Becoming Locals in a Borderland of Exiles. Sense of Place in the Stories of Lithuania Minor Dwellers

This thesis deals with sense of place, the relation that we construct with our dwelling and the surrounding environment. The topic belongs to the field of human geography. Sense of place is deeply intertwined with the ideas of feeling at home and having a place where to return. I argue that narratives of life experience help us relate to the places we inhabit, go through, leave. My analysis concerns Lithuania Minor, the Lithuanian region lying by the border with Kaliningrad, and focuses in particular on Vilkyškiai, a village in the municipality of Pagėgiai. Most of the area’s original population disappeared in the war. After 1945, people from all over the country and the USSR settled here. This raised the prickly question of who belongs to the borderland. Refugees, migrants and settlers allow us to observe closely the development of sense of place and its main constituents. Through this analysis, I challenge the idea of people’s natural rights to places and shows how time, engagement in local-based cultural activities and recollection help foreigners become locals. To grasp the locals’ sense of place, I collected open, light-structured interviews and applied some elements of semantic analysis to interpret the materials. From my research, it emerges that the cultivation of the region’s cultural heritage and the practice of storytelling were crucial in making the respondents feel at home. Leaving aside all legalistic claims concerning the issue, I suggest that people belong to the land they dwell. I believe that their sense of place deserves consideration from the State and the other actors seeing them as migrants.

Connections that work – Linked Open Data demystified

Esitys Kirjastoverkkopäivillä 22.10.2014 Helsingissä – Presentation of Jakob Voß at the Library Network Days, October 22, 2014 in Helsinki.

A systematic mapping study of web services discovery mechanisms

Context: Web services have been gaining popularity due to the success of service oriented architecture and cloud computing. Web services offer tremendous opportunity for service developers to publish their services and applications over the boundaries of the organization or company. However, to fully exploit these opportunities it is necessary to find efficient discovery mechanism thus, Web services discovering mechanism has attracted a considerable attention in Semantic Web research, however, there have been no literature surveys that systematically map the present research result thus overall impact of these research efforts and level of maturity of their results are still unclear. This thesis aims at providing an overview of the current state of research into Web services discovering mechanism using systematic mapping. The work is based on the papers published 2004 to 2013, and attempts to elaborate various aspects of the analyzed literature including classifying them in terms of the architecture, frameworks and methods used for web services discovery mechanism. Objective: The objective if this work is to summarize the current knowledge that is available as regards to Web service discovery mechanisms as well as to systematically identify and analyze the current published research works in order to identify different approaches presented. Method: A systematic mapping study has been employed to assess the various Web Services discovery approaches presented in the literature. Systematic mapping studies are useful for categorizing and summarizing the level of maturity research area. Results: The result indicates that there are numerous approaches that are consistently being researched and published in this field. In terms of where these researches are published, conferences are major contributing publishing arena as 48% of the selected papers were conference published papers illustrating the level of maturity of the research topic. Additionally selected 52 papers are categorized into two broad segments namely functional and non-functional based approaches taking into consideration architectural aspects and information retrieval approaches, semantic matching, syntactic matching, behavior based matching as well as QOS and other constraints.

