The many faces of strikes : attitudes towards industrial action by labour, management and human resources

Strikes provide a current, fresh but also a seldom-addressed issue to study from economic sciences perspective. This study provides to filling this research gap by trying to identify attitudes towards strikes that can be found inside organizations. The research problem this study then sets out to answer is: “What kinds of attitudes exist inside organizations towards industrial actions and how attitudes vary between labour, management and human resources?” This study has been planned with a view to test how qualitative attitudinal research, as a method, is suited to studying a phenomenon such as strike. At the heart of this research approach lies an assumption linked to rhetoric social psychology, that attitude is a phenomenon that can be identified in argumentation. For this research 10 semi-structured interviews in 4 organizations were conducted utilizing statements and pictures as stimulants for discussion. The material was transcribed and analysed following the two levels, categorical and interpretive, demanded by the chosen method. Altogether five attitudes were discovered; three of them negative, one indifferent and one positive by nature. The negative attitudes of unfairness, failure and personification towards strikes represented the side of strikes that was perhaps the most anticipated, portraying the contradictions between employees and employer. The attitude of ordinariness, which portrayed indifference, and the positive attitude of change however, were more unanticipated findings. They reflect shared understanding and trust between conflict parties. The utilization of qualitative attitudinal approach to study strikes was deemed successful. The results of this study support prior literature on workplace conflicts for example in regards of the definition of conflict and typologies conflicts. In addition the multifaceted nature of strikes can be perceived as one statement supported by this study. It arises in the nature of the attitudes, the diversity of discussion themes during the interviews as well as in the extent of possible theories to apply.

Targeted Annotation of Scientific Literature and Data Resources in Invenio Digital Libraries

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Integration of JINR Information Resources

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Bringing Together Resources Using Fedora 4

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Strategic narratives and competitive advantage : do winners speak differently?

Concepts, models, or theories that end up shaping practices, whether those practices fall in the domains of science, technology, social movements, or business, always emerge through a change in language use. First, communities begin to talk differently, incorporating new vocabularies (Rorty, 1989), in their narratives. Whether the community’s new narratives respond to perceived anomalies or failures of the existing ones (Kuhn, 1962) or actually reveal inadequacies by addressing previously unrecognized practices (Fleck, 1979; Rorty, 1989) is less important here than the very phenomena that they introduce differences. Then, if the new language proves to be useful, for example, because it helps the community solve a problem or create a possibility that existing narratives do not, the new narrative will begin circulating more broadly throughout the community. If other communities learn of the usefulness of these new narratives, and find them sufficiently persuasive, they may be compelled to test, modify, and eventually adopt them. Of primary importance is the idea that a new concept or narrative perceived as useful is more likely to be adopted. We can expect that business concepts emerge through a similar pattern. Concepts such as “competitive advantage,” “disruption,” and the “resource based view,” now broadly known and accepted, were each at some point first introduced by a community. This community experimented with the concepts they introduced and found them useful. The concept “competitive advantage,” for example, helped researchers better explain why some firm’s outperformed others and helped practitioners more clearly understand what choices to make to improve the profit and growth prospects of their firms. The benefits of using these terms compelled other communities to consider, apply, and eventually adopt them as well. Were these terms not viewed as useful, they would not likely have been adopted. This thesis attempts to observe and anticipate new business concepts that may be emerging. It does so by seeking to observe a community of business practitioners that are using different language and appear to be more successful than a similar community of practitioners that are have not yet begun using this different language as extensively. It argues that if the community that is adopting new types of narratives is perceived as being more successful, their success will attract the attention of other communities who may then seek to adopt the same narratives. Specifically, this thesis compares the narratives used by a set of firms that are considered to be performing well (called Winners) with those of set of less-successful peers (called Losers). It does so with the aim of addressing two questions: - How do the strategic narratives that circulate within “winning” companies and their leaders differ from those circulating within “losing” companies and their leaders? - Given the answer to the first question: what new business strategy concepts are likely to emerge in the business community at large? I expected to observe “winning” companies shifting their language, abandoning an older set of narratives for newer ones. However the analysis indicates a more interesting dynamic: “winning” companies adopt the same core narratives as their “losing” peers with equal frequency yet they go beyond these. Both “winners” and “losers” seem to pursue economies of scale, customer captivity, best practices, and securing preferential access to resources with similar vigor. But “winners” seem to go further, applying three additional narratives in their pursuits of competitive advantage. They speak of coordinating what is uncoordinated, adopting what this thesis calls “exchanging the role of guest for that of host,” and “forcing a two-front battle” more frequently than their “loser” peers. Since these “winning” companies are likely perceived as being more successful, the unique narratives they use are more likely to be emulated and adopted. Understanding in what ways winners speak differently, therefore, gives us a glimpse into the possible future evolution of business concepts.

