Use of semi-seletive media for detection of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on bean and soybean seeds

This work was aimed at evaluating the possibility of using bromophenol blue as an indicator for detecting the presence of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in the seeds of dry-beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and soybean (Glycine max), through incubation of the seeds on an agar medium and "blotter" substrates. The seeds were artificially inoculated with four S. sclerotiorum isolates, plated on the agar medium, named Neon, and on modified Neon agar media all incubated at 14 and 20 ºC for seven days in the dark. Half of the seeds inoculated were surface desinfested prior to plating on the medium. The seeds showing change of colour in the medium, from blue to light yellow, as well as formation of typical mycelium and sclerotia in some cases, were considered to be infected or contaminated by S. sclerotiorum. The two incubation temperatures compared did not show significant (P<0.05) differences in detection level for most of the isolates tested on the different media. According to results obtained in this study, the Neon agar medium with incubation at 14 or 20 ºC has proved to be a reliable and quick method for the detection of S. sclerotiorum mycelium in naturally infected seeds of bean and soybean.

A model for specific interactions of manganese-phthalocyanine in protic media

Extinction coefficients (e) changes of manganese phthalocyanine (Mn-Pc) were studied in different organic solvents and related to solvent polarity scales; (Kosower's values (Z), Dimroth's values (E T), donor numbers (DN) and linear solvation energy relationships (LSER) or linear free energy relationships (LFER));, theoretical molecular orbital calculations and ligand/solvent coordination processes in order to predict molecular interaction with the medium and identification of predominant intermolecular forces.

Yhdessä ja liikkeellä. Mobiili sosiaalinen media

Sosiaalinen media viittaa verkkopalveluihin, joiden toiminta perustuu käyttäjien ja käyttäjäyhteisöjen aktiiviseen sosiaaliseen vuorovaikutukseen. Matkapuhelimien kautta sosiaalinen media on liikkeellä ja pitää käyttäjät yhdessä ajasta ja paikasta riippumatta. Sosiaalisen median vetovoima perustuu siihen, että ihmiset jakavat tietoja, kuvia, videota ja ääntä sekä kommentoivat ja jatkavat viestiketjuja. Yhdessä ja liikkeellä -kirja tarkastelee sosiaalisen median uusinta ilmiötä, videoiden jakamista kännykkäpalvelun kautta. Mobiilit videot voivat kertoa jaetuista elämyksistä, konserteista, benji-hypyistä tai jazz-festivaalin vessajonosta. Liikkuva kuva kertoo usein enemmän kuin useampi valokuva, ja monen käyttäjän videokuva samasta tapahtumasta voi jo kertoa monipolvisen tarinan. Yhdessä ja liikkeellä esittelee Mobile Social Media -tutkimushankkeen tuloksia. Tavoitteena on ollut tutkia, millaiset tekijät tukevat mobiilin sosiaalisen median käyttöä ja miten sosiaalista mediaa hyödynnetään matkapuhelimilla, miten sosiaalisen median yhteisö voi muodostaa kännykkävideoista yhteisen tarinan, millaisia teknologisia haasteita mobiilin sosiaalisen median käytölle on. Tutkimushanke on CAT - Culture Art and Technology -verkoston yhteistyötä. Verkostoon kuuluvat Aalto-yliopiston, Tampereen teknillisen yliopiston ja Turun yliopiston Porin yksiköt.

Role of culture in knowledge transfer and sharing - case ERP implementation

The main objective of this study was to examine how culture influences knowledge transfer and sharing within multicultural ERP project implementation in China. The main interest was to explain how national culture and knowledge are linked by understanding how culture influences knowledge transfer and sharing in a project organization. The other objective of this work was to discuss what Chinese cultural characteristic inhibit and en-hance knowledge sharing in ERP project. The perspective of this study was qualitative and the empirical material was collected from theme interviews among Stora Enso employees. Conclusion of this thesis is that Finns have a very direct style of communication and sharing knowledge whereas Chinese respect face shaving and indirect communication. Another conclusion is that knowledge sharing does not “just happen”, it is needed that project members understand national culture to get all project members commitment to project. In China most important is understand local business processes and understand role of trust and guanxi.

Titrimetric assay of lisinopril in aqueous and non-aqueous media

Four simple titrimetric procedures are described for the determination of lisinopril (LNP) in bulk and in pharmaceuticals based on the neutralization of basic-amino and acidic carboxylic acid groups present in LNP. Method A is based on the neutralization of basic amino groups using perchloric acid as titrant in anhydrous acetic acid medium. Method B, method C and method D are based on neutralization of carboxylic acid group using NaOH, sodium methoxide and methanolic KOH, as titrants, respectively. Method A is applicable over 2.0-20.0 mg range and the calculations are based in the molar ratio of 1:2 (LNP:HClO4). Method B, method C and method D are applicable over 2.0-20.0 mg, 1.0-10.0 mg and 5.0-15.0 mg range, respectively, and their respective molar ratios are 1:1 (LNP:NaOH), 1:2 (LNP:CH3ONa) and 1:1 (LNP:KOH). Intraday and inter day accuracy and precision of the methods were evaluated and the results showed intra- and inter-day precision less than 2.7% (RSD), and accuracy of < 2.5 % (RE). The developed methods were applied to determine LNP in tablets and the results were validated statistically by comparing the results with those of the reference method by applying the Student's t-test and F-test. The accuracy was further ascertained by recovery studies via standard addition technique. No interferences from common tablet exipients was observed.

