Radiological findings of uterine arteriovenous malformation: a case report of an unusual and life-threatening cause of abnormal vaginal bleeding

Uterine arteriovenous malformations may cause life-threatening abnormal genital bleeding in women at childbearing age. Transvaginal Doppler ultrasonography is a widely available, noninvasive and excellent diagnostic method. The authors report the case of a patient with history of gestational trophoblastic disease and multiple curettage procedures who developed uterine arteriovenous malformations, with remission of the lesions after treatment with methotrexate.

Brand ideas: narrar historias mediante la vida de la marca. ¿Cómo se generan los conceptos creativos que otorgan significado y forma a las marcas?

El present projecte analitza la creació i el desenvolupament dels conceptes que donen forma a les marques des d'un punt de vista creatiu. El treball proposa l'estudi del concepte de les brand idees com a resposta a l'evolució que han seguit les marques per aconseguir comunicar la seva essència. La finalitat de l'escrit és disseccionar les dues parts principals del procés creatiu d'una marca, les big ideas i les brand ideas, per trobar la forma més adequada de transmetre l'essència de les marques durant un recorregut de diversos anys. Un escenari que ens ensenyarà si aquest procés és tan nou com es creu, si realment les marques apliquen aquestes teories i els diferents elements a tenir en compte per fer créixer una marca des del punt de vista de la comunicació creativa.

The effects of real time control of welding parameters on weld quality in plasma arc keyhole welding

Joints intended for welding frequently show variations in geometry and position, for which it is unfortunately not possible to apply a single set of operating parameters to ensure constant quality. The cause of this difficulty lies in a number of factors, including inaccurate joint preparation and joint fit up, tack welds, as well as thermal distortion of the workpiece. In plasma arc keyhole welding of butt joints, deviations in the gap width may cause weld defects such as an incomplete weld bead, excessive penetration and burn through. Manual adjustment of welding parameters to compensate for variations in the gap width is very difficult, and unsatisfactory weld quality is often obtained. In this study a control system for plasma arc keyhole welding has been developed and used to study the effects of the real time control of welding parameters on gap tolerance during welding of austenitic stainless steel AISI 304L. The welding tests demonstrated the beneficial effect of real time control on weld quality. Compared with welding using constant parameters, the maximum tolerable gap width with an acceptable weld quality was 47% higher when using the real time controlled parameters for a plate thickness of 5 mm. In addition, burn through occurred with significantly larger gap widths when parameters were controlled in real time. Increased gap tolerance enables joints to be prepared and fit up less accurately, saving time and preparation costs for welding. In addition to the control system, a novel technique for back face monitoring is described in this study. The test results showed that the technique could be successfully applied for penetration monitoring when welding non magnetic materials. The results also imply that it is possible to measure the dimensions of the plasma efflux or weld root, and use this information in a feedback control system and, thus, maintain the required weld quality.

De secta scribarum quorum frequens in N. T. fit mentio

Dedicatio: Carl Lundström [ruots. pr.].

Estudos de QSAR 3D para um conjunto de inibidores de butirilcolinesterase humana

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered the main cause of cognitive decline in adults. The available therapies for AD treatment seek to maintain the activity of cholinergic system through the inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. However, butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) can be considered an alternative target for AD treatment. Aiming at developing new BuChE inhibitors, robust QSAR 3D models with high predictive power were developed. The best model presents a good fit (r²=0.82, q²=0.76, with two PCs) and high predictive power (r²predict=0.88). Analysis of regression vector shows that steric properties have considerable importance to the inhibition of the BuChE.

De pluvia tempestiva & serotina quarum in Bibliis Sacris mentio fit

Painovuosi nimekkeestä.

Measuring Brand Equity and Analyzing Its Relationship with Key Marketing Mix Elements

The aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of price and advertising on brand equity. The dimensionality of brand equity is thoroughly examined, and the effect price, price deals, perceived advertising spending and advertising appeal have on the dimensions of brand equity are analyzed using multiple regression analysis as well as other supporting analyses. Price and advertising are found to be of great importance to brand equity. Arguably the most influential finding is the strong positive effect low prices – an integral brand element – have on the case company brand equity, even though a negative effect was hypothesized based on prior research. The results also support separating advertising appeal from perceived advertising spending, as well as linking service quality as part of the overall perceived quality in the context of service-intensive firms.

