Written Cancer Narratives : An Ethnomedical Study of Cancer Patients' Thoughts, Emotions and Experiences

Since the second half of the 20th century, cancer has become a dominant disease in Western countries, endangering people regardless of age, gender, race or social status. Every year almost eight million people die of cancer worldwide. In Finland every fourth person is expected to fall ill with cancer at some stage of his or her life. During the 20th century, along with rapid changes in the medical system, people s awareness of cancer has increased a great deal. This has also influenced the image of cancer in popular discourse over the past decades. However, from the scientific point of view there is still much that is unclear about the disease. This thesis shows that this is a big problem for ordinary people, as, according to culture-bound illness ideology, people need an explanation about the origin of their illness in order to help them cope. The main aim of this thesis is to examine the process of being ill with cancer from the patient s point of view, in order to analyse attitudes and behaviour towards cancer and its significance and culture-bound images. This narrative-based study concentrates on patients voicings , which are important in understanding the cancer experience and when attempting to make it more open within current cultural and societal settings. The Kun sairastuin syöpään ( when I fell ill with cancer ) writing competition organised by Suomen Syöpäpotilaat ry (the Finnish Cancer Patients Association), Suomen Syöpäyhdistys ry (the Finnish Cancer Union), and Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran kansanrunousarkisto (the Finnish Literary Society Folklore Archive) was announced on the 1st of May 1994 and lasted until the 30th of September 1994. As a result, a total of 672 cancer narratives, totalling 6384 pages, were received, filled with experiences relating to cancer. Written cancer narratives form a body of empirical data that is suitable for content or textual analysis. In this thesis, content analysis is adopted in order to become familiar with the texts and to preselect the themes and analytical units for further examination. I use multiple perspectives in order to interpret cancer patients ideas and reasoning. The ethnomedical approach unites popular health beliefs that originated in Finnish folk medicine, as well as connecting alternative medicine, which patients make use of, with biomedicine, the dominant form of medicine today. In addition to this, patients narratives, which are composed of various structural segments, are approached from the folklorist s perspective. In this way they can be seen as short pathographies, reconstructions of self-negotiation and individual decision making during the illness process. Above all, cancer patients writing describe their feelings, thoughts and experiences. Factors that appear insignificant to modern medicine, overwhelmed as it is by medical technologies that concentrate on dysfunctional tissue within diseased bodies. Ethnomedical study of cancer patients writings gives access to the human side of cancer discourse, and combines both medical, and popular, knowledge of cancer. In my view, the natural world and glimpses of tradition are bound together with one general aim within cancer narratives: to tackle the illness and mediate its meanings. Furthermore, the narrative approach reveals that participants write with the hope of offering a different interpretation of the cancer experience, and thus of confronting culturally pre-defined images and ideologies.

Some experimental observations on the use of activated sludge as fertilizer for fish culture

Experiments were conducted in cement cisterns to find out the effect of adding different dosages of activated sludge on fish growth and plankton production. Three dosages of sludge,viz., 62·5 gm., 125 gm. and 250 gm. per 240 litres of water were used. Fingerlings ofCyprinus carpio, Cirrhina mrigala andCatla catla responded positively,C. mrigala showing maximum growth. The results indicate that the sludge has a direct influence on increasing growth of fish and production of plankton due to the release of nutrients into the water. The increase in plankton content stops after about 30 days. When greater quantities of sludge were added in the cisterns, fish mortality took place.

