”Oispa mulla kaveri!” : Ryhmätoiminnan merkityksiä nuorten kokemaan yksinäisyyteen

Tämä laadullinen opinnäytetyö toteutettiin yhteistyössä Hyvinkääläisen yläkoulun kanssa, kohderyhmänä 7.-8.luokkalaiset nuoret, joille suunniteltiin ja toteutettiin kahdeksan kerran ryhmätoimintakokonaisuus. Ryhmätoimintaan osallistui viisi (5) nuorta. Teoreettinen viitekehys koostui yksinäisyyteen liittyvistä tutkimuksista, samankaltaiseen ryhmätoimintaan liittyvästä kokemusasiantuntijakyselystä sekä luonteenvahvuuksiin, minäkuvaan, itsetuntoon sekä vuorovaikutukseen ja vertaissuhteisiin liittyvästä teoriapohjasta. Ryhmätoiminnan tavoite ja tarkoitus olivat tutkia ja kartoittaa mahdollisia muutoksia yksinäisyyden kokemuksessa sekä omien vahvuuksien, minäkuvan ja vuorovaikutustaitojen kehittymisessä. Toinen tavoitteemme oli tuottaa ryhmätoimintaopas yhteistyökoulullemme ja muiden koulujen käyttöön. Tutkielmassamme kartoitimme nuorten ajatuksia tämän kaltaisten ryhmien tarpeelle ja merkitykselle. Aineistonkeruumenetelminä käytettiin kahta kyselyä, ryhmän toiminnan havainnointia sekä ryhmässä toteutettuja konkreettisia tuotoksia. Aineisto analysoitiin sisällönanalyysin keinoin. Analyysin perusteella rakentui viisi luokkaa, joiden kautta muutoksia tarkasteltiin: yksinäisyys, itsetuntemus ja –luottamus, rohkeus, sinnikkyys ja vuorovaikutus-, kaveri- ja ryhmätyötaidot. Tutkielmamme johtopäätöksinä voidaan todeta, että ryhmätoiminta tuki yksinäisyyden vähenemistä. Osallistujat kokivat myös itsetuntemuksensa ja –luottamuksensa kehittyneen ryhmätoiminnan aikana. Vahvuuksista rohkeus oli lisääntynyt huomattavasti. Kaveritaidot olivat kehittyneet lähes kaikilla. Muut johtopäätökset liittyivät kaveri-, vuorovaikutus- ja ryhmätyötaitoihin liittyviin teemoihin. Osallistujien kokemukset toiminnasta olivat voittopuolisesti positiivisia. Koemme tulosten pohjalta, että tämän kaltaiselle ryhmätoiminnalle on tarvetta ja sen merkitys nuorille on positiivinen. Kehitettävää löytyy havaintojemme mukaan mm. tapaamiskertojen määrän lisäämisenä ja joidenkin kertojen keston pidentämisenä. Jatkotutkimuksena ryhmätoimintaa voisi pidentää muutamalla kerralla, ja lisätä toimintaan muutaman jatkotapaaminen muutaman kuukauden päähän toiminnasta. Näin ryhmätoiminnan aikaista merkitystä ja tärkeyttä olisi mahdollisuus arvioida vielä tarkemmin.This qualitative thesis was implemented in co-operation with an upper secondary school in Hyvinkää. The target group was 7th and 8th graders, to whom a group activity was planned and organized. The group gathered eight times during a two month period in the autumn semester 2017. Five youngsters took part in the group. The theoretical framework consisted of research related to loneliness, an interview of one instructor of a similar group and also a theoretical base that was related to character strengths, self-image, self-esteem as well as interaction and peer relationship. The aim and purpose of the group activity was to study and gather information of possible changes in experiencing feelings of loneliness and in one’s own character strengths, self-esteem and interaction skills. Our other aim was to produce a guide for group activity for our co-operative school and also for other schools. Thoughts of needs and purposes for this kind of group activity were also gathered from youngsters in our research. As methods of gathering source information were used two inquiries, and observation of the group activity and the concrete work that were produced during the group activity. The materials were analyzed by means of content analysis. Based on the analysis five classes were created through which the changes were inspected; loneliness, self-esteem and –confidence, courage, resilience and interaction-, friendship- and group work skills. As a conclusion of our research it can be stated that the group activity supported the decreasing of loneliness. The participants also experienced development of their self-esteem and –confidence during the group activity. Courage as a character strength was developed significantly. Friendship skills were developed with nearly all of the participants. Other conclusions were related to interaction and group work skills. The participants’ experiences of the group activity were mainly positive. Our experiences through the results are that this kind of group activity is needed and its meaning for youngsters is positive. Based on our observation the group activity could be developed more by increasing the amount the group sessions and prolongation of some sessions. To study this theme further the group activity could be prolonged with a few sessions and by adding also a few extra sessions a few months after the first set of sessions. With these additions the meaning and importance of the group activity could be evaluated even better

