Environments of Acitive Galaxies

This dissertation presents studies on the environments of active galaxies. Paper I is a case study of a cluster of galaxies containing BL Lac object RGB 1745+398. We measured the velocity dispersion, mass, and richness of the cluster. This was one of the most thorough studies of the environments of a BL Lac object. Methods used in the paper could be used in the future for studying other clusters as well. In Paper II we studied the environments of nearby quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We found that quasars have less neighboring galaxies than luminous inactive galaxies. In the large-scale structure, quasars are usually located at the edges of superclusters or even in void regions. We concluded that these low-redshift quasars may have become active only recently because the galaxies in low-density environments evolve later to the phase where quasar activity can be triggered. In Paper III we extended the analysis of Paper II to other types of AGN besides quasars. We found that different types of AGN have different large-scale environments. Radio galaxies are more concentrated in superclusters, while quasars and Seyfert galaxies prefer low-density environments. Different environments indicate that AGN have different roles in galaxy evolution. Our results suggest that activity of galaxies may depend on their environment on the large scale. Our results in Paper III raised questions of the cause of the environment-dependency in the evolution of galaxies. Because high-density large-scale environments contain richer groups and clusters than the underdense environments, our results could reflect smaller-scale effects. In Paper IV we addressed this problem by studying the group and supercluster scale environments of galaxies together. We compared the galaxy populations in groups of different richnesses in different large-scale environments. We found that the large-scale environment affects the galaxies independently of the group richness. Galaxies in low-density environments on the large scale are more likely to be star-forming than those in superclusters even if they are in groups with the same richness. Based on these studies, the conclusion of this dissertation is that the large-scale environment affects the evolution of galaxies. This may be caused by different “speed” of galaxy evolution in low and high-density environments: galaxies in dense environments reach certain phases of evolution earlier than galaxies in underdense environments. As a result, the low-density regions at low redshifts are populated by galaxies in earlier phases of evolution than galaxies in high-density regions.

”AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTS”. Ympäristön merkitykset Don DeLillon romaanissa White Noise

Pro gradu -tutkielmani tavoitteena on analysoida ympäristön merkityksiä yhdysvaltalaiskirjailija Don DeLillon (1936-) romaanissa White Noise (1985). Lähestyn romaania ekokriittisen kirjallisuudentutkimuksen näkökulmasta ja kytken sen ekokriitikko Lawrence Buellin ajatukseen nk. ympäristöalitajunnasta. Analysoin DeLillon romaania myös yhteydessä filosofi Jean Baudrillardin ajatukseen postmodernin ajan länsimaisessa ja erityisesti amerikkalaisessa yhteiskunnassa vallalla olevasta simulaatioiden järjestelmästä. White Noise -romaanin todellisuus vastaa Baudrillardin ajatusta yhteiskunnasta, jossa representaatiot ja simulaatiot ovat korvanneet todellisuuden. Media, erityisesti televisio, tuottaa jatkuvasti kuvia ja simulaatioita, joiden kyllästämässä todellisuudessa aineellinen maailma ja luonto jäävät tavoittamattomiin. White Noise -romaanin henkilöiden yhteys aineelliseen ympäristöönsä ja luonnonilmiöihin on katkennut, sillä heidän arkensa pyörii pitkälti kuluttamisen ja televisionkatselun ympärillä. Romaanin todellisuudessa myös identiteetistä on tullut eräänlainen tuote, jonka jokainen voi rakentaa mieleisekseen kulutusvalinnoillaan. Identiteettiproblematiikan ohella myös kuolemalla on keskeinen asema tutkielmassani. White Noise -romaanin päähenkilö Jack Gladney kärsii paniikinomaisesta kuolemanpelosta, jota pyrkii torjumaan erilaisin keinoin siinä kuitenkaan onnistumatta. Tavoitteenani on osoittaa, että tämä piinaava pelko kuolemaa kohtaan on syntynyt simulaatioyhteiskunnan tuloksena. Vieraantuminen aineellisesta maailmasta ja luonnon prosesseista on johtanut vieraantumiseen ruumiista ja kuolemasta. Analysoin kuolemaa romaanissa eräänlaisena simulaatioiden maailman äärirajana, viimeisenä luonnollisena tapahtumana. White Noise -romaanin päähenkilö Jack Gladney ahdistuu kulutuskeskeisessä, simulaatioiden kyllästämässä elinympäristössään. Tulkitsen tämän ahdistuksen tarpeena tunnistaa tärkeä vuorovaikutussuhde yksilön ja hänen aineellisen ympäristönsä välillä. Jack ei ole vielä täysin sulautunut osaksi simulaatioiden maailmaa, vaan hän tiedostaa kytköksen itsensä ja aineellisen maailman välillä. Tämä romaanista implisiittisesti esiin nouseva tiedostamisen tunne korostaa ihmisen ja ympäristön sekä laajemmin kulttuurin ja luonnon välttämätöntä yhteyttä. DeLillon romaanista on löydettävissä ajatus ympäristöalitajunnasta, joka alleviivaa ympäristön ja luonnon merkitystä ihmiselle.