Reversible polyelectrolyte capsules as carriers for protein delivery

A reversible drug delivery system based on spontaneous deposition of a model protein into preformed microcapsules has been demonstrated for protein delivery applications. Layer-by-Layer assembly of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) onto polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) doped CaCO3 particles, followed by core removal yielded intact hollow microcapsules having a unique property to induce spontaneous deposition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) at pH below its isoelectric point of 4.8, where it was positively charged. These capsules showed reversible pH dependent open and closed states to fluorescence labeled dextran (FITC-Dextran) and BSA (FITC-BSA). The loading capacity of BSA increased from 9.1 x 10(7) to 2.03 x 10(8) molecules per capsule with decrease in pH from 4.5 to 3.The loading of BSA-FITC was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), which showed homogeneous distribution of protein inside the capsule. Efficient loading of BSA was further confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).The interior capsule concentration was as high as 209 times the feeding concentration when the feeding concentration was increased from 1 to 10 mg/ml. The deposition was initially controlled by spontaneous loading mechanism at lower BSA concentration followed by diffusion controlled loading at higher concentration; which decreased the loading efficiency from 35% to 7%. Circular dichroism (CD) measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed that there was no significant change in conformation of released BSA in comparison with native BSA. The release was initially burst in the first 0.5 h and sustained up to 5 h. The hollow capsules were found to be biocompatible with mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells during in vitro cell culture studies. Thus these pH sensitive polyelectrolyte microcapsules may offer a promising delivery system for water soluble proteins and peptides. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accumulation of point mutations and reassortment of genomic RNA segments are involved in the microevolution of Puumala hantavirus in a bank vole (Myodes glareolus) population

"The genetic diversity of Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) was studied in a local population of its natural host, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). The trapping area (2.5x2.5 km) at Konnevesi, Central Finland, included 14 trapping sites, at least 500 m apart; altogether, 147 voles were captured during May and October 2005. Partial sequences of the S, M and L viral genome segments were recovered from 40 animals. Seven, 12 and 17 variants were detected for the S, M and L sequences, respectively; these represent new wild-type PUUV strains that belong to the Finnish genetic lineage. The genetic diversity of PUUV strains from Konnevesi was 0.2-4.9% for the S segment, 0.2-4.8% for the M segment and 0.2-9.7% for the L segment. Most nucleotide substitutions were synonymous and most deduced amino acid substitutions were conservative, probably due to strong stabilizing selection operating at the protein level. Based on both sequence markers and phylogenetic clustering, the S, M and L sequences could be assigned to two groups, 'A' and 'B'. Notably, not all bank voles carried S, M and L sequences belonging to the same group, i.e. SAMALA or SBMBLB.. A substantial proportion (8/40, 20%) of the newly characterized PUUV strains possessed reassortant genomes such as SBMALA, SAMBLB or SBMALB. These results suggest that at least some of the PUUV reassortants are viable and can survive in the presence of their parental strains."

Global processes, local strategies : migration of educated Dominicans.

The aim of this thesis is to examine migration of educated Dominicans in light of global processes. Current global developments have resulted in increasingly global movements of people, yet people tend to come from certain places in large numbers rather than others. At the same time, international migration is increasingly selective, which shows in the disproportional number of educated migrants. This study discovers individual and societal motivations that explain why young educated Dominicans decide to migrate and return. The theoretical framework of this thesis underlines that migration is a dynamic process rooted in other global developments. Migratory movements should be seen as a result of interacting macro- and microstructures, which are linked by a number of intermediate mechanisms, meso-structures. The way individuals perceive opportunity structures concretises the way global developments mediate to the micro-level. The case of the Dominican Republic shows that there is a diversity of local responses to the world system, as Dominicans have produced their own unique historical responses to global changes. The thesis explains that Dominican migration is importantly conditioned by socioeconomic and educational background. Migration is more accessible for the educated middle class, because of the availability of better resources. Educated migrants also seem less likely to rely on networks to organize their migrations. The role of networks in migration differs by socioeconomic background on the one hand, and by the specific connections each individual has to current and previous migrants on the other hand. The personal and cultural values of the migrant are also pivotal. The central argument of this thesis is that a veritable culture of migration has evolved in the Dominican Republic. The actual economic, political and social circumstances have led many Dominicans to believe that there are better opportunities elsewhere. The globalisation of certain expectations on the one hand, and the development of the specifically Dominican feeling of ‘externalism’ on the other, have for their part given rise to the Dominican culture of migration. The study also suggests that the current Dominican development model encourages migration. Besides global structures, local structures are found to ve pivotal in determining how global processes are materialised in a specific place. The research for this thesis was conducted by using qualitative methodology. The focus of this thesis was on thematic interviews that reveal the subject’s point of view and give a fuller understanding of migration and mobility of the educated. The data was mainly collected during a field research phase in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic in December 2009 and January 2010. The principal material consists of ten thematic interviews held with educated Dominican current or former migrants. Four expert interviews, relevant empirical data, theoretical literature and newspaper articles were also comprehensively used.

