Collaborative processes in species identification using an internet-based taxonomic resource

Visual databases are increasingly important resources through which individuals and groups can undertake species identification. This paper reports research on the collaborative processes undertaken by pre-service teacher students when working in small groups to identify birds using an Internet-based taxonomic resource. The student groups are conceptualised as 'knowledge-building communities' working in a 'joint problem space' comprising the collective knowledge of the participants interacting with the taxonomic database. Collaborative group work and associated dialogue were recorded with digital video. The recordings were analysed for the categories of dialogue and the categories of knowledge used by the students as they interacted with the taxonomic database and how they drew on their previous experiences of identifying birds. The outcomes are discussed in the context of the interplay of individual and social processes and the interplay between abstraction and lived experience in the joint problem space.Peer reviewe

Successful weight maintainers among young adults—A ten-year prospective population study

Objectives: To assess factors associated with successful weight maintenance over ten years in a prospective general population sample of young adults. Material and methods: Our study comprised 2452 women and 2227 men born in 1975-1979 (mean age at baseline 24 years, attrition 27.1%). Weight maintenance was defined as weight maintained within +/- 5% of baseline body mass index (BMI). We examined the role of various sociodemographic and lifestyle factors in successful weight maintenance. Results: Relatively few young adults were able to maintain their weight over ten years (28.6% of women vs. 23.0% of men); net weight loss was uncommon (7.5% and 3.8%). Most participants gained weight (mean annual weight gain was 0.9 kg in women and 1.0 kg in men). Among women, exercise was associated with successful weight maintenance, but having two or more children, frequent use of sweet drinks, irregular eating, history of dieting (intentional weight loss) and low life satisfaction were associated with weight gain. Among men, higher baseline BMI and higher education were associated with successful weight maintenance, whereas irregular eating, history of dieting and smoking were associated with weight gain. Conclusions: Only about a quarter of young adults were able to resist weight gain. Regular eating and having no history of dieting were associated with successful weight maintenance in young women and men.Peer reviewe

Analysis of steroids in urine by gas chromatography-capillary photoionization-tandem mass spectrometry

A new heated capillary photoionization (CPI) ion source design was developed to photoionize analytes inside a transfer capillary between a gas chromatograph (GC) and a mass spectrometer (MS). The CPI setup included a wide, oval-shaped vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) transparent magnesium fluoride (MgF2) window to maximize photoionization efficiency and thus sensitivity. The source contained a nitrogen housing around the ionization chamber inlet to avoid undesirable hydrolysis and oxidation reactions with ambient air and to maximize the proportion of formed molecular radical cations of analytes. The feasibility of the ion source was studied by analyzing 18 endogenous steroids in urine as their trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The method was validated and applied to human urine samples. To our best knowledge, this is the first time that a capillary photoionization ion source has been applied for quantitative analysis of biological samples. The GC-CPI-MS/MS method showed good chromatographic resolution (peak half-widths between 3.1 to 5.3 s), acceptable linearity (coefficient of determination between 0.981 to 0.996), and repeatability (relative standard deviation (RSD%) between 5 to 18%). Limits of detection (LOD) were between 2 to 100 pg mL(-1) and limits of quantitation (LOQ) were between 0.05 to 2 ng mL(-1). In total, 15 steroids were quantified either as a free steroid or glucuronide conjugate from the urine of volunteers. The new CPI source design showed excellent sensitivity for analysis of steroids in complex biological samples. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Integration of a capacitive pressure sensing system into the outer catheter wall for coronary artery FFR measurements

The deadliest disease in the world is coronary artery disease (CAD), which is related to a narrowing (stenosis) of blood vessels due to fatty deposits, plaque, on the arterial walls. The level of stenosis in the coronary arteries can be assessed by Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) measurements. This involves determining the ratio between the maximum achievable blood flow in a diseased coronary artery and the theoretical maximum flow in a normal coronary artery. The blood flow is represented by a pressure drop, thus a pressure wire or pressure sensor integrated in a catheter can be used to calculate the ratio between the coronary pressure distal to the stenosis and the normal coronary pressure. A 2 Fr (0.67mm) outer diameter catheter was used, which required a high level of microelectronics miniaturisation to fit a pressure sensing system into the outer wall. The catheter has an eccentric guidewire lumen with a diameter of 0.43mm, which implies that the thickest catheter wall section provides less than 210 microns height for flex assembly integration consisting of two dies, a capacitive MEMS pressure sensor and an ASIC. In order to achieve this a very thin circuit flex was used, and the two chips were thinned down to 75 microns and flip chip mounted face down on the flex. Many challenges were involved in obtaining a flex layout that could wrap into a small tube without getting the dies damaged, while still maintaining enough flexibility for the catheter to navigate the arterial system