The principle of autonomy in Brazil: one needs to discuss it ...

The principle of patient autonomy is a cornerstone of bioethics. According to this concept, patients should be given the power to make decisions related to their treatment. It is an important component of modern medical ethics, which has received much interest in current literature. However, the rate of participation of patients and their willingness to participate are variable according to the cultural, social and family environments in which they are inserted. The aim of this paper is to promote a brief descriptive review on autonomy, the preferences of patients and the use of informed consent as an instrument for the exercise of autonomy in literature, and to stress the lack of debate, as well as the pressing need for discussion of these current issues nationwide.

Antimicrobial resistance and R-plasmid in Salmonella spp from swine and abattoir environments

Salmonella serovars isolated from swine are of particular interest not only because of the pathogenic potential for this animal species, but also due to its relevance with regard to public health. On basis of the profile of resistance to antimicrobials, 13 Salmonella strains were selected which belonged to the serovars Muenster (7), Derby (4), Typhimurium (1), and Braenderup (1). They were isolated from healthy swine as well as from the abattoir environment in the state of Rio de Janeiro. All strains of Salmonella were subjected to bacterial conjugation, and the E. coli K12 Nal r Lac+ F standard strain was used as receptor, with the purpose to verify the ability to transfer the resistance marks. Gene transfer phenomenon was detected in seven strains, and except SalmonellaTyphimurium which transconjugated to Sm, Tc and Su, the remaining ones were characterized by transferring mark Su only. By plasmidial analysis of strains used and their respective transconjugants, 63 Kb plasmid was found, which was probably related to S. Typhimurium resistance.

Russia, China, India Foresight for Small and Medium size Enterprises in Uusimaa : Changes forecast in the Russian, Chinese and Indian operating environments from the viewpoint of small and middle-sized enterprises in Uusimaa

The report describes those factors of the future that are related to the growth and needs of Russia, China, and India and that may provide significant internationalisation potential for Uusimaa companies. The report examines the emerging trends and market-entry challenges for each country separately. Additionally, it evaluates the training needs of Uusimaa companies in terms of the current offerings available for education on topics related to Russia, China, and India. The report was created via the Delphi method: experts were interviewed, and both Trendwiki material and the latest literature were used to create a summary of experts’ views, statements, and reasons behind recent developments. This summary of views was sent back to the experts with the objective of reaching consensus synthesising the differing views or, at least, of providing argumentation for the various alternative lines of development. In addition to a number of outside experts and business leaders, all heads of Finpro’s Finland Trade Centers participated in the initial interviews. The summary was commented upon by all Finpro consultants and analysts for Russia, China, and India, with each focusing on his or her own area of expertise. The literature used consisted of reports, listed for each country, and an extensive selection of the most recent newspaper articles. The report was created in January-April 2010. On 22 April 2010 its results were reviewed at the final report presentation in cooperation with the Uusimaa ELY Centre.