Floral resources used by insects in a grassland community in Southern Brazil

The goal of the present study was to identify plant species used as food source, the floral resources utilized, and the insects that visit flowers in a grassland community in southern Brazil. The study was carried out in an area of one hectare, located in a grassland formation in the Parque Estadual de Itapuã, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The flowering pattern was seasonal, and richness and abundance of insects was higher during the period of high resource availability. Flowers of 106 species of angiosperms (73 genera and 34 families) were used as source of floral resources for 219 species (2,767 specimens) of insects. A total of 91.5% of plant species were visited by bees, 53.8% by flies, 34.9% by wasps, 22.6% by butterflies, and 12.3% by beetles. Nectar was the main resource consumed by the visitors (41.1%). Asteraceae was the richest (38 spp.) and most visited family, with 63.1% of the species and 49.5% of all specimens of recorded insects. Bees were the most representative insects (33.2% spp., 65% indiv.), followed by flies (26.9% spp., 16.5% indiv.), wasps, butterflies and beetles. 40 plant species were considered important resources for the floral visitors' community, due to high number of, both, species and individuals recorded in their flowers. The family Asteraceae as a species set was the main floral resource used by insect visitors through the year and has great importance for the maintenance of populations of many species of bees, flies, wasps and butterflies in the studied area.

AQUAREL CONCEPT Aquatic resources for green energy realization

The AQUAREL project studied the availability and optional utilization methods for fish processing side streams and other aquatic biomaterial in the Republic of Karelia. Additionally processing aquatic biomaterial with manure and sewage sludge was studied. Based on the results, the most feasible option today is to process fish side streams to fish oil and dewatered oil-free residue and to use them for fish or animal feed production. However, it is necessary to highlight, that changes in e.g. economic environment, energy prices and demand may require re-evaluating the results and conclusions made in the project. Producing fish oil from fish processing side streams is an easy and relatively simple production process generating a valuable end product. The functionality of the process was confirmed in a pilot conducted in the project. The oil and solids are separated from the heated fish waste based on gravity. The fish oil separating on top of the separator unit is removed. Fish oil can as such be utilized for heating purposes, fish meal or animal feed production, but it can also be further processed to biodiesel. However, due to currently moderate energy prices in Russia, biodiesel production is not economically profitable. Even if the fish oil production process is not complicated, the operative management of small-scale fish oil production unit requires dedicated resources and separate facilities especially to meet hygiene requirements. Managing the side streams is not a core business for fish farmers. Efficient and economically profitable fish oil production requires a centralized production unit with bigger processing capacity. One fish processing unit needs to be designed to manage side streams collected from several fish farms. The optimum location for the processing unit is in the middle of the fish farms. Based on the transportation cost analysis in the Republic of Karelia, it is not economically efficient to transport bio-wastes for more than 100 km since the transportation costs start increasing substantially. Another issue to be considered is that collection of side streams, including the dead fish, from the fish farms should be organized on a daily basis in order to eliminate the need for storing the side streams at the farms. Based on AQUAREL project studies there are different public funding sources available for supporting and enabling profitable and environmentally sustainable utilization, research or development of fish processing side streams and other aquatic biomaterial. Different funding programmes can be utilized by companies, research organizations, authorities and non-governmental organizations.

