Kuoleman voimat : Kirkonväki suomalaisessa uskomusperinteessä

Powers of Death. Church-väki in the Finnish Folk Belief Tradition Folk belief tradition can be defined as a communication system in which the truth value of traditional motifs is judged by their usefulness and applicability. According to the Finnish belief tradition, a substance of power called väki resides in sacred elements and in entities which vitally affect human life. Väki is both ritually avoided and harnessed for beneficial or malevolent purposes. The powers of church and death merge in church-väki, which, in beliefs and narratives, emerges when the boundary between the living and the dead is crossed or violated. In rural societies where the relationship to the dying and the deceased was close, the church-väki tradition was relevant and productive. This study is based on approximately 2700 units of archived material from thel late 19th and early 20th centuries narratives, rite descriptions, and linguistic data. It explicates the concept of church-väki, presents the background of the tradition, and analyses narratives, their meanings, and their role in early modern world view. It also explores how the concept was used when constructing social boundaries and handling otherness in the early modern Finland. The theoretic emphasis is on conceptual and genre analysis, narrativity, as well as the multiple meanings and uses of folklore motifs. Descriptions of church-väki vary from it being an invisible force to a crowd of beings and decomposing corpses. The author defines church-väki as a fuzzy concept with three prototypical cores and several names, most of which are polysemous. Polysemous words connect church-väki with for example ghosts and devils, unkempt people, and vermin, constructing a loose paradigm of supernatural and social otherness. Folklore genres of the studied narratives range from stories of personal experience to fabulates. The taleworlds and their content range from realistic (near) to extraordinary (distant). The distance between the taleworld and reality has concrete (local and temporal), narrative, and normative aspects. Distant taleworlds often follow an ontology different than in real life, although the narratives may be carefully linked to reality. Instead of being fictive, they show what would be expected outside the socially constructed everyday order. Methods of narratology are applied to coherent legends, which locate dramatic events in distant taleworlds. Linguistic genres, based on structure, function here as narrative registers of folklore genres.

Paganism, Traditionalism, Nationalism : Narratives of Russian Rodnoverie

The topic of this dissertation is Rodnoverie, a religion that revives pre-Christian Slavic spirituality. Rodnoverie has been noted to be one of the fastest growing new religions in Russia and the aim of the study is to analyse why and how the movement has attained its popularity. First, the analysis asks how Rodnovers themselves explain the revival of ancient Paganism at this particular historical moment. Secondly, these interpretations are reflected in the framework of sociological discussions about contemporary religiosity. The analysis discusses how the Rodnoverie movement corresponds to some tendencies that are considered to characterise late modern religiosity. The primary material of the research is Rodnoverie texts: books, newspapers and electronic articles. The published literature is supplemented by fieldwork material which includes interviews with some Rodnoverie leaders and the author s participant observation of rituals and gatherings. Methodologically, the study draws on a sociological narrative approach that is focused on examining how individuals and groups use narratives to construct their identities and to challenge mainstream discussions and interpretations. The analysis discerns three narratives. The first one of these portrays Rodnoverie as a revival of the native Russian or Slavic religion. The narrative provides a new version of the old Slavophile idea, according to which imitation of the West has misguided Russia and, therefore, Russians should turn to their own tradition. In the second narrative, Rodnoverie is presented as a nature religion that features tolerance and pluralistic values. According to these perceptions, the emergence of Rodnoverie marks the dead-end of the earlier hegemonic universalistic world-views, the mono-ideologies . While the nationalist narrative focuses on Russia s national heritage, the third narrative interprets the tradition in more universal terms as an alternative to modern values and way of life. The main argument of this narrative is that contemporary people have become alienated from nature, their roots and their community. The themes that are discussed in the theoretical literature on late modern religiosity often configure in Rodnovers interpretations either directly or when looked at through an analytical framework. Of the various themes that are addressed in a sociological study of religion the ones that have most relevance for Rodnoverie are the discussions on individualisation, globalisation and secularisation. Rodnoverie reflects such tendencies as the subjectivisation of religion and the modern crisis of authority. The movement also both exemplifies and actively promotes religious pluralisation in Russia.