The Contribution of Mobile Device Manufacturers’ Site Usage to Brand Satisfaction and Loyalty

Recently most of the mobile phone manufacturer companies started to pay extra attention to their websites. This research investigates the sources of value creation on the mobile phone manufacturers’ website and the affect visiting the manufacturers’ website has on brand loyalty and brand satisfaction. The results show a correlation between positive website usage experience, brand loyalty and brand satisfaction. Moreover there is a relation between Novelty, Efficiency, Lock-in and the perceived usefulness the manufacturers’ website has on the mobile phone device. And finally the main reason behind Finnish student’s mobile phone brand loyalty is its country of origin.

Brand positioning for sport goods

The objective of this study was to find out how Exel position itself against its most important competitors, and how it could strengthen its own position in the future. Both end and intermediate customers was researched about their preferences and how the decision process could be influenced. The research was done by telephone interviews and the data was analyzed by statistical methods. The results showed that the decision making when buying floorball sticks is mainly influenced by the image of the brand and the popularity of the brand, rather than the actual technical abilities of the stick.

Consumers’ brand experiences of magazine brands

Tässä kvalitatiivisessa pro gradu -työssä tutkittiin kuluttajien brändikokemuksia aikakauslehtien brändeistä. Päätutkimusongelmana oli kuinka kuluttaja kokee aikakauslehden brändin. Alaongelmia olivat seuraavat: mitä ovat brändikokemukset, mitkä ovat brändikokemuksen ulottuvuudet, mitkä konseptit liittyvät brändikokemukseen, kuka on vastuussa brändikokemusten luomisesta ja miten brändikokemuksia luodaan. Tässä tutkimuksessa on analysoitu yhtä avointa kysymystä: kerro meille kokemuksiasi X lehden brändistä. Vastausten perusteella vastaajista muodostettiin kahdeksan ryhmää: Uloskasvaneet, Internet-sivujen käyttäjät, Toistoon kyllästyneet, Vertaistukijat, Nostalgiset, Uskolliset, Tyytyväiset ja Luottavaiset.

Classification, comorbidity, heredity, and risk factors of female sexual dysfunctions

