Kielimaisema Oulun yliopistossa

Tiivistelmä. Tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa tarkastelen kielimaisemaa Oulun yliopiston Linnanmaan kampuksen tiloissa. Tarkasteltavana ovat yliopistokampuksen pääväylän ja tieto- ja sähkötekniikan tiedekunnan tietotekniikan osaston käytävät. Tutkin kielimaiseman rakentumista ja monikielisyyden ilmenemistä käytäville kiinnitettyjen kylttien kautta. Kyltit ovat kielimaisematutkimuksen määritelmän mukaan erilaisia julkisen tilan tekstejä, kuten ilmoituksia, opasteita, tienviittoja tai mainoksia. Kielimaisematutkimus on monikielisyystutkimuksen suuntaus. Kielimaisematutkimuksessa tarkastellaan kielten käyttöä julkisten tilojen kylteissä. Aineisto koostuu kylteistä otetuista valokuvista. Aineistona ovat yliopiston viralliset kyltit, jotka voivat olla yksi- tai monikielisiä. Tavoitteenani on selvittää, mitä kieliä kielimaisemassa käytetään ja millaisia tehtäviä niillä on yliopiston kylteissä. Olen luokitellut kyltit käytettyjen kielten ja genren mukaan. Genren kautta tarkastelen kielten tehtäviä kylteissä. Samalla selvitän kielten hallitsevuussuhteita. Tämän lisäksi tarkastelen englannin kielen käyttöä kielimaisemassa. Tarkastelen kylttejä kielimaisematutkimuksen menetelmin. Tuloksista käy ilmi, että kielimaisema rakentuu suomesta ja englannista. Pääväylän alueella suomenkieliset ja monikieliset kyltit ovat yleisiä. Monikielisissä kylteissä käytetään suomea ja englantia. Tämä kertoo yliopiston kansainvälisyydestä ja monikielisyyden tukemisesta. Monikielisen viestinnän tehtävä on tehdä yliopiston viestinnästä mahdollisimman saavutettavaa. Kansainvälinen yliopisto käyttää englantia viestinnässään. Englannin tehtävä on toimia yhteisenä laajemman viestinnän kielenä. Kieliä käytetään yliopiston tapahtumista, aukioloajoista ja ohjeistuksista ilmoittavissa kylteissä. Englannin kielen yleistyvä käyttö näkyy selkeästi tieto- ja sähkötekniikan tiedekunnan tietotekniikan osastolla. Yksikieliset englanninkieliset kyltit ovat alueella yleisiä. Englanti onkin hallitsevassa asemassa tietotekniikan osastolla. Alueella englannin käyttö on yleistä erityisesti tieteenalan tutkimuksista tiedottavissa kylteissä. Englannin kieli näkyy yhteisenä kansainvälisen viestinnän kielenä Oulun yliopiston kielimaisemassa

Water-soluble full-length single-wall carbon nanotube polyelectrolytes: Preparation and characterization

HiPco single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been noncovalently modified with ionic pyrene and naphthalene derivatives to prepare water-soluble SWNT polyelectrolytes (SWNT-PEs), which are analogous to polyanions and polycations. The modified nanotubes have been characterized with UV-vis-NIR, fluorescence, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nanotube-adsorbate interactions consist of π-π stacking interactions between the aromatic core of the adsorbate and the nanotube surface and specific contributions because of the substituents. The interaction between nanotubes and adsorbates also involves charge transfer from adsorbates to SWNTs, and with naphthalene sulfonates the role of a free amino group was important. The ionic surface charge density of the modified SWNTs is constant and probably controlled by electrostatic repulsion between like charges. The linear ionic charge density of the modified SWNTs is similar to that of common highly charged polyelectrolytes

Biodiversity conservation across scales: lessons from a science–policy dialogue

One of the core challenges of biodiversity conservation is to better understand the interconnectedness and interactions of scales in ecological and governance processes. These interrelationships constitute not only a complex analytical challenge but they also open up a channel for deliberative discussions and knowledge exchange between and among various societal actors which may themselves be operating at various scales, such as policy makers, land use planners, members of NGOs, and researchers. In this paper, we discuss and integrate the perspectives of various disciplines academics and stakeholders who participated in a workshop on scales of European biodiversity governance organised in Brussels in the autumn of 2010. The 23 participants represented various governmental agencies and NGOs from the European, national, and sub-national levels. The data from the focus group discussions of the workshop were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The core scale-related challenges of biodiversity policy identified by the participants were cross-level and cross-sector limitations as well as ecological, social and social-ecological complexities that potentially lead to a variety of scale-related mismatches. As ways to address these cha- llenges the participants highlighted innovations, and an aim to develop new interdisciplinary approaches to support the processes aiming to solve current scale challenges

