Platformed Interactions : How Social Media Platforms Relate to Candidate-Constituent Interaction During Finnish 2015 Election Campaigning

Interaction between candidates and constituents via social media is a well-studied domain. The article takes this research further through a synthesis with platform studies, emerging scholarship that applies a critical perspective to the role of digital platforms in society. Examination of candidate-constituent interaction via Twitter and Facebook during the 2015 Finnish parliamentary elections revealed that the types of interaction differ between the two platforms: Facebook was used for formal campaigning and for praising and expressing support, while Twitter was utilized for information and for seeking and sharing opinions. An additional finding is that interaction approaches may be platform-specific, with socio-emotional functions being employed more often by candidates than constituents on Facebook while no such difference existed for Twitter. On the basis of the implication that platforms have a critical role in the nature of candidate-constituent social media interaction, we discuss the implications of platformed interaction for the democratic process, suggesting that campaign strategy may exploit it in ways that may even necessitate regulation. Furthermore, scholars of social media interaction might need to consider the broader ramifications of the findings, and contributions to theory that acknowledge platforms' part in interaction may be needed.Peer reviewe

Formation of canker lesions on stems and black scurf on tubers in experimentally inoculated potato plants by isolates of AG2-1, AG3 and AG5 of Rhizoctonia solani: a pilot study and literature review

Development of black scurf on potato tubers (cv. Nicola) was compared in plants inoculated with isolates of Rhizoctonia solani of three anastomosis groups (AG2-1, AG3 and AG5) which occur in potato crops in Finland. All isolates induced stem canker lesions but only isolates of AG3 formed efficiently black scurf on progeny tubers. Among the AG2-1 and AG5 isolates tested, only one AG2-1 isolate formed a few sclerotia on 13.5 % of the progeny tubers in one experiment. The data indicate that isolates of AG3 differ from those of AG2-1 and AG5 in having a higher ability to form sclerotia on tubers. Therefore, while AG2-1 and AG5 isolates have a broader host range, AG3 is more efficient in producing black scurf, which provides this anastomosis group with more efficient means of dissemination on seed potatoes. These differences probably explain the predominance of AG3 (98.9 % of isolates) in potato crops in Finland and other northern potato production areas

Functional characterization of a highly specific l-arabinose transporter from Trichoderma reesei

BACKGROUND Lignocellulose biomass has been investigated as a feedstock for second generation biofuels and other value-added products. Some of the processes for biofuel production utilize cellulases and hemicellulases to convert the lignocellulosic biomass into a range of soluble sugars before fermentation with microorganisms such as yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One of these sugars is L-arabinose, which cannot be utilized naturally by yeast. The first step in L-arabinose catabolism is its transport into the cells, and yeast lacks a specific transporter, which could perform this task. RESULTS We identified Trire2_104072 of Trichoderma reesei as a potential L-arabinose transporter based on its expression profile. This transporter was described already in 2007 as D-xylose transporter XLT1. Electrophysiology experiments with Xenopus laevis oocytes and heterologous expression in yeast revealed that Trire2_104072 is a high-affinity L-arabinose symporter with a Km value in the range of [Formula: see text] 0.1-0.2 mM. It can also transport D-xylose but with low affinity (Km [Formula: see text] 9 mM). In yeast, L-arabinose transport was inhibited slightly by D-xylose but not by D-glucose in an assay with fivefold excess of the inhibiting sugar. Comparison with known L-arabinose transporters revealed that the expression of Trire2_104072 enabled yeast to uptake L-arabinose at the highest rate in conditions with low extracellular L-arabinose concentration. Despite the high specificity of Trire2_104072 for L-arabinose, the growth of its T. reesei deletion mutant was only affected at low L-arabinose concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Due to its high affinity for L-arabinose and low inhibition by D-glucose or D-xylose, Trire2_104072 could serve as a good candidate for improving the existing pentose-utilizing yeast strains. The discovery of a highly specific L-arabinose transporter also adds to our knowledge of the primary metabolism of T. reesei. The phenotype of the deletion strain suggests the involvement of other transporters in L-arabinose transport in this species

