Työtavat yhdeksännen luokan oppilaiden biologian osaamisen ja biologiaan kohdistuvien asenteiden muokkaajina

The relationship between different teaching methods, lower secondary school students’ performance in biology and their attitudes to learning biology were studied. The survey data consisted of 2 989 ninth grade students responses from 97 comprehensive schools. Teacher-led instruction, individual work, interactive work, inquiry-based approach, visits outside the school, use of information and communications technology (ICT) and methods that enhanced students’ autonomy were found when Likert-scaled items measuring the use of different teaching methods were analysed with explorative factor analysis (EFA). Multiple choice questions and production assignments were used to measure students’ knowledge and cognitive skills. Attitude dimensions like the utility of biology, liking of biology as school subject and self-concept in learning of biology were also found with EFA. The EFA scores were analysed on the school level as the averages of 97 schools. Students’ school-specific average performance in biology correlated strongly only with inquirybased teaching method. Different attitude dimensions correlated more strongly with interactive work than with teacher-led instruction. Use of ICT correlated only slightly with the attitude dimensions of utility of biology and liking of biology as school subject. Visits outside the school did not correlate with any of the studied dimensions. The results indicate the importance of inquiry-based teaching approach in the lower secondary school biology. It is important for the students to make experimental investigations and observations, take part in biology demonstrations, ponder causes and effects and apply knowledge to everyday live. Student-centred, activating and participatory methods are essential to enhance students’ attitudes to learning biology in the Finnish lower secondary school.Peer reviewe

Experiences on the implementation of environmental product policy in the Finnish electrical and electronics industry

New environmental product policy measures (RoHS, WEEE and EuP directives), targeted to the products of electrical and electronics industry, are entering into force during 2005-2007. This report raises key questions that companies have confronted in anticipating and interpreting these new requirements in their operations, focusing especially on changes needed in product development and supply chain management. The report reveals that the work needed in companies to comply with the new requirements may begin years before the requirements enter into force, and it may take different forms. Depending on the resources companies possess, this work can vary from influencing the actual contents of the new regulation being developed to adjusting to new requirements and incorporating them into different company operations (product development, manufacturing, sourcing etc.). Two Finnish company cases are reported. The first describes how Vaisala Oyj is implementing RoHS requirements together with its key suppliers. The second case assesses the Commission’s Integrated Product Policy pilot exercise on mobile phones, which was lead by Nokia Oyj during 2005. The report provides companies with useful information about practical experiences of proactive companies in environmental policy implementation, and policy makers with information for the assessment and future steering of environmental product policy in the European Union. This report is the final report of the YPSE research project, which was carried out during 2004-2005. It was financed by the Finnish Environment Cluster Program by the Ministry of the Environment and Technology Industries of Finland. The aim of the project was to assess how companies in the electrical and electronics industry “interpret” and negotiate with each other (and with environmental authorities) the contents of these new requirements, which are still to some extent unclear. It has been of interest what kinds of changes the new requirements create in products and what kinds of operational practices evolve in the industry, for example in the area of material data management

HAS3-induced extracellular vesicles from melanoma cells stimulate IHH mediated c-Myc upregulation via the hedgehog signaling pathway in target cells.

Intercellular communication is fundamental to the survival and maintenance of all multicellular systems, whereas dysregulation of communication pathways can drive cancer progression. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are mediators of cell-to-cell communication that regulate a variety of cellular processes involved in tumor progression. Overexpression of a specific plasma membrane enzyme, hyaluronan synthase 3 (HAS3), is one of the factors that can induce EV shedding. HAS3, and particularly its product hyaluronan (HA), are carried by EVs and are known to be associated with the tumorigenic properties of cancer cells. To elucidate the specific effects of cancerous, HAS3-induced EVs on target cells, normal human keratinocytes and melanoma cells were treated with EVs derived from GFP-HAS3 expressing metastatic melanoma cells. We found that the HA receptor CD44 participated in the regulation of EV binding to target cells. Furthermore, GFP-HAS3-positive EVs induced HA secretion, proliferation and invasion of target cells. Our results suggest that HAS3-EVs contains increased quantities of IHH, which activates the target cell hedgehog signaling cascade and leads to the activation of c-Myc and regulation of claspin expression. This signaling of IHH in HAS3-EVs resulted in increased cell proliferation. Claspin immunostaining correlated with HA content in human cutaneous melanocytic lesions, supporting our in vitro findings and suggesting a reciprocal regulation between claspin expression and HA synthesis. This study shows for the first time that EVs originating from HAS3 overexpressing cells carry mitogenic signals that induce proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in target cells. The study also identifies a novel feedback regulation between the hedgehog signaling pathway and HA metabolism in melanoma, mediated by EVs carrying HA and IHH.Peer reviewe

