with FASD.

Coping with international atrocities through criminal law : a study into the typical features of international criminality and the reflection of these traits in international criminal law

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Adaptation of TRIZ Method for Problem Solving in Process Engineering

TRIZ is one of the well-known tools, based on analytical methods for creative problem solving. This thesis suggests adapted version of contradiction matrix, a powerful tool of TRIZ and few principles based on concept of original TRIZ. It is believed that the proposed version would aid in problem solving, especially those encountered in chemical process industries with unit operations. In addition, this thesis would help fresh process engineers to recognize importance of various available methods for creative problem solving and learn TRIZ method of creative problem solving. This thesis work mainly provides idea on how to modify TRIZ based method according to ones requirements to fit in particular niche area and solve problems efficiently in creative way. Here in this case, the contradiction matrix developed is based on review of common problems encountered in chemical process industry, particularly in unit operations and resolutions are based on approaches used in past to handle those issues.

Victims’ status at international and hybrid criminal courts : victims’ status as witnesses, victim participants/civil parties and reparations claimants

Bestraffning av internationella brott vid internationella och hybrida straffrättsliga domstolar har traditionellt och huvudsakligen grundat sig på principen om retributiv (vedergällande) rättvisa och ackusatorisk process snarare än återuppbyggande rättvisa och en inkvisitorisk modell. Därav har brottsoffrens ställning vid dessa straffrättsliga domstolar begränsat sig till den som innehas av vittnen vid Tribunalen som behandlar brott som begåtts i det forna Jugoslavien (ICTY), Internationella krigsförbrytartribunalen för Rwanda (ICTR) och Specialdomstolen för Sierra Leone (SCSL). Internationella brottmålsdomstolen (ICC), å sin sida, har medfört en viktig förändring gällande brottsoffrens ställning i internationella straffrättsliga fora, vilket innebär att de från att ha betraktats endast i egenskap av vittnen nu även har en rätt att delta och lämna sina synpunkter (i egenskap av brottsofferdeltagare) samt kräva gottgörelse. Denna trend har fortsatt inom området för internationell straffrätt, vilket manifesterats vid hybridtribunaler som tillsatts efter ICC såsom Kambodjadomstolen (ECCC) vid vilken brottsoffer kan agera civilrättsliga parter och Specialdomstolen för Libanon (STL) där brottsoffer kan inneha en deltagande roll. Den föreliggande studien behandlar två huvudsakliga frågeställningar, av vilka den första lyder: Vilken ställning tillskrivs brottsoffren vid internationella domstolar och hybridtribunaler? I detta hänseende argumenterar författaren, sammanfattningsvis, för att brottsoffrens ställning vid internationella straffrättsliga domstolar och hybridtribunaler huvudsakligen tar sig uttryck på tre sätt, d.v.s. som brottsoffer i egenskap av vittnen, som brottsoffer i egenskap av deltagande brottsoffer/civilrättsliga parter samt som brottsoffer som kräver gottgörelse. Den andra frågeställningen för denna studie lyder: På vilket sätt fungerar brottsoffrens ställning som vittnen, brottsofferdeltagande/civilrättsliga parter och gottgörelsekrävande vid internationella och hybrida straffrättsliga domstolar? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kansainvälisten rikosten rankaiseminen kansainvälisissä rikostuomioistuimissa ja hybridituomioistuimissa on perinteisesti enimmäkseen perustunut retributiivisen oikeuden ja akkusatorisen menetelmän soveltamiseen pikemmin kuin restoratiivisen oikeuden ja inkvisitorisen menetelmän soveltamiseen. Niinpä uhrien asema kansainvälisissä rikostuomioistuimissa ja hybridituomioistuimissa on rajoittunut todistajan asemaan entisen Jugoslavian kansainvälisessä sotarikostuomioistuimessa (ICTY), Ruandan kansainvälisessä sotarikostuomioistuimessa (ICTR) ja Sierra Leonen erikoistuomioistuimessa (SCSL). Kansainvälisen rikostuomioistuimen (ICC) perustaminen on kuitenkin merkinnyt tärkeää muutosta uhrien asemaan kansainvälisen rikosoikeuden alalla siten, että kun uhrit aiemmin nähtiin vain todistajina, heillä on nyt myös mahdollisuus tuoda esiin omat näkökantansa (osallistumisoikeus) ja vaatia hyvitystä. Tämä suuntaus on jatkunut kansainvälisen rikosoikeuden alalla ICC:n jälkeen perustetuissa hybridituomioistuimissa, kuten Kambodzhan erityistuomioistuimessa (ECCC), missä uhrit voivat olla asianosaisen asemassa, sekä Libanonin erityistuomioistuimessa (STL), missä uhrit voivat osallistua prosessiin. Tämä tutkimus käsittelee kahta keskeistä kysymystä. Ensinnäkin: Mikä on rikoksen uhrien asema kansainvälisissä rikostuomioistuimissa ja hybridituomioistuimissa? Tutkimuksessa päädytään mm. siihen, että uhrien asema kansainvälisissä rikostuomioistuimissa ja hybridituomioistuimissa voi koostua pääosin kolmesta ulottuvuudesta eli uhrit todistajina, uhrit prosessiin osallistujina/asianosaisina ja uhrit hyvityksen hakijoina. Tutkimuksen toinen keskeinen kysymys on: Miten uhrien asema todistajina, prosessiin osallistujina/ asianosaisina ja hyvityksen hakijoina toimii kansainvälisissä rikostuomioistuimissa ja hybridituomioistuimissa?