Pubertal maturation and affective symptoms in adolescence and adulthood: evidence from a prospective birth cohort

The higher prevalence of affective symptoms among women compared to men emerges in adolescence, and it has been associated with pubertal maturation. However, it remains unclear whether pubertal timing has long-term influences on affective symptoms. Using data from the British 1946 birth cohort, we investigated whether pubertal timing was associated with affective symptoms over the life course, distinguishing those with symptoms in adolescence only, symptoms in adulthood only, and symptoms in both adolescence and adulthood. In females, there was no evidence that early pubertal maturation was a risk factor for affective symptoms. However, those with particularly late menarche (≥15 years) showed a lower risk of adult-onset affective symptoms (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.95). This effect of late pubertal timing was not explained by a range of socio-behavioural factors. In contrast, in males, late pubertal timing was associated with increased risk of adolescent-onset affective symptoms that tracked into adulthood (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.44, 3.06). This effect was partly explained by low pre-pubertal BMI. Sex-specific effects of pubertal timing on the long-term risk of affective symptoms might be due to different effects of gonadal hormonal on the CNS, as well as different social experiences during puberty

Identification and characterization of the PhhR regulon in Pseudomonas putida

Pseudomonas putida is a soil microorganism that utilizes aromatic amino acids present in root exudates as a nitrogen source. We have previously shown that the PhhR transcriptional regulator induces phhAB genes encoding a phenylalanine hydroxylase. In this study we show, using microarray assays and promoter fusions, that PhhR is a global regulator responsible for the activation of genes essential for phenylalanine degradation, phenylalanine homeostasis and other genes of unknown function. Recently, it has been shown that phenylalanine catabolism occurs through more than one pathway. One of these possible pathways involves the metabolism of phenylalanine via tyrosine, p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, and homogentisate. We identified two genes within this pathway that encode an acyl-CoA transferase involved in the metabolism of acetoacetate. All genes in this pathway were induced in response to phenylalanine in a PhhR-proficient background. The second potential degradative pathway involves the degradation of phenylalanine to produce phenylpyruvate, which seems to be degraded via phenylacetyl-CoA. A number of mutants in the paa genes encoding phenylacetyl-CoA degradation enzymes fail to grow on phenylpyruvate or phenylacetate, further supporting the existence of this second pathway. We found that the PhhR regulon also includes genes involved in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids that are repressed in the presence of phenylalanine, suggesting the possibility of feedback at the transcriptional level. In addition, we found that PhhR modulates the level of expression of the broad-substrate-specificity MexEF/OprN efflux pump. Expression from this pump is under the control of mexT gene product because phenylalanine-dependent transcription from the mexE promoter does not occur in a mexT mutant background. These results place PhhR as an important regulator in the control of bacterial responses to aromatic amino acids

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Response of Dickeya dadantii 3937 to Plant Antimicrobial Peptides

