Osuustoiminnallisen yrityskurssin opetussuunnitelma – yhteistyöopetusta WeWorryn tapaan

Kehittämishankkeeni sisältää ajatuksiani yhteistyökoulutuksen toteuttamisesta ja sellaisen sisällöstä. Pohdin sitä, miten käytännön elämässä yhteistyötä tehdään projekteissa, yhteiskunnassa ja yritystoiminnassa, sekä mitkä on sen esteenä. Pääasiallisena raportin materiaalina olivat omat kokemukseni sekä kansallisista että kansainvälisistä projekteista. Tärkeä havaintoni oli, että kulttuuriset erot vaikuttavat huomattavasti tapaan työskennellä ja myös osaltaan yhteistyön sujumiseen. Projektityön lisäksi kehittämishankkeeni muodostui omista kokemuksistani osuuskuntatoiminnasta ja perustamamme osuuskunnan antaman yhteistoiminnallisen kokemuksen perusteella. Näistä lähtökohdista lähdin pohtimaan miten yhteistyötä voisi opettaa erilaisissa rooleissa toimiville ihmisille. Tuloksena oli yhdeksän eri koulutusta, joihin muodostin karkean sisällön, mitä kouluttaja voi käyttää pohjana esitykselleen. Hän voi yksilöllisesti lisätä siihen tarpeelliset yksityiskohdat ja esimerkit ja näin tuottaa räätälöidyn ja joustavan koulutuksen tarjottavaksi yrityksille ja yksityisille henkilöille, unohtamatta koulutusyhteisöjä. Teoreettisia lähteitä käytettiin tässä raportissa varsin niukasti ja siitä syystä tässä työssä ei pyrittykään yleistettävyyteen, vaan kehittämishanke voidaan nähdä kokemuksellisena case-tarinana

Singing in Action : An inquiry into the creative working processes and practices of classical and contemporary vocal improvisation

This dissertation explores performative perspectives on classical and contemporary vocal improvisation (CCVI) as a critical, creative tool for development of and research in vocal performance. It consists of one introductory part and five articles, with additional documentation on a homepage. The artistic projects have been performed in close collaboration with fellow classically trained singers and musicians. The practice of CCVI is contextualised in relation to vocal history, opera, improvisation practice(s) and research in vocal performance. The artistic methods of opera improvisation, lyrical improvisation and CCVI without words are described in text and video. The studies performed also investigate how theoretical concepts such as performativity, action and interperformativity can be used for articulating aspects of communication, creativity and knowledge in CCVI. Central to the thesis is a suggested model for analysing performativity in three dimensions: the structural, the symbolic and the individual. Performative aspects of the singer’s subject positions as a vocal and instrumental persona in a classical vocal concert approach and an opera performance approach are articulated and problematised in the artistic practice. New artistic performance concepts and projects are presented. CCVI is used as a creative artistic tool for singers in critical dialogue with classical vocal performance tradition: deconstructing methods of portraying gender and power in operatic performance; opera improvisation with symphonic orchestra; composed and improvised opera with choirs; abstract improvisation in dialogue with visual art; improvisation with poetry and electronics and deconstructing Lied performance in dialogue with light design. An interview study focusing on the experiences and perspectives of the improvisers indicate that presence, relations to one another in the ensemble, relations to the emerging material, and the creation of common agreements and structures are central in CCVI. Three analytical models focusing on interaction in CCVI are presented: action analysis in improvisation, the Interplay Analysis Model and the use of the concept musico-performative tropes. It is suggested that improvisers in CCVI create music, text and dramatic content as vocal and musical actions by the intuitive use of musical and performative tropes in an interperformative play with the performance context as well as the classical singing tradition

Security Force Assistance in the Sahel is meddling with borders

Encompassing a range of external actors, numerous Security Force Assistance initiatives in the Sahel seek to improve how local security forces respond to “borderless threats” and protect geopolitical borders. Drawing on research into such initiatives, Nina Wilén argues that they both reflect and contribute to global (in)security trends while developing hybrid security units that blur the distinctions between internal and external security forces

Civil-Military Imbalance in the Sahel. Egmont Commentary 27 May 2021.