Female sexual dysfunctions, including desire, arousal, orgasm and pain problems, have been shown to be highly prevalent among women around the world. The etiology of these dysfunctions is unclear but associations with health, age, psychological problems, and relationship factors have been identified. Genetic effects explain individual variation in orgasm function to some extent but until now quantitative behavior genetic analyses have not been applied to other sexual functions. In addition, behavior genetics can be applied to exploring the cause of any observed comorbidity between the dysfunctions. Discovering more about the etiology of the dysfunctions may further improve the classification systems which are currently under intense debate. The aims of the present thesis were to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Finnish-language version of a commonly used questionnaire for measuring female sexual function, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), in order to investigate prevalence, comorbidity, and classification, and to explore the balance of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology as well as the associations of a number of biopsychosocial factors with female sexual functions. Female sexual functions were studied through survey methods in a population based sample of Finnish twins and their female siblings. There were two waves of data collection. The first data collection targeted 5,000 female twins aged 33–43 years and the second 7,680 female twins aged 18–33 and their over 18–year-old female siblings (n = 3,983). There was no overlap between the data collections. The combined overall response rate for both data collections was 53% (n = 8,868), with a better response rate in the second (57%) compared to the first (45%). In order to measure female sexual function, the FSFI was used. It includes 19 items which measure female sexual function during the previous four weeks in six subdomains; desire, subjective arousal, lubrication, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and pain. In line with earlier research in clinical populations, a six factor solution of the Finnish-language version of the FSFI received supported. The internal consistencies of the scales were good to excellent. Some questions about how to avoid overestimating the prevalence of extreme dysfunctions due to women being allocated the score of zero if they had had no sexual activity during the preceding four weeks were raised. The prevalence of female sexual dysfunctions per se ranged from 11% for lubrication dysfunction to 55% for desire dysfunction. The prevalence rates for sexual dysfunction with concomitant sexual distress, in other words, sexual disorders were notably lower ranging from 7% for lubrication disorder to 23% for desire disorder. The comorbidity between the dysfunctions was substantial most notably between arousal and lubrication dysfunction even if these two dysfunctions showed distinct patterns of associations with the other dysfunctions. Genetic influences on individual variation in the six subdomains of FSFI were modest but significant ranging from 3–11% for additive genetic effects and 5–18% for nonadditive genetic effects. The rest of the variation in sexual functions was explained by nonshared environmental influences. A correlated factor model, including additive and nonadditive genetic effects and nonshared environmental effects had the best fit. All in all, every correlation between the genetic factors was significant except between lubrication and pain. All correlations between the nonshared environment factors were significant showing that there is a substantial overlap in genetic and nonshared environmental influences between the dysfunctions. In general, psychological problems, poor satisfaction with the relationship, sexual distress, and poor partner compatibility were associated with more sexual dysfunctions. Age was confounded with relationship length but had over and above relationship length a negative effect on desire and sexual satisfaction and a positive effect on orgasm and pain functions. Alcohol consumption in general was associated with better desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm function. Women pregnant with their first child had fewer pain problems than nulliparous nonpregnant women. Multiparous pregnant women had more orgasm problems compared to multiparous nonpregnant women. Having children was associated with less orgasm and pain problems. The conclusions were that desire, subjective arousal, lubrication, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and pain are separate entities that have distinct associations with a number of different biopsychosocial factors. However, there is also considerable comorbidity between the dysfunctions which are explained by overlap in additive genetic, nonadditive genetic and nonshared environmental influences. Sexual dysfunctions are highly prevalent and are not always associated with sexual distress and this relationship might be moderated by a good relationship and compatibility with partner. Regarding classification, the results supports separate diagnoses for subjective arousal and genital arousal as well as the inclusion of pain under sexual dysfunctions.

The True Brand Loyalty in the Finnish Tabloid Industry

Asiakas- ja brandiuskollisuutta on tutkittu 1920-luvulta alkaen ja sitä käsittelevän kirjallisuuden kirjo on hyvin laaja. Empiirisiä tutkimuksia löytyy kattava joukko aina pankkimaailmasta päivittäiskaupan tuotteisiin. Iltapäivälehtimarkkinaa tutkivaa empiiristä asiakas- tai brandiuskollisuustutkimusta ei kuitenkaan toistaiseksi ole tieteellisen tutkimuksen saralla tehty. Tässä tutkimuksessa perehdytään asiakas- ja brandiuskollisuuden maailmaan ja tutkitaan brandiuskollisuuden toteutumista suomalaisien iltapäivälehtien keskuudessa. Tutkimuksen keskeisin tavoite on selvittää, voidaanko todeta asiakas- ja brandiuskollisuutta olevan suomalaisien iltapäivälehtien keskuudessa ja mikäli sitä todetaan olevan, mitkä ovat ne tekijät, jotka tämän uskollisuuden muodostumiseen vaikuttavat. Tutkimus toteutettiin yhteistyössä toisen suuren suomalaisen iltapäivälehtitalon kanssa. Empiirinen tutkimus toteutettiin strukturoituna Internet-kyselynä, josta saatu aineisto analysoitiin kvantitatiivisin tutkimusmenetelmin. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että asiakas- ja brandiuskollisuutta löytyy suomalaisien iltapäivälehtien keskuudessa. Tärkeimmät havainnot osoittavat, että muun muassa uskollisuus iltapäivälehden verkkosivustoa kohtaan vaikuttaa positiivisesti uskollisuuteen ja toistuvaan ostokäyttäytymiseen samaa iltapäivälehteä kohtaan. Tämä on merkittävä löytö, sillä asian on monissa aiemmissa tutkimuksissa oletettu olevan päinvastoin. Myös luottamus brandiin, sitoutuneisuus brandiin, asiakkaan kokemat hyödyt ja asiakastyytyväisyys todettiin tutkimustuloksien pohjalta vaikuttavan positiivisesti sekä asenteellisen että behavioristisen uskollisuuden muodostumiseen iltapäivälehtiä kohtaan.

