Evidence for a Behaviourally Measurable Perseverance Trait in Humans

The aim was to create and study a possible behavioural measure for trait(s) in humans that reflect the ability and motivation to continue an unpleasant behaviour, i.e., behavioural perseverance or persistence (BP). We utilised six different tasks with 54 subjects to measure the possible BP trait(s): cold pressor task, hand grip endurance task, impossible anagram task, impossible verbal reasoning task, thread and needle task, and boring video task. The task performances formed two BP factors. Together, the two-factor solution is responsible for the common variance constituting 37.3% of the total variance in the performances i.e., performance times. Excluding the impossible anagram task, the performance in any given task was better explained by performances in the other tasks (i.e., “trait”, η2 range = 0.131–0.253) than by the rank order variable (“depletion”, i.e., getting tired from the previous tasks, η2 range = 0–0.096)

Evidence for a Behaviourally Measurable Perseverance Trait in Humans

The aim was to create and study a possible behavioural measure for trait(s) in humans that reflect the ability and motivation to continue an unpleasant behaviour, i.e., behavioural perseverance or persistence (BP). We utilised six different tasks with 54 subjects to measure the possible BP trait(s): cold pressor task, hand grip endurance task, impossible anagram task, impossible verbal reasoning task, thread and needle task, and boring video task. The task performances formed two BP factors. Together, the two-factor solution is responsible for the common variance constituting 37.3% of the total variance in the performances i.e., performance times. Excluding the impossible anagram task, the performance in any given task was better explained by performances in the other tasks (i.e., “trait”, η2 range = 0.131–0.253) than by the rank order variable (“depletion”, i.e., getting tired from the previous tasks, η2 range = 0–0.096)

Context independent reductions in external processing during self-generated episodic social cognition

Ongoing cognition supports behavioral flexibility by facilitating behavior in the moment, and through the consideration of future actions. These different modes of cognition are hypothesized to vary with the correlation between brain activity and external input, since evoked responses are reduced when cognition switches to topics unrelated to the current task. This study examined whether these reduced evoked responses change as a conse-quence of the task environment in which the experience emerges. We combined electro-encephalography (EEG) recording with multidimensional experience sampling (MDES) to assess the electrophysiological correlates of ongoing thought in task contexts which vary on their need to maintain continuous representations of task information for satisfactory performance. We focused on an event-related potential (ERP) known as the parietal P3 that had a greater amplitude in our tasks relying on greater external attention. A principal component analysis (PCA) of the MDES data revealed four patterns of ongoing thought: off-task episodic social cognition, deliberate on-task thought, imagery, and emotion. Partici-pants reported more off-task episodic social cognition and mental imagery under low external demands and more deliberate on-task thought under high external task demands. Importantly, the occurrence of off-task episodic social cognition was linked to similar re-ductions in the amplitude of the P3 regardless of external task. These data suggest the amplitude of the P3 may often be a general feature of external task-related content and suggest attentional decoupling from sensory inputs are necessary for certain types of perceptually-decoupled, self-generated thoughts.Peer reviewe

Mediaalisen etuotsalohkon kallonläpäisevän tasavirtastimulaation vaikutukset aivojen funktionaalisissa verkostoissa