Pre-harvest measurement of pine stands for sawing production planning.

To enhance the utilization of the wood, the sawmills are forced to place more emphasis on planning to master the whole production chain from the forest to the end product. One significant obstacle to integrating the forest-sawmill-market production chain is the lack of appropriate information about forest stands. Since the wood procurement point of view in forest planning systems has been almost totally disregarded there has been a great need to develop an easy and efficient pre-harvest measurement method, allowing separate measurement of stands prior to harvesting. The main purpose of this study was to develop a measurement method for pine stands which forest managers could use in describing the properties of the standing trees for sawing production planning. Study materials were collected from ten Scots pine stands (Pinus sylvestris) located in North Häme and South Pohjanmaa, in southern Finland. The data comprise test sawing data on 314 pine stems, dbh and height measures of all trees and measures of the quality parameters of pine sawlog stems in all ten study stands as well as the locations of all trees in six stands. The study was divided into four sub-studies which deal with pine quality prediction, construction of diameter and dead branch height distributions, sampling designs and applying height and crown height models. The final proposal for the pre-harvest measurement method is a synthesis of the individual sub-studies. Quality analysis resulted in choosing dbh, distance from stump height to the first dead branch (dead branch height), crown height and tree height as the most appropriate quality characteristics of Scots pine. Dbh and dead branch height are measured from each pine sample tree while height and crown height are derived from dbh measures by aid of mixed height and crown height models. Pine and spruce diameter distribution as well as dead branch height distribution are most effectively predicted by the kernel function. Roughly 25 sample trees seems to be appropriate in pure pine stands. In mixed stands the number of sample trees needs to be increased in proportion to the intensity of pines in order to attain the same level of accuracy.

Study Of Fluid-Flow And Residence-Time Distribution In A Continuous Slab Casting Mold

The fluid-flow pattern and residence-time distribution (r.t.d.) of the fluid in a continuous casting mould have been studied using a water model. The two recirculating zones below the discharge ports have been found to be asymmetric. The effect of casting speed, discharge port diameter, shroud well depth and the immersion depth on r.t.d. have been investigated. The r.t.d. curve has been well represented by a model of two backmix cells of equal volume in series. The exist of the fluid has been found to be non-uniform across the cross-section of the mould. The fluid-flow pattern has been observed to change with time in a random fashion. Dead volume of upto 31.8% has been found with smaller discharge ports.

Dental identification and aspects of medico-legal investigations of the Finnish victims of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on 26 December 2004

Tsunami waves of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on 26 December 2004 claimed approximately 230 000 lives and started the biggest identification operation in Interpol's history. The aim of this study was to resolve methods of the identification and results received. The viewpoint is mainly that of forensic odontology, but also includes other means of identification and results of the medico-legal examination performed in Finland. Of the 5395 victims in Thailand, approximately 2 400 were foreigners from 36 nations including 177 Finnish nationals. Additionally, a Finnish woman perished in Sri Lanka and a severely injured man after the evacuation in a hospital. The final numbers of missing persons and dead bodies registered in the Information Management Centre in Phuket,Thailand, were 3 574 ante-mortem (AM) and 3 681 post-mortem (PM) files. The number of identifications by December 2006 was 3 271 or 89% of the victims registered. Of Finnish victims, 172 have been identified in Thailand and 163 repatriated to Finland. One adult and four children are still missing. For AM data, a list of Finnish missing persons including 178 names was published on 30 December 2004. By February 2005 all useful dental AM data were available. Five persons on the list living in Finland lacked records. Based on the AM database, for the children under age 18 years (n=60) dental identification could be established for 12 (20%). The estimated number for adults (n=112) was 96 (86%). The final identification rate, based on PM examinations in Finland, was 14 (25%) for children (n= 56) and 98 (90%) for adults (n= 109). The number of Finnish victims identified by dental methods, 112 (68%), was high compared to all examined in Thailand (43%). DNA was applied for 26 Finnish children and for 6 adults, fingerprints for 24 and 7, respectively. In 12 cases two methods were applied. Every victim (n=165) underwent in Finland a medico-legal investigation including an autopsy with sampling specimens for DNA, the toxicological and histological investigation. Digital radiographs and computed tomography were taken of the whole body to verify autopsy findings and bring out changes caused by trauma, autolysis, and sampling for DNA in Thailand. Data for identification purposes were also noted. Submersion was the cause of death for 101 of 109 adults (92.7%), and trauma for 8 (7.3%). Injuries were 33 times contributing factors for submersion and 3 times for trauma-based death. Submersion was the cause of death for 51 (92.7%) children and trauma for 4 (7.3%). Injuries were in 3 cases contributing factors in submersion and once in trauma-based death. The success of the dental identification of Finnish victims is mainly based on careful registration of dental records, and on an education program from 1999 in forensic odontology.