Roles of leadership in complex environments : Enhancing Knowledge Flows in Organisational Constellations through Practice-Based Innovation Processes

Global challenges, complexity and continuous uncertainty demand development of leadership approaches, employees and multi-organisation constellations. Current leadership theories do not sufficiently address the needs of complex business environments. First of all, before successful leadership models can be applied in practice, leadership needs to shift from the industrial age to the knowledge era. Many leadership models still view leadership solely through the perspective of linear process thinking. In addition, there is not enough knowledge or experience in applying these newer models in practice. Leadership theories continue to be based on the assumption that leaders possess or have access to all the relevant knowledge and capabilities to decide future directions without external advice. In many companies, however, the workforce consists of skilled professionals whose work and related interfaces are so challenging that the leaders cannot grasp all the linked viewpoints and cross-impacts alone. One of the main objectives of this study is to understand how to support participants in organisations and their stakeholders to, through practice-based innovation processes, confront various environments. Another aim is to find effective ways of recognising and reacting to diverse contexts, so companies and other stakeholders are better able to link to knowledge flows and shared value creation processes in advancing joint value to their customers. The main research question of this dissertation is, then, to seek understanding of how to enhance leadership in complex environments. The dissertation can, on the whole, be characterised as a qualitative multiple-case study. The research questions and objectives were investigated through six studies published in international scientific journals. The main methods applied were interviews, action research and a survey. The empirical focus was on Finnish companies, and the research questions were examined in various organisations at the top levels (leaders and managers) and bottom levels (employees) in the context of collaboration between organisations and cooperation between case companies and their client organisations. However, the emphasis of the analysis is the internal and external aspects of organisations, which are conducted in practice-based innovation processes. The results of this study suggest that the Cynefin framework, complexity leadership theory and transformational leadership represent theoretical models applicable to developing leadership through practice-based innovation. In and of themselves, they all support confronting contemporary challenges, but an implementable method for organisations may be constructed by assimilating them into practice-based innovation processes. Recognition of diverse environments, their various contexts and roles in the activities and collaboration of organisations and their interest groups is ever-more important to achieving better interaction in which a strategic or formal status may be bypassed. In innovation processes, it is not necessarily the leader who is in possession of the essential knowledge; thus, it is the role of leadership to offer methods and arenas where different actors may generate advances. Enabling and supporting continuous interaction and integrated knowledge flows is of crucial importance, to achieve emergence of innovations in the activities of organisations and various forms of collaboration. The main contribution of this dissertation relates to applying these new conceptual models in practice. Empirical evidence on the relevance of different leadership roles in practice-based innovation processes in Finnish companies is another valuable contribution. Finally, the dissertation sheds light on the significance of combining complexity science with leadership and innovation theories in research.

Rice seedling and plant development as affected by increasing rates of penoxsulam under controlled environments

Rice is a major staple in many countries. Weed control is one of the factors limiting higher rice yield. ALS (acetolactate synthase)-inhibiting herbicides are desirable weed control herbicides because of their high efficacy, low toxicity to mammalians, and low rates used. An important herbicide characteristic is high selectivity to the crop, since it facilitates fast crop establishment and greater crop advantage over the weeds. The objectives of this work were to study the effects of increasing rates of the ALS-inhibiting herbicide penoxsulam on seed integrity and germination, and seedling and plant development of rice cv. BRS Pelota under controlled laboratory and greenhouse conditions. The results showed that penoxsulam affected rice germination and seedling and plant growth at rates above 54 g a.i. ha-1, and that penoxsulam is safe for rice seedling development at the currently recommended rates.

