Yrittäjyysilmasto Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla:SoloENTRE ja Yrittävä kulttuuri -hankkeen tuloksia

Abstract The objectives of the SoloENTRE and entrepreneurial culture -project were based on the provincial program and the provincial entrepreneurship education strategy. The project, in cooperation with micro-entrepreneurs, business service organizations and research actors, built a new set of micro-entrepreneurship services to support growth, job creation and export. The measures will support the sustainable growth and renewal of micro-entrepreneurs. The project was financed by the Council of Oulu Region the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Finnish Structural Funds programme. The project examined the current state of the entrepreneurial climate by providing information on attitudes towards entrepreneurship and media-mediated images of entrepreneurship. The attitudes of young people, teachers, and entrepreneurs in Northern Ostrobothnia concerning entrepreneurship were examined through surveys and interviews. Media-related attitudes about entrepreneurship were examined by analysing newspaper communication. The project contributed to the entrepreneurial climate through positive communication and events together with the media and business organizations. To strengthen the entrepreneurial culture, the project created materials that encourages entrepreneurship for various virtual platforms. The project participated in a nationwide network collaboration promoting an entrepreneurial culture. The project developed services that support digitalization, community, and future work models for those who are planning or already working as entrepreneurs. In the project, business service operators created services for the self-employed. The project also developed and produced a new type of web-based maturity model for educational institutions for self-assessment and goal-oriented development of experimental cultural development and the implementation of entrepreneurship education. The core group model of MicroENTRE micro-enterprises created in Northern Ostrobothnia is a peer network of micro-entrepreneurs, which has already expanded to several provinces. There is a significant need for the sharing and peer review of the expertise of business service operators. The SoloENTRE and entrepreneurial culture -project developed network cooperation between business service providers. Through the activities, the expertise and competence of the participants was strengthened through the sharing of knowledge and experiences and peer support.Tiivistelmä SoloENTRE ja Yrittävä kulttuuri -hankkeen tavoitteet pohjautuivat maakuntaohjelmaan ja maakunnalliseen yrittäjyyskasvatusstrategiaan. Hankkeessa rakennettiin yhteistyössä yksin- ja mikroyrittäjien, yrityspalveluorganisaatioiden ja tutkimustoimijoiden kanssa uudenlainen mikroyrittäjyyden palvelukokonaisuus, jolla tuetaan yritysten kasvua, työllistämistä ja vientiä. Toimenpiteet tukevat erityisesti yksin- ja mikroyrittäjien kestävää kasvua ja uudistumista. Hankkeen päärahoittajana oli Pohjois-Pohjanmaan liitto, Euroopan Aluekehitysrahasto (EAKR) Suomen rakennerahasto-ohjelman kautta. Hankkeessa selvitettiin yrittäjyyden ilmapiirin nykytilaa tuottamalla tietoa asenteista yrittäjyyteen ja median välittämistä yrittäjyyden mielikuvista. Pohjois-Pohjanmaan nuorten, opetushenkilöstön ja yrittäjien asenteita yrittäjyyttä kohtaan selvitettiin kyselyjen ja haastattelujen kautta, lisäksi median välittämää viestiä yrittäjyydestä tutkittiin painettujen lehtien viestintää analysoimalla. Hanke vaikutti yrittäjyysilmastoon positiivisella viestinnällä ja tapahtumilla yhdessä median ja yrittäjäjärjestöjen kanssa. Yrittävää kulttuuria vahvistettiin myös tallentamalla virtuaalisille alustoille yrittäjyyteen kannustavaa aineistoa. Hanke osallistui yrittävää kulttuuria edistävään valtakunnalliseen verkostoyhteistyöhön. Hankkeessa kehitettiin digitalisaation, yhteisöllisyyden ja tulevaisuuden työnteon muodot tukevia palveluita yrittäjyyttä suunnitteleville tai jo yrittäjinä toimiville. Hankkeessa yrityspalvelutoimijat kartoittivat yritysten palvelutarpeet ja tuottivat palvelutarjontaansa erityisesti yksinyrittäjille suunnattuja palveluita. Hanke kehitti ja tuotti lisäksi yksin- ja mikroyrityksille sekä yrityspalveluorganisaatioiden käyttöön yrityksen kasvun hallinnan ja digitalisoinnin valmiuksien arvioinnin ja kehittämisen avoimet sähköiset palvelut yhdessä kohderyhmien kanssa. Hanke kehitti ja tuotti uudenlaisen verkkopohjaisen kypsyysmallin myös oppilaitoksille yrittävän kulttuurin kehittymisen ja yrittäjyyskasvatuksen toteutumisen itsearviointiin ja päämäärätietoiseen kehittämiseen. Palvelu mahdollistaa yrittäjyyskasvatuksen tavoitteellisen seurannan ja tarvittavien toimenpiteiden suuntaamisen saatujen tulosten pohjalta. Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla luotu MicroENTRE:n mikroyritysten ydinryhmämalli on mikroyrittäjien vertaisverkosto, joka on laajentunut jo useaan maakuntaan ja sille on jatkuva tarve. Toiminnan aikana on huomioitu tarve vahvistaa yrityspalvelutoimijoiden asiantuntijuuden jakamista ja vertaistoimintaa. SoloENTRE ja Yrittävä kulttuuri -hankkeessa kehitettiin yrityspalvelutoimijoiden verkostoyhteistyötä. Toiminnan kautta osallistujien asiantuntijuus ja osaaminen vahvistui tiedon ja kokemusten jakamisen sekä vertaistuen kautta

