Koodinvaihto espanjalaisen au pairin ja suomalaisten hoitolasten keskusteluissa

Tiivistelmä. Kandidaatintutkielmassani tutkin espanjalaisen au pairin ja hänen suomalaisten hoitolastensa välisiä keskusteluja. Tutkimuksessani selvitän, minkälaista koodinvaihtoa keskusteluissa ilmenee. Kyseessä on laadullinen monikielisyystutkimus, jonka pääkohteena on keskustelijoiden käyttämä sanasto. Aineistoni on peräisin Oulun kikosa-kokoelmasta, johon on kerätty monikielisiä keskusteluja. Tutkimuksessani olen jaotellut suomen- ja englanninkielisiä sanoja ja verrannut niiden käyttöä. Sanat olen jakanut neljään luokkaan: värisanoihin, kysymyssanoihin, käskysanoihin ja muihin sanoihin. Muihin sanoihin sisältyvät intensiteettisanat ja kulttuurisanat. Lisäksi olen tarkastellut, millä tavalla keskustelijat käyttävät kieltä yleisesti koodinvaihdon kannalta. Taustakirjallisuutena hyödynnän esimerkiksi Ad Backusin ja Yaron Matrasin kirjoituksia koodinvaihdosta ja monikielisyydestä. Tutkielmani tulokset tukevat muun muassa ajatusta siitä, että koodinvaihto ei ole sattumanvaraista, vaan tietynlaiset sanat esiintyvät johdonmukaisesti tietyllä kielellä.Abstract. In my bachelor’s thesis I analyse code-switching in conversations between Spanish au pair and the children of her host family. In this study I find out what kind of code-switching occurences happen in these conversations. This thesis in its core is a qualitative multilanguage study. The main focus is the vocabulary of the participants. My research material is from Oulu University’s kikosa-archives which stores multilangual conversations

“Always be hopeful, don’t be hopeless”:from oppression to emancipation through praxis and participatory action research

Abstract. This Master’s thesis considers the imbalanced power relations that concern the oppressed people in the world as well as redressing those power relations. With this thesis we wish to raise awareness of oppression, and to contribute to the on-going theoretical discussion on how that oppression can be overcome. In this thesis we attempt to raise the question of what the relationship between power, empowerment, and emancipation is, and how these concepts can be taken to an empirical level with praxis and participatory action research (PAR). The research is based on our Bachelor’s thesis (Petrelius & Pihlajamaa, 2011), which discussed the concept of empowerment through a case study, and it aims at deepening our previous understandings. As this thesis is strongly related to and repeatedly refers to the interpretations and preconceptions formed in our previous study, we have chosen to utilise the hermeneutic research approach. In lines with the hermeneutic circle, we have come to acknowledge that our research findings are never complete, but the examination of the key concepts is an on-going process. We conclude that power is omnipresent, and in fact penetrates all of the concepts we have considered in this thesis, affecting their relations. Furthermore, empowerment and emancipation are closely linked terms that we differentiate by stating that while empowerment, i.e. finding one’s self-worth within the system, is a valuable goal, it is not enough in the context of this thesis, but that something more all-encompassing is required. We find emancipation to suit the purposes of our research better than empowerment, and thus focus on how emancipation and especially emancipatory research could be conducted within oppressed communities. However, we still see empowerment as an essential part of the emancipatory process, which is why it is inseparably linked to emancipation. Furthermore, in this thesis we propose that praxis and PAR can potentially provide meaningful ways of taking the aforementioned theories to a practical level. Praxis, the union of action and reflection, is found in the core of participatory action research, as the entire concept of PAR is based on honest dialogue between the research participants as well as on the seamless collaboration of theory and practice. In other words, PAR provides a platform for exercising praxis. PAR is essentially an emancipatory process, but the initiation of PAR already shows signs of emancipatory movement within the community, which is why we argue that the two reinforce each other.Tiivistelmä. Tämä pro gradu -työ on perehtynyt sorrettuja ihmisiä koskeviin epätasapainoisiin valtasuhteisiin ja niiden korjaamiseen. Tutkielman kautta haluamme kasvattaa tietoisuutta sorrettujen ihmisten tilanteesta sekä osallistua sortamisen nujertamiseen liittyvään teoreettiseen keskusteluun. Tämä tutkielma esittää kysymyksen vallan, voimaantumisen ja emansipaation välisestä suhteesta, sekä pyrkii selvittämään kuinka edellä mainitut käsitteet voidaan toteuttaa empiirisellä tasolla praksiksen ja osallistavan toimintatutkimuksen kautta. Tutkimus perustuu aiempaan kandidaatin tutkielmaan (Petrelius & Pihlajamaa, 2011), jossa voimaantumisen käsitettä on tutkittu tapatutkimuksen kautta. Pro gradu -työssä pyritäänkin syventämään aiemmin tutkittujen käsitteiden ymmärrystä. Tutkielma hyödyntää hermeneuttista tutkimusmenetelmää, sillä se on vahvasti kytköksissä aiemmin muodostamiimme tulkintoihin ja käsityksiin, joihin tutkimuksessa myös toistuvasti viitataan. Hermeneuttisen syklin mukaisesti tutkielmassa on huomioitu, että käsitteiden tulkitseminen ja muodostaminen on päättymätön prosessi, jonka takia tutkimustulosten ei voida sanoa olevan lopullisia. Olemme tulleet tutkimuksessamme siihen johtopäätökseen, että valta on läsnä kaikkialla ja lävistää kaikki käsitteet, joita olemme tutkineet vaikuttaen niiden välisiin suhteisiin. Voimaantuminen ja emansipaatio ovat toisiinsa läheisesti liittyviä käsitteitä, jotka erotamme toisistaan havainnollistamalla kuinka voimaantuminen eli oman arvonsa ymmärtäminen vallitsevan yhteiskunnan puitteissa on itsessään arvokas tavoite, mutta valitettavan puutteellinen tämän tutkimuksen tarpeita ajatellen. Siksi olemme voimaantumisen sijaan kääntäneet katseemme kohti emansipaatiota ja keskitymme tutkimaan miten emansipaatiota ja etenkin emansipatorista tutkimusta voidaan toteuttaa sorrettujen yhteisöiden keskuudessa. Näemme voimaantumisen tärkeänä osana emansipatorista prosessia ja tästä syystä voimaantuminen käsitteenä onkin erottamattomasti sidoksissa emansipaatioon. Lisäksi ehdotamme, että praksis ja osallistava toimintatutkimus ovat potentiaalisesti merkityksellisiä keinoja viedä edellä mainitut käsitteet empiiriselle tasolle. Praksis eli toiminnan ja reflektion yhteensulautuma on osallistavan toimintatutkimuksen ytimessä sillä osallistava toimintatutkimus perustuu niin rehelliselle dialogille tutkimukseen osallistuvien tahojen välillä kuin myös teorian ja käytännön saumattomaan yhteistyöhön. Toisin sanoen osallistava toimintatutkimus toimii alustana praksiksen harjoittamiselle. Osallistava toimintatutkimus on luonteeltaan emansipatorinen prosessi, mutta jo kyseisen tutkimusprosessin aloittaminen on merkki emansipatorisesta kehityksestä yhteisön sisällä. Siksi olemmekin sitä mieltä, että emansipaatio ja osallistava toimintatutkimus ilmiöinä vahvistavat toisiaan