Antimicrobial peptides constitute an important factor in the defense of plants against pathogens, and bacterial resistance to these peptides have previously been shown to be an important virulence factor in Dickeya dadantii, the causal agent of soft-rot disease of vegetables. In order to understand the bacterial response to antimicrobial pep- tides, a transcriptional microarray analysis was performed upon treatment with sub-lethal concentration of thionins, a widespread plant peptide. In all, 36 genes were found to be overexpressed, and were classified according to their deduced function as i) transcriptional regulators, ii) transport, and iii) modification of the bacterial membrane. One gene encoding a uricase was found to be repressed. The majority of these genes are known to be under the control of the PhoP/PhoQ system. Five genes representing the different functions induced were selected for further analysis. The results obtained indicate that the presence of antimicrobial peptides induces a complex response which includes peptide-specific elements and general stress-response elements contributing differentially to the virulence in different hosts

Regression of established subcutaneous B16-F10 murine melanoma tumors after gef gene therapy via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway

ovel treatment modalities, including gene therapy, are needed for patients with advanced melanoma. We evaluated whether the gef gene, a suicide gene from Escherichia coli, had a significant cytotoxic impact on melanoma in vivo. First, we used a non-viral gene delivery approach (pcDNA3.1/gef) to study the inhibition of melanoma cells (B16-F10) proliferation in vitro. Secondly, we used direct intra-tumoral injection of pcDNA3.1/gef complexed with jetPEI to deliver gef cDNA to rapidly growing murine melanomas. We demonstrated that gef gene not only has an antiproliferative effect on B16-F10 cells in vitro, but also induces an important decrease in melanoma tumor volume (77.7% in 8 days) in vivo. Interestingly, after gef gene treatment, melanoma showed apoptosis activation associated with the mitochondrial pathway, suggesting that the induction of this death mechanism may be an effective strategy for its treatment. Our in vivo results indicate that gef gene might become a suitable therapeutic strategy for patients with advanced melanoma

Greenwashing in the food industry : reasons and solutions to avoid greenwashing practices in the corporate sector

Sustainability has become one of the most discussed and covered societal topics in recent times. As our planet is facing massive and catastrophic changes due to climate change, businesses, in this case especially companies in the food industry, need to commit to changing their habits. Instead, they often try to capitalise on consumers’ increased interest in sustainability and commit greenwashing in different ways. Greenwashing is done when a company claims to be more sustainable or markets a product as having more sustainable qualities than what the reality is. The goal of this thesis was to investigate greenwashing as a phenomenon, more specifically how it is used in the food industry, and study how aware of this phenomenon consumers are. This thesis covered the most common types of greenwashing and investigated how authorities especially in the EU area are tackling this problem. To learn more about the consumer awareness and consumers feelings towards this phenomenon, a survey was conducted as a part of this thesis process. Most of the survey respondents were Finnish and even though this study predominantly focused on the broader EU markets, this steered the focus of this study more specifically towards the Finnish markets. The theoretical framework and the survey results were utilized to produce key recommendations for companies in the food industry on what they should consider when marketing their products and how to make this a more sustainable process. The goal of these recommendations was to encourage companies and give them reasons why they should do their marketing in a more sustainable way. The results of the study showed that greenwashing is a widely spread phenomenon that can be seen in all sectors of the food industry. The situation is gradually getting better as greenwashing is becoming more regulated and as consumer awareness of the phenomenon is on the rise. The study showed that greenwashing can have serious negative consequences for companies, which is why it is equally as beneficial for a company, consumers and the environment, if it moves onto more sustainable business and marketing practices

Depression in association with birth weight, age at menarche, obesity and metabolic syndrome in young adults : The Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study

