Construing and Defining the Out of Control : Addiction in the Media 1968-2008.

The four scientific articles comprising this doctoral dissertation offer new information on the presentation and construction of addiction in the mass media during the period 1968 - 2008. Diachronic surveys as well as quantitative and qualitative content analyses were undertaken to discern trends during the period in question and to investigate underlying conceptions of the problems in contemporary media presentations. The research material for the first three articles consists of a sample of 200 texts from Finland s biggest daily newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, from the period 1968 - 2006. The fourth study examines English-language tabloid material published on the Internet in 2005 - 2008. A number of principal trends are identified. In addition to a significant increase in addiction reporting over time, the study shows that an internalisation of addiction problems took place in the media presentations under study. The phenomenon is portrayed and tackled from within the problems themselves, often from the viewpoint of the individuals concerned. The tone becomes more personal, and technical and detailed accounts are more and more frequent. Secondly, the concept of addiction is broadened. This can be dated to the 1990s. The concept undergoes a conventionalisation: it is used more frequently in a manner that is not thought to require explanation. The word riippuvuus (the closest equivalent to addiction in Finnish) was adopted more commonly in the reporting at the same time, in the 1990s. Thirdly, the results highlight individual self-governance as a superordinate principle in contemporary descriptions of addiction. If the principal demarcation in earlier texts was between us and them , it is now focused primarily on the individual s competence and ability to govern the self, to restrain and master one's behaviour. Finally, in the fourth study investigating textual constructions of female celebrities (Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears and Kate Moss) in Internet tabloids, various relations and functions of addiction problems, intoxication, body and gender were observed to function as cultural symbols. Addiction becomes a sign, or a style, that represents different significations in relation to the main characters in the tabloid stories. Tabloids, as a genre, play an important role by introducing other images of the problems than those featured in mainstream media. The study is positioned within the framework of modernity theory and its views on the need for self-reflexivity and biographies as tools for the creation and definition of the self. Traditional institutions such as the church, occupation, family etc. no longer play an important role in self-definition. This circumstance creates a need for a culture conveying stories of success and failure in relation to which the individual can position their own behaviour and life content. I propose that addiction , as a theme in media reporting, resolves the conflict that emanates from the ambivalence between the accessibility and the individualisation of consumer society, on the one hand, and the problematic behavioural patterns (addictions) that they may induce, on the other.

An alkaline direct borohydride fuel cell with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant

A novel alkaline direct borohydride fuel cell (ADBFC) using varying concentrations of hydrogen peroxide as oxidant and sodium borohydride with sodium hydroxide, each of differing concentration, as fuel is reported. A peak power density of ca. 150 in W cm(-2) at a cell voltage of 540 mV can be achieved from the optimized ADBFC operating at 70 degrees C. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cerimetry in non-aqueous media - Oxidation of oxalic acid through the intermediate formation of ceric oxalate

It was found that ceric oxalate is an intermediate product in the oxidation of oxalic acid by ammonium hexanitrato cerate in solvents such as acetonitrile, and a mixture of acetonitrile and glacial acetic acid. Conditions for the formation of ceric oxalate and its decomposition into carbon dioxide and cerous oxalate have been studied. An analytical method for the estimation of oxalic acid in non-aqueous media has been evolved based on this reaction.

Why Do Russians Support Censorship of the Media?

This article analyses support for censorship in Russia as part of the democratization process. Censorship has been an important part of Russian history and it was strengthened during the Soviet era. After the collapse of the Soviet system formal censorship was banned even though the reality has been different. Therefore it is not strange that many Russians would like to limit the freedom of the media and to censor certain topics. The views of Russians on censorship have been studied on the basis of a survey carried out in 2007. According to the results, three different dimensions of censorship were found. These dimensions include moral censorship, political censorship, and censorship of religious materials. Support for these dimensions varies on the basis of socio-demographic characteristics and media use. The article concludes that many Russians reject new phenomena, while support for the censorship of political criticism is not as high, but political censorship seems to enjoy more support among elites than among the common people.

Alkaline and acid phosphatases of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L.

The variations in the activities of the alkaline and acid phosphatases of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, were studied in all stages of the life cycle. From hatching until the spinning stage a steady increase was recorded in the activity of both the enzymes followed with a conspicuous decrease at each moult. During the pupal stage the alkaline phosphatase was almost absent, whereas the acid phosphatase maintained a high and constant value. Increase or decrease of the activity of the enzymes during larval development was reflected in a decrease or increase in the acid-soluble phosphorus content. Acid phosphatase activity slowly increased from laying of the eggs to hatching of the larvae with a concomitant decrease in the acid-soluble phosphorus. Tissue analysis showed a high concentration of the alkaline enzyme in the intestines, but the haemolymph was almost free of both enzymes. Feeding of inorganic phosphate increased the alkaline enzyme in the intestines, whereas glucose had no effect on either of the enzymes in the intestines.