Seriedebatt i 1950-talets Finland : en studie i barndom, media och reglering

I avhandlingen granskas den debatt som fördes om seriemediet och serieläsandet i Finland från början av 1950-talet till början av 1960-talet. Serietidningen var då ett nytt medium och föranledde en oro beträffande barns läsvanor. ”Seriefrågan” diskuterades i pressen och problematiken engagerade barnskyddsorganisationer och forskare, behandlades i riksdagen och undersöktes av en statlig kommitté. De olika debattuttrycken analyseras i studien. Avhandlingens teoretiska perspektiv är styrningsanalytiskt och bygger på diskussionen om regementalitet (governmentality). I studien granskas hur seriemediet, barndom och regleringen av dessa kom att definieras i behandlingen av det s.k. serieproblemet. Serierna definierades som ett problematiskt medium på ett flertal sätt. De huvudsakliga argumenten mot serierna var dels att de förstörde barns läsförmåga, dels att de budskap som serierna förmedlade till barnen var av fel slag. Enligt kritiken var serierna språkligt fattiga och innehållsmässigt alltför våldsamma. Följaktligen utgjorde serierna ett hot mot barnen. Barnen kom ur detta perspektiv att definieras som inkompetenta medieanvändare och i behov av skydd. I debatten upplyftes olika sätt att lösa och reglera problemet. Man undersökte problematiken och upplyste allmänheten om den, man försökte påverka serieutgivarna och man påkallade censur. Seriedebatten och den verksamhet som debattörerna ägnade sig åt ledde dock inte till synbara resultat, t.ex. ny lagstiftning eller förändringar i seriemarknaden. Ändå dog debatten i början av 1960-talet. Problemet med de serieläsande barnen hanterades m.a.o. genom själva debatten. Samtidigt uteblev mera drastiska former av reglering. Ett övergripande syfte för analysen av den kunskap som skapades i debatten – dess varierande förståelse av seriemedium, barndom och reglering – är att erbjuda infallsvinklar till aktuella diskussioner om och farhågor angående barns mediebruk. Med fokus på bredden hos debattens uttryck och de diskursiva ramarna för problematiseringen av barns serieläsande ger avhandlingen perspektiv på den med jämna mellanrum uppdykande frågeställningen om barns mediebruk.

Knowledge Sharing between Generations in an Organisation - Retention of the Old or Building the New?

The study explores knowledge transfer between retiring employees and their successors in expert work. My aim is to ascertain whether there is knowledge development or building new knowledge related to this organisational knowledge transfer between generations; in other words, is the transfer of knowledge from experienced, retiring employees to their successors merely retention of the existing organisational knowledge by distributing it from one individual to another or does this transfer lead to building new and meaningful organisational knowledge. I call knowledge transfer between generations and the possibly related knowledge building in this study knowledge sharing between generations. The study examines the organisation and knowledge management from a knowledge-based and constructionist view. From this standpoint, I see knowledge transfer as an interactive process, and the exploration is based on how the people involved in this process understand and experience the phenomenon studied. The research method is organisational ethnography. I conducted the analysis of data using thematic analysis and the articulation method, which has not been used before in organisational knowledge studies. The primary empirical data consists of theme interviews with twelve employees involved in knowledge transfer in the organisation being studied and five follow-up theme interviews. Six of the interviewees are expert duty employees due to retire shortly, and six are their successors. All those participating in the follow-up interviews are successors of those soon to retire from their expert responsibilities. The organisation in the study is a medium-sized Finnish firm, which designs and manufactures electrical equipment and systems for the global market. The results of the study show that expert work-related knowledge transfer between generations can mean knowledge building which produces new, meaningful knowledge for the organisation. This knowledge is distributed in the organisation to all those that find it useful in increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of the whole organisation. The transfer and building of knowledge together create an act of knowledge sharing between generations where the building of knowledge presupposes transfer. Knowledge sharing proceeds between the expert and the novice through eight phases. During the phases of knowledge transfer the expert guides the novice to absorb the knowledge to be transferred. With the expert’s help the novice gradually comes to understand the knowledge and in the end he or she is capable of using it in his or her work. During the phases of knowledge building the expert helps the novice to further develop the knowledge being transferred so that it becomes new, useful knowledge for the organisation. After that the novice takes the built knowledge to use in his or her work. Based on the results of the study, knowledge sharing between generations takes place in interaction and ends when knowledge is taken to use. The results I obtained in the interviews by the articulation method show that knowledge sharing between generations is shaped by the novices’ conceptions of their own work goals, knowledge needs and duties. These are not only based on the official definition of the work, but also how the novices find their work or how they prioritise the given objectives and responsibilities. The study shows that the novices see their work primarily as maintenance or development. Those primarily involved in maintenance duties do not necessarily need knowledge defined as transferred between generations. Therefore, they do not necessarily transfer knowledge with their assigned experts, even though this can happen in favourable circumstances. They do not build knowledge because their view of their work goals and duties does not require the building of new knowledge. Those primarily involved in development duties, however, do need knowledge available from their assigned experts. Therefore, regardless of circumstances they transfer knowledge with their assigned experts and also build knowledge because their work goals and duties create a basis for building new knowledge. The literature on knowledge transfer between generations has focused on describing either the knowledge being transferred or the means by which it is transferred. Based on the results of this study, however, knowledge sharing between generations, that is, transfer and building is determined by how the novice considers his or her own knowledge needs and work practices. This is why studies on knowledge sharing between generations and its implementation should be based not only on the knowledge content and how it is shared, but also on the context of the work in which the novice interprets and shares knowledge. The existing literature has not considered the possibility that knowledge transfer between generations may mean building knowledge. The results of this study, however, show that this is possible. In knowledge building, the expert’s existing organisational knowledge is combined with the new knowledge that the novice brings to the organisation. In their interaction this combination of the expert’s “old” and the novice’s “new” knowledge becomes new, meaningful organisational knowledge. Previous studies show that knowledge development between the members of an organisation is the prerequisite for organisational renewal which in turn is essential for improved competitiveness. Against this background, knowledge building enables organisational renewal and thus enhances competitiveness. Hence, when knowledge transfer between generations is followed by knowledge building, the organisation kills two birds with one stone. In knowledge transfer the organisation retains the existing knowledge and thus maintains its competitiveness. In knowledge building the organisation developsnew knowledge and thus improves its competitiveness.