AbstractDepression is a common mental disorder in the Finnish population. There are several biological, psychological and social factors in the background of depression. The aim of this study was to investigate depression in association with birth weight, age at menarche, obesity and metabolic syndrome using data from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.A large, prospectively collected general population-based birth cohort of originally 12058 liveborn children was used as study population. The database provided information on birth characteristics and features of the primary family. The follow-up studies were performed at the age of 14 years by postal inquiry, and at the age of 31 years by postal inquiry and clinical examination. Information on age at menarche and weight and height was obtained from the postal questionnaire at 14 and 31 years and clinical examination at 31 years. Data on abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome were gathered from the clinical examination. Data on depressive symptoms measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), self-reported physician-diagnosed lifetime depression and the use of antidepressants were gathered from the postal questionnaire at 31 years.Females with high birth weight and high ponderal index (index of the birth measures, kg/m3) had a higher risk of depressive symptoms at 31 years measured by the HSCL-25 compared with females with normal birth weight and ponderal index. Males with ponderal index belonging to the lowest 5 percentile had an increased risk for physician-diagnosed depression at 31 years. Females with late menarche (≥ 16 years) had an elevated risk of depression measured by the HSCL-25, the use of antidepressants and self-reported physician-diagnosed depression compared with females with menarche at 12–15 years. Obesity measured by BMI at 14 years increased the risk of depressive symptoms measured by the HSCL-25 at 31 years among both males and females. Females who were obese both at baseline and at follow-up had an increased risk of depressive symptoms, and the proportion of those who used antidepressants was higher among females who had gained weight compared to females who had stayed normal-weighted. Males with abdominal obesity measured by waist-to-hip ratio had an increased risk of depressive symptoms and physician-diagnosed depression, and the proportion of those who used antidepressants was higher compared with subjects without abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity did not associate with depression in females. Metabolic syndrome did not associate with depression.The results indicate an increased risk of depression at 31 years in females with high birth weight, late menarche, adolescent obesity and weight gain and in males with adolescent obesity and abdominal obesity.TiivistelmäDepressio on yleinen mielenterveyden häiriö suomalaisväestössä. Depression taustalla on monia biologisia, psykologisia ja sosiaalisia tekijöitä. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia depressiota selvittäen, onko syntymäpainolla, menarkeiällä, lihavuudella ja metabolisella oireyhtymällä yhteyttä depressioon Pohjois-Suomen vuoden 1966 syntymäkohorttiaineistossa.Tutkimusaineistoon kuului alun perin 12058 elävänä syntynyttä lasta. Tietokantaan oli jo aiemmin kerätty aineistoa syntymään ja primaariperheeseen liittyen. Kohortin jäsenten ollessa 14-vuotiaita tehtiin seurantatutkimus postikyselynä ja 31-vuotiaana tehtiin sekä postikysely että kliininen tutkimus. Tiedot menarkeiästä kerättiin 31-vuotispostikyselystä, paino- ja pituustiedot sekä 14- ja 31-vuotispostikyselyistä että kliinisen tutkimuksen tiedoista. Kliininen tutkimus sisälsi tiedot myös keskivartalolihavuuden ja metabolisen oireyhtymän määrittämiseksi. 