Bilingualism and Performance on Two Widely Used Developmental Neuropsychological Test Batteries

Peer reviewe

Previous radiotherapy improves treatment responses and causes a trend toward longer time to progression among patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-related adverse events

Background: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are frequently encountered by patients during immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment and are associated with better treatment outcomes. The sequencing of radiotherapy (RT) and ICIs is widely used in current clinical practice, but its effect on survival has remained unclear. Methods: In a real-world multicenter study including 521 patients who received ICI treatment for metastatic or locally advanced cancer, RT schedules and timing, irAEs, time to progression, overall survival, and treatment responses were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Patients who received previous RT and developed irAE (RT +/AE +) had the best overall response rate (ORR 44.0%). The ORR was 40.1% in the RT −/AE + group, 26.7% in the RT −/AE − group and 18.3% in the RT + /AE − group (p < 0.001). There was a significantly longer time to progression (TTP) in the RT + /AE + group compared to the RT −/AE − and RT + /AE − groups (log rank p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), but the trend toward longer TTP in the RT + /AE + group did not reach statistical significance in pairwise comparison to that in the RT −/AE + group. Preceding RT timing and intent had no statistically significant effect on TTP. In a multivariate model, ECOG = 0 and occurrence of irAEs remained independent positive prognostic factors for TTP (HR 0.737; 95% CI 0.582–0.935; p = 0.012, and HR 0.620; 95% CI 0.499–0.769; p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Better ORR and a trend toward longer TTP were demonstrated for patients with RT preceding ICI treatment and development of irAEs, which suggests that RT may boost the therapeutic effect of immunotherapy in patients with metastatic cancers.Peer reviewe

Conversational code-switching in a video game context in Finland

Tämän proseminaari-työn tarkoitus on tutkia, millaista suomen ja englannin kielen välillä tapahtuvaa koodinvaihtoa suomalaisessa tietokonepelidiskurssissa on sekä selvittää, pitävätkö keskustelijat itse koodinvaihtoa merkityksellisenä ja mitä merkityksiä se keskustelussa saa. Koodinvaihtoa on tutkittu kieliopillisesta, sosiolingvistisestä, kaksikielisyyden ja keskustelunanalyysin näkökulmasta. Tutkimusala on saanut näkyvyyttä viimeisen kymmenen vuoden aikana muun muassa englannin kielen kasvavan aseman kautta. Suomessa koodinvaihtoa on tutkittu monessa eri kontekstissa fan fictionista radioon ja Internetin jalkapallofoorumeihin. Tämä tutkimus tarkastelee koodinvaihtoa kahden äidinkielenään suomea puhuvan nuoren keskustelussa, kun he pelaavat englanninkielistä Final Fantasy -videopeliä. Tutkimus täydentää siten aiempaa tutkimusta koodinvaihdosta suomen kielessä. Viitekehyksenä tutkimuksessa käytettiin pääasiassa keskustelunanalyysia ja Auerin (1984) kaksikielisyyden teoriaa, jossa koodinvaihdosta puhutaan kontekstualisoinnin keinona. Koodinvaihdolle ei voitu ennalta antaa merkitystä, vaan kielenmuodon vaihto sai tulkintansa kulloisessakin puhetilanteessa. Jos kyseessä oli koodinvaihto, oletettiin että puhuja signaloi puheen kontekstin muutosta. Auerin (1999) mukaan kaikki kielenmuodon vaihto ei ole koodinvaihtoa, joten koodinvaihdon rinnalle nostettiin myös tässä tutkimuksessa lainaamisen ilmiö (engl. language mixing). Tutkimuksen analyysiosiossa yksittäisten sanojen erottelu lainoihin ja koodinvaihtoon osoittautui kuitenkin hankalaksi, niinpä analyysi keskittyi kontekstin vaikutuksen arviointiin. Tästä syystä koodinvaihtoa on pyritty tarkastelemaan keskustelussa ja sen kontekstissa yksittäisten esimerkkien sijaan. Tutkimuksessa kävi ilmi, että pelaajat käyttävät englannin kieltä suomen kielen rinnalla yllättävän usein. Englannin kielen käyttö toimi sekä pelaajien omana puhetyylinä että moniäänisyyden kontekstivihjeenä. Käytettävissä olleiden resurssien ja aiheen laajuuden vuoksi kaikkia koodinvaihtoon liittyviä teorioita ei esitelty, ja esiteltyjen esimerkkien määrä oli rajallinen. Koska tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli lisätä tietoa koodinvaihdosta ja monikielisyydestä Suomessa, lisätutkimusta tarvitaan selvittämään mitä kielimuodon valinta kertoo puhujasta ja siitä millaiseksi hän on tulkinnut kielenkäyttötilanteen eri konteksteissa