Customer reference marketing and utilization of social media as an integral part of customer references

The objective of this Bachelor's Thesis is to find out the role of social media in the B-to-B marketing environment of the information technology industry and to discover how IT-firms utilize social media as a part of their customer reference marketing. To reach the objectives the concepts of customer reference marketing and social media are determined. Customer reference marketing can be characterized as one of the most practically relevant but academically relatively overlooked ways in which a company can leverage its customers and delivered solutions and use them as references in its marketing activities. We will cover which external and internal functions customer references have, that contribute to the growth and performance of B-to-B firms. We also address the three mechanisms of customer reference marketing which are 'status transfer', 'validation through testimonials' and 'demonstration of experience and prior performance'. The concept of social media stands for social interaction and creation of user-based content which exclusively occurs through Internet. The social media are excellent tools for networking because of the fast and easy access, easy interaction and vast amount of multimedia attributes. The allocation of social media is determined. The case company helps clarify the specific characteristics of social media usage as part of customer-reference-marketing activities. For IT-firms the best channels to utilize social media in their customer reference marketing activities are publishing and distribution services of content and networking services.

Formal and informal mechanisms for knowledge protection and sharing

The most important knowledge in firms is mostly tacit and embedded in individuals within the organization. This background knowledge that firms possess is used for creation of new knowledge and innovations. As firms today greatly concentrate on their core competencies, they need external knowledge from various collaboration partners. Thus, collaborative relationship governance, as well as control (use of appropriability mechanisms) over background (the input from each firm in innovative activities) and foreground knowledge (the output of collaboration activities) is needed in order to successfully create and capture value from innovative activities without losing core knowledge and competitiveness. Even though research has concentrated on knowledge protection and knowledge sharing, studies that combine both of these views and examine the effects of sharing and protection on value creation and capture have been rather limited. Studies have mainly focused on the protection of the output of innovation while forgetting the protection of the input of innovation. On the other hand, as the research concentrating on the output of innovation tends to favor formal mechanisms, informal mechanisms have remained more unknown to researchers as well as managers. This research aims to combine the perspectives of knowledge sharing and knowledge protection and their relationship with value creation and value capture. The sharing and protection are viewed from two points of view: the use of appropriability mechanisms, as well as governance of the collaborative relationship. The study consists of two parts. The first part introduces the research topic and discusses the overall results. The second part comprises six complementary research publications. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used in the study. In terms of results, the findings enhance understanding of the combined use of formal and informal mechanisms for knowledge protection and sharing. Informal mechanisms appear to be emphasized in the protection of background knowledge, and thus are prerequisites for innovation, whereas formal mechanisms are relied on more for protecting the results of innovative activities. However, the simultaneous use of the formal and informal mechanisms that are relevant to the particular industry and innovation context is recommendedthroughout the collaborative innovation process. Further, the study adds to the current knowledge on HRM as an appropriability mechanism: on the firm level its uses include assessing and hedging against employee-related risks such as knowledge leaking and knowledge leaving. A further contribution is to the research on HRM protection and its interrelations with other appropriability mechanisms, its constituents, and its potential use in the area of knowledge protection.