Uralähtöinen ajattelu työkyvyttömyyteen reagoimisen keinona

Tiivistelmä. Työkyvyttömyys on ikävä asia niin työntekijän itsensä, työnantajan sekä koko yhteiskunnan näkökulmasta katsottuna. Kun työntekijä ei enää kykene suoriutumaan tehtävistään, on edessä pohdinta siitä, kykeneekö hän mahdollisesti muihin tehtäviin yrityksen sisällä, alkaako hän etsiä töitä muiden yritysten palveluksesta vai joutuuko hän hakeutumaan työkyvyttömyyseläkkeelle. On selvää, että urapolkuihin nojaava ensimmäinen vaihtoehto on usein kannattavin ratkaisu kaikille osapuolille. Tutkielma tarkastelee työkyvyttömyyden ja ura-ajattelun teemoja suomalaisen elintarvikealan yrityksen kontekstissa. Pyrkimyksenä oli selvittää, onko yrityksen mahdollista varautua työkyvyttömyystapauksien aiheuttamiin haasteisiin urapolkuajattelua hyödyntäen. Aiemmissa uratutkimuksissa on korostunut asiantuntija- ja tietotyötä tekevien toimihenkilöiden näkemys, mutta suorittavaa työtä tekevien työntekijöiden ajatusten ja kokemusten tarkastelu on jäänyt vähälle. Tämä tutkimus pyrkii osaltaan täydentämään kyseistä aukkoa. Tutkielma tarkasteleekin juuri suorittavaa työtä tekevien näkemyksiä ja kokemuksia omaan osaamiseen ja urakäsityksiin liittyen, sekä pyrkii selvittämään, löytyykö heidän keskuudessaan kiinnostusta toimihenkilötehtäviä kohtaan. Tutkielmassa on sekä laadullisen että määrällisen tutkimuksen piirteitä. Empiirinen osio koostuu kyselylomakkeiden sekä sähköpostihaastatteluiden avulla kasatusta aineistosta. Tutkielman tulokset osoittavat, että kohdeyrityksen työntekijöistä suuri osa ei koe itsellä olevan uraa, vaikka yleisesti tarkasteltuna he mieltävät urakäsitteen horisontaaliseksi. Lisäksi tulokset tuovat ilmi sen, että koulutus- sekä osaamistaso on yrityksen työntekijöiden joukossa hyvin vaihtelevaa ja moninaista. Merkittävä havainto on myös se, että moni työntekijä kokee mahdollisen uudelleentyöllistymisen toisiin tehtäviin muissa yrityksissä olevan haastavaa. Tutkielman tulokset kannustavat uralähtöiseen ajatteluun ja tukevat ajatusta siitä hyödyllisenä tekijänä työkyvyttömyyttä kohdanneiden työntekijöiden uudelleentyöllistämisprosessissa. Uramahdollisuuksia ja tavoitteita tulisikin pohtia jo silloin, kun työntekijöiden työkyky on vielä hyvä

Massiivipuu ekologisesti kestävän rakentamisen mahdollistajana:massiivipuukatalogi ja kerrostalosuunnitelma