Hijacking the human complement inhibitor C4b-binding protein by the sporozoite stage of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite

The complement system is considered the first line of defense against pathogens. Hijacking complement regulators from blood is a common evasion tactic of pathogens to inhibit complement activation on their surfaces. Here, we report hijacking of the complement C4b-binding protein (C4bp), the regulator of the classical and lectin pathways of complement activation, by the sporozoite (SPZ) stage of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. This was shown by direct binding of radiolabeled purified C4bp to live SPZs as well as by binding of C4bp from human serum to SPZs in indirect immunofluorescence assays. Using a membrane-bound peptide array, peptides from the N-terminal domain (NTD) of P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP) were found to bind C4bp. Soluble biotinylated peptide covering the same region on the NTD and a recombinantly expressed NTD also bound C4bp in a dose-dependent manner. NTD-binding site on C4bp was mapped to the CCP1-2 of the C4bp alpha-chain, a common binding site for many pathogens. Native CSP was also co-immunoprecipitated with C4bp from human serum. Preventing C4bp binding to the SPZ surface negatively affected the SPZs gliding motility in the presence of functional complement and malaria hyperimmune IgG confirming the protective role of C4bp in controlling complement activation through the classical pathway on the SPZ surface. Incorporating the CSP-C4bp binding region into a CSP-based vaccine formulation could induce vaccine-mediated immunity that neutralizes this immune evasion region and increases the vaccine efficacy.Peer reviewe

WNT2 activation through proximal germline deletion predisposes to small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors and intestinal adenocarcinomas

Many hereditary cancer syndromes are associated with an increased risk of small and large intestinal adenocarcinomas. However, conditions bearing a high risk to both adenocarcinomas and neuroendocrine tumors are yet to be described.We studied a family with 16 individuals in four generations affected by a wide spectrum of intestinal tumors, including hyperplastic polyps, adenomas, small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors, and colorectal and small intestinal adenocarcinomas.To assess the genetic susceptibility and understand the novel phenotype, we utilized multiple molecular methods, including whole genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, single cell sequencing, RNA in situ hybridization and organoid culture.We detected a heterozygous deletion at the cystic fibrosis locus (7q31.2) perfectly segregating with the intestinal tumor predisposition in the family. The deletion removes a topologically associating domain border between CFTR and WNT2, aberrantly activating WNT2 in the intestinal epithelium. These consequences suggest that the deletion predisposes to small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors and small and large intestinal adenocarcinomas, and reveals the broad tumorigenic effects of aberrant WNT activation in the human intestine.Peer reviewe