Rigorous development of safety-critical systems

Nowadays, computer-based systems tend to become more complex and control increasingly critical functions affecting different areas of human activities. Failures of such systems might result in loss of human lives as well as significant damage to the environment. Therefore, their safety needs to be ensured. However, the development of safety-critical systems is not a trivial exercise. Hence, to preclude design faults and guarantee the desired behaviour, different industrial standards prescribe the use of rigorous techniques for development and verification of such systems. The more critical the system is, the more rigorous approach should be undertaken. To ensure safety of a critical computer-based system, satisfaction of the safety requirements imposed on this system should be demonstrated. This task involves a number of activities. In particular, a set of the safety requirements is usually derived by conducting various safety analysis techniques. Strong assurance that the system satisfies the safety requirements can be provided by formal methods, i.e., mathematically-based techniques. At the same time, the evidence that the system under consideration meets the imposed safety requirements might be demonstrated by constructing safety cases. However, the overall safety assurance process of critical computerbased systems remains insufficiently defined due to the following reasons. Firstly, there are semantic differences between safety requirements and formal models. Informally represented safety requirements should be translated into the underlying formal language to enable further veri cation. Secondly, the development of formal models of complex systems can be labour-intensive and time consuming. Thirdly, there are only a few well-defined methods for integration of formal verification results into safety cases. This thesis proposes an integrated approach to the rigorous development and verification of safety-critical systems that (1) facilitates elicitation of safety requirements and their incorporation into formal models, (2) simplifies formal modelling and verification by proposing specification and refinement patterns, and (3) assists in the construction of safety cases from the artefacts generated by formal reasoning. Our chosen formal framework is Event-B. It allows us to tackle the complexity of safety-critical systems as well as to structure safety requirements by applying abstraction and stepwise refinement. The Rodin platform, a tool supporting Event-B, assists in automatic model transformations and proof-based verification of the desired system properties. The proposed approach has been validated by several case studies from different application domains.

Category fluency test: effects of age, gender and education on total scores, clustering and switching in Brazilian Portuguese-speaking subjects

Verbal fluency tests are used as a measure of executive functions and language, and can also be used to evaluate semantic memory. We analyzed the influence of education, gender and age on scores in a verbal fluency test using the animal category, and on number of categories, clustering and switching. We examined 257 healthy participants (152 females and 105 males) with a mean age of 49.42 years (SD = 15.75) and having a mean educational level of 5.58 (SD = 4.25) years. We asked them to name as many animals as they could. Analysis of variance was performed to determine the effect of demographic variables. No significant effect of gender was observed for any of the measures. However, age seemed to influence the number of category changes, as expected for a sensitive frontal measure, after being controlled for the effect of education. Educational level had a statistically significant effect on all measures, except for clustering. Subject performance (mean number of animals named) according to schooling was: illiterates, 12.1; 1 to 4 years, 12.3; 5 to 8 years, 14.0; 9 to 11 years, 16.7, and more than 11 years, 17.8. We observed a decrease in performance in these five educational groups over time (more items recalled during the first 15 s, followed by a progressive reduction until the fourth interval). We conclude that education had the greatest effect on the category fluency test in this Brazilian sample. Therefore, we must take care in evaluating performance in lower educational subjects.

Novel word learning ability in chronic post-stroke aphasia : variability and modality effects

Novel word learning has been rarely studied in people with aphasia (PWA), although it can provide a relatively pure measure of their learning potential, and thereby contribute to the development of effective aphasia treatment methods. The main aim of the present thesis was to explore the capacity of PWA for associative learning of word–referent pairings and cognitive-linguistic factors related to it. More specifically, the thesis examined learning and long-term maintenance of the learned pairings, the role of lexical-semantic abilities in learning as well as acquisition of phonological versus semantic information in associative novel word learning. Furthermore, the effect of modality on associative novel word learning and the neural underpinnings of successful learning were explored. The learning experiments utilized the Ancient Farming Equipment (AFE) paradigm that employs drawings of unfamiliar referents and their unfamiliar names. Case studies of Finnishand English-speaking people with chronic aphasia (n = 6) were conducted in the investigation. The learning results of PWA were compared to those of healthy control participants, and active production of the novel words and their semantic definitions was used as learning outcome measures. PWA learned novel word–novel referent pairings, but the variation between individuals was very wide, from more modest outcomes (Studies I–II) up to levels on a par with healthy individuals (Studies III–IV). In incidental learning of semantic definitions, none of the PWA reached the performance level of the healthy control participants. Some PWA maintained part of the learning outcomes up to months post-training, and one individual showed full maintenance of the novel words at six months post-training (Study IV). Intact lexical-semantic processing skills promoted learning in PWA (Studies I–II) but poor phonological short-term memory capacities did not rule out novel word learning. In two PWA with successful learning and long-term maintenance of novel word–novel referent pairings, learning relied on orthographic input while auditory input led to significantly inferior learning outcomes (Studies III–IV). In one of these individuals, this previously undetected modalityspecific learning ability was successfully translated into training with familiar but inaccessible everyday words (Study IV). Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that this individual had a disconnected dorsal speech processing pathway in the left hemisphere, but a right-hemispheric neural network mediated successful novel word learning via reading. Finally, the results of Study III suggested that the cognitive-linguistic profile may not always predict the optimal learning channel for an individual with aphasia. Small-scale learning probes seem therefore useful in revealing functional learning channels in post-stroke aphasia.