Acute impacts of the deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) infestation on reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) behaviour

Abstract Blood-sucking ectoparasites have often a strong impact on the behaviour of their hosts. The annual insect harassment of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) has increased in the southern part of the Finnish reindeer herding area because of the recent invasion of a blood-feeding ectoparasitic louse-fly, the deer ked (Lipoptena cervi). We studied the impact of the deer ked on the behaviour of reindeer. Twelve reindeer were infested with a total of 300 keds/reindeer on six occasions in a 5-week period during the deer ked flight season in autumn, while six non-infested reindeer were used as controls. Behavioural patterns indicating potential stress were monitored by visual observation from August to December. The infested reindeer displayed more incidences of restless behaviour than the controls. Shaking and scratching were the most common forms of restless behaviour after infestation of deer keds. Increased grooming was also observed after the transplantation and also later, 1 month after the infestation. Based on the results, the deer ked infestation can cause acute behavioural disturbance in reindeer and, thus, could pose a potential threat to reindeer welfare. Antiparasitic treatment with, e.g. ivermectin, may increase the welfare of parasitized reindeer by reducing deer keds. If the deer ked infestation intensity on the reindeer herding area increases and restless behaviour of reindeer becomes more common, the present results can help in further evaluation of the duration and magnitude of behavioural changes

Synovial fluid fatty acid profiles are differently altered by inflammatory joint pathologies in the shoulder and knee joints

Abstract Anomalies of fatty acid (FA) metabolism characterize osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the knee joint. No previous study has investigated the synovial fluid (SF) FA manifestations in these aging-related inflammatory diseases in the shoulder. The present experiment compared the FA alterations between the shoulder and knee joints in patients with end-stage OA or end-stage RA. SF samples were collected during glenohumeral or knee joint surgery from trauma controls and from OA and RA patients (n = 42). The FA composition of SF total lipids was analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection and compared across cohorts. The FA signatures of trauma controls were mostly uniform in both anatomical locations. RA shoulders were characterized by elevated percentages of 20:4n-6 and 22:6n-3 and with reduced proportions of 18:1n-9. The FA profiles of OA and RA knees were relatively uniform and displayed lower proportions of 18:2n-6, 22:6n-3 and total n-6 polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs). The results indicate location- and disease-dependent differences in the SF FA composition. These alterations in FA profiles and their potential implications for the production of PUFA-derived lipid mediators may affect joint lubrication, synovial inflammation and pannus formation as well as cartilage and bone degradation and contribute to the pathogeneses of inflammatory joint diseases

Characterization of hyaluronan-coated extracellular vesicles in synovial fluid of patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the major extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan with a reduced synovial fluid (SF) concentration in arthropathies. Cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) have also been proposed to contribute to pathogenesis in joint diseases. It has recently been shown that human SF contains HA-coated EV (HA–EV), but their concentration and function in joint pathologies remain unknown. Methods: The aim of the present study was to develop an applicable method based on confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and image analysis for the quantification of EV, HA-particles, and HA–EV in the SF of the human knee joint. Samples were collected during total knee replacement surgery from patients with end-stage rheumatoid arthritis (RA, n = 8) and osteoarthritis (OA, n = 8), or during diagnostic/therapeutic arthroscopy unrelated to OA/RA (control, n = 7). To characterize and quantify EV, HA-particles, and HA–EV, SF was double-stained with plasma membrane and HA probes and visualized by CLSM. Comparisons between the patient groups were performed with the Kruskal–Wallis analysis of variance. Results: The size distribution of EV and HA-particles was mostly similar in the study groups. Approximately 66% of EV fluorescence was co-localized with HA verifying that a significant proportion of EV carry HA. The study groups were clearly separated by the discriminant analysis based on the CLSM data. The intensities of EV and HA-particle fluorescences were lower in the RA than in the control and OA groups. Conclusions: CLSM analysis offers a useful tool to assess HA–EV in SF samples. The altered EV and HA intensities in the RA SF could have possible implications for diagnostics and therapy