Attitudes of Finnish students towards immigrants

Traditionally Finland has been the losing party in migration. During the last hundred years about 600.000 Finns have emigrated permanently. Since the late 1980s the migration balance has been positive to Finland due to decreased emigration and increased migration, especially from the former Soviet Union area. The aim of the paper was to give answers to the following questions: What are the attitudes towards immigrants and demographic internationalism among the students in Finland? What are the main factors explaining the differences? How do the students fit into Berry’s acculturation model (his model consists of four acculturation groups: integrated, assimilated, segregated, and marginalized groups)? The material was collected in May 1994.The population of the study consisted of all the students who started their studies between 1990-1993 at the University of Turku. The sample was 300 and 187 students returned the questionnaire (62.3%). Using factor analysis and sum-variables four different attitude groups were created: ethnocen- trics (35%), hesitants (21%), egoists (13%), and globalists (31%). The results of the study indicated that Berry’s model is also useful when categorizing the attitudes of the people of the host country: more than 92% of the globalists had an integrative opinion about immigration. As few as 4% of the globalists were marginalists (against immigration), while the corresponding figure among ethnocen- trics was 14%

Design and implementation of a web interface for Axis global testing Live Sites

Designing and developing a software product is a difficult process. The product must be usable and solve the correct problem. At the same time, the underlying code must be well written. Many projects fail to deliver or exceed their budget. This thesis explores a practical approach to software design and development that tries to adhere to both user centered design and agile development. The process follows Google Ventures’ design sprint model and also takes inspiration from Jacob Nielsen's discount usability methods. This approach is applied to a real project at Axis Communications. The goal of the project was to design and implement a web application for monitoring and analyzing data from Axis global weather testing ``Live Sites''. The data was collected and analyzed manually which was a very time consuming process. It was difficult to interact with the data in order to see correlations between the weather and the camera images. We were able design a solution to this and implement it during four iterations. Each iteration consisted of a design sprint, an implementation sprint and an evaluation phase. The design sprints were fast and effective, which meant we could spend more time on building the actual product while still being confident that we were building something that would actually work. Through continuous usability evaluation and regular stakeholder meetings we were able to validate our design. The project resulted in a web application consisting of a number of interactive dashboards. Our conclusion is that the resulting interface solves the problem of interacting with the ``Live Site'' data and should provide a good foundation to build upon. We also conclude that Google Ventures' design sprint is a powerful and effective model which could be of great benefit to software development projects.Is it possible to create usable software quickly and effectively? To find out, we combined practices of good usability design and fast software development in a project at Axis Communications. Developing usable software is no simple task. The software must be well designed and solve a real problem for its users. At the same time the software’s inner workings must be engineered in a good way. Preferably, the process of producing this software should be fast and cost effective. Many software projects fail, either by delivering an unusable product or by going over budget. In our master thesis we explored a practical approach to software design and coding that tries to solve these issues. We applied this approach to a software project at Axis Communications. Our task was to develop a website for Axis global testing live sites. These live sites are physical sites located around the world in different climate zones. Each site consists of a number of Axis cameras and a weather station connected to a local server. The cameras are left there so that the physical impact of the environment can be monitored and studied. By doing this Axis makes sure that their cameras are able to handle harsh weather conditions in the real world, not just in controlled test chambers. Our approach was to divide the project into four repetitions, each consisting of a design phase, a coding phase, and a usability evaluation phase. During the design phase, which lasted for five days, we tried to solve design issues. We conducted interviews with the users and had observations sessions on day one. Solutions to the discovered problems were explored in day two. On day three we combined our ideas into a single solution. During day four we made a prototype of this solution. The usability of this prototype was tested on real users at Axis on the fifth and final day. The coding phase lasted two to three weeks and took us from a design prototype to a working website. The usability of the website was evaluated and we brought the newly discovered problems with us to the next repetition. Throughout our project we used this approach to solve design problems at an astonishing pace. By incorporating the design phase into a repetitive process we were able to produce a working product very quickly, which we could continuously add and improve upon. The process resulted in a usable product, but we were sadly not able to fully implement our envisioned solution. We do however believe that by following our process model we were able to not only produce good design, but also well written code. Hopefully this means that the product can be built upon and eventually fully realized. The process model turned out to be a powerful and effective tool. Despite the fact that we couldn’t completely evade the problem of going over budget, we think it could be of great benefit to the software engineering process

Public spaces with space for temporary uses : the municipality of Norrköping as an example