Kallonläpäisevä aivojen tasavirtastimulaatio (tDCS) on tutkijoiden huomiota lähivuosina kerännyt menetelmä, jonka avulla voidaan tietyissä konteksteissa vaikuttaa aivotoimintaan ja kognitiivisiin toimintoihin. Sen on havaittu vaikuttavan joidenkin patologioiden oireisiin ja neuraalisiin ilmentymiin. Koska tutkimuksissa käytetyt protokollat eroavat toisistaan, ovat tDCS:n vaikutukset moniin aivoalueisiin tai verkostoihin kuitenkin epäselviä. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan mediaaliseen etuotsalohkoon (mPFC) suunnatun tDCS:n vaikutuksia aivojen funktionaalisiin verkostoihin lepotilassa. 36 tervettä naiskoehenkilöä jaettiin samankokoisiin ryhmiin, kontrolliryhmään sekä stimulaatioryhmään. tDCS:ää annettiin stimulaatioryhmälle kahden milliampeerin sähkövirralla. Funktionaalisten verkostojen tarkasteluun käytettiin funktionaalista magneettikuvausta (fMRI) lepotilassa ennen 20:n minuutin pituista stimulaatiosessiota sekä sen jälkeen. Funktionaaliset verkostot tunnistettiin riippumattomien komponenttien analyysin avulla (ICA) suorittamalla analyysi molempien ryhmien yhdistetylle aineistolle. Ryhmien eroja tarkasteltiin tämän jälkeen vertailemalla tDCS- ja kontrolliryhmän verkostojen painokertoimia. tDCS -ryhmässä havaittiin lisääntyneitä funktionaalisia yhteyksiä vasemmanpuoleisen anteriorisen pihtipoimun (ACC) alueella kieliverkostossa kontrolliryhmään verrattuna. ICA:ssa tunnistettiin myös posteriorinen ja anteriorinen lepotilaverkosto (engl. default mode network), dorsaalinen tarkkaavaisuusverkosto, sensorimotorinen, orbitofrontaalinen, oikean ja vasemmanpuoleinen frontoparietaalinen verkosto, mediaalinen ja lateraalinen visuaalinen verkosto, tyvitumakkeet sekä pikkuaivot. Näissä verkostoissa ei havaittu tilastollisesti merkitseviä eroja ryhmien välillä. Tutkimuksen tulokset olivat osittain samansuuntaisia aiempien tutkimusten kanssa, joissa mediaalisen etuotsalohkon stimulaation on havaittu lisäävän funktionaalisia yhteyksiä aivojen palkintojärjestelmässä. Jatkotutkimuksissa erilaisten tDCS-protokollien vaikutuksia aivoverkostoihin olisi tarpeen tarkastella systemaattisesti.Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a method that in recent years has gained the attention of researchers. In certain contexts, tDCS can be utilised in modulating brain function and cognitive performance, and it has been found to modulate symptoms and neural correlates of some pathologies. Due to differences in protocols between studies, the literature is inconclusive on the effects of tDCS on some brain areas and networks. In this study the effects of tDCS directed to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) on functional networks of the brain in resting state are examined. 36 healthy female subjects were divided into control and tDCS-groups of equal sizes. Functional networks were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in resting state before one stimulation session of 20 minutes with 2 mA current or sham stimulation, and after the session. Functional networks were identified with independent component analysis (ICA), which was performed on the set of images with both groups combined. The groups were then compared on a network level. The tDCS group showed increased functional connectivity in and around the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in language network compared to the sham group. Other networks identified by ICA that showed no statistically significant differences between groups were posterior and anterior default mode, dorsal attention, sensorimotor, orbitofrontal, left and right frontoparietal, medial and lateral visual network, basal ganglia and the cerebellum. The results of this study were partially in line with previous studies that have found increases in the functional connectivity of brain regions associated with reward processing. There is a need for systematic examination of the effects of different tDCS protocols on functional networks in future studies