Neuropsychological dysfunction related to earlier occupational exposure to mercury vapor

We assessed the neuropsychological test performances of 26 patients (mean age = 41.5 ± 6.1 years; mean years of education = 9.8 ± 1.8; 20 males) diagnosed with chronic occupational mercurialism who were former workers at a fluorescent lamp factory. They had been exposed to elemental mercury for an average of 10.2 ± 3.8 years and had been away from this work for 6 ± 4.7 years. Mean urinary mercury concentrations 1 year after cessation of work were 1.8 ± 0.9 µg/g creatinine. Twenty control subjects matched for age, gender, and education (18 males) were used for comparison. Neuropsychological assessment included attention, inhibitory control, verbal and visual memory, verbal fluency, manual dexterity, visual-spatial function, executive function, and semantic knowledge tests. The Beck Depression Inventory and the State and Trait Inventory were used to assess depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The raw score for the group exposed to mercury indicated slower information processing speed, inferior performance in psychomotor speed, verbal spontaneous recall memory, and manual dexterity of the dominant hand and non-dominant hand (P < 0.05). In addition, the patients showed increased depression and anxiety symptoms (P < 0.001). A statistically significant correlation (Pearson) was demonstrable between mean urinary mercury and anxiety trait (r = 0.75, P = 0.03). The neuropsychological performances of the former workers suggest that occupational exposure to elemental mercury has long-term effects on information processing and psychomotor function, with increased depression and anxiety also possibly reflecting the psychosocial context.

Lauseen aspektin ilmaiseminen suomen kielessä. Tutkimus olla-, tehdä- ja tulla-verbillisistä tekstilauseista käyttökonteksteissaan

Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan lauseen aspektin ilmaisemista suomen kielessä. Aspektia käsitellään merkityskategoriana, joka osoittaa lauseen kuvaaman asiaintilan ajallisen keston, ja perustavanlaatuisena aspektuaalisena erontekona pidetään rajattuuden ja rajaamattomuuden vastakohtaisuutta. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään, millä perusteella lauseet saavat joko rajatun tai rajaamattoman aspektitulkinnan ja miten konteksti vaikuttaa tähän tulkintaan. Lauseen kontekstina käsitellään kielellistä kontekstia eli tekstiä. Työ on aineistopohjainen tutkimus kirjoitetusta nykysuomesta, ja tarkastelun kohteena on sanomalehtiteksteistä koottu lauseaineisto. Lauseiden pääverbit ovat olla, tehdä ja tulla. Aineistosta on mahdollista esittää sekä kvalitatiivisia että kvantitatiivisia huomioita. Tutkimuksen teoreettisen ja metodologisen taustan muodostavat eräiden kognitiivisen kielitieteen suuntausten kuvauskäsitteet ja -metodit sekä fennistinen aspektin kuvaamisen perinne. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan kahta fennistiikassa esitettyä tapaa määritellä lauseen aspektimerkitys ja osoitetaan, että ne ovat toisiaan täydentäviä. Molemmat lähestymistavat huomioon ottamalla on siis mahdollista kuvata lauseen aspektimerkityksen määräytyminen täsmällisemmin kuin vain yhteen kuvaustapaan keskittymällä. Lisäksi osoitetaan, että keskeisinä aspektin ilmaisemisen keinoina pidetyt keston ja toistuvuuden adverbiaalit jäävät aineistossa marginaalisiksi. Ajankohdan adverbiaaleja puolestaan käsitellään aiemmasta tutkimuksesta poiketen rajattuina tarkastelunäkökulmina kuvattuun asiaintilaan, ja ne toimivat tässä tehtävässä liittyessään aspektiltaan rajaamattomiin lauseisiin. Lisäksi tutkimus osoittaa, että aspektin ilmaisemisen kerroksellisuutta voidaan aspektin ilmaisemiseen osallistuvien lauseenjäsenten kerrostumisen ohella tarkastella lausekokonaisuuden eri semanttisten tasojen kerrostumisena. Lausetta laajemman kontekstin vaikutusta aspektitulkintaan ei ole aiemmin tutkittu suomen kielessä. Tutkimus osoittaa, että aspektiltaan monitulkintaisten lauseiden konteksti voi selventää tulkinnan tai mahdollistaa samanaikaisesti vaihtoehtoiset tulkinnat. Lisäksi erilaisten lauseenulkoisten rajan ilmausten avulla on mahdollista osoittaa lauseen aspektin rajattuutta siinä tapauksessa, että lause muutoin ymmärrettäisiin aspektiltaan rajaamattomaksi.