Tiivistelmä. Diplomityöni Massiivipuu ekologisesti kestävän rakentamisen mahdollistajana on osa Oulun yliopiston Moderni hirsikaupunki -hanketta, ja sen aiheena on tutkia erilaisia massiivipuisia seinärakenteita ja suunnitella saadun tiedon pohjalta massiivipuinen kerrostalo Oulun Heinäpäähän. Keskeisimpinä tavoitteina on selvittää massiivipuutuotteiden eroja valmistuksessa, rakennettavuudessa ja uudelleenkäytössä, sekä tuoda esille vaihtoehtoisia menetelmiä vakiintuneille rakennustavoille. Vallitseva rakentamiskulttuuri on monella tapaa kestämätön. Epäekologiset rakennusmateriaalit, rakennusten lyhyt käyttöikä ja monimutkaiset kerrosrakenteet ovat rakennuksillemme tavanomaisia. Suomella on hyvät mahdollisuudet lisätä puun käyttöä tulevaisuuden rakentamisessa erityisesti yksiaineisten ja kestävien massiivipuutuotteiden avulla. Tutkimuksessa käy ilmi, että kaikki massiivipuutuotteet on helppo uusiokäyttää sellaisenaan uudelleen. Kierrättämiseen vaikuttavat eniten käytetyt liitostekniikat. Parhaita ratkaisuja kierrättämisen kannalta ovat salvos-, tappi-, ruuvi- ja pulttiliitokset, heikoimpia liima- ja naulaliitokset. Rakennuksen käytönaikaisen muuntojoustavuuden kannalta olennaista on, että sitä ei suunnitella liian tarkkaan tiettyä käyttötarkoitusta ajatellen. Muutos tulee ottaa huomioon niin suuressa kuin pienessäkin mittakaavassa, materiaaleissa ja toiminnoissa.Abstract. My diploma thesis Massiivipuu ekologisesti kestävän rakentamisen mahdollistajana is part of research project called Moderni hirsikaupunki. The topic is to examine mass timber wall structures and design a mass timber high-rise to the city of Oulu based on that research. The main goals of the thesis are to find out the differences in production, construction and reuse of mass timber products and introduce alternative ways of building from timber. The existing way of constructing is unsustainable in many ways. Materials that are harmful to environment, short lifespan of the buildings and complex layered structures are more the rule than exception nowadays. Finland has good potential to increase the use of wood in construction especially in the form of homogeneous mass timber. The main results of the research are that mass timber products are easy to reuse and the joints used are the most critical parts in recycling the timber. Notches, dowels, screws and bolts are best choices for easily recyclable mass timber and glue and nails are the worst. It’s important not to design the building for one specific use only, when the building needs to be resilient in use. Change needs to be taken into account in both small and big scale, in materials and in spaces

Pyrazine-Fused Triterpenoids Block the TRPA1 Ion Channel in Vitro and Inhibit TRPA1-Mediated Acute Inflammation in Vivo

TRPA1 is a nonselective cation channel, most famously expressed in nonmyelinated nociceptors. In addition to being an important chemical and mechanical pain sensor, TRPA1 has more recently appeared to have a role also in inflammation. Triterpenoids are natural products with anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects in experimental models. In this paper, 13 novel triterpenoids were created by synthetically modifying betulin, an abundant triterpenoid of the genus Betula L., and their TRPA1-modulating properties were examined. The Fluo 3-AM protocol was used in the initial screening, in which six of the 14 tested triterpenoids inhibited TRPA1 in a statistically significant manner. In subsequent whole-cell patch clamp recordings, the two most effective compounds (pyrazine-fused triterpenoids 8 and 9) displayed a reversible and dose- and voltage-dependent effect to block the TRPA1 ion channel at submicromolar concentrations. Interestingly, the TRPA1 blocking action was also evident in vivo, as compounds 8 and 9 both alleviated TRPA1 agonist-induced acute paw inflammation in mice. The results introduce betulin-derived pyrazine-fused triterpenoids as promising novel antagonists of TRPA1 that are potentially useful in treating diseases with a TRPA1-mediated adverse component

Spatial characteristics of species distributions as drivers in conservation prioritization

Peer reviewe

Discovery of a New Deeply Eclipsing SU UMa-Type Dwarf Nova, IY UMa (= TmzV85)

We discovered a new deeply eclipsing SU UMa-type dwarf nova, IY UMa, which experienced a superoutburst in 2000 January. Our monitoring revealed two distinct outbursts, which suggest a superoutburst interval of ~800 d, or its half, and an outburst amplitude of 5.4 mag. From time-series photometry during the superoutburst, we determined a superhump and orbital period of 0.07588 d and 0.0739132 d, respectively.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted by PASJ lette