Tree mortality, fire scar formation and regeneration 8 years after low-intensity fire in managed Pinus sylvestris stands

Fire is an important driver of the boreal forest ecosystem, and a useful tool for the restoration of degraded forests. However, we lack knowledge on the ecological processes initiated by prescribed fires, and whether they bring about the desired restoration effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of low-intensity experimental prescribed fires on four ecological processes in young commercial Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands eight years after the burning. The processes of interest were tree mortality, dead wood creation, regeneration and fire scar formation. These were inventoried in twelve study plots, which were 30 m x 30 m in size. The plots belonged to two different stand age classes: 30-35 years or 45 years old at the time of burning. The study was partly a follow-up of study plots researched by Sidoroff et al. (2007) one year after burning in 2003. Tree mortality increased from 183 stems ha-1 in 2003 to 259 stems ha-1 in 2010, corresponding to 15 % and 21 % of stem number respectively. Most mortality was experienced in the stands of the younger age class, in smaller diameter classes and among species other than Scots pine. By 2010, the average mortality of Scots pine per plot was 18%, but varied greatly ranging from 0% to 63% of stem number. Delayed mortality, i.e. mortality that occurred between 2 and 8 years after fire, seemed to become more important with increasing diameter. The input of dead wood also varied greatly between plots, from none to 72 m3 ha-1, averaging at 12 m3 ha-1. The amount of fire scarred trees per plot ranged from none to 20 %. Four out of twelve plots (43 %) did not have any fire scars. Scars were on average small: 95% of scars were less than 4 cm in width, and 75% less than 40 cm in length. Owing to the light nature of the fire, the remaining overstorey and thick organic layer, regeneration was poor overall. The abundance of pine and other seedlings indicated a viable seed source existed, but the seedlings failed to establish under dense canopy. The number of saplings ranged from 0 to 12 333 stems ha-1. The results of this study indicate that a low intensity fire does not necessarily initiate the ecological processes of tree mortality, dead wood creation and regeneration in the desired scale. Fire scars, which form the basis of fire dating in fire history studies, did not form in all cases.

Continuity of plastic strain rate in stress relaxation tests

Stress relaxation testing is often utilised for determining whether athermal straining contributes to plastic flow; if plastic strain rate is continuous across the transition from tension to relaxation then plastic strain is fully thermally activated. This method was applied to an aged type 316 stainless steel tested in the temperature range 973–1123 K and to a high purity Al in the recrystallised annealed condition tested in the temperature range 274–417 K. The results indicated that plastic strain is thermally activated in these materials at these corresponding test temperatures. For Al, because of its high strain rate sensitivity, it was necessary to adopt a back extrapolation procedure to correct for the finite period that the crosshead requires to decelerate from the constant speed during tension to a dead stop for stress relaxation.