Bone mineral density in Brazilian men 50 years and older

Bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine (LSBMD), femoral neck (FNBMD) and whole body (WBBMD) and whole body tissue composition were evaluated in 288 Brazilian men 50 years and older, 80% white and 20% Mulattoes. Age was inversely correlated with WBBMD (r = -0.20) and FNBMD (r = -0.21) but not with LSBMD (r = 0.03). Body mass index and weight showed a strong positive correlation with WBBMD (r = 0.48 and 0.54), LSBMD (r = 0.37 and 0.45) and FNBMD (r = 0.42 and 0.48). Correlation with height was positive but weaker. No significant bone loss at the lumbar spine level was observed as the population aged. FNBMD and WBBMD decreased significantly only in the last decade (age 70-79) studied. BMD was higher for Brazilian men as compared to Brazilian women at all sites. No significant differences were observed between Brazilian and the US/European male population for BMD in the femoral neck. BMD measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in South American men is reported here for the first time. A decrease in FNBMD was detected only later in life, with a pattern similar to that described for the US/European male population.

Effects of physical activity and fitness on the psychological wellbeing of young men and working adults: associations with stress, mental resources, overweight and workability

Background: A positive association has been suggested to exist between physical activity and psychological wellbeing. However, the association between physical fitness, especially muscle fitness and psychological wellbeing, has not yet been fully elucidated. Aims: The objective of the present thesis was to assess the relationship between physical activity and physical fitness with stress symptoms, mental resources and workability among young men and working adults. Subjects and methods: Volunteers of young men (n=831, mean age 25-y (±4.0)), underwent a cardiorespiratory (CRF) and muscle fitness (MFI) test and completed leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and Occupational Stress Questionnaires (OSQ). The participants were divided into tertiles according to LTPA, CRF and MFI. A 12-month exercise intervention evaluated 371 working adults (exercise group, n=338, mean age 45-y (±8.8)); control group, n=33, mean age 41-y (±6.9)).The exercise group underwent a 12-month exercise program followed by a 12-month follow-up. The OSQ, Workability Index (WAI) and CRF were evaluated at baseline and at 4, 8, 12 and 24 months. Results: Physically inactive subjects reported more stress and less available mental resources than the subjects who reported high physical activity levels. Improved physical fitness was associated with less stress and more mental resources among normal weight men, but not in overweight men. After a 12-month exercise intervention, employees in the exercise group increased their physical activity, improved workability, decreased stress symptoms and improved their physical fitness and mental resources. After the follow-up year, workability and stress were improved compared to baseline. Conclusions: In this thesis, good physical fitness was associated with improved psychological wellbeing among young men and working adults.

Comparison of angular frequency contrast sensitivity in young and older adults

The aim of the present study was to measure contrast sensitivity curves for angular frequencies in the range between 2 and 96 cycles/360º in older human adult volunteers and to compare these measurements with the more usual contrast sensitivity functions for sine-wave gratings. All subjects were free of identifiable ocular disease and had normal acuity. We measured the contrast thresholds for young adults (N = 6; age range, 20-26 years) and older adults (N = 6; age range, 60-67 years) using the psychophysical forced-choice method. In this paradigm the volunteers had to choose the stimulus containing a test frequency at low contrast (e.g., either a sine-wave grating or an angular frequency stimulus), or another neutral stimulus at mean luminance (without any contrast). Older adults presented a loss in contrast sensitivity at high and medium angular frequencies compared to the young adults (i.e., from 8 to 96 cycles/360º). Contrary to expectation, contrast sensitivity at low angular frequencies, i.e., 2 and 4 cycles/360º, was better for the older group than for the younger group. On the other hand, contrast sensitivity for sine-wave gratings at 3 and 4 cpd was higher for young adults as expected. These results suggest age-related changes in the contrast sensitivity function for angular frequencies.