The interaction of Thrombospondins with extracellular matrix proteins

The thrombospondins (TSPs) are a family of five matricellular proteins that appear to function as adapter molecules to guide extracellular matrix synthesis and tissue remodeling in a variety of normal and disease settings. Various TSPs have been shown to bind to fibronectin, laminin, matrilins, collagens and other extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The importance of TSP-1 in this context is underscored by the fact that it is rapidly deposited at the sites of tissue damage by platelets. An association of TSPs with collagens has been known for over 25 years. The observation that the disruption of the TSP-2 gene in mice leads to collagen fibril abnormalities provided important in vivo evidence that these interactions are physiologically important. Recent biochemical studies have shown that TSP-5 promotes collagen fibril assembly and structural studies suggest that TSPs may interact with collagens through a highly conserved potential metal ion dependent adhesion site (MIDAS). These interactions are critical for normal tissue homeostasis, tumor progression and the etiology of skeletal dysplasias

Biomechanical spinal growth modulation and progressive adolescent scoliosis – a test of the 'vicious cycle' pathogenetic hypothesis: Summary of an electronic focus group debate of the IBSE

There is no generally accepted scientific theory for the causes of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). As part of its mission to widen understanding of scoliosis etiology, the International Federated Body on Scoliosis Etiology (IBSE) introduced the electronic focus group (EFG) as a means of increasing debate on knowledge of important topics. This has been designated as an on-line Delphi discussion. The text for this debate was written by Dr Ian A Stokes. It evaluates the hypothesis that in progressive scoliosis vertebral body wedging during adolescent growth results from asymmetric muscular loading in a "vicious cycle" (vicious cycle hypothesis of pathogenesis) by affecting vertebral body growth plates (endplate physes). A frontal plane mathematical simulation tested whether the calculated loading asymmetry created by muscles in a scoliotic spine could explain the observed rate of scoliosis increase by measuring the vertebral growth modulation by altered compression. The model deals only with vertebral (not disc) wedging. It assumes that a pre-existing scoliosis curve initiates the mechanically-modulated alteration of vertebral body growth that in turn causes worsening of the scoliosis, while everything else is anatomically and physiologically 'normal' The results provide quantitative data consistent with the vicious cycle hypothesis. Dr Stokes' biomechanical research engenders controversy. A new speculative concept is proposed of vertebral symphyseal dysplasia with implications for Dr Stokes' research and the etiology of AIS. What is not controversial is the need to test this hypothesis using additional factors in his current model and in three-dimensional quantitative models that incorporate intervertebral discs and simulate thoracic as well as lumbar scoliosis. The growth modulation process in the vertebral body can be viewed as one type of the biologic phenomenon of mechanotransduction. In certain connective tissues this involves the effects of mechanical strain on chondrocytic metabolism a possible target for novel therapeutic intervention

Can mental health diagnoses in administrative data be used for research? A systematic review of the accuracy of routinely collected diagnoses

BACKGROUND: There is increasing availability of data derived from diagnoses made routinely in mental health care, and interest in using these for research. Such data will be subject to both diagnostic (clinical) error and administrative error, and so it is necessary to evaluate its accuracy against a reference-standard. Our aim was to review studies where this had been done to guide the use of other available data. METHODS: We searched PubMed and EMBASE for studies comparing routinely collected mental health diagnosis data to a reference standard. We produced diagnostic category-specific positive predictive values (PPV) and Cohen’s kappa for each study. RESULTS: We found 39 eligible studies. Studies were heterogeneous in design, with a wide range of outcomes. Administrative error was small compared to diagnostic error. PPV was related to base rate of the respective condition, with overall median of 76 %. Kappa results on average showed a moderate agreement between source data and reference standard for most diagnostic categories (median kappa = 0.45–0.55); anxiety disorders and schizoaffective disorder showed poorer agreement. There was no significant benefit in accuracy for diagnoses made in inpatients. CONCLUSIONS: The current evidence partly answered our questions. There was wide variation in the quality of source data, with a risk of publication bias. For some diagnoses, especially psychotic categories, administrative data were generally predictive of true diagnosis. For others, such as anxiety disorders, the data were less satisfactory. We discuss the implications of our findings, and the need for researchers to validate routine diagnostic data. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-016-0963-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users