Muutos psykiatristen avohoitokäyntien toteutuksessa ja johtajien kokemukset etäasiointia estävistä ja edistävistä tekijöistä COVID-19 aikakaudella

Vertaisarvioitu. English abstract.Peer reviewe

Terveydenhuollon kansalliset laaturekisteripilotit loppusuoralla

Pilottiprojektin tulokset laaturekisterien toiminnan organisoimisesta kannustavat ¬jatkamaan työtä moniammatillisesti ja pitkäjänteisesti. Kansallinen koordinaatio on välttämätöntä laatu- ja vaikuttavuustiedon vertailukelpoisuuden ja hyödyntämisen varmistamiseksi

Toimintolaskentamallin rakentaminen Katinkullan hoito-osastolle

Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää Katinkullan Harmony Spa hoito-osastolla tarjottavien hoitojen kustannuksia. Hoito-osastolla tarjotaan kosmetologi- ja hierontapalveluja ja tämän työn tavoitteena oli selvittää kuinka paljon yhden hoidon kustannukset ovat. Kustannukset selvittämällä haluttiin varmistaa, hinnoitellaanko tällä hetkellä tarjolla olevat hoidot oikein. Kustannusten selvittämisen katsottiin myös helpottavan uusien hoitojen hinnoittelua. Kustannuslaskentamenetelmäksi valittiin toimintolaskenta. Laskentamenetelmän toivottiin tuottavan uudenlaista kustannusinformaatiota sekä antavan johdolle uusia näkökulmia toimintoihin ja kustannuksiin. Tutkimuksen teoriataustassa käsitellään kustannuslaskennan yleisimpiä malleja, jakolaskentaa ja lisäyslaskentaa. Toimintolaskennan teoriaa käsitellään tarkemmin. Teoriaosuudessa käydään läpi muun muassa toimintolaskennan vaiheet sekä tarkastellaan toimintolaskennan hyviä ja huonoja puolia. Empiriaosuuden laskelmia varten hoito-osastoon kohdistuvat kustannukset saatiin yrityksen kirjanpidon tileiltä. Lisäksi hoito-osastolla toteutettiin työajan seurantaa kahden viikon ajan. Osaston työntekijät kirjasivat työnseurantalomakkeelle ennalta määriteltyihin toimintoihin käyttämänsä ajan. Osaston esimiestä haastateltiin vapaamuotoisesti useaan eri otteeseen projektin edetessä. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin määriteltyjen toimintojen kustannukset. Kustannusten perusteella esitettiin muutamia kehitysehdotuksia, joilla tavoitellaan kustannustehokkaampaa toimintaa. Tutkimuksen lopputuloksena saatiin selville, kuinka paljon yhden kosmetologihoidon ja yhden hierontahoidon tuottaminen maksaa talolle. Saatujen kustannustietojen perusteella voidaan todeta, että tällä hetkellä tarjolla olevat hoidot ovat pääasiassa oikein hinnoiteltuja. Joidenkin hoitojen hinnat eivät täytä tavoitekatetta, mutta toisten hoitojen reilu kate tasoittaa kokonaistilanteen.The purpose of this thesis was to find out the costs of the treatments that are offered in Katinkulta Harmony Spa. Harmony Spa offers different kind of treatments given by a cosmetologist and a masseur. The main goal of the project was to know how much does one treatment cost. By finding out the costs, it is easier to decide the prices for new treatments and this also reveals if the treatments are priced correctly at the moment. Activity-Based Costing (ABC) was decided to be uses as a cost accounting system. This cost accounting system was expected to give new kind of cost information. The ABC system was also expected to give the management a new perspective on the activities. Two traditional cost accounting systems are presented generally at the beginning of the theory part. The theory of the ABC system is introduced in more detail. The stages of the ABC are presented as well as the redeeming features and the downsides of the system. For the calculations all the costs concerning the Harmony Spa were taken from the company bookkeeping. For two weeks the employees in Harmony Spa also followed up how much time was used for specific activi-ties. In advance it was defined the six activities that need to be done so that there will be a customer for a massage therapist or cosmetologist. The manager of the Harmony Spa was interviewed several times during the project. In the thesis the costs of specific activities were found out. Based on the cost information, some improvement suggestions were made. The aim of these suggestions was more cost effective activities. As a result of the project the costs of massage and cosmetology treatments were found out. According to the results the treatments offered in Harmony Spa at the moment are priced correctly. Some of the treatments were under-priced and some of them were overpriced. The overall situation is in balance

Vuorotyön merkitys työkykyyn : teemahaastattelu erään itäsuomalaisen metsäteollisuuden suuryrityksen valvomotyöntekijöiden kokemuksista