In less than a year, the Sahel region has experienced two coups, one coup attempt and something that now looks like a ‘coup within a coup’, firmly putting civil-military relations at the top of the agenda for understanding the current context of power competition between political and military elites. In democratic states, the imperative to ‘guard the guardians’ is the basis for civil-military relations. Civilian decision-makers are accountable to the people while military officers have a responsibility to abide by the civilians, and to advise, yet not impose, their views on those civilians. That is the basis of democratic theory, which has been institutionalized and taught to militaries across the world. A theory which nonetheless increasingly has been put to test in industrialized democracies over the past few years

Tracking transboundary diseases in small ruminants in the border region Tanzania-Zambia : a minor field study focusing on Peste des petits ruminants and Foot-and-mouth disease

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and Foot and mouth disease (FMD) are two infectious diseases of major socioeconomic impact. The devastating effects of these diseases are mostly seen in developing countries, such as Tanzania, where small ruminants play an important role in livelihood resilience and are a major source of income. Sheep and goats are relatively cheap to buy and easy to trade and are in many contexts an insurance for the farmers and a valuable resource. There are many households in the world that are completely dependent on small ruminants to feed their families and diseases like PPR and FMD can completely ruin them. PPR is a contagious viral disease that affects small ruminants such as goats and sheep in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia. The disease is caused by peste des petits ruminants virus. It is closely related to other significant viral pathogens such as rinderpest virus, which was eradicated in 2011. PPR has now been targeted by OIE and FAO and they have announced a program to eradicate it by 2030. Foot- and mouth disease (FMD) is a severe highly transmissible viral disease that is caused by foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and affects cloven-hoof animals. The importance of FMD is significant and is generally ranked as one of top three high impact diseases by farmers in Tanzania. This study investigated the seroprevalence of PPR and FMD in two districts (Momba and Tunduma) in Southern Tanzania, close to the Zambia border. The total seroprevalence on individual level was 2.9% for PPR and 16.9% for FMD. A total of 491 samples were taken from 164 households and 41 villages. Tunduma district, which contains two major transportation routes and Tunduma town, which is the bordering city to Zambia, had a significantly higher seroprevalence for FMD compared to Momba district, which is positioned further away from the main roads. Possible risk factors were assessed with the help of a questionnaire that was administered to farmers of each investigated herd. All farmers interviewed utilized communal grazing where their animals could be in daily contact with other sheep and goats. After acquiring new animals, 96% of farmers let them mix with their original herd immediately. A significantly higher seroprevalence for FMD could be seen in farmers who bought animals outside of their home district compared to those who only bought from within his or her home district. No farmer reported that they ever bought animals from Zambia. Regarding vaccination, 4% of farmers interviewed vaccinated their animals. No one kept their sick animals separated from the rest of the herd after acquiring new animals. This study thus confirms the presence of antibodies against PPRV and FMDV in sheep and goats in Tunduma and Momba district. Presence of PPR in these bordering districts to Zambia, strengthens the concern of further spread of PPR into Zambia, even though there seems to have been no or only limited circulation of PPR during the last year. Age was identified as risk factor for being seropositive for both diseases. Being a sheep along with closeness to main roads were also identified as possible risk factors for being seropositive for FMD. No significant difference regarding seroprevalence could be seen between sexes on either disease. Findings in this study also revealed a continued poor knowledge on biosecurity among farmers

Expanding the Reach of the Special Forces with a Gender-Mixed Deep Development Capability (DDC): Identifying Challenges and Lessons Learned. Egmont Security Policy Brief No. 137 February 2021.

Driven by the need to adapt to a changing security environment, the Belgian Special Forces Group has developed a new gendermixed capability in 2020, including female soldiers in the operational detachment of the unit for the first time. This brief examines the development and implementation of the project and identifies challenges for future similar capacities. It points to the need for clarification of tasks and employment conditions, while attracting male candidates is necessary to maintain the ‘mixed’ character of the capability. In conclusion it argues that overall, efforts to avoid gender instrumentalization have been successful and the creation of the capability is a first step in the direction to diversify the composition of the Special Forces, a step that is necessary to remain relevant in a complex security context

Fecal immunochemical test in colorectal cancer screening : impact of screening strategy and gender on colonoscopy findings, missed lesions and costs