Seittisienen tartunta aktivoi systeemisen puolustusvasteen perunan iduissa

Perunaseitti on yksi tärkeimmistä taudeista, joka vähentää perunan satoa ja sadon laatua. Seittisieni(Rhizoctonia solani) säilyy siemenperunan pinnalla seittirupena ja maassa rihmastopahkoina, joistatartunta saa alkunsa. Taudin ensimmäinen vaihe ilmenee perunan idunkärkien kuolemisena, itujenhaaroittumisena ja taimettumisen myöhästymisenä. Taimettuneiden varsien maanalaisiin osiin jää taudinnäkyväksi merkiksi versolaikkuja. Miksi osa iduista pystyy kuitenkin tartunnasta huolimatta taimettumaan,on epäselvää. Tämän ilmiön tarkempi ymmärtäminen voisi edesauttaa perunaseitin haittavaikutustenlievittämistä kasvukauden alussa.Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, aiheuttaako seittisienen tartunta puolustusreaktioitaperunan iduissa. Mukulat idätettiin pimeässä olosuhteiltaan kontrolloidussa kasvatuskaapissa, jossalämpötila vastasi taimettumisen kannalta suotuisia peltooloja.Olosuhteet suosivat myös seittisienenaiheuttaman versolaikun syntymistä. Koejärjestelyssä perunan idun alaosa tartutettiin seittisienellä. Idunyläosa eristettiin alaosasta muovikauluksella, jonka tarkoitus oli estää sienirihman kasvaminen erittäininfektioalttiiseen idun kärkeen. Perunan geenien ilmentymistä idun kärkiosassa tutkittiinmikrosiruanalyysillä 48 ja 120 tuntia alaosan tartutuksen jälkeen. Analyysissä voitiin havainnoidasamanaikaisesti n. 10,000 geenin ilmentymistä (noin kolmannes perunan kaikista geeneistä).Tulokset osoittivat, että suuri määrä kasvien taudinkestävyyteen liittyviä geenejä aktivoitui itujenkärjissä, kun idun tyviosa tartutettiin seittisienellä. Nämä systeemiset puolustusvasteet olivat selvästisienen aiheuttamia, sillä iduissa, joita ei tartutettu, samanlaista puolustuksen aktivoitumista ei tapahtunut.Rinnakkaisissa kokeissa tartutettiin idun kärkeä seittisienellä sen jälkeen, kun tyviosa oli tartutettu. Näissäiduissa kärjen havaittiin olevan huomattavasti kestävämpi seittitartunnalle kuin iduissa, joiden tyviosaa eiollut ensin tartutettu seittisienellä. Kokeiden tulokset osoittivat, että perunan luontaiset puolustusreaktiotkäynnistyvät seittisieni-infektionaikana, mikä selittänee, miksi osa iduista selviytyy seittitartunnasta japystyy taimettumaan. Näiden reaktioiden hyödynnettävyyttä seitintorjunnassa ei ole aiemmin tutkittu

Tiedonhallinnan prosessimallin hyödyntäminen sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon tiedonhallintaa koskevissa tutkimuksissa