Microbial Production Of Amino-Acids .3. Nutritional Studies And Effects Of Organic Growth Promoters And Thiamine On Dl-Alanine Fermentation By Arthrobacter Strain C19d

The study of the nutritional requirements of Arthrobacter strain C19d which accumulates alanine in large amounts in the culture medium. 1evealed that the organism needs thiamine for its growth. A Iso the alanine accumulation by this strain was found to be related to thiamine concentration in the medium. The optimum concentration of thiamine for alanine accumulation (20 tJ.g/mJ) Was also optimum for the growth of the organism indicating thereby that alanine accumulation by this strain is a growth associated process rather than far removed from it. Among the various growth promoters tried yeast extract was found to be superior from the point of view of alanine yield and it wa5 also superior to giving thiamine alone in the medium. A concentration of 0.02% yeast extract was found to be optimum for alanine occumulation.

Folding a Polymer via Two-Point Interaction with an External Folding Agent: Use of H-Bonding and Charge-Transfer Interactions

A polymer containing electron-rich aromatic donors (1,5-dialkoxynaphthalene (DAN)) was coerced into a folded state by an external folding agent that contained an electron-deficient aromatic acceptor (pyromellitic diimide (PM)) unit. The donor-containing polymer was designed to carry a tertiary amine moiety in the linking segment, which served as an H-bonding site for reinforcing the interaction with the acceptor containing folding agent that also bore a carboxylic acid group. The H-bonding interaction of the carboxylic acid and the tertiary amine brings the PDI unit between two adjacent DAN units along the polymer backbone to induce charge-transfer (C-T) interactions, and this in turn causes the polymer chain to form a pleated structure. Evidence for the formation of such a pleated structure was obtained from NMR titration studies and also by monitoring the C-T band in their UV-visible spectra. By varying the length of the segment that links the PDI acceptor to the carboxylic acid group, we showed that the most effective folding agent was the one that had a single carbon spacer, as evident from the highest value of the association constant. Control experiments with propionic acid clearly demonstrated the importance of the additional C-T interactions for venerating the folded structures. Further, solution viscosity measurements in the presence of varying amounts of the folding agent revealed a gradual stiffening of the chain in the case of the PDI carrying carboxylic acid, whereas no such affect was seen in the case of simple propionic acid. These observations were supported by D FT calculations of the interactions of a dimeric model of the polymer with the various folding agents; here too the stability of the complex was seen to be highest in the case of the single carbon spacer.

Note: Dynamic point spread function for single and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy

We propose and demonstrate a dynamic point spread function (PSF) for single and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy. The goal is to generate a PSF whose shape and size can be maneuvered from highly localized to elongated one, thereby allowing shallow-to-depth excitation capability during active imaging. The PSF is obtained by utilizing specially designed spatial filter and dynamically altering the filter parameters. We predict potential applications in nanobioimaging and fluorescence microscopy.

Note: Dynamic point spread function for single and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy

We propose and demonstrate a dynamic point spread function (PSF) for single and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy. The goal is to generate a PSF whose shape and size can be maneuvered from highly localized to elongated one, thereby allowing shallow-to-depth excitation capability during active imaging. The PSF is obtained by utilizing specially designed spatial filter and dynamically altering the filter parameters. We predict potential applications in nanobioimaging and fluorescence microscopy.

Synthesis of plane linkages to generate functions of two variables using point-position reduction—Part 1. Rotary inputs and output

The paper presents simple graphical procedures for position synthesis of plane linkage mechanisms to generate functions of two independent variables. The procedures are based on point-position reduction and permit synthesis of the linkage to satisfy up to six arbitrarily selected precision positions.

Synthesis of plane linkages to generate functions of two variables using point position reduction—II. Sliding inputs and outputs

The paper presents simple graphical procedures for the position synthesis of plane linkage mechanisms with sliding inputs and output to generate functions of two independent variables. The procedures are based on point position reduction and permit synthesis of the linkage to satisfy up to five arbitrarily selected precision positions.