Hälsa i vårdande gemenskap : gemenskapens betydelse för äldre

The aim of the study and research questions: The aim of this study is to illuminate how caring communion can aid in promoting health as becoming in elderly people in the context of natural caring. The target group of the study consists of elderly citizens living at home. The focus of this thesis is on the concept of communion and how caring communion can affect the inner health resources in a patient’s inner health domain, as well as how caring communion can support health as becoming and inner health resources in the elderly. The main research questions of this study are the following: 1) what does communion mean? 2) what does caring communion mean? 3) what is the connection between caring communion and health? Theoretical perspective: The theoretical perspective of this qualitative study relies on the caritative caring theory as developed by scholars of caring sciences at the Åbo Academi University’s Vasa unit. The caritas motive is based on an ethos built on a consideration of togetherness, i.e. caring communion, a place where one feels at home and where one can be the person one was meant to be. Methodology: A hermeneutic research approach based on Gadamer (1997) permeates the study. This entails that understanding and interpretation become central. The study conducted in the thesis is divided into three sub-studies. Sub-study one and two are based on ontological determination whereas the third sub-study is carried out by contextual determination. The first sub-study is conducted by etymological and semantic analysis of the concept of communion (gemenskap) based on Koort (1975) and the second sub-study by determining the basic epistemological category of the concept based on Eriksson (2010b). Sub-study three is conducted through content analysis of 18 multidisciplinary and 13 caring science articles and dissertations based on Kvale (2009). The aim in the third sub-study is to define caring communions in various contexts of meaning based on Eriksson´s model of conceptual determination (2010b). All studies are interpreted through hermeneutic interpretation where the continuous movement from a part of a whole, to the whole, to part again, leads to new understanding. Finally, the findings from all the three sub-studies are compared to the concepts of pre-understanding and the inner-health-domain model of Wärnås (2002). Results: The results of the study offer a description of the dimensions of caring communion and a model that illuminates how caring communion can further health as becoming. The fundamentals of caring communion rest on the idea of a human being’s absolute right to dignity as a base for communion. The concept of communion contains a moral, an ethical, and a spiritual component. In communion, there exists a moral and ethical responsibility and a willingness to commit oneself. The individual is part of a connection or relation and knows the aim and course for the communion. A caring connection, a caring culture, a caring atmosphere and caring listening are characteristics of caring communion. In caring communion, the elderly feel trusting and see themselves as unique, powerful, and valuable. The model demonstrates that when the elderly are able to rest in caring communion, the virtues of courage and faith become strong and desire for life awaken within the elderly and health as becoming becomes possible. Conclusions: The outcome of the study is that all communion is not necessarily caring communion. In order for communion to be caring and for the elderly to achieve health as becoming, there are certain criteria that must be met. This is especially important when designing activities for the elderly in the context of natural caring.