Scientific research is based on a selected theory or a theoretical model which also will serve a basis for reviewing the results. Information management cycle has been used as a theoretical model in social and health care studies, but gathered information on the usability of the model in social and health care research has been lacking. The aim of this study is to reduce this lack of information. A descriptive literature review was used and in total 16 social and health care studies were selected for the study. Information management cycle was used to review the results and to develop new information management models. The studies were mainly qualitative and informants mainly social and health care professionals. Information from data warehouses was used only in three studies. Studies results were reviewed according to information management cycle. The use of information was mainly reviewed in the studies were results were reviewed according to every phase of the information management cycle or in which also information needs and/or information acquisition were reviewed. This study showed that information management cycle is well applicable in social and health care studies. This study also showed that social- and health care information management research needs more quantitative and register research. This article reviewed studies, dissertations and master’s theses which had been carried out in social and health care context and in which information management cycle was used.Tieteellisessä tutkimuksessa tietoa tarkastellaan valitun teorian tai teorian muodostamisen apuvälineenä toimivan teoreettisen mallin näkökulmasta. Sosiaali- ja terveydenhuoltoon kohdistuvassa tutkimuksessa on hyödynnetty tiedonhallinnan prosessimallia, mutta koottu tieto mallin hyödynnettävyydestä tai sovellettavuudesta alalla tehtävään tutkimukseen on puuttunut. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on paikata tätä olemassa olevaa tietovajetta. Menetelmänä tässä tutkimuksessa käytettiin kuvailevaa kirjallisuuskatsausta ja tutkimukseen valittiin yhteensä 16 sosiaali- ja terveydenhuoltoon kohdistuvaa tutkimusta. Nämä olivat sosiaali- ja terveydenhuoltoon kohdistuvia väitöskirjoja ja pro gradututkielmia, joissa tutkittavaa kohdetta on lähestytty tiedonhallinnan prosessimallin kautta. Tutkimuksissa tiedonhallinnan prosessimallia oli hyödynnetty teoreettisena viitekehyksenä sekä uusien mallien luomisessa. Suurin osa tutkimuksista oli menetelmiltään laadullisia ja tiedonantajat koostuivat pääosin sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon ammattihenkilöistä. Tietovarannoissa olevaa tietoa oli hyödynnetty kolmessa tutkimuksessa. Tutkimusten tuloksia oli tarkasteltu tiedonhallinnan prosessimallin mukaisesti. Tarkastelua tiedon hyödyntämisen osalta oli tehty lähinnä sellaisissa tutkimuksissa, joissa tuloksia oli tarkasteltu kokonaisuudessaan mallin mukaisesti tai joissa tarkastelun kohteena olivat tiedon hyödyntämisen lisäksi tiedontarpeet ja/tai tiedon hankinta. Tutkimustulosten perusteella tiedonhallinnan prosessimalli soveltuu hyvin eri aiheisiin sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon tiedonhallintaan kohdistuviin tutkimuksiin. Lisäksi havaittiin se, että sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon tiedonhallinnan tutkimusta tulee kohdistaa enemmän tiedon hyödyntämisen ja toiminnan mukauttamisen vaiheisiin sekä lisätä laadullisen tutkimuksen rinnalle määrällistä ja rekisteritutkimusta

Common features and interesting differences in transcriptional responses to secretion stress in the fungi Trichoderma reesei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND: Secretion stress is caused by compromised folding, modification or transport of proteins in the secretory pathway. In fungi, induction of genes in response to secretion stress is mediated mainly by the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway. This study aims at uncovering transcriptional responses occurring in the filamentous fungi Trichoderma reesei exposed to secretion stress and comparing these to those found in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RESULTS: Chemostat cultures of T. reesei expressing human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and batch bioreactor cultures treated with dithiothreitol (DTT) to prevent correct protein folding were analysed with cDNA subtraction and cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) experiments. ESTs corresponding to 457 unique genes putatively induced under secretion stress were isolated and the expression pattern of 60 genes was confirmed by Northern analysis. Expression of these genes was also studied in a strain over-expressing inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IREI) protein, a sensor for the UPR pathway. To compare the data with that of S. cerevisiae, published transcriptome profiling data on various stress responses in S. cerevisiae was reanalysed. The genes up-regulated in response to secretion stress included a large number of secretion related genes in both organisms. In addition, analysis of T. reesei revealed up regulation of the cpc1 transcription factor gene and nucleosomal genes. The induction of the cpcA and histone gene H4 were shown to be induced also in cultures of Aspergillus nidulans treated with DTT. CONCLUSION: Analysis of the genes induced under secretion stress has revealed novel features in the stress response in T. reesei and in filamentous fungi. We have demonstrated that in addition to the previously rather well characterised induction of genes for many ER proteins or secretion related proteins also other types of responses exist

Comparison of Spatially and Nonspatially Explicit Nonlinear Mixed Effects Models for Norway Spruce Individual Tree Growth under Single-Tree Selection

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