In Sweden, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second and third most common type of cancer in men and women respectively. The relative five-year survival is approximately 65%, but prognosis is better if diagnosed at an early stage of disease. Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) detects blood in the stool and is used in screening, and individuals with a positive test are referred for colonoscopy. Several studies have indicated a lower sensitivity for advanced neoplasia (AN; CRC and advanced adenomas) in women as compared to men. In the Stockholm-Gotland region, population-based screening was initiated in 2008, and from 2015 FIT screening with lower cut-off levels for a positive test in women (40μg/g) than in men (80μg/g) was applied. The aim of this thesis was to increase the knowledge of the performance of FIT in an average-risk Swedish screening population and to explore a gender-specific screening strategy regarding colonoscopy findings, screening costs and interval CRC (IC; CRCs detected between two screening rounds after a negative screening episode). In Paper I the performance of two FIT samples at different cut-off levels was evaluated in a FIT-positive cohort from the randomized controlled study Screening of Swedish Colons (SCREESCO). The FIT level was significantly higher in individuals with CRC and AA as compared to other participants and correlated to adenoma size. CRC detection increased with lower cut-off level and multiple samples and was significantly higher with one sample at a low cut-off level than two samples at a higher cut-off level. The positive predictive value (PPV) for AA was significantly higher in men than in women for one and two samples at cut-off levels <40μg/g but PPV for CRC was equal between genders at all cut-offs and number of samples. In paper II the accuracy of two FIT samples at different cut-off levels were evaluated in a colonoscopy cohort from the SCREESCO study. Sensitivity and specificity for AN ranged from 7-26% and 89-99% respectively depending on the number of samples and the cut-off level. There was no gain in sensitivity using two samples instead of one, for any of the cut-off levels. Specificity was significantly higher with one sample as compared to any of the two samples, at the lowest cut-off levels. In the 225 participants with adenomas, pedunculated shape and high-risk dysplasia was independently associated with FIT positivity at cut-off ≥10μg/g for any of the two samples. Sensitivity for AA was significantly higher in men vs women, but specificity was similar between genders. In paper III the Stockholm-Gotland population-based screening program was evaluated regarding colonoscopy findings and costs in a screening cohort from 2015-2017. CRC was found in significantly more men than women, 138 (8.3%) vs 120 (5.8%). A normal colonoscopy was more common in women than in men (24% vs 17%, p-value <0.05). Had the cut-off level been 80μg/g in both genders, the PPV for CRC was estimated to be equalized between genders. However, in women with CRC, 28 (23%) had FIT level of 40-79μg/g and would thus have remained undetected at cut-off level 80μg/g in both genders. The gender-specific screening strategy was estimated to be 16% more expensive than the gender-equal strategy, corresponding to a 3% increment in costs per detected CRC. In paper IV the ICs were evaluated in the first round of the Stockholm-Gotland population-based screening program and compared to the experienced incidence rate (EIR) prior to screening implementation. In the cohort 124 FIT ICs, 7 colonoscopy ICs, 3 ICs in individuals non-compliant to colonoscopy and 177 CRCs in non-participants were detected within 2 years. Test sensitivity was 0.75 in women and 0.62 in men (p-value 0.011), but would have been equal, had cut-off level been 80μg/g in both genders. The IC rate was significantly higher in men than in women, 12.6 vs 6.0 per 10,000 negatives. The rate ratio of the IC incidence/EIR was 0.30-0.44 and non-significantly lower in the women as compared to the men in each age group. In all the 568 CRCs including those in non-participants, proximal localization was significantly more common in women (42%) than in men (29%)

What Belgium Can Do: Proposals for the National Security Strategy. Egmont Security Policy Brief No. 143 April 2021.

Belgium has never had a National Security Strategy: a single strategic vision outlining how to safeguard its national interests from external threats and challenges and to prevent the exploitation of its internal vulnerabilities. Many in Belgium intuitively feel that none is needed: Are we not shielded by the EU and NATO? And what could the world expect from this small country anyway? But the fact is that the Kingdom of Belgium is not such a small player. The geopolitical heart, and the host, of the EU, it ranks 9th out of 27 in terms of population and GDP; worldwide, it is the 12th exporting country. Hence recurring tensions between Belgium’s own –often low –level of ambition as a security actor and the expectations of its allies and partners

A novel bioelectrochemical BOD sensor operating with voltage input

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a measure of biodegradable compounds in water and is, for example, a common parameter to design and assess the performance of wastewater treatment plants. The conventional method to measure BOD is time consuming (5 or 7 days) and requires trained personnel. Bioelectrochemical BOD sensors designed as microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which are systems where bacteria convert organic matter into an electrical current, have emerged as an alternative to the conventional technique. In this study, a new type of bioelectrochemical BOD sensor with features that overcome some of the limitations of current MFC-type designs was developed: (1) An external voltage was applied to overcome internal resistances and allow bacteria to generate current at their full capacity, and (2) the ion exchange membrane was omitted to avoid pH shifts that would otherwise limit the applicability of the sensor for wastewaters with low alkalinity. The sensor was calibrated with an aerated nutrient medium containing acetate as the BOD source. Linear correlation (R2 = 0.97) with charge was obtained for BOD concentrations ranging from 32 to 1280 mg/L in a reaction time of 20 h. Lowering the reaction time to 5 h resulted in lowering the measurable BOD concentration range to 320 mg/L (R2 = 0.99). Propionate, glucose, and ethanol could also be analyzed by the sensor that was acclimated to acetate. The study demonstrates a way to design more robust and simple bioelectrochemical BOD sensors that do not suffer from the usual limitations of MFCs (high internal resistance and pH shifts)

”Älä jätä käyttämättä sattuman tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia” – Serendipisyys tiedonhaun ilmiönä

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