Going carless in different urban fabrics: socio-demographics of household car ownership

Diverse physical features of urban areas alongside socio-demographic characteristics affect car ownership, and hence the daily mobility choices. As a case of sustainable mobility, we explore how various urban environments and socio-demographics associate with the spatial and social distribution of household car ownership and carlessness in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. Three urban fabrics characterizing the study area are established based on the transportation mode (walking, public transportation, or automobile) the physical urban environment primarily supports. The national level Monitoring System of Spatial Structure and Urban Form database, and the National Travel Survey (2016) are utilized to further include spatial and socio-demographic variables into our analysis across these fabrics. Our results show that households with and without cars differ in terms of residential distance to the city center, neighborhood density, house type, and socio-demographic profiles. Single pensioners and students are most likely to be carless, whereas families represent the opposite. Within the carless households the differences are also evident between different groups. For the more affluent households residing in dense and well-connected areas, and mostly possessing driver's licenses, carlessness is presumably a choice. Contrarily, many other carless households represent the less affluent often located in the more distant, low-density, and less accessible areas, while also possessing less driver's licenses, making carlessness more of a constraint, as the local urban fabric does not support such lifestyle. Consequently, carless households should be increasingly recognized as a focus group in sustainable urban planning in terms of identifiable best practices and potential vulnerability

Critical care workers have lower seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG compared with non-patient facing staff in first wave of COVID19

With the first 2020 surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, many health care workers (HCW) were re-deployed to critical care environments to support intensive care teams to look after high numbers of patients with severe COVID-19. There was considerable anxiety of increased risk of COVID19 for staff working in these environments. Using a multiplex platform to assess serum IgG responses to SARS-CoV-2 N, S and RBD proteins, and detailed symptom reporting, we screened over 500 HCW (25% of the total workforce) in a quaternary level hospital to explore the relationship between workplace and evidence of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Whilst 45% of the cohort reported symptoms that they consider may have represented COVID-19, overall seroprevalence was 14% with anosmia and fever being the most discriminating symptoms for seropositive status. There was a significant difference in seropositive status between staff working in clinical and non-clinical roles (9% patient facing critical care, 15% patient facing non-critical care, 22% nonpatient facing). In the seropositive cohort, symptom severity increased with age for men and not for women. In contrast, there was no relationship between symptom severity and age or sex in the seronegative cohort reporting possible COVID-19 symptoms. Of the 12 staff screened PCR positive (10 symptomatic), 3 showed no evidence of seroconversion in convalescence. Conclusion The current approach to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) appears highly effective in protecting staff from patient acquired infection in the critical care environment including protecting staff managing interhospital transfers of COVID-19 patients. The relationship between seroconversion and disease severity in different demographics warrants further investigation. Longitudinally paired virological and serological surveillance, with symptom reporting are urgently required to better understand the role of antibody in the outcome of HCW exposure during subsequent waves of COVID-19 in health care environments

Networks at the science-policy-interface : Challenges, opportunities and the viability of the ‘network-of-networks’ approach

An approach that has been suggested as potentially addressing the challenges of science-policy-interfaces (SPIs) is the mobilization of existing networks through a ‘network-of-networks’ (NoN) approach. This paper shares empirical findings from a mixed-method study, combining qualitative and quantitative data, that critically evaluates the ‘network-of-networks’ approach for SPIs. To establish whether and how a NoN can help existing networks act more effectively at the boundary of science and policy, we use the Eklipse Mechanism as a key example. We analyse the major characteristics of networks active in biodiversity-focused science-policy interactions, the potential roles and types of engagement of participants, and the major challenges faced by networks and individuals when acting at the boundaries of science and policy. Results suggest that the more diverse the actors involved, the more effective the SPI. While a formalized EU-level SPI for biodiversity is welcomed by most respondents, willingness and actual potential to contribute to such an entity differed amongst networks, highlighting that contributions to SPIs are highly dependent on individual and organizational capacities. The challenges faced by individuals and networks range from limited resources to effective communication and achieving meaningful impact even if the institutional context is unrewarding. To make a ‘network-of-networks’ model fully operational requires meeting the capacity building needs of networks, providing institutional support, and creating room for wider engagement

Incidence Trends for SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Beta Variants, Finland, Spring 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Alpha and Beta variants became dominant in Finland in spring 2021 but had diminished by summer. We used phylogenetic clustering to identify sources of spreading. We found that outbreaks were mostly seeded by a few introductions, highlighting the importance of surveillance and prevention policies