The Impact of Individual Employee Differences on Information Seeking in Today’s Information Rich Work Environment

Recent advancements in information and communication technologies (ICT) such as video conferencing, email, instant messaging, and Intranets have dramatically changed the landscape of communication in most organizations. The objective of this study is to gain an understanding of how different types of organizational members seek information. This is necessary ifor the management to provide the right infrastructure and processes to support such information needs. This study adds to the body of literature on information seeking behavior by incorporating gender, and cultural variables as well as the organizational variables of organizational status (salary or wage) and newcomer status. The findings will help management in assessing what ICT should be installed in order to provide the appropriate support to facilitate information and knowledge dissemination and sharing in organizations

Congruency effect between articulation and grasping in native English speakers

Previous studies have shown congruency effects between specific speech articulations and manual grasping actions. For example, uttering the syllable [kɑ] facilitates power grip responses in terms of reaction time and response accuracy. A similar association of the syllable [ti] with precision grip has also been observed. As these congruency effects have been to date shown only for Finnish native speakers, this study explored whether the congruency effects generalize to native speakers of another language. The original experiments were therefore replicated with English participants (N=16). Several previous findings were reproduced, namely the association of syllables [kɑ] and [ke] with power grip and of [ti] and [te] with precision grip. However, the association of vowels [ɑ] and [i] with power and precision grip, respectively, previously found for Finnish participants, was not significant for English speakers. This difference could be related to ambiguities of English orthography and pronunciation variations. It is possible that for English speakers seeing a certain written vowel activates several different phonological representations associated with that letter. If the congruency effects are based on interactions between specific phonological representations and grasp actions, this ambiguity might lead to weakening of the effects in the manner demonstrated here

Metabolomic Profiling of Statin Use and Genetic Inhibition of HMG-CoA Reductase

Background Statins are first-line therapy for cardiovascular disease prevention, but their systemic effects across lipoprotein subclasses, fatty acids, and circulating metabolites remain incompletely characterized. Objectives This study sought to determine the molecular effects of statin therapy on multiple metabolic pathways. Methods Metabolic profiles based on serum nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics were quantified at 2 time points in 4 population-based cohorts from the United Kingdom and Finland (N = 5,590; 2.5 to 23.0 years of follow-up). Concentration changes in 80 lipid and metabolite measures during follow-up were compared between 716 individuals who started statin therapy and 4,874 persistent nonusers. To further understand the pharmacological effects of statins, we used Mendelian randomization to assess associations of a genetic variant known to mimic inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase (the intended drug target) with the same lipids and metabolites for 27,914 individuals from 8 population-based cohorts. Results Starting statin therapy was associated with numerous lipoprotein and fatty acid changes, including substantial lowering of remnant cholesterol (80% relative to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C]), but only modest lowering of triglycerides (25% relative to LDL-C). Among fatty acids, omega-6 levels decreased the most (68% relative to LDL-C); other fatty acids were only modestly affected. No robust changes were observed for circulating amino acids, ketones, or glycolysis-related metabolites. The intricate metabolic changes associated with statin use closely matched the association pattern with rs12916 in the HMGCR gene (R2 = 0.94, slope 1.00 ± 0.03). Conclusions Statin use leads to extensive lipid changes beyond LDL-C and appears efficacious for lowering remnant cholesterol. Metabolomic profiling, however, suggested minimal effects on amino acids. The results exemplify how detailed metabolic characterization of genetic proxies for drug targets can inform indications, pleiotropic effects, and pharmacological mechanisms

