Results of a Work Study of Interlibrary and Information Services at Helsinki University of Technology Library

In 1975 statutes were enacted in Finland concerning costing principles for services rendered by public institutions to outside customers. The basis for costing is cost price. The regulations also concern university libraries, who, however, have not been able to follow the rules to the letter as regards interlibrary lending or copy services. The reasons for this are that interlibrary loans traditionally have been free and also the fact that average unit costs are not known. Several work studies concerning library and information services and their service level have been reported in the literature (1). Studies have been carried out inter alia in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany and in the U.S.A. The project of the Nordic Committee of Scientific Information and Research Libraries aims at the development of a measuring system for the performance of discrete tasks in the field of information services. Statistical reporting of information services has been difficult, because there are no generally accepted definitions, no Frascati manual . A Scandinavian study of interlibrary services revealed th at the figures obtained in different work studies depended on both actual differences in the service costs and differences in the functional boundaries used (2, 3)

Soodakattilan keskeiset prosessi-ilmiöt

Tiivistelmä. Työn tarkoituksena on tutustua selluteollisuuden eri prosessivaiheisiin. Pääpaino työssä on soodakattilassa ja siihen liittyvässä kemikaalikierrossa. Työssä käydään läpi sellunvalmistusprosessi kuitu- ja talteenottolinjan osalta kertoen aluksi massatehtaan toiminnasta ja liittäen se myöhemmin mustalipeän polttoon soodakattilassa. Keittokemikaalien kemikaalikierto avataan työssä selkeästi ja kerrotaan, kuinka siihen voidaan vaikuttaa prosessissa, sekä miten kemikaalikierto vaikuttaa puolestaan soodakattilan toimintaan. Työssä esitellään itse soodakattila aluksi kertoen sen tehtävistä ja prosessikuvauksesta. Myös keskeiset toimintaan vaikuttavat käsitteet, kuten sulfiditeetti ja reduktioaste, sekä niiden merkitys talteenoton kannalta käydään työssä läpi. Lopuksi esitellään mistä eri komponenteista soodakattila muodostuu. Talteenottoprosessin on tarkoitus olla sellainen, että mitään prosessissa syntyvää tai muutoin ylimääräistä ainetta ei menisi hukkaan. Kaikki puu raaka-aine ja tuotannon sivuvirrat olisi tarkoitus saada tuotettua sataprosenttisesti selluksi, muiksi biotuotteiksi tai bioenergiaksi. Työssä ei käydä sen suuremmin läpi kaikista uusimpia menetelmiä, mutta esimerkiksi kuoren kaasutus on uudehko innovaatio, jolla saadaan vähennettyä fossiilisten polttoaineiden käyttöä kemikaalikierron aikana

Self-perception but not peer reputation of bullying victimization is associated with non-clinical psychotic experiences in adolescents

Background Bullying victimization may be linked to psychosis but only self-report measures of victimization have been used so far. This study aimed (a) to investigate the differential associations of peer-nominated versus self-reported victim status with non-clinical psychotic experiences in a sample of young adolescents, and (b) to examine whether different types of self-reported victimization predict non-clinical psychotic experiences in these adolescents. Method A combination of standard self-report and peer nomination procedures was used to assess victimization. The sample (n = 724) was divided into four groups (exclusively self-reported victims, self- and peer-reported victims, exclusively peer-reported victims, and non-victims) to test for a group effect on non-clinical psychotic experiences. The relationship between types of victimization and non-clinical psychotic experiences was examined by a regression analysis. Results Self-reported victims, along with self- and peer-reported victims, scored higher than peer-reported victims and non-victims on non-clinical psychotic experiences. Self-reports of direct relational, indirect relational and physical victimization significantly improved the prediction of non-clinical psychotic experiences whereas verbal and possession-directed victimization had no significant predictive value. Conclusions The relationship between victimization and non-clinical psychotic experiences is only present for self-reported victimization, possibly indicative of an interpretation bias. The observed discrepancy between self-report and peer-report highlights the importance of implementing a combination of both measures for future research. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Reduced natriuretic response to acute sodium loading in COMT Gene deleted mice