Reciprocity relation in scattering by media subjected to an external magnetic field

Krishnan's reciprocity theorem in colloid optics, ρ{variant}u=1+l/ρ{variant}h/1+1/ρ{variant}v is generalised for the case when the scattering medium is subjected to an external orienting field. It is shown theoretically that a general relation of the type IBA=I′AB results in this case, where IBA is the intensity of the component of the scattered light having its electric vector inclined at an angle B to the vertical with the incident light polarised at an angle A to the vertical, the external field direction being parallel to the incident beam. I′AB is the corresponding intensity with the magnetic field parallel of the scattered ray. Experimental verification of the above generalisation is also given.

Social Media as a Form of Organizational Knowledge Sharing

This study investigates the role of social media as a form of organizational knowledge sharing. Social media is investigated in terms of the Web 2.0 technologies that organizations provide their employees as tools of internal communication. This study is anchored in the theoretical understanding of social media as technologies which enable both knowledge collection and knowledge donation. This study investigates the factors influencing employees’ use of social media in their working environment. The study presents the multidisciplinary research tradition concerning knowledge sharing. Social media is analyzed especially in relation to internal communication and knowledge sharing. Based on previous studies, it is assumed that personal, organizational, and technological factors influence employees’ use of social media in their working environment. The research represents a case study focusing on the employees of the Finnish company Wärtsilä. Wärtsilä represents an eligible case organization for this study given that it puts in use several Web 2.0 tools in its intranet. The research is based on quantitative methods. In total 343 answers were obtained with the aid of an online survey which was available in Wärtsilä’s intranet. The associations between the variables are analyzed with the aid of correlations. Finally, with the aid of multiple linear regression analysis the causality between the assumed factors and the use of social media is tested. The analysis demonstrates that personal, organizational and technological factors influence the respondents’ use of social media. As strong predictive variables emerge the benefits that respondents expect to receive from using social media and respondents’ experience in using Web 2.0 in their private lives. Also organizational factors such as managers’ and colleagues’ activeness and organizational guidelines for using social media form a causal relationship with the use of social media. In addition, respondents’ understanding of their responsibilities affects their use of social media. The more social media is considered as a part of individual responsibilities, the more frequently social media is used. Finally, technological factors must be recognized. The more user-friendly social media tools are considered and the better technical skills respondents have, the more frequently social media is used in the working environment. The central references in relation to knowledge sharing include Chun Wei Choo’s (2006) work Knowing Organization, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi’s (1995) work The Knowledge Creating Company and Linda Argote’s (1999) work Organizational Learning.

Cerimetry in nonaqueous media - Oxidation of ascorbic acid

The reaction between ascorbic acid and ammonium hexa nitrato cerate was studied potentiometrically in the mixed solvent glacial acetic acid acetonitrile medium. It was found that one mole of ascorbic acid consumes four equivalents of cerate in non-aqueous medium. This reaction can be made use of to estimate potentiometrically ascorbic acid with ammonium nitrato cerate in non-aqueous media, using either glass or antimony as reference electrode and platinum as indicator electrode.

E-learning in a rural context: Alternative media and contemporary applications

This report has been written as part of the E-ruralnet –project that addresses e-learning as a means for enhancing lifelong learning opportunities in rural areas, with emphasis on SMEs, micro-enterprises, self-employed and persons seeking employment. E-ruralnet is a European network project part-funded by the European Commission in the context of the Lifelong Learning Programme, Transversal projects-ICT. This report aims to address two issues identified as requiring attention in the previous Observatory study: firstly, access to e-learning for rural areas that have not adequate ICT infrastructure; and secondly new learning approaches introduced through new interactive ICT tools such as web 2.0., wikis, podcasts etc. The possibility of using alternative technology in addition to computers is examined (mobile telephones, DVDs) as well as new approaches to learning (simulation, serious games). The first part of the report examines existing literature on e-learning and what e-learning is all about. Institutional users, learners and instructors/teachers are all looked at separately. We then turn to the implementation of e-learning from the organizational point of view and focus on quality issues related to e-learning. The report includes a separate chapter or e-learning from the rural perspective since most of Europe is geographically speaking rural and the population in those areas is that which could most benefit from the possibilities introduced by the e-learning development. The section titled “Alternative media”, in accordance with the project terminology, looks at standalone technology that is of particular use to rural areas without proper internet connection. It also evaluates the use of new tools and media in e-learning and takes a look at m-learning. Finally, the use of games, serious games and simulations in learning is considered. Practical examples and cases are displayed in a box to facilitate pleasant reading.

Ultrasonic studies in chemically active liquid media (1) aqueous solution of N2O4

Using a pulse method the ultrasonic absorption has been studied in the frequency range of 2 to 10 Mc/s in dilute aqueous solutions of nitrogen tetroxide gas at room temperature. The absorption peaks (αλ vs frequency) observed in this study are attributed to the ionic dissociation reaction of the nitrous acid into its constituent ions. The rate constants of the forward and backward reactions are calculated using the theory of Tabuchi. The variation of the logarithm of the rate constant of the bimolecular ionic reaction, namely, log10 kb, with the square root of ionic strength qualitatively follows Brönsted's theory for ionic reactions in solutions.