Effect of Inhaled Xenon on Cerebral White Matter Damage in Comatose Survivors of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE: Evidence from preclinical models indicates that xenon gas can prevent the development of cerebral damage after acute global hypoxic-ischemic brain injury but, thus far, these putative neuroprotective properties have not been reported in human studies. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of inhaled xenon on ischemic white matter damage assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A randomized single-blind phase 2 clinical drug trial conducted between August 2009 and March 2015 at 2 multipurpose intensive care units in Finland. One hundred ten comatose patients (aged 24-76 years) who had experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were randomized. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either inhaled xenon combined with hypothermia (33°C) for 24 hours (n = 55 in the xenon group) or hypothermia treatment alone (n = 55 in the control group). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was cerebral white matter damage as evaluated by fractional anisotropy from diffusion tensor MRI scheduled to be performed between 36 and 52 hours after cardiac arrest. Secondary end points included neurological outcome assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (score 0 [no symptoms] through 6 [death]) and mortality at 6 months. RESULTS: Among the 110 randomized patients (mean age, 61.5 years; 80 men [72.7%]), all completed the study. There were MRI data from 97 patients (88.2%) a median of 53 hours (interquartile range [IQR], 47-64 hours) after cardiac arrest. The mean global fractional anisotropy values were 0.433 (SD, 0.028) in the xenon group and 0.419 (SD, 0.033) in the control group. The age-, sex-, and site-adjusted mean global fractional anisotropy value was 3.8% higher (95% CI, 1.1%-6.4%) in the xenon group (adjusted mean difference, 0.016 [95% CI, 0.005-0.027], P = .006). At 6 months, 75 patients (68.2%) were alive. Secondary end points at 6 months did not reveal statistically significant differences between the groups. In ordinal analysis of the modified Rankin Scale, the median (IQR) value was 1 (1-6) in the xenon group and 1 (0-6) in the control group (median difference, 0 [95% CI, 0-0]; P = .68). The 6-month mortality rate was 27.3% (15/55) in the xenon group and 34.5% (19/55) in the control group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.23-1.01]; P = .053). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, inhaled xenon combined with hypothermia compared with hypothermia alone resulted in less white matter damage as measured by fractional anisotropy of diffusion tensor MRI. However, there was no statistically significant difference in neurological outcomes or mortality at 6 months. These preliminary findings require further evaluation in an adequately powered clinical trial designed to assess clinical outcomes associated with inhaled xenon among survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00879892

Fishing-induced versus natural selection in different brown trout (Salmo trutta) strains

Wild, adfluvial brown trout (Salmo trutta) are iconic targets in recreational fisheries but also endangered in many native locations. We compared how fishing and natural selection affect the fitness-proxies of brown trout from two pure angling-selected strains and experimental crosses between an adfluvial, hatchery-bred strain and three wild, resident strains. We exposed age 1+ parr to predation risk under controlled conditions where their behaviour was monitored with PIT-telemetry, and stocked age 2+ fish in two natural lakes for experimental fishing. Predation mortality (16% of the fish) was negatively size-dependent, while capture probability, also reflecting survival, in the lakes (38.9% of the fish) was positively length- and condition- dependent. Angling-induced selection against low boldness and slow growth rates relative to gillnet fishing indicated gear-dependent potential for fisheries-induced evolution in behaviours and life-histories. Offspring of wild, resident fish showed slower growth rates than the crossbred strains. Strain effects suggested significant heritable scope for artificial selection on life-history traits and demonstrated that choices of fish supplementation by stocking may override the genetic effects induced by angling.Peer reviewe

Grain boundary corrosion in TiO2 bone scaffolds doped with group II cations

A pH drop during the inflammatory phase during bone regeneration can cause corrosion in TiO2 bone scaffolds and the loss of compressive strength. Corrosion as ion leaching and dissolution is confined to grain boundaries. Cationic doping of TiO2 showed to increase the compressive strength but increased the amount of impurities in grain boundaries as well. Therefore, this study showed the different grain boundary formation for Ca, Sr and Mg doped scaffolds and their corrosion behavior. After corrosion, the amorphous phase in grain boundaries was dissolved in all doped scaffolds. Differences occurred due to the formation of an additional crystalline phase in Sr doped scaffolds. The presence of an amorphous and crystalline phase led to an inhomogeneous dissolution in grain boundaries and a significant decrease in compressive strength already after 4 h in contact with an acidic environment. Released ions did not show any cytotoxic effect on hASCs. Mg doped TiO2 scaffolds led to sig- nificant increased osteogenic differentiation.(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Neurofilament light compared to neuron-specific enolase as a predictor of unfavourable outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Aim: We compared the prognostic abilities of neurofilament light (NfL) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in patients resuscitated from out-ofhospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of various aetiologies. Methods: We analysed frozen blood samples obtained at 24 and 48 hours from OHCA patients treated in 21 Finnish intensive care units in 2010 and 2011. We defined unfavourable outcome as Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) 3-5 at 12 months after OHCA. We evaluated the prognostic ability of the biomarkers by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs [95% confidence intervals]) and compared these with a bootstrap method. Results: Out of 248 adult patients, 12-month outcome was unfavourable in 120 (48.4%). The median (interquartile range) NfL concentrations for patients with unfavourable and those with favourable outcome, respectively, were 689 (146-1804) pg/mL vs. 31 (17-61) pg/mL at 24 h and 1162 (147-4360) pg/mL vs. 36 (21-87) pg/mL at 48 h, p < 0.001 for both. The corresponding NSE concentrations were 13.3 (7.2-27.3) mg/L vs. 8.5 (5.8- 13.2) mg/L at 24 h and 20.4 (8.1-56.6) mg/L vs. 8.2 (5.9-12.1) mg/L at 48 h, p < 0.001 for both. The AUROCs to predict an unfavourable outcome were 0.90 (0.86-0.94) for NfL vs. 0.65 (0.58-0.72) for NSE at 24 h, p < 0.001 and 0.88 (0.83-0.93) for NfL and 0.73 (0.66-0.81) for NSE at 48 h, p < 0.001. Conclusion: Compared to NSE, NfL demonstrated superior accuracy in predicting long-term unfavourable outcome after OHCA.Peer reviewe