Anti-predator adaptations in aquatic environments

Predation is an important selective force that has led to the evolution of a variety of fascinating anti-predator adaptations, such as many types of protective coloration and prey behaviours. Because the evolution of life has begun in the aquatic environment and many anti-predator adaptations are found already in relative primitive taxa, it is likely that many of these adaptations evolved initially in the aquatic environment. Yet, there has been surprisingly little research on the mechanisms and function of antipredator adaptations in aquatic systems. To understand the function of anti-predator adaptations and natural selection imposed on prey appearance and behaviour, I have investigated how protective coloration can be used, either as such or together with behavioural adaptations, to manipulate predator behaviour and decrease predation risk. To this end I conducted a series of behaviour ecological laboratory experiments in which I manipulated the visual appearance of artificial backgrounds and prey items. In paper I of this thesis, I investigated background choice as an anti-predator strategy, by observing the habitat choice of the least killifish (Heterandria formosa) between pairs of artificial backgrounds, both in the presence and absence of predation threat. It has been suggested that prey could decrease their risk of being detected by predators either by preferring backgrounds into which they blend or by preferring visually complex backgrounds. The least killifish preferred a background that matched their patterning to a background that mismatched it, showing that they are able to respond to cues of visual similarity between their colour pattern and the surrounding environment. Interestingly however, in female least killifish visual complexity of the background was a more important cue for habitat safety and may override or act together with background matching when searching for a safe habitat. It is possible that in females, preference for visually complex backgrounds is associated with lower opportunity costs than preference for matching backgrounds would be. Generally, the least killifish showed stronger preference while under predation threat, indicating that their background choice behaviour is an antipredator adaptation. Many aquatic prey species have eyespots, which are colour patterns that consist of roughly concentric rings and have received their name because they for humans often resemble the vertebrate eye. I investigated the anti-predator function of eyespots against predation by fish in papers II, III and IV. Some eyespots have been suggested to benefit prey by diverting the strikes of predators away from vital parts of the prey body or towards a direction that facilitates prey escape. Although proposed over a century ago, the divertive effect of eyespots has proven to be difficult to show experimentally. In papers II and III, I tested for divertive effect of eyespots towards attacking fish by presenting artificial prey with eyespots to laboratory reared three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). I found that eyespots strongly influenced the behaviour of attacking sticklebacks and effectively drew their strikes towards the eyespots. To further investigate this divertive effect and whether the specific shape of eyespots is important for it, I tested in paper III the response of fish also to other markings than eyespots. I found that eyespots were generally more effective in diverting the first strikes of attacking fish compared to other prey markings. My findings suggest that the common occurrence of eyespots in aquatic prey species can at least partly be explained by the divertive effect of the eyespot shape, possibly together with the relative simple developmental mechanisms underlying circular colour patterns. An eyebar is a stripe that runs through the eye, and this pattern has been suggested to obscure the real eyes of the prey by visually blending parts of the eyes and head of the prey and by creating false edges. In paper III, I show that an eyebar effectively disrupts an eyelike shape. This suggests that eyebars provide an effective way to conceal the eyes and consequently obstruct detection and recognition of prey. This experiment also demonstrates that through concealment of the eyes, eyebars could be used to enhance the divertive effect of eyespots, which can explain the common occurrence of eyebars in many species of fish that have eyespots. Larger eyespots have been shown to intimidate some terrestrial predators, such as passerine birds, either because they resemble the eyes of the predator’s own enemy or because highly salient features may have an intimidating effect. In papers II and IV, I investigated whether the occurrence of eyespots in some aquatic prey could be explained by their intimidating effect predatory fish. In paper IV, I also investigated the reason for the intimidating effect of eyelike prey marks. In paper II, I found no clear intimidating effect of eyespots, whereas in paper IV, using a different approach, I found that sticklebacks hesitated to attack towards eyelike but not towards non-eyelike marks. Importantly, paper IV therefore presents the first rigorous evidence for the idea that eye mimicry, and not merely conspicuousness, underlies the intimidating effect. It also showed that the hesitation shown by fish towards eyelike marks is partly an innate response that is reinforced by encounters with predators. Collectively, this thesis shows that prey colour pattern and the visual appearance of the habitat influence the behaviour of fish. The results demonstrate that protective coloration provides numerous distinctive ways for aquatic prey to escape predation. Thus, visual perception and behaviour of fish are important factors shaping the appearance and behaviours of aquatic prey.