Concealment of type 1 diabetes at work in Finland: a mixed-method study

Objectives To explore the possible reasons for concealing type 1 diabetes (T1D) at work. Methods The main set of data came from a cross-sectional survey (response rate 49.3%), the participants of which were 688 wage earners with T1D. Concealment of T1D was measured by asking respondents have they ever during their working career hidden their diabetes from their (A) colleagues and (B) line manager. Furthermore, semistructured interviews (n=20) were conducted to obtain deeper understanding. Questionnaire data were analysed using logistic regression analyses and qualitative interviews with inductive thematic analysis. Results About 30% of wage earners with T1D had concealed their condition during their working career from their colleagues and almost 20% from their line manager. Individuals aged 18–44 years age were more likely to conceal their T1D from their colleagues than older workers during their working career. Not disclosing T1D to the extended family (OR 5.24 (95% CI 2.06 to 13.35)), feeling an outsider at work (OR 2.47 (95% CI 1.58 to 3.84)), being embarrassed by receiving special attention at work (OR 1.99 (95% CI 1.33 to 2.96)) and neglecting treatment at work (OR 1.59 (95% CI 1.01 to 2.48)) were all associated with concealment of T1D from colleagues. The youngest age group of 18–24 years were more likely to conceal their T1D from their line managers than the older age groups during their working career. Not disclosing T1D to the extended family (OR 4.41 (95% CI 1.72 to 11.32)), feeling like an outsider at work (OR 2.51 (1.52 to 4.14)) and being embarrassed by receiving special attention at work (OR 1.81 (95% CI 1.13 to 2.91)) were associated with concealment of T1D from line managers. From the interviews, five main themes related to concealment emerged, expressing fears related to the consequences of telling: (1) being perceived as weak, (2) job discrimination, (3) unwanted attention, (4) being seen as a person who uses their T1D for seeking advantages and (5) losing privacy. Conclusions A considerable proportion of wage earners with T1D are concealing their diagnosis often because of feelings associated with stigma. Both overemphasis and underestimation of T1D at work by the colleagues or line manager may lead to concealing T1D and may thus be harmful to self-management of T1D. The obstacles in disclosing T1D might be diminished by giving adequate information at the workplace about the condition and its significance

Disclosure of type 1 diabetes at work among Finnish workers

© 2016 Diabetes UK.Aims: To determine which self-management factors and psychosocial work factors were associated with disclosing diabetes to colleagues, line managers and occupational health personnel among workers with Type 1 diabetes. Methods: A total of 767 working-aged respondents with Type 1 diabetes completed a Finnish cross-sectional survey named 'People with Type 1 Diabetes in Worklife'. Factor analysis was carried out, followed by logistic regressions to estimate the associations between self-management factors, psychosocial work factors and the likelihood of disclosure separately to colleagues, line managers and occupational health personnel. The models were adjusted for sociodemographic, diabetes-related and work-related variables. Results: A total of 52% of the respondents had disclosed their diabetes to their colleagues, 45% to occupational health personnel and 28% to their line manager. Receiving social support and having good psychosocial work ability were significantly associated with disclosure to colleagues, line managers and occupational health personnel. Relations at work were associated with disclosure to colleagues and the line manager. Furthermore, opportunity to self-manage diabetes at work was associated with disclosure to colleagues. Conclusions: Line managers and colleagues have a remarkable role to play in providing workplace support to workers with Type 1 diabetes. Disclosure of Type 1 diabetes should be encouraged as line managers can provide workers with the right support, implement work adaptations and facilitate job retention. As only half of respondents disclosed their Type 1 diabetes at work, further research is required into the reasons for and consequences of not disclosing a diagnosis

A Genetic Algorithm solver for pest management control in Island systems

Island conservation management is a truly multidisciplinary problem that requires considerable knowledge of the characteristics of the ecosystem, species and their interactions. Nevertheless, this can be translated into an optimisation problem. Essentially, within a limited budget, a manager needs to select the conservation actions according to expected payoffs (in terms of protecting or restoring desired species) versus cost (the amount of resources/money) required for the actions. This paper presents the problem in terms of a knapsack formulation and develops optimisation techniques to solve it. From this, decision-support software is being developed, tailored to meet the needs of pest control on islands for conservation managers. The solver uses a Genetic Algorithm and incorporates a simplified model of the problem. The solver derives strategies that reduce the number of threats, allowing the preservation of desired species. However, the problem model needs further refinement to derive truly realistic options for conservation managers