Pioneeriaselajissa sodan jälkeen tapahtuneen kehityksen suuntaviivat

Artikkeli on useiden kyvykkäiden pioneeriupseerien laatimien selostusten yhdistelmä. Pioneeritoiminta on jaettu linnoittamiseen, sulutustoimintaa, ylimenotoimintaan, tietöihin, selustan rakennustoimintaan sekä pioneerihuoltoon. Johdannossa todetaan, että kehittämisessä tuloksia tuottavaksi menettelytavaksi ovat osoittautuneet tehtävä- tai tutkimusalakohtaisesti muodostetut toimikunnat. Toisessa luvussa tarkastellaan pioneerijoukkojen tehtäviä ja organisaatioita. Pioneerijoukot jaetaan siinä käsitteellisesti taistelupioneereihin ja rakentajapioneereihin sekä käsitellään niiden tehtäviä. Organisaatiota käsiteltäessä todetaan, että pioneerijoukkojen käytölle on luonteenomaista keskittäminen. Perusyhtymä on alin johtoporras, jolla on orgaanisia pioneereja. Lisäksi käsitellään lyhyesti pioneeritoiminnan johtamista. Kolmannessa luvussa tarkastellaan linnoittamista, ottaen esille yleisperiaatteiden lisäksi ulkomaisen ja suomalaisen linnoittamisen kehittämisen. Siinä todetaan muun muassa että, linnoittamisalan ohjesäännöt on uusittu ja eritystä huomiota on kiinnitetty rakenteiden yksinkertaistamiseen, työmäärän vähentämiseen ja nopeuttamiseen sekä materiaalitarpeen pienentämiseen lujuutta vähentämättä. Sulutustoimintaa ( hävittäminen, miinoittaminen ja miinoitteiden raivaaminen) ja käsittelevässä luvussa käsitellään ensin perusteena sodista saatuja oppeja ja sen jälkeen niiden perusteella tehtyjä taktillisia johtopäätöksä. Lopuksi todetaan, että suluttamisella on tulevaisuuden sodissa yhä kasvava merkitys. Ylimenotoimintaa käsittelevässä luvussa esitellään ensi ulkomaisia kalustoja ja sitten tarkastellaan kotimaisten kalustojen kehittämispiirteitä. Loppuluvuissa tarkastelun kohteena ovat tietyöt ja pioneerihuolto. Loppulauseessa todetaan, että pioneerit eivät käy omaa sotaansa , vaan "Pioneeritoiminnan tuloksellisuus perustuu ennen kaikkea kitkattomaan yhteistoimintaa.

Biodiversity in intensive and extensive grasslands in Finland : the impacts of spatial and temporal changes of agricultural land use

Biodiversity degradation is a national and global problem which is interconnected with land use and climate change. All these are major unsolved questions and their interactions are only partly understood. Agriculture and especially cattle farming is under keen societal focus because of its significant role in soil carbon losses, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and biodiversity preservation. We reviewed the Finnish scientific literature to assess the impact of intensive contra extensive grass production on biodiversity using vascular plants, vertebrates, invertebrates and soil biota. Still a few decades ago, mixed farming was prevailing almost everywhere in Finland, but nowadays cereal production is essentially clustered in the southwest and milk and beef production in the northeast. This is reflected in the distribution of intensive (connected with cattle) and extensive grasslands (both types of farming). The bird community was most abundant and species rich in farmland which provides small fields in large blocks of farmland and many kinds of crops, including both intensive and extensive grasslands. Overall permanent grasslands with rather simply vegetation diversity can maintain a diverse community of spiders and leafhoppers, and act as overwintering habitat for polyphagous predators in field ecosystems. The ecological requirement of all species and species groups are probably never met at one site and consequently target should be in having differently managed areas at regional scale. For some of the taxa, ecosystem services could be indicated, but a research-based quantitative assessment is available only for carbon sequestration and weak impact of dung-beetles in diminishing GHG emissions from cow pats. Our review demonstrated that quite much is known about biodiversity in extensively managed grasslands, but very little in intensively managed grasslands. An important question is whether there is some threshold for the proportion of grasslands under which regional biodiversity will be reduced. Intensive production offers limited value to replace the high biodiversity value of semi-natural pastures.Peer reviewe