Assessing Organizational Cultural Fit prior to Integration in the M&A Process

Yritysostojen määrä on historiallisen suuri 2000-luvulla, vaikka melkein puolet niistä epäonnistuu. Aineettomilla tekijöillä, kuten organisaatiokulttuureilla, on keskeinen rooli yritysostojen onnistumisissa. Myös case yritys on aktiivinen yritysostoissa ja haluaa arvioida integraatioprosessinsa tehokkuutta. Siten diplomityön tarkoituksena on luoda työkalu organisaatiokulttuurien yhteensopivuuden arvioimiseksi, jotta ostopäätöksentekoa sekä integraation suunnittelua voitaisiin tukea paremmin yrityksessä. Diplomityö vastaakin kysymyksiin, kuten miten arvioida kulttuurista yhteensopivuutta ennen integraatiota integraatioprosessin parantamiseksi sekä mitkä ovat olleet kaikkein ongelmallisimmat ja toisaalta kaikkein menestyksekkäimmät kulttuuritekijät tutkitussa integraatiossa. Kulttuurisen yhteensopivuuden arviointi tulisi nähdä prosessina osana yrityskauppaa. Prosessin tulisi alkaa kulttuurisen integraation tavoitteiden määrittämisellä sekä organisaatiokulttuurin käsitteen ymmärtämisellä. Kulttuurianalyysi tulisi suorittaa työpajan avulla. Sen tulisi käsitellä ainakin yhdeksän kulttuurin osa-aluetta: innovatiivisuus, päätöksenteko, ihmissuuntautuneisuus, kommunikaatio, kontrolli, asiakassuuntautuneisuus, ajanhallinta, identifikaatio, sekä kollektivismi. Lisäksi kuhunkin dimensioon liittyvään kysymykseen tulisi vastata pisteillä yhdestä viiteen, jolloin voidaan piirtää kulttuurisen yhteensopivuuden kuvio. Tämän jälkeen johdon tulisi keskustella tuloksista vielä kerran tarkemmin ja lopulta koota tulokset kirjalliseksi raportiksi. Tutkitussa integraatiossa parhaiten integraatiota tukivat ihmissuuntautuneisuus sekä ajanhallinta (työn ja vapaa-ajan välinen tasapaino sekä tulevaisuus-suuntautuneisuus). Haasteellisimmat kulttuuritekijät koskivat päätöksentekoa, kommunikaatiota ja kontrollia, jotka vaikuttavat olevan tyypillisiä ongelmia ison yrityksen ostaessa pienemmän yrityksen.

Stretching a service concept brand

Brands have become one of the most valuable assets for organizations, which is why organizations want to benefit from them in whole scale. However, service concept brands are still little researched. The purpose of this research is to study how brand stretching and co-branding strategies can help a service concept brand to attain wider target market. More specifically, this research aims to contribute the methods and their risks and benefits to different customer levels of a group fitness brand. This study is a qualitative single case analysis embedded with multiple units of analysis. The data used in this study was gathered by nine theme interviews. The interviewees are from one of the customer levels of the service concept provided by the case organization. The interviews are made in different geographical areas in Finland. The results of the study will clarify and illustrate the differences and similarities between the theoretical framework and practise. Several differences between traditional brand stretching and co-branding strategies and those that are possible to employ by a service concept brand were found. The answers of the interviewees were slightly different depending on their role in the organization and their experience from the branch. However, they proved that not all brand stretching or co-branding strategies are applicable in the group fitness brand. Nevertheless, also several similarities that benefit the group fitness brand were found.