Tiivistelmä Vuorotyön osuus työnteossa kasvaa jatkuvasti yhteiskuntamme toimiessa 24 tuntia vuorokaudessa. Työtä tehdään yhä enemmän kaikkina viikonpäivinä ja kaikkina vuorokauden aikoina. Tutkimuksilla on osoitettu vuorotyön aiheuttavan riskejä työntekijöiden terveydelle ja alentavan vuorotyöläisten työkykyä. Työoloja kehittämällä vuorotyössä jaksamista voidaan parantaa hyödyntäen vuorotyön toteutuksessa erilaisia työaikaratkaisuja. Tutkimuksemme tarkoituksena oli selvittää suuren itäsuomalaisen metsäteollisuuden yrityksen valvomotyöntekijöiden kokemuksia vuorotyön merkityksestä työkykyyn. Tavoitteenamme oli antaa työnantajalle sekä työterveyshuollolle tietoa valvomoiden työntekijöiden ajatuksista omasta työkyvystään ja siitä, millaiset tekijät vuorotyössä lisäävät tai heikentävät työkykyä ja millä tavoin työkykyä voisi tukea. Valvomotyöntekijöiden esille tuomien kehittämistarpeiden ja työkykyä edistäviksi todettujen toimintatapojen avulla työnantaja voi tukea valvomotyöntekijöiden työkykyä vuorotyössä. Tutkimus toteutettiin suuressa itäsuomalaisessa metsäteollisuuden yrityksessä kvalitatiivisen tutkimusmenetelmän avulla. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin työntekijöiden työpisteillä valvomoissa ryhmähaastatteluin, jotka teemoitettiin työkyvyn määritelmän mukaisesti. Osallistuminen haastatteluun oli vapaaehtoista. Neljään ryhmähaastatteluun osallistui 15 valvomotyöntekijää. Työntekijöiden ja haastattelijoiden välille synnytettiin avointa keskusteltua teemojen pohjalta. Aineisto analysoitiin deduktiivisella sisällönanalyysillä. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat valvomotyöntekijöiden kokevan työkykynsä hyväksi ja viihtyvänsä vuorotyössä. Merkityksellisin tekijä vuorotyössä viihtymiselle oli nykyinen lyhyen työnkierron malli, jossa tehtiin 12 tunnin työpäiviä 4, jonka jälkeen seurasi 6 vapaapäivää. Työntekijät kokivat työkykynsä parantuneen 2,5 vuoden aikana merkittävästi, kun uusi työaikamuoto oli ollut käytössä. Pitkien vapaiden aikana ehti toipua vuorotyöstä ja sairauspoissaolojen todettiin vähentyneen. Lisääntynyt vapaa-aika auttoi sosiaalisen elämän ylläpidossa ja aikaa jäi myös harrastuksille. Työkykyä heikentävinä tekijöinä nousivat esille työpisteiden kuumuus, melu ja vanhentunut kalusto. Kolmessa valvomossa, joista yksi oli uudistettu, haastatellut työntekijät nostivat esille valvomoiden uudistamistarpeen.Abstract Shift work has a growing share of all the labor performed in our society, where services are run 24 hours a day. Work is done increasingly every day of the week, daytime and at night. Researches show that shift work is a risk for workers’ health and weakens shift workers’ work ability. A simple solution is taking advantage of the different methods of arranging working hours. The purpose of this thesis was to examine control room workers’ experiences of shift work and how it affects their work ability in a large forest company in Eastern-Finland. The aim of this study was to provide information to the employer and the occupational health care personnel about the control room workers’ experiences of their work ability and the factors improving or weakening it. It provides information on how to support the work ability. The workers’ suggestions for improvements and methods that improved their work ability could be used by the employer in supporting the shift workers’ work ability. The study was conducted in a large company in the forest industry in Eastern- Finland. The data was collected by the qualitative research method using group interviews at the employees’ work stations in the control rooms. Themes used in the interviews followed the definition of work ability. Participation was done voluntarily. Four interviews were held, the total of 15 shift workers were interviewed. An open discussion based on the themes was developed between the employees and the interviewers. The content was analyzed by using the deductive content analysis. The results showed that the control room workers felt that their ability to work was high and so was their job satisfaction with shift work. The most significant factor in coping with shift work was the presence of short shift rotations, where four 12-hour working days were followed by six days off. The employees felt improvement in their work ability during the 2.5 years that the new short shift rotation had been in use. The use of sick leave declined, thanks to an increase in leisure time. These longer periods of leisure time allowed employees to recover from their shift work and helped sustain social relations and leisure activities. The factors that weakened the work ability included the heat and noise of the control rooms and the aging equipment in some control rooms. The control room workers pointed out the need for equipment renewal in the control rooms. The interviews were carried out in three control rooms, one of which was renovated