Assessment of the cardiovascular effects of electroconvulsive therapy in individuals older than 50 years

To evaluate the impact of electroconvulsive therapy on arterial blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, and the occurrence of ischemia or arrhythmias, 38 (18 men) depressive patients free from systemic diseases, 50 to 83 years old (mean: 64.7 ± 8.6) underwent electroconvulsive therapy. All patients were studied with simultaneous 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and Holter monitoring, starting 18 h before and continuing for 3 h after electroconvulsive therapy. Blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, arrhythmias, and ischemic episodes were recorded. Before each session of electroconvulsive therapy, blood pressure and heart rate were in the normal range; supraventricular ectopic beats occurred in all patients and ventricular ectopic beats in 27/38; 2 patients had non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. After shock, systolic, mean and diastolic blood pressure increased 29, 25, and 24% (P < 0.001), respectively, and returned to baseline values within 1 h. Maximum, mean and minimum heart rate increased 56, 52, and 49% (P < 0.001), respectively, followed by a significant decrease within 5 min; heart rate gradually increased again thereafter and remained elevated for 1 h. Analysis of heart rate variability showed increased sympathetic activity during shock with a decrease in both sympathetic and parasympathetic drive afterwards. No serious adverse effects occurred; electroconvulsive therapy did not trigger any malignant arrhythmias or ischemia. In middle-aged and elderly people free from systemic diseases, electroconvulsive therapy caused transitory increases in blood pressure and heart rate and a decrease in heart rate variability but these changes were not associated with serious adverse clinical events.

Mesopic radial frequency contrast sensitivity function for young and older adults

The objective of the present study was to determine contrast sensitivity curves of concentric circular patterns with radial frequencies of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 cycles per degree in young and older adult volunteers. These parameters were also compared with sensitivity contrasts for sine-wave gratings. All participants had normal acuity vision and were free of identifiable ocular illness. Contrast sensitivity was measured in 6 young adults aged 19 to 23 years and 6 older adults aged 60 to 69 years using the psychophysical forced-choice method. In this paradigm the volunteers had to decide which of two stimuli contained the above radial frequencies at low contrast levels. The other neutral stimulus was gray with homogeneous luminance. We detected a decline in contrast sensitivity for older adults at all radial frequencies compared to young adults. Also, contrast sensitivity for sine-wave gratings at all measured frequencies was better, as predicted, for all young adults. Maximum sensitivities in the radial frequency contrast sensitivity function and contrast sensitivity function occurred at 0.25 and 0.5 cycles per degree, respectively, for both young and older adults. These results suggest age-related changes in the contrast sensitivity function for concentric symmetrical stimuli.

Association between the -174 G/C promoter polymorphism of the interleukin-6 gene and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Brazilian older women

In worldwide studies, interleukin-6 (IL-6) is implicated in age-related disturbances. The aim of the present report was to determine the possible association of IL-6 -174 C/G promoter polymorphism with the cytokine profile as well as with the presence of selected cardiovascular risk features. This was a cross-sectional study on Brazilian women aged 60 years or older. A sample of 193 subjects was investigated for impaired glucose regulation, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Genotyping was done by direct sequencing of PCR products. IL-6 and C-reactive protein were quantified by high-sensitivity assays. General linear regression models or the Student t-test were used to compare continuous variables among genotypes, followed by adjustments for confounding variables. The chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. The genotypes were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium proportions. In a recessive model, mean waist-to-hip ratio, serum glycated hemoglobin and serum glucose were markedly lower in C homozygotes (P = 0.001, 0.028, and 0.047, respectively). In a dominant hypothesis, G homozygotes displayed a trend towards higher levels of circulating IL-6 (P = 0.092). Non-parametric analysis revealed that impaired fasting glucose and hypertension were findings approximately 2-fold more frequent among G homozygous subjects (P = 0.042 and 0.043, respectively). Taken together, our results show that the IL-6 -174 G-allele is implicated in a greater cardiovascular risk. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of IL-6 promoter variants and age-related disturbances in the Brazilian elderly population.