Moonlighting Proteins of Lactobacillus crispatus : Extracellular Localization, Cell Wall Anchoring and Interactions with the Host

Moonlighting functions have been described for several proteins previously thought to localize exclusively in the cytoplasm of bacterial or eukaryotic cells. Moonlighting proteins usually perform conserved functions, e. g. in glycolysis or as chaperonins, and their traditional and moonlighting function(s) usually localize to different cell compartments. The most characterized moonlighting proteins in Grampositive bacteria are the glycolytic enzymes enolase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), which function in bacteria-host interactions, e. g. as adhesins or plasminogen receptors. Research on bacterial moonlighting proteins has focused on Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, where many of their functions have been associated with bacterial virulence. In this thesis work I show that also species of the genus Lactobacillus have moonlighting proteins that carry out functions earlier associated with bacterial virulence only. I identified enolase, GAPDH, glutamine synthetase (GS), and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) as moonlighting proteins of Lactobacillus crispatus strain ST1 and demonstrated that they are associated with cell surface and easily released from the cell surface into incubation buffer. I also showed that these lactobacillar proteins moonlight either as adhesins with affinity for basement membrane and extracellular matrix proteins or as plasminogen receptors. The mechanisms of surface translocation and anchoring of bacterial moonlighting proteins have remained enigmatic. In this work, the surface localization of enolase, GAPDH, GS and GPI was shown to depend on environmental factors. The members of the genus Lactobacillus are fermentative organisms that lower the ambient pH by producing lactic acid. At acidic pH enolase, GAPDH, GS and GPI were associated with the cell surface, whereas at neutral pH they were released into the buffer. The release did not involve de novo protein synthesis. I showed that purified recombinant His6-enolase, His6-GAPDH, His6-GS and His6-GPI reassociate with cell wall and bind in vitro to lipoteichoic acids at acidic pH. The in-vitro binding of these proteins localizes to cell division septa and cell poles. I also show that the release of moonlighting proteins is enhanced in the presence of cathelicidin LL- 37, which is an antimicrobial peptide and a central part of the innate immunity defence. I found that the LL-37-induced detachment of moonlighting proteins from cell surface is associated with cell wall permeabilization by LL-37. The results in this thesis work are compatible with the hypothesis that the moonlighting proteins of L. crispatus associate to the cell wall via electrostatic or ionic interactions and that they are released into surroundings in stress conditions. Their surface translocation is, at least in part, a result from their release from dead or permeabilized cells and subsequent reassociation onto the cell wall. The results of this thesis show that lactobacillar cells rapidly change their surface architecture in response to environmental factors and that these changes influence bacterial interactions with the host.

A model for heat transfer in a honey bee swarm

A swarm is a temporary structure formed when several thousand honey bees leave their hive and settle on some object such as the branch of a tree. They remain in this position until a suitable site for a new home is located by the scout bees. A continuum model based on heat conduction and heat generation is used to predict temperature profiles in swarms. Since internal convection is neglected, the model is applicable only at low values of the ambient temperature T-a. Guided by the experimental observations of Heinrich (1981a-c, J. Exp. Biol. 91, 25-55; Science 212, 565-566; Sci. Am. 244, 147-160), the analysis is carried out mainly for non-spherical swarms. The effective thermal conductivity is estimated using the data of Heinrich (1981a, J. Exp. Biol. 91, 25-55) for dead bees. For T-a = 5 and 9 degrees C, results based on a modified version of the heat generation function due to Southwick (1991, The Behaviour and Physiology of Bees, PP 28-47. C.A.B. International, London) are in reasonable agreement with measurements. Results obtained with the heat generation function of Myerscough (1993, J. Theor. Biol. 162, 381-393) are qualitatively similar to those obtained with Southwick's function, but the error is more in the former case. The results suggest that the bees near the periphery generate more heat than those near the core, in accord with the conjecture of Heinrich (1981c, Sci. Am. 244, 147-160). On the other hand, for T-a = 5 degrees C, the heat generation function of Omholt and Lonvik (1986, J. Theor. Biol. 120, 447-456) leads to a trivial steady state where the entire swarm is at the ambient temperature. Therefore an acceptable heat generation function must result in a steady state which is both non-trivial and stable with respect to small perturbations. Omholt and Lonvik's function satisfies the first requirement, but not the second. For T-a = 15 degrees C, there is a considerable difference between predicted and measured values, probably due to the neglect of internal convection in the model.