Luottamuksen saavuttaminen ja ylläpitäminen tilitoimiston asiakassuhteissa

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli selvittää, millaiset tekijät vaikuttavat tilitoimiston ja asiakkaan välisen luottamuksen syntymineen sekä kuinka luottamusta ylläpidetään ja syvennetään niin, että asiakkaasta tulee pitkäaikainen kumppani, joka suosittelee tilitoimistoa myös muille yrityksille. Työn toimeksiantaja on kuopiolainen auktorisoitu tilitoimisto Yrityspalvelu Ylöset Oy, jolla on yli 30 vuoden kokemus tilitoimistopalveluiden tarjoamisesta. Tavoitteena oli selkeä ja käytännönläheinen työ toimeksiantajalle sekä tilitoimistoalasta kiinnostuneille opiskelijoille, sillä vastavalmistuneella tradenomilla ei välttämättä ole asiakkaan kohtaamiseen tarpeeksi rohkeutta ja taitoja, jotka opitaan kokemuksen kautta. Digitalisaation myötä asiantuntijapalveluiden kysyntä on suurempaa kuin ennen. Asiakkaiden ulkoistaessa taloushallintonsa tilitoimistolle on luottamuksella suuri rooli, joka on osoitettava asiakkaille. Aihe on ajankohtainen, sillä asiakaskokemuksen merkitys kilpailukeinona on korostunut yhä enemmän, eikä luottamusta ja asiakaspalvelua voida automatisoinnilla korvata. Työ alkaa kertomalla tilitoimistoalasta yleisesti sekä digitalisaation vaikutuksista tilitoimistojen asiantuntijapalveluihin ja kirjanpitäjien työnkuvaan. Seuraavaksi tutkimusta pohjustetaan teorialla asiakaskokemuksesta, siihen sisältyvästä asiakaspalvelusta sekä asiakassuhteista. Sen jälkeen käsitellään luottamusta teoriassa ja kerrotaan tilitoimistojen asiakkaiden kokemuksia ja ajatuksia yrityksen ja tilitoimiston väliseen luottamukseen liittyen, johon aineisto kerättiin laadullisena tutkimuksena käyttäen menetelmänä haastatteluja. Opinnäytetyö päättyy tutkimuksen johtopäätöksiin ja pohdintoihin koko prosessista. Tutkimustuloksista selvisi, että luottamuksen syntymiseen vaikuttavat monet tekijät, kuten kirjanpitäjän kokemus ja ammattitaito, aikaisemmat pitkäaikaiset asiakassuhteet, suositukset sekä erityisesti vuorovaikutuksen sujuminen. Luottamuksen syveneminen vie aikaa ja vaatii konkreettisia tekoja. Tärkeintä on annettujen lupausten pitäminen ja vastavuoroisuus sekä se, että suhteesta on hyötyä molemmille osapuolille. Virheen tekeminen ei automaattisesti tarkoita luottamuksen menettämistä, jos sitä ei yritetä salata ja piilottaa. Virheen tapahtuessa täytyy olla avoin ja korjata asia mahdollisimman tehokkaasti. Luottamuspula kohdistuu usein asioihin ja osaamiseen, jota asiakkaalla ei ole ja josta hän sen vuoksi maksaa tilitoimistolle.The primary objective of this thesis project was to examine which factors affect building trust between an accounting company and its customer and how to maintain and deepen it in a way that the customer becomes a long-term partner recommending the accounting company to other companies. This thesis was implemented in partnership with authorized accounting company Yrityspalvelu Ylöset. Yrityspalvelu Ylöset is based in Kuopio and it has over 30 years experience in accounting services. The viewpoint for this thesis is approachable and pragmatic so it can be useful for accounting companies and students interested in customer service. The demand for accounting services has been growing due to digitalization. Trust has a significant role when a customer is outsourcing its financial administration activities and the accounting company has to be able to show it to the customers. This is a topical issue because the significance of customer experience has become more important and trust and customer service can not be replaced with automatization. The research starts by introducing the field of accounting services and the effects of digitalization on the services and on the work of an accountant. In addition, the theory of customer experience and customer services is explained. After that, the theory of trust and the experiences and opinions of the customers are presented. The customer opinions were collected through a qualitative research applying interviews as the research method. Finally, the conclusions of the research conducted are presented. Based on the results of the thesis, it can be stated that for example the experience of the accountant, previous long-term customer relationships, recommendations and especially the communication between the accounting company and the customer impact building trust. Furthermore, deepening trust takes time and requires concrete actions. Keeping promises and the relationship being mutually beneficial to the accounting company and the customer are crucial elements in building trust. Similarly, making mistakes does not always mean losing trust if the accounting company tries to correct the mistake and admits it. Trust issues usually occure in situations where the customer is dependent on the knowledge of the accounting company

Baculovirus-mediated Gene Delivery and RNAi Applications

Baculoviruses are widely encountered in nature and a great deal of data is available about their safety and biology. Recently, these versatile, insect-specific viruses have demonstrated their usefulness in various biotechnological applications including protein production and gene transfer. Multiple in vitro and in vivo studies exist and support their use as gene delivery vehicles in vertebrate cells. Recently, baculoviruses have also demonstrated high potential in RNAi applications in which several advantages of the virus make it a promising tool for RNA gene transfer with high safety and wide tropism

Baculovirus-mediated Gene Delivery and RNAi Applications

Baculoviruses are widely encountered in nature and a great deal of data is available about their safety and biology. Recently, these versatile, insect-specific viruses have demonstrated their usefulness in various biotechnological applications including protein production and gene transfer. Multiple in vitro and in vivo studies exist and support their use as gene delivery vehicles in vertebrate cells. Recently, baculoviruses have also demonstrated high potential in RNAi applications in which several advantages of the virus make it a promising tool for RNA gene transfer with high safety and wide tropism

A measure for assessment of beneficial and harmful fortitude:development and initial validation of the Sisu Scale

Sisu is a Finnish cultural concept that denotes determination and resoluteness in the face of adversity. We propose that sisu will supplement the English-language based research on mental fortitude traits. Sisu has not been the focus of systematic research until very recently. We created a new questionnaire measuring sisu (the Sisu Scale), sought to validate the sisu construct and its sub-factor structure as postulated in a recent qualitative study. We investigated associations of sisu with other measures of mental fortitude and well-being. More generally we aimed to enrichen the cross-cultural understanding of human experience of overcoming adversity across life's challenges. We describe and validate a questionnaire that effectively measures both beneficial and harmful sisu, each comprising three sub-factors. Beneficial sisu was associated with other measures of fortitude, but less with personality dimensions. We also confirmed the existence of an independent harmful sisu factor. Beneficial sisu was associated with higher well-being and lower depressive symptoms, and harmful sisu with lower well-being and higher levels of general stress, work stress and depressive symptoms. Together the two factors were superior compared to pre-existing measures when predicting well-being-related variables. Results suggest that the new Sisu Scale we developed may provide a valuable addition to research on mental fortitude, resilience and their consequences for well-being.</p