Att arbeta med temporär landskapsarkitektur blir allt vanligare i planeringssammanhang. De senaste åren har exempel på ytor i våra städer som fått temporära användningsområden i form av exempelvis sommargågator och temporära parker dykt upp på flera håll i Sverige. Den temporära landskapsarkitekturen kan användas som en metod för att testa förutsättningarna för fler- och mer varierade funktioner på en yta. Ibland används den temporära landskapsarkitekturen för att skapa tillfälliga förändringar i väntan på mer permanenta lösningar. Gemensamt för all typ av temporär landskapsarkitektur är att tiden utgör en del av metoden och att projekten pågår under en begränsad tidsperiod. Tiden är även en intressant aspekt att iaktta och undersöka i förhållande till den top-down styrda planeringsmodellen som dominerat de beslutsfattande processerna i stadsplaneringen. Liksom det ökade intresset för den temporära landskapsarkitekturen har även intresset för mer demokratiska planerings processer där medborgare och andra aktörer får större inflytande ökat de senaste åren. Planeringsprocesser som involverar platsers användare och ges inflytande från andra aktörer än de traditionella tar ofta längre tid men kan i förlängningen skapa nya, mer långvariga och sociala värden i våra städer. Detta arbete har som syfte att undersöka hur temporär landskapsarkitektur kan förändra våra offentliga rum och undersöka hur de kan ges utrymme för temporära användningsområden. Arbetet undersöker även hur demokratiska planeringsmetoder i förhållande till den temporära landskapsarkitekturen kan se ut. Arbetet behandlar, genom en litteraturstudie, frågan om vad temporär landskapsarkitektur kan vara och hur medverkandeprocesser kan se ut i planeringen av att ge stadens offentliga rum temporära funktioner och användningsområden. Utöver litteraturstudien ingår ett mer praktiskt inriktat pilotprojekt som en del av arbetsmetoden för att undersöka och testa att ge ett offentligt rum temporära användningsområden. En intervju med en landskapsarkitekt erfaren av temporär landskapsarkitektur hölls för att ge vägledning och praktisk kunskap till arbetet. Examensarbetet har utgått från Norrköping där ett diskussionsunderlag och ett program för temporära användningsområden i offentliga rum har tagits fram. I diskussionen framkommer att det att temporär användning av ytor i våra städer kan ha ett antal positiva effekter i planeringsprocesserna. Offentliga rum kan ges utrymme för fler funktioner och en annan typ av vistelse genom att ytor temporärt omgestaltas och förändras. Detta kan skapa mer levande, icke statiska och mångfunktionella gaturum och stadsmiljöer. En risk med den temporära landskapsarkitekturen kan vara att tillfälliga förändringar ersätter mer långvariga investeringar för att förändra och förbättra en plats. Att involvera andra aktörer än de traditionella i planeringsprocessen och att låta processerna för beslutsfattning ta längre tid än sedvanligt kan ge staden sociala och kreativa värden. Risken med dialogarbete och medskapandeprocesser kan dock vara att endast en liten, privilegierad grupp nås och engageras. När den verkliga effekten och genomslagskraften av medskapandeprocesser blir låg kan arbetet med dialog istället försvaga förtroendet för de traditionella aktörerna i planeringsprocessen.To work with temporary landscape architecture in a planning context has become more common the past years. During the last few years, examples of places that have been given temporary uses has shown up in several Swedish cities. Temporary landscape architecture can be used as a method for examining whether a place can hold more varied functions and activities. Sometimes, temporary landscape architecture can be a way to change a place while waiting for more permanent settlements. Common to all kind of temporary landscape architecture is that time is a part of the method and the project runs for a limited period of time. Time is also an interesting aspect to observe and examine in relation to the top down centered planning which traditionally has dominated the decision-making processes in urban planning. In addition to the increased interest in temporary landscape architecture, the interest in more democratic planning processes has also increased. Co-creating planning processes that involve the citizens and allow other actors to participate often require more time but can in the long run help to create long-lasting and social values in our cities. This study aims to examine how temporary landscape architecture can transform permanent places and investigate how they can hold more temporary functions. The study also explores how democratic planning processes can be used when working with temporary landscape architecture. The work addresses, through a literature study, the question of what temporary landscape architecture can be and how participation in planning processes can be used in the work with temporary landscape architecture. In addition to the literature study, a pilot project is included as a part of the working method for investigating temporary landscape architecture and to work with dialogue in a certain place. An interview with an experienced landscape architect was held to provide guidance and practical knowledge to the work. This master thesis has been carried out in Norrköping, where a basis for discussion and a program for temporary landscape architecture has been developed by inventing and analyzing a number of places in the city. The discussion shows that temporary uses of our public spaces can have a number of positive effects in the planning processes. Places can accommodate more functions and other types of activities by temporary changes. This can create more vibrant, non-static and multifunctional streets and places in our cities. The disadvantage of temporary landscape architecture may be that it sometimes replaces more long-term investments to change and improve places. Involving other actors than the traditional ones in the planning process and allowing the decisions making processes to take longer than usual can give the city social and creative values. However, the risk of workng with dialogues and co-creating processes may be that only a small, privileged group can be reached and engaged. When the real impact of co-creation processes becomes low, dialogues can instead weaken the confidence of the traditional actors in the planning process