Life-history of Neurospora intermedia in a sugar cane field

The life-history of Neurospora in nature has remained largely unknown. The present study attempts to remedy this. The following conclusions are based on observation of Neurospora on fire-scorched sugar cane in agricultural fields, and reconstruction experiments using a colour mutant to inoculate sugar cane burned in the laboratory. The fungus persists in soil as heat-resistant dormant ascospores. These are activated by a chemical(s) released into soil from the burnt substrate. The chief diffusible activator of ascospores is furfural and the germinating ascospores infect the scorched substrate. An invasive mycelium grows progressively upwards inside the juicy sugar cane and produces copious macroconidia externally through fire-induced openings formed in the plant tissue, or by the mechanical rupturing of the plant epidermal tissue by the mass of mycelium. The loose conidia are dispersed by wind and/or foraged by microfauna. It is suggested that the constant production of macroconidia, and their ready dispersal, serve a physiological role: to drain the substrate of minerals and soluble sugars, thereby creating nutritional conditions which stimulate sexual reproduction by the fungus. Sexual reproduction in the sugar-depleted cellulosic substrate occurs after macroconidiation has ceased totally and is favoured by the humid conditions prevailing during the monsoon rains. Profuse microconidiophores and protoperithecia are produced simultaneously in the pockets below the loosened epidermal tissue. Presumably protoperithecia are fertilized by microconidia which are possibly transmitted by nematodes active in the dead plant tissue. Mature perithecia release ascospores in situ which are passively liberated in the soil by the disintegration of the plant material and are, apparently, distributed by rain or irrigation water.

Microhabitat selection in an assemblage of crickets (Orthoptera: Ensifera) of a tropical evergreen forest in Southern India

1. Habitat selection is a universal aspect of animal ecology that has important fitness consequences and may drive patterns of spatial organisation in ecological communities. 2. Measurements of habitat selection have mostly been carried out on single species and at the landscape level. Quantitative studies examining microhabitat selection at the community level are scarce, especially in insects. 3. In this study, microhabitat selection in a natural assemblage of cricket species was examined for the first time using resource selection functions (RSF), an approach more commonly applied in studies of macrohabitat selection. 4. The availability and differential use of six microhabitats by 13 species of crickets inhabiting a tropical evergreen forest in southern India was examined. The six available microhabitats included leaf litter-covered ground, tree trunks, dead logs, brambles, understorey and canopy foliage. The area offered by the six microhabitats was estimated using standard methods of forest structure measurement. Of the six microhabitats, the understorey and canopy accounted for approximately 70% of the total available area. 5. The use of different microhabitats by the 13 species was investigated using acoustic sampling of crickets to locate calling individuals. Using RSF, it was found that of 13 cricket species examined, 10 showed 100% selection for a specific microhabitat. Of these, two species showed fairly high selection for brambles and dead logs, which were rare microhabitats, highlighting the importance of preserving all components of forest structure.

High swirl-inducing piston bowls in small diesel engines for emission reduction

Detailed three-dimensional CFD simulations involving flow and combustion chemistry are used to study the effect of swirl induced by re-entrant piston bowl geometries on pollutant emissions from a single-cylinder diesel engine. The baseline engine configuration consists of a hemispherical piston bowl and an injector with finite sac volume. The first iteration involved using a torroidal, slightly re-entrant bowl geometry, and a sac-less injector. Pollutant emission measurements indicated a reduction in emissions with this modification. Simulations on both configurations were then conducted to understand the effect of the changes. The simulation results indicate that the selected piston bowl geometry could actually be reducing the in-cylinder swirl and turbulence and the emission reduction may be entirely due to the introduction of the sac-less injector. In-cylinder air motion was then studied in a number of combustion chamber geometries, and a geometry which produced the highest in-cylinder swirl and Turbulence Kinetic Energy (TKE) around the compression top dead centre (TDC) was identified. The optimal nature of this re-entrant piston bowl geometry is confirmed by detailed combustion simulations and emission predictions. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential-distance relationships of clay-water systems considering the Stern theory

