Terve Eesti Sihtasutuse "Alkoholisõltumatuse" ennetusprogrammi turunduskommunikatsioon ettevõtetele

Title: Marketing and business communication for Health Estonia’s “Alcohol independence” prevention program. The purpose of this thesis was to create an action plan for Health Estonia Foundation to introduce “Alcohol independence” prevention program. This thesis also presents recommendations for long-term marketing communications and strategic planning. The main goal was to attract the public and business representatives by promoting workplace-based alcohol prevention program. The reason why such program is held in workplace is because most of the target group is at working age and workplace seminars help to reach their families as well. In order to explore working parents’ attitudes on issues concerning alcohol consumption and, consequently, the design of family practice, a focus group interview was conducted with parents who had 7-8 year old children. The results showed that the interviewees felt particularly the lack of practical tips and suggestions on how to act and be a role model as an adult. Feedback and recommendations were also gathered from business managers, who have already been involved in prevention programs. The results showed that although there are some fears at first, the unique selling point is an unusual theme and interesting seminars that provide important information and practical tips for parents, that should be used in communication to attract other businesses to take part as well. Overall, this thesis provided analysis and a short-term action plan for public participation in prevention programs, opportunities and benefits of raising awareness, reducing the harm caused by alcohol abuse, long-term recommendations and thus helped to find a way to fulfill organisations goals.http://tartu.ester.ee/record=b2621254~S1*es

I klassi õpilaste teadlikkus online-riskidest ning vanemate käitumispraktikad laste internetikasutuse kujundamisel Tartu koolide näitel

Awareness of online risks among I grade pupils and parents’ behavioural practises in mediating their children’s Internet use based on Tartu shcools. Key words: Internet risks, online risks, children and Internet, parental mediation The main objective of this bachelor thesis was to map the knowledge and attitudes about Internet risks among 1st grade pupils in Estonia. In addition, to find out what are parents’ behavioural practises and strategies in mediating their children’s Internet usage. The paper surveys mainly: • How do 7-8 year old children use the Internet? The aim of this research question is to find out where, how often and for what reason do children use the Internet. • How do children understand online risks? It is important to know how much do children know about online risks and to what extent can they interpret online material. • What are children’s reactions to experiencing online risks? Do children share their problem with somebody or prefer to ignore it? • What kind of expectations do children and their parents have for the Internet? • What kind of strategies do parents use in mediating their children’s Internet usage? Since the use of the Internet is becoming an increasingly popular pastime, particularly among children and young people, it offers many benefits to its users. The reality is that there are also serious risks which children must be made aware of. The trend is, however, that teenagers are the most heavily studied age group due to their higher level use of the Internet. However, researchers (Hasebrink et al 2009) have highlighted the need for more studies focusing on younger children, especially those aged eight or younger. As Estonia belongs to the group of countries with high Internet usage, where more that 85% of children use the Internet, and at the same time among the countries with high level of Internet risk, it is important to focus on researching the awareness of online risks among the young users also. The theoretical and empirical part of this study give an overview of children and the information and consumer society, children’s Internet usage, presents the classification of online risks and opportunities, important agents in influencing children’s Internet use and parents’ strategies in mediating their children’s use of the Internet. In addition, it presents briefly the framework of Internet regulation topic and also gives an overview of up to date and representative research material concerning the subject. In order to gather empirical data on above mentioned matter a qualitative research method – in-depth interviews - was used among 16 first grade pupils from Estonia. In order to enhance this paper a quantitative research method – online questionnaire - was also used to collect data from parents of the 1st grade pupils. In-depth interviews revealed that 7-8 year old pupils use the Internet regularly for playing online games. One of the most surprising findings was the fact that children use the Internet under no supervision by their parents nor have they experienced any other restrictions (except from the time they can spend on the Internet). The most important findings included the fact that children considered different technological viruses as the main online risks but only a few had heard about giving out personal information or meeting an online contact offline, however those appear to be among the most dangerous risks. Due to the limited sample of this study, it is not possible to make an overall conclusion on the Internet risk awareness among Estonian children. Nevertheless, while children are discovering new ways of using the Internet and acquiring new skills and experiences, the increase in the awareness of safe Internet use is crucial.http://tartu.ester.ee/record=b2510594~S1*es

The spatial distribution patterns of condensed phase post-blast explosive residues formed during detonation

The continued usage of explosive devices, as well as the ever growing threat of ‘dirty’ bombs necessitates a comprehensive understanding of particle dispersal during detonation events in order to develop effectual methods for targeting explosive and/or additive remediation efforts. Herein, the distribution of explosive analytes from controlled detonations of aluminised ammonium nitrate and an RDX-based explosive composition were established by systematically sampling sites positioned around each firing. This is the first experimental study to produce evidence that the post-blast residue mass can distribute according to an approximate inverse-square law model, while also demonstrating for the first time that distribution trends can vary depending on individual analytes. Furthermore, by incorporating blast-wave overpressure measurements, high-speed imaging for fireball volume recordings, and monitoring of environmental conditions, it was determined that the principle factor affecting all analyte dispersals was the wind direction, with other factors affecting specific analytes to varying degrees. The dispersal mechanism for explosive residue is primarily the smoke cloud, a finding which in itself has wider impacts on the environment and fundamental detonation theory

A Light‐Induced Decarboxylative‐Elimination of Substituted Maleimides as a Strategy Towards Triggered Photorelease

Herein we report on photodecarboxylations of various substituted maleimides, resulting in an elimination reaction. Furthermore, we establish facile wavelength tunability through modulation of the maleimide double bond substituents. We envisage that these versatile reagents, which are readily constructed and diversified by nucleophilic substitution reactions on bromomaleimides, will offer new opportunities for triggered photorelease