A systematic mapping study on open data

This thesis presented the overview of Open Data research area, quantity of evidence and establishes the research evidence based on the Systematic Mapping Study (SMS). There are 621 such publications were identified published between years 2005 and 2014, but only 243 were selected in the review process. This thesis highlights the implications of Open Data principals’ proliferation in the emerging era of the accessibility, reusability and sustainability of data transparency. The findings of mapping study are described in quantitative and qualitative measurement based on the organization affiliation, countries, year of publications, research method, star rating and units of analysis identified. Furthermore, units of analysis were categorized by development lifecycle, linked open data, type of data, technical platforms, organizations, ontology and semantic, adoption and awareness, intermediaries, security and privacy and supply of data which are important component to provide a quality open data applications and services. The results of the mapping study help the organizations (such as academia, government and industries), re-searchers and software developers to understand the existing trend of open data, latest research development and the demand of future research. In addition, the proposed conceptual framework of Open Data research can be adopted and expanded to strengthen and improved current open data applications.

Offline-tila web-sovelluksissa

Selainpohjaiset sovellukset ovat yleistyneet viimeisen kymmenen vuoden aikana. Samanaikaisesti ympäristö, jossa ihmiset käyttävät sovelluksia, on muuttunut. Nykyään sovelluksia käytetään yhä enenevissä määrin myös mobiililaitteilla, joissa verkkoyhteyden luotettavuus on huomattavasti heikompi kuin työpöytäympäristössä. Verkkoyhteyden toiminta on ehdoton edellytys web- sovelluksen toiminnalle. Kun verkkoyhteyttä ei ole, sovellusta ei useimmiten voi käyttää. Tilanne on käyttäjän kannalta sama myös, jos verkkoyhteyden laatu on hyvin heikko. Tämä uusi käyttöympäristö asettaa web-sovelluksen saavutettavuudelle haasteen, johon sovelluskehittäjien tulisi pystyä vastaamaan uusien teknologioiden avulla ja mahdollisesti sovelluksen arkkitehtuuria muuttamalla. Johdantona aiheeseen kerrotaan mitä hyötyjä offline-tilan tukemisesta on. Selainpohjaiset sovellukset kilpailevat jossain määrin mobiilialustojen natiivisovellusten kanssa. Web-sovelluksia on verrattu natiivisovelluksiin niiltä osin miten ne toimivat offline-tilassa. Pohjustuksena offline-tilan mahdollistavien teknologioiden arvioinnille esitellään Web-sovelluksen arkkitehtuuri yleisellä tasolla. Tässä tutkielmassa on esitelty muutamia offline-tilan asettamia vaatimuksia sovellukselle. Sovelluksen on kyettävä tunnistamaan, onko laitteella internet-yhteyttä. Yhteyden tilan tarkastukseen esitellään muutama vaihtoehto. Käyttäjän luoma tieto on myös tallennettava paikallisesti. Kun käyttäjä luo uutta sisältöä, se pitää tallentaa väliaikaisesti tai pysyvästi selaimeen. Ainakin osa sovelluksessa käsiteltävästä tiedosta pitäisi olla koko ajan saatavilla, käyttäjän internet-yhteyden tilasta riippumatta. Tähän tarkoitukseen selaimissa on nykyään käytettävissä muutamia erityyppisiä tietovarastoja. Kun selain on online-tilassa, sovelluksen tarvitsemat resurssit on tallennettava offline-tilaa varten. Tähän tarkoitukseen on luotu kaksi eri teknologiaa, HTML5 Application cache ja Service worker. Niiden avulla voi toteuttaa selaimen sisäisen välipalvelimen, joka vastaa sovelluksen tekemiin verkkopyyntöihin. Tutkielmassa esitellään näiden teknologioiden toimintaa teknisten määrittelydokumenttien ja verkkoartikkelien pohjalta. Mainittuja teknologoita vertaillaan keskenään toiminnallisten vaatimusten pohjalta. Tutkimuksen perusteella voidaan päätellä, että esitellyillä teknologioilla voidaan toteuttaa offline-tuki web-sovellukseen. Service worker osoittautuu paremmaksi vaihtoehdoksi kuin Application cache toiminnallisuudeltaan.