31-vuotispostikyselyssä depressio-oireita kysyttiin HSCL-25 -oirekyselyllä; lisäksi kysyttiin, oliko lääkäri todennut aiemmin masennusta sekä oliko tutkittavilla käytössä masennuslääkkeitä.Naisilla, joiden syntymäpaino ja ponderaali-indeksi (syntymäpainon ja pituuden suhdetta kuvaava indeksi, kg/m3) oli korkea, depressio-oireiden riski 31-vuotiaana mitattuna HSCL-25:lla oli suurentunut verrattuna naisiin, joilla oli normaali syntymäpaino ja ponderaali-indeksi. Miehillä, joilla oli hyvin alhainen ponderaali-indeksi kuuluen alimpaan 5 % ryhmään, riski lääkärin toteamaan masennukseen oli suurentunut. Naisilla, joiden menarkeikä oli 16-vuotta tai myöhemmin, riski depressio-oireiden esiintyvyyteen, depressiolääkkeiden käyttöön ja lääkärin toteaman depression esiintyvyyteen oli suurentunut verrattuna naisiin, joiden menarkeikä oli 12–15-vuotta. Lihavuus 14-vuotiaana lisäsi masennusoireiden riskiä mitattuna HSCL-25:lla sekä 31-vuotiailla miehillä että naisilla. Naisilla, jotka olivat lihavia sekä 14- että 31-vuotiaana, masennusoireiden riski oli suurentunut. Naisilla, joiden paino oli noussut, masennuslääkkeitten käyttö oli yleisempää verrattuna naisiin, joilla paino oli pysynyt normaalina. Keskivartalolihavuus oli miehillä yhteydessä suurentuneeseen depressio-oireiden ja lääkärin toteaman masennuksen riskiin, ja he käyttivät yleisemmin masennuslääkkeitä verrattuna miehiin ilman keskivartalolihavuutta. Naisilla keskivartalolihavuus ei ollut yhteydessä masennukseen. Metabolinen oireyhtymä ei ollut yhteydessä masennukseen.Tulokset osoittavat korkean syntymäpainon, myöhäisen menarkeiän ja nuoruusiän lihavuuden sekä painon nousun lisäävän masennusriskiä 31-vuotiailla naisilla, 31-vuotiailla miehillä nuoruusiän lihavuus sekä keskivartalolihavuus olivat yhteydessä suurentuneeseen masennusriskiin.Academic dissertation to be presented, with the assent of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Oulu, for public defence in Auditorium 101 A of the Faculty of Medicine (Aapistie 5 A), on February 23rd, 2007, at 12 noonAbstract Depression is a common mental disorder in the Finnish population. There are several biological, psychological and social factors in the background of depression. The aim of this study was to investigate depression in association with birth weight, age at menarche, obesity and metabolic syndrome using data from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. A large, prospectively collected general population-based birth cohort of originally 12058 liveborn children was used as study population. The database provided information on birth characteristics and features of the primary family. The follow-up studies were performed at the age of 14 years by postal inquiry, and at the age of 31 years by postal inquiry and clinical examination. Information on age at menarche and weight and height was obtained from the postal questionnaire at 14 and 31 years and clinical examination at 31 years. Data on abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome were gathered from the clinical examination. Data on depressive symptoms measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), self-reported physician-diagnosed lifetime depression and the use of antidepressants were gathered from the postal questionnaire at 31 years. Females with high birth weight and high ponderal index (index of the birth measures, kg/m3) had a higher risk of depressive symptoms at 31 years measured by the HSCL-25 compared with females with normal birth weight and ponderal index. Males with ponderal index belonging to the lowest 5 percentile had an increased risk for physician-diagnosed depression at 31 years. Females with late menarche (≥ 16 years) had an elevated risk of depression measured by the HSCL-25, the use of antidepressants and self-reported physician-diagnosed depression compared with females with menarche at 12–15 years. Obesity measured by BMI at 14 years increased the risk of depressive symptoms measured by the HSCL-25 at 31 years among both males and females. Females who were obese both at baseline and at follow-up had an increased risk of depressive symptoms, and the proportion of those who used antidepressants was higher among females who had gained weight compared to females who had stayed normal-weighted. Males with abdominal obesity measured by waist-to-hip ratio had an increased risk of depressive symptoms and physician-diagnosed depression, and the proportion of those who used antidepressants was higher compared with subjects without abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity did not associate with depression in females. Metabolic syndrome did not associate with depression. The results indicate an increased risk of depression at 31 years in females with high birth weight, late menarche, adolescent obesity and weight gain and in males with adolescent obesity and abdominal obesity.Tiivistelmä Depressio on yleinen mielenterveyden häiriö suomalaisväestössä. Depression taustalla on monia biologisia, psykologisia ja sosiaalisia tekijöitä. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia depressiota selvittäen, onko syntymäpainolla, menarkeiällä, lihavuudella ja metabolisella oireyhtymällä yhteyttä depressioon Pohjois-Suomen vuoden 1966 syntymäkohorttiaineistossa. Tutkimusaineistoon kuului alun perin 12058 elävänä syntynyttä lasta. Tietokantaan oli jo aiemmin kerätty aineistoa syntymään ja primaariperheeseen liittyen. Kohortin jäsenten ollessa 14-vuotiaita tehtiin seurantatutkimus postikyselynä ja 31-vuotiaana tehtiin sekä postikysely että kliininen tutkimus. Tiedot menarkeiästä kerättiin 31-vuotispostikyselystä, paino- ja pituustiedot sekä 14- ja 31-vuotispostikyselyistä että kliinisen tutkimuksen tiedoista. Kliininen tutkimus sisälsi tiedot myös keskivartalolihavuuden ja metabolisen oireyhtymän määrittämiseksi. 31-vuotispostikyselyssä depressio-oireita kysyttiin HSCL-25 -oirekyselyllä; lisäksi kysyttiin, oliko lääkäri todennut aiemmin masennusta sekä oliko tutkittavilla käytössä masennuslääkkeitä. Naisilla, joiden syntymäpaino ja ponderaali-indeksi (syntymäpainon ja pituuden suhdetta kuvaava indeksi, kg/m3) oli korkea, depressio-oireiden riski 31-vuotiaana mitattuna HSCL-25:lla oli suurentunut verrattuna naisiin, joilla oli normaali syntymäpaino ja ponderaali-indeksi. Miehillä, joilla oli hyvin alhainen ponderaali-indeksi kuuluen alimpaan 5 % ryhmään, riski lääkärin toteamaan masennukseen oli suurentunut. Naisilla, joiden menarkeikä oli 16-vuotta tai myöhemmin, riski depressio-oireiden esiintyvyyteen, depressiolääkkeiden käyttöön ja lääkärin toteaman depression esiintyvyyteen oli suurentunut verrattuna naisiin, joiden menarkeikä oli 12–15-vuotta. Lihavuus 14-vuotiaana lisäsi masennusoireiden riskiä mitattuna HSCL-25:lla sekä 31-vuotiailla miehillä että naisilla. Naisilla, jotka olivat lihavia sekä 14- että 31-vuotiaana, masennusoireiden riski oli suurentunut. Naisilla, joiden paino oli noussut, masennuslääkkeitten käyttö oli yleisempää verrattuna naisiin, joilla paino oli pysynyt normaalina. Keskivartalolihavuus oli miehillä yhteydessä suurentuneeseen depressio-oireiden ja lääkärin toteaman masennuksen riskiin, ja he käyttivät yleisemmin masennuslääkkeitä verrattuna miehiin ilman keskivartalolihavuutta. Naisilla keskivartalolihavuus ei ollut yhteydessä masennukseen. Metabolinen oireyhtymä ei ollut yhteydessä masennukseen. Tulokset osoittavat korkean syntymäpainon, myöhäisen menarkeiän ja nuoruusiän lihavuuden sekä painon nousun lisäävän masennusriskiä 31-vuotiailla naisilla, 31-vuotiailla miehillä nuoruusiän lihavuus sekä keskivartalolihavuus olivat yhteydessä suurentuneeseen masennusriskiin

Development and integration of environmental evaluation tools for the ecodesign of sustainable processes and products

Industry is recognized as one of the main sources of environmental pollution and resource depletion, both causing environmental degradation; nonetheless, its contribution to development and wealth creation is also acknowledged. Therefore, the identification of sustainable options in this area is a key factor. Nowadays, the attitude towards pollution prevention and control and cleaner production is not just a response to emerging environmental laws and regulations (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals -REACH-, Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control –IPPC- Law, Integrated Product Policy –IPP-), but also a matter of corporate responsibility. Further, it has proved to be a way to increase profits. The sustainability definition has received certain criticism for its vagueness, ambiguity and difficulty to translate this concept at different levels. To overcome the difficulties of its implementation, a wide variety of indicators have been developed and applied over the years, providing metrics essential at the action level. This thesis poses a contribution to the development of environmental evaluation tools adapted to particular production sectors, aiming at providing metrics to guide decision making for the ecodesign of sustainable processes and products. Integrative frameworks that combine methodologies of different nature were proposed as the most suitable way to achieve comprehensive evaluations. At the same time, the simplicity of tools was pursued to make its application easier and more attractive for enterprises, avoiding the need of in depth training