This paper deals with the use of Stem theory as applied to a clay-water electrolyte system, which is more realistic to understand the force system at micro level man the Gouy-Chapman theory. The influence of the Stern layer on potential-distance relationship has been presented quantitatively for certain specified clay-water systems and the results are compared with the Gouy-Chapman model. A detailed parametric study concerning the number of adsorption spots on the clay platelet, the thickness of the Stern layer, specific adsorption potential and the value of dielectric constant of the pore fluid in the Stern layer, was carried out. This study investigates that the potential obtained at any distance using the Stern theory is higher than that obtained by the Gouy-Chapman theory. The hydrated size of the ion is found to have a significant influence on the potential-distance relationship for a given clay, pore fluid characteristics and valence of the exchangeable ion.

Impact of metal binding on the antitumor activity and cellular imaging of a metal chelator cationic imidazopyridine derivative

A new water soluble cationic imidazopyridine species, viz. (1E)-1-((pyridin-2-yl)methyleneamino)-3-(3(pyridin-2-yl) imidazo1,5-a]pyridin-2(3H)-yl)propan-2-ol (1), as a metal chelator is prepared as its PF6 salt and characterized. Compound 1 shows fluorescence at 438 nm on excitation at 342 nm in Tris-HCl buffer giving a fluorescence quantum yield (phi) of 0.105 and a life-time of 5.4 ns. Compound 1, as an avid DNA minor groove binder, shows pUC19 DNA cleavage activity in UV-A light of 365 nm forming singlet oxygen species in a type-II pathway. The photonuclease potential of 1 gets enhanced in the presence of Fe2+, Cu2+ or Zn2+. Compound 1 itself displays anticancer activity in HeLa, HepG2 and Jurkat cells with an enhancement on addition of the metal ions. Photodynamic effect of 1 at 365 nm also gets enhanced in the presence of Fe2+ and Zn2+. Fluorescence-based cell cycle analysis shows a significant dead cell population in the sub-G1 phase of the cell cycle suggesting apoptosis via ROS generation. A significant change in the nuclear morphology is observed from Hoechst 33258 and an acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) dual nuclear staining suggesting apoptosis in cells when treated with 1 alone or in the presence of the metal ions. Apoptosis is found to be caspase-dependent. Fluorescence imaging to monitor the distribution of 1 in cells shows that 1 in the presence of metal ions accumulates predominantly in the cytoplasm. Enhanced uptake of 1 into the cells within 12 h is observed in the presence of Fe2+ and Zn2+.

A Rotor Flux Estimation During Zero and Active Vector Periods Using Current Error Space Vector From a Hysteresis Controller for a Sensorless Vector Control of IM Drive

This paper proposes a sensorless vector control scheme for general-purpose induction motor drives using the current error space phasor-based hysteresis controller. In this paper, a new technique for sensorless operation is developed to estimate rotor voltage and hence rotor flux position using the stator current error during zero-voltage space vectors. It gives a comparable performance with the vector control drive using sensors especially at a very low speed of operation (less than 1 Hz). Since no voltage sensing is made, the dead-time effect and loss of accuracy in voltage sensing at low speed are avoided here, with the inherent advantages of the current error space phasor-based hysteresis controller. However, appropriate device on-state drops are compensated to achieve a steady-state operation up to less than 1 Hz. Moreover, using a parabolic boundary for current error, the switching frequency of the inverter can be maintained constant for the entire operating speed range. Simple sigma L-s estimation is proposed, and the parameter sensitivity of the control scheme to changes in stator resistance, R-s is also investigated in this paper. Extensive experimental results are shown at speeds less than 1 Hz to verify the proposed concept. The same control scheme is further extended from less than 1 Hz to rated 50 Hz six-step operation of the inverter. Here, the magnetic saturation is ignored in the control scheme.