The Finnish Leadership Style in Transition - A Study of Leadership Criteria in the Insurance Business, 1997-2004 (summary section only)

The aim of the study was to explore the importance of evaluating leadership criteria in Finland at leader/subordinate levels of the insurance industry. The overall purpose of the thesis is tackled and analyzed from two different perspectives: - by examining the importance of the leadership criteria and style of Finnish insurance business leaders and their subordinates - by examining the opinions of insurance business leaders regarding leadership criteria in two culturally different countries: the US and Finland. This thesis consists of three published articles that scrutinise the focal phenomena both theoretically and empirically. The main results of the study do not lend support to the existence of a universal model of leadership criteria in the insurance business. As a matter of fact, the possible model seems to be based more on the special organizational and cultural circumstances of the country in question. The leadership criteria seem to be quite stable irrespective of the comparatively short research time period (3–5 years) and hierarchical level (subordinate/leader). Leaders have major difficulties in changing their leadership style. In fact, in order to bring about an efficient organizational change in the company you have to alternate the leader. The cultural dimensions (cooperation and monitoring) identified by Finnish subordinates were mostly in line with those of their managers, whilst emphasizing more the aspect of monitoring employees, which could be seen from their point of view as another element of managers’ optimizing/efficiency requirements. In Finnish surveys the strong emphasis on cooperation and mutual trust become apparent by both subordinates and managers. The basic problem is still how to emphasize and balance them in real life in such a way that both parties are happy to work together on a common basis. The American surveys suggests hypothetically that in a soft market period (buyer’s market) managers employ a more relationship-oriented leadership style and correspondingly adapt their leadership style to a more task-oriented approach in a hard market phase (seller’s market). In making business better Finnish insurance managers could probably concentrate more on task-oriented items such as reviewing, budgeting, monitoring and goal-orientation. The study also suggests that the social safety net of the European welfare state ideology has so far shielded the culture-specific sense of social responsibility of Finnish managers from the hazards of free competition and globalization.

Sensemaking in the Third Space - Essays on French-Finnish Bicultural Experiences in Organizations and Their Narratives (summary section only)

Research on cross-cultural and intercultural aspects in organizations has been traditionally conducted from an objectivist, functionalist perspective, with culture treated as an independent variable, and often the key explanatory factor. In order to do justice to the ontological relativity of the phenomena studied, more subjectivist research on intercultural interactions, and especially on their relationships with the dynamics of cultural identity construction, is needed. The present research seeks to address this gap by focusing on bicultural interactions in organizations, as they are experienced by the involved individuals. It is argued that such bicultural situations see the emergence of a space of hybridity, which is here called a ‘third space’, and which can be understood as providing ‘occasions for sensemaking’: it is this individual sensemaking that is of particular interest in the empirical narrative study. A first overall aim of the study is to reach an understanding of the dynamics of bicultural interactions in organizations; an understanding not only of the potential for learning and emancipatory sensemaking, but also of the possibility of conflict and alienatory ordering (this is mainly addressed in the theoretical essays 1 and 2). Further, a second overall aim of the study is to analyze the reflexive identity construction of four young French expatriates involved in such bicultural interactions in organizations in Finland, in order to examine the extent to which their expatriation experiences have allowed for an emancipatory opportunity in their cases (in essays 3 and 4). The primary theoretical contribution in this study lies in its new articulation of the dynamics of bicultural interactions in organizations. The ways in which the empirical material is analyzed bring about methodological contributions: since the expatriates’ accounts are bound to be some kind of construction, the analysis is made from angles that point to how the self-narratives construct reality. There are two such angles here: a ‘performative’ one and a ‘spatial’ one. The most important empirical contributions lie in the analysis of, on the one hand, the alternative uses that the young expatriates made of the notion of ‘national culture’ in their self-narratives, and, on the other hand, their ‘narrative practices of the third space’: their politics of escape or stabilization, their exploration of space or search for place, their emancipation from their origin or return to home as only horizon.