Antibiotic resistance genes and the association with bacterial community in biofilms occurring during the drinking water granular activated carbon (GAC) sandwich biofiltration

The granular activated carbon (GAC) sandwich modification to slow sand filtration could be considered as a promising technology for improved drinking water quality. Biofilms developed on sand and GAC surfaces are expected to show a functional diversity during the biofiltration. Bench-scale GAC sandwich biofilters were set-up and run continuously with and without antibiotic exposure. Surface sand (the schmutzdecke) and GAC biofilms were sampled and subject to high-throughput qPCR for antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) analysis and 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Similar diversity of ARG profile was found in both types of biofilms, suggesting that all ARG categories decreased in richness along the filter bed. In general, surface sand biofilm remained the most active layer with regards to the richness and abundance of ARGs, where GAC biofilms showed slightly lower ARG risks. Network analysis suggested that 10 taxonomic genera were implicated as possible ARG hosts, among which Nitrospira, Methyloversatilis and Methylotenera showed the highest correlation. Overall, this study was the first attempt to consider the whole structure of the GAC sandwich biofilter and results from this study could help to further understand the persistence of ARGs and their association with the microbial community in drinking water biofiltration system

Unearthing the unique stability of thiophosphonium-C-terminal cysteine adducts on peptides and proteins

Herein we report a fundamental discovery on the use of tris(dialkylamino)phosphine reagents for peptide and protein modification. We discovered that C-terminal thiophosphonium species, which are uniquely stable, could be selectively and rapidly generated from their disulfide counterparts. In sharp and direct contrast, internal thiophosphonium species rapidly degrade to dehydroalanine. We demonstrate this remarkable chemoselectivity on a bis-cysteine model peptide, and the formation of a stable C-terminal-thiophosphonium adduct on an antibody fragment, as well as characterise the species in various small molecule/peptide studies

LC-MS analysis to determine the biodistribution of a polymer coated ilomastat ocular implant

Ilomastat is a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor (MMPi) that has shown the potential to inhibit scarring (fibrosis) by mediating healing after injury or surgery. A long lasting ocular implantable pharmaceutical formulation of ilomastat is being developed to mediate the healing process to prevent scarring after glaucoma filtration surgery. The ilomastat implant was coated with water permeable and biocompatible phosphoryl choline polymer (PC1059) displayed extended slow release of ilomastat in vitro and in vivo. The ocular distribution of ilomastat from the implant in rabbits at day 30 post surgery was determined by the extraction of ilomastat and its internal standard marimastat from the ocular tissues, plasma, aqueous humour and vitreous fluid followed by capillary-flow liquid chromatography (cap-LC), the column effluent was directed into a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in product scan mode. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) were 0.3 pg/μL for ocular fluids and plasma, and 3 pg/mg for ocular tissues. The extraction recoveries were 90-95% for ilomastat and its internal standard from ocular tissues. Ilomastat was found in ocular fluids and tissues at day 30 after surgery. The level of ilomastat was 18 times higher in the aqueous humour than vitreous humour. The concentration ranking of ilomastat in the ocular tissues was sclera > bleb conjunctiva > conjunctiva (rest of the eye) > cornea. Mass spectrometry analysis to confirm the presence of ilomastat in the ocular tissues and fluids at day 30 post-surgery establishes the extended release of ilomastat can be achieved in vivo, which is crucial information for optimisation of the ilomastat coated implant

Identification of diverse lipid‐binding modes in the groove of zinc α2 glycoprotein reveals its functional versatility

ZAG is a multifunctional glycoprotein with a class I MHC-like protein fold and an α1-α2 lipid-binding groove. The intrinsic ZAG ligand is unknown. Our previous studies showed that ZAG binds the dansylated C11 fatty acid, DAUDA, differently to the boron dipyrromethane C16 fatty acid, C16-BODIPY. Here, the molecular basis for this difference was elucidated. Multi-wavelength analytical ultracentrifugation confirmed that DAUDA and C16-BODIPY individually bind to ZAG and compete for the same binding site. Molecular docking of lipid-binding in the structurally related Cluster of differentiation 1 proteins predicted nine conserved ligand contact residues in ZAG. Twelve mutants were accordingly created by alanine scanning site directed mutagenesis for characterisation. Mutation of Y12 caused ZAG to misfold. Mutation of K147, R157 and A158 abrogated C16-BODIPY but not DAUDA binding. L69 and T169 increased the fluorescence emission intensity of C16-BODIPY but not of DAUDA compared to wild-type ZAG and showed that C16-BODIPY binds close to T169 and L69. Distance measurements of the crystal structure revealed K147 forms a salt bridge with D83. A range of bioactive bulky lipids including phospholipids and sphingolipids displaced DAUDA from the ZAG binding site but unexpectedly did not displace C16-BODIPY. We conclude that the ZAG α1-α2 groove contains separate but overlapping sites for DAUDA and C16-BODIPY and is involved in binding to a bulkier and wider repertoire of lipids than previously reported. This work suggested that the in vivo activity of ZAG may be dictated by its lipid ligand

Zero to eight : young children and their internet use

EU Kids Online has spent seven years investigating 9-16 year olds’ engagement with the internet, focusing on the benefits and risks of children’s internet use. While this meant examining the experiences of much younger children than had been researched before EU Kids Online began its work in 2006, there is now a critical need for information about the internet-related behaviours of 0-8 year olds. EU Kids Online’s research shows that children are now going online at a younger and younger age, and that young children’s “lack of technical, critical and social skills may pose [a greater] risk” (Livingstone et al, 2011, p. 3).peer-reviewe