Effect of xylitol-containing carbohydrate mixtures on acid and ammonia production in suspensions of salivary sediment

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75508/1/j.1600-0722.1987.tb01631.x.pd

Ongelma vai idylli?

Kirja-arvostelu: Ongelma, idylli vai elämisyhteisö : pienten kuntien sosiaali- ja terveyspalveluiden ja sosiaalisen pääoman tarkastelua / Esko Ovaska. Turku, 2003

Schoolyard design : a design proposal for the courtyards at Slestadsskolan based on environmental psychology and outdoor education

De flesta av oss har någon typ av relation till skolgården som plats, en plats där många barn och lärare tillbringar mycket av sin tid. En plats som kan användas på varierande vis, för många olika aktiviteter och syften. Ett av dessa syften kan vara utomhuspedagogik, ett omdiskuterat begrepp som forskare vid bland annat Linköpings universitet har intresserat sig för de senaste åren. Skolgården kan även vara en plats som berör elever och lärare inne i klassrummen då skolgården ofta blir den vy med blickpunkter som elever och lärare blickar ut över när de befinner sig inne i skolans lokaler. Detta arbete behandlar ämnet utomhuspedagogik och miljöpsykologi i relation till planering och design av skolgårdsmiljöer. Genom ett uppdrag av Peab har jag fått möjlighet att designa och planera två till ytan små innergårdar på en mellanstadieskola i Lambohov, Linköping. Syftet med arbetet har varit att gestalta de två innergårdarna utifrån litteratur inom utomhuspedagogik och miljöpsykologi. Genom funnen litteratur inom ämnet, intervju och platsanalys har arbetet växt fram och gestaltningsförslagen fått sin form. Resultatet har sedan legat till grund för reflektion och analys av formgivningen av innergårdarna. Till grund för arbetet har följande frågeställning legat; Hur kan ett utomhusklassrum gestaltas för att så långt möjligt understödja utomhuspedagogiska och miljöpsykologiska aspekter? Målet med arbetet har varit att applicera de teorier och forskning som finns inom området på den lilla skala som innergårdarna har. Arbetet har även haft som mål att lyfta fram vilka komponenter och faktorer som kan påverka barn som vistas i skolgårdsmiljön och hur detta kan påverka inlärningsförmågan. Samt hur skolgårdens utformning kan påverka människorna som befinner sig inne i skolan genom att vara en vy att blicka ut över från skolans fönster. I resultat- och diskussionsdelen presenteras mina reflektioner och slutsatser om huruvida de funna teorierna och forskningen går att applicera på de små ytor som platsen berör.Many children and adults spend several hours a day many days a year in the schoolyard. A place that can be used in various ways, for many activities and purposes. One of these purposes can be outdoor education, a controversial concept that researchers at Linköping University has taken an interest in recent years. The schoolyard may also be a place that affect students and teachers inside the classroom, it becomes a place for students and teachers to look out upon. This work deals with the subject outdoor education and environmental psychology in relation to the planning and designing of schoolyard environments. At the request of Peab I have got the opportunity to design and plan two small courtyards at a middle school in Lambohov, Linköping. Thus, the purpose of the work has been to design the two courtyards on the basis of literature in outdoor education and environmental psychology. My design idea is based on literature on the subject, an interview and a site analysis. The result of my design idea has been the basis for reflection and analysis of the design of the courtyards. This work aims to answer the following question;” How can an outdoor classroom be designed on the basis of theories about outdoor education and environmental psychological aspects? My reflections and conclusions are presented in the sections of results and discussion on whether the theories and research can be applied to the small courtyards