Memoria virtualis - death and mourning rituals in online environments

The main objective of this work has been to understand the ritual aspect of how private people use the Internet to mourn and honor their intimates in various online environments. The research material was compiled in 2007–2013 through ethnographic and autoethnographic observations in social media applications, online memorial websites, one shared virtual environment (Second Life) and one massive multi-player online role-playing game (World of Warcraft). The research material consists of – in addition to the ethnographic observations – three online surveys with 153 respondents (mainly from Finland, the United States and the United Kingdom). In addition, the researcher conducted 38 longer online interviews (i.e. via email, an avatar). The theoretical framework is derived from ritual theory, hermeneutic-phenomenological anthropology and discourse analysis. The research questions are as follows: Why are death rituals practiced in online environments? How are virtual memorials created in various online environments? What kind of systems of meanings are virtual memorials constructed from? The results indicate that online mourning and honoring is appropriated in addition to the “traditional” offline rituals. In online environments the bereaved can choose, where, when, how and with whom they share their grief and loss. Memorials are created in the web intentionally and unintentionally, where the latter refers inter alia to the Facebook profile of the deceased where his/her intimates gather to mourn and honor immediately after the death. The first refers to intentionally memorialized online places spaces via different service providers. Virtual memorials are a way to construct the identity of the deceased, as well as the bereaved in multiple ways. They also re-enforce and create a sense of communality both privately and publicly, and enable one meaningful online place where all the intimates of the deceased can gather together to mourn and honor despite the geographical or time distances. Tämä väitöstutkimus tarkastelee miten nykyiset kuolemanrituaalit ovat digitalisoituneet verkkoympäristöihin. Tutkimus on suoritettu verkkoetnografisin sekä autoetnografisin menetelmin sosiaalisen median sivustoilla, virtuaalimuistomerkkipalveluissa, yhdestä virtuaalimaailmassa (Second Life) sekä yhdestä reaaliaikaisessa verkkopelissä (World of Warcraft) vuosina 2007–2013. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu etnografisten havainnointien lisäksi kolmesta verkkokyselystä, joissa vastaajia on yhteensä 153 pääasiassa Suomesta, Yhdysvalloista sekä Iso-Britanniasta. Kyselyjen lisäksi tutkija on tehnyt myös 38 laajempaa verkkohaastattelua eri ympäristöissä (esim. sähköposti, avatar virtuaalimaailmassa). Teoreettinen kehys koostuu rituaaliteoriasta, hermeneuttis-phenomenologiasta sekä diskurssianalyysista. Tutkimuskysymykset ovat seuraavat: miksi kuolemanrituaaleja harjoitetaan verkkoympäristöissä, miten virtuaalisia muistomerkkejä luodaan verkkoon, sekä millaisista merkitysjärjestelmistä virtuaaliset muistomerkit muodostuvat? Tutkimustulosten mukaan verkkosureminen ja muistaminen ovat tulleet perinteisten kuolemanrituaalien rinnalle, jolloin sureva itse voi päättää miten, missä, milloin sekä kenen kanssa suree läheistään. Muistomerkkejä verkkoon luodaan suunnitellusti (intentional) sekä suunnittelemattomasti (unintentional), jolloin jälkimmäinen viittaa esimerkiksi edesmenneen Facebook profiiliin, missä hänen läheisensä kokoontuvat muistelemaan ja suremaan välittömästi kuoleman jälkeen. Ensimmäinen taas viittaa suunnitelmalliseen muistomerkin luomiseen, jota varten löytyy useita palveluntarjoajia. Virtuaalimuistomerkit ovat keino rakentaa sekä edesmenneen että surevan identiteettiä, vahvistaa ja luoda yhteisöllisyyttä niin yksityisesti kuin julkisesti, sekä luoda yksi yhteinen aina ja kaikkialta saavutettavissa oleva merkityksellinen paikka verkkoon, missä kaikki läheiset voivat ajasta ja paikasta riippumatta muistella ja surra läheistään.

Leaf optical properties of two liana species Canavalia parviflora Benth. and Gouania virgata Reissk in different light conditions

Lianas are plants that depend on support to reach some appreciable height, and they represent an important structural component of tropical forests. Although they predominate in clearings and gaps, some species survive in the understory. Changes in irradiance between these environments can affect leaf morphology and absorption of photosynthetic active radiation (PAR). We had examined the effects of different light regimes on leaf optical properties, chlorophyll content, specific leaf area, and leaf surface morphology in young seedlings of Canavalia parviflora Benth. (Fabaceae) and Gouania virgata Reissk (Rhamnaceae). The seedlings were distributed on workbenches covered by different layers of neutral shade netting, thus creating three levels of light intensity corresponding to about 40%, 10% and 1.5% of solar irradiance. Plants growing in full sun were used as a control. Both species exhibited an increase in reflectance in full sun and alterations in leaf morphology. Reduction in irradiance induced an increase in absorptance (decrease in reflectance and transmittance) in C. parviflora leaves in the green due to higher chlorophyll content. In G. virgata the spectral leaf changes were less observable. However, the efficiency of absorption was more pronounced in G. virgata than in C. parviflora leaves under 40%, 10% and 1.5% photon flux density (PFD). The greater efficiency of absorption in G. virgata was due to a larger specific leaf area (SLA) under these conditions. The adjustments in leaf optical properties can aid these species in overall carbon gain under limited light conditions.