BACKGROUND: The intrarenal natriuretic hormone dopamine (DA) is metabolised by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and monoamine oxidase (MAO). Inhibition of COMT, as opposed to MAO, results in a potent natriuretic response in the rat. The present study in anaesthetized homozygous and heterozygous COMT gene deleted mice attempted to further elucidate the importance of COMT in renal DA and sodium handling. After acute intravenous isotonic sodium loading, renal function was followed. RESULTS: COMT activity in heterozygous mice was about half of that in wild type mice and was zero in the homozygous mice. MAO activity did not differ between the genotypes. Urinary sodium excretion increased 10-fold after sodium loading in wild type mice. In heterozygous and homozygous mice, the natriuretic effects of sodium loading were only 29 % and 39 %, respectively, of that in wild type mice. Arterial pressure and glomerular filtration rate did not differ between genotypes. Baseline norepinephrine and DA excretions in urine were elevated in the homozygous, but not in heterozygous, COMT gene deleted mice. Urinary DA excretion increased after isotonic sodium loading in the wild type mice but not in the COMT gene deleted mice. CONCLUSIONS: Mice with reduced or absent COMT activity have altered metabolism of catecholamines and are unable to increase renal DA activity and produce normal natriuresis in response to acute sodium loading. The results support the hypothesis that COMT has an important role in the DA-mediated regulation of renal sodium excretion

Moving landscapes of Nordic basic education : Approaching shifting international influences through the narratives of educational experts

Throughout history educational leaders have looked to other countries and have attempted to learn by borrowing useful examples to implement in their own educational systems. As recent comparative policy research shows, processes of policy lending and borrowing have their own socio-historically defined dynamics. In this paper, the authors approach the use of reference countries through narratives of educational experts in Finland, Norway and Sweden. By comparing how international influences are used in stories about basic education, this research constructs a core narrative of a moving Nordic landscape. This landscape indicates both recognised and acknowledged policy borrowing relations in the past, as well as a changing orientation to preferred and avoided reference countries in the present. While new country-specific performance indicators such as PISA have widened the landscape of reference countries at an official level, culturally mediated images seem to redefine how reference countries are observed in everyday semantics.Peer reviewe

Peer victimization in single-grade and multigrade classrooms

Although peer victimization mainly takes place within classrooms, little is known about the impact of the classroom context. To this end, we examined whether single-grade and multigrade classrooms (referring to classrooms with one and two grades in the same room) differ in victim-bully relationships in a sample of elementary school children (646 students; age 8-12 years; 50% boys). The occurrence of victim-bully relationships was similar in single-grade and multigrade classrooms formed for administrative reasons, but lower in multigrade classrooms formed for pedagogical reasons. Social network analyses did not provide evidence that peer victimization depended on age differences between children in any of the three classroom contexts. Moreover, in administrative multigrade classrooms, cross-grade victim-bully relationships were less likely than same-grade victim-bully relationships. The findings did not indicate that children in administrative multigrade classrooms are better or worse off in terms of victim-bully relationships than are children in single-grade classrooms

Identification of Gut Microbial Lysine and Histidine Degradation and CYP-Dependent Metabolites as Biomarkers of Fatty Liver Disease

Peer reviewe

Exploring effects of remote ischemic preconditioning in a pig model of hypothermic circulatory arrest

Objectives. During aortic and cardiac surgery, risks for mortality and morbidity are inevitable. Surgical setups involving deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) are effective to achieve organ protection against ischemic injury. The aim of this study was to identify humoural factors mediating additive protective effects of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) in a porcine model of DHCA. Design. Twenty-two pigs were randomized into the RIPC group (n=11) and the control group (n=11). The RIPC group underwent four 5-minute hind limb ischemia-reperfusion cycles prior to cardiopulmonary bypass and DHCA. All animals underwent identical surgical procedures including 60min DHCA at 18 degrees C. Blood samples were collected from vena cava and sagittal sinus at several time points. After the 8-hour follow-up period, the brain, heart, and kidney tissue samples were collected for tissue analyses. Results. Serum levels of brain damage marker S100B recovered faster in the RIPC group, after 4hours of the arrest, (pPeer reviewe

Value of flow cytometry for MRD-based relapse prediction in B-cell precursor ALL in a multicenter setting

PCR of TCR/Ig gene rearrangements is considered the method of choice for minimal residual disease (MRD) quantification in BCP-ALL, but flow cytometry analysis of leukemia-associated immunophenotypes (FCM-MRD) is faster and biologically more informative. FCM-MRD performed in 18 laboratories across seven countries was used for risk stratification of 1487 patients with BCP-ALL enrolled in the NOPHO ALL2008 protocol. When no informative FCM-marker was available, risk stratification was based on real-time quantitative PCR. An informative FCM-marker was found in 96.2% and only two patients (0.14%) had non-informative FCM and non-informative PCR-markers. The overall 5-year event-free survival was 86.1% with a cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR5y) of 9.5%. FCM-MRD levels on days 15 (HzR 4.0, p 10(-4) associated with a CIR5y = 22.1%. In conclusion, FCM-MRD performed in a multicenter setting is a clinically useful method for MRD-based treatment stratification in BCP-ALL.Peer reviewe