Lajikevertailun vaihtoehtoja

vokKirjasto Aj-

Image Restoration and Transitivity in BP’s Press Releases during the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Crisis : A comparative study of BP’s press releases before and after Barack Obama’s first Oval Office address

This thesis examines the multinational oil and gas company BP’s press releases during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis in 2010. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill had vast economic and environmental effects which remain visible to this day. While the crisis was ongoing, BP faced an extensive public relations crisis which threatened the company’s public image. None of the parties involved in the drilling operation were ready to take responsibility for the oil spill. However, on the 15th of June 2010 Barack Obama held his first Oval Office address in which he explicitly blamed BP for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The importance of Obama’s involvement forms the third research question of the thesis and is not to be understated. The thesis answers three main questions: 1) what types of strategies did BP employ in their press releases to improve or defend their public image, 2) how did BP portray itself, others, and the oil spill itself within those strategies, and 3) how did those strategies change after Barack Obama explicitly placed blame and responsibility for the oil spill on to BP. The thesis employs William Benoit’s Image Restoration Theory to analyze and categorize image restoration strategies used by BP. M.A.K Halliday’s transitivity theory is used to reveal how BP’s linguistic choices attempted to influence how the oil spill and the parties involved are perceived. The thesis analyzed a total of 36 press releases, 18 from the time period immediately after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon and 18 after Barack Obama’s first Oval Office address. The analysis found that BP greatly emphasized the use of bolstering, compensation and corrective action as image restoration strategies. The transitivity analysis revealed that BP emphasized portraying itself as the actor, taking concrete actions towards fixing the issue at hand. The transitivity analysis also revealed the importance of the grammatically optional circumstances, meaning adverbial groups or prepositional phrases providing additional information, in fulfilling or strengthening the image restoration strategies used by BP. In addition, the comparative analysis revealed that Barack Obama’s involvement had a direct effect on BP’s use of image restoration strategies within the press releases. After Obama assigned blame to BP, BP’s use of compensation increased significantly while excuses, denials and shifting blame decreased. Further research could be conducted on how other important events, for example the release of an official government report on the oil spill, affected BP’s choices of image restoration strategies. In addition, the importance of the optional circumstance in enabling and fulfilling image restoration strategies opens possible new avenues for research

In Vitro Evaluation of Frozen-Thawed Stallion Semen: A Review

The article reviews methods used for in vitro evaluation of sperm, with particular emphasis on frozen-thawed stallion sperm. The techniques, limitations of the methods and correlations with fertility results are discussed. Very few studies have tried to find correlation between fertility of frozen stallion semen and laboratory tests. It is difficult and expensive to inseminate an adequate number of mares to achieve statistically significant differences. Significant, but low correlations have been demonstrated between the foaling rate and subjective motility of sperm incubated for 2 h and 4 h at 37°C and hypoosmotic swelling test after 0 and 3 h of incubation. Significant correlations have been reported between the pregnancy rate and viability of propidium iodide-stained sperm assessed by flow cytometry as well as for glass wool and Sephadex filtration tests. No correlations have been detected between fertility and motility immediately after thawing. In spite of that, motility estimation by light microscope is the most commonly used method to evaluate frozen-thawed stallion sperm. Computer assisted automatic sperm analyzers have replaced light microscopy in research projects, but so far nobody has been able to demonstrate a correlation between fertility of frozen stallion semen and any of the motility parameters obtained by these instruments

"Vegans are all useless hippies" : arguments against veganism and vegans in the Finnish discussion forum

Lihankulutus kasvaa maailmalla ja sillä on merkittävä vaikutus meneillään olevaan ilmastonmuutokseen. Ihmisten tulisi muuttaa ruokatottumuksiaan kasvipohjaisimmiksi, mutta yhtenä ongelmana on veganismin ja vegaanien huono maine, mikä estää muutoksen tapahtumisen. Jotta ihmiset saataisiin siirtymään kasvipohjaisempaan ruokavalioon, veganismin ja vegaanien mainetta tulisi saada parannettua. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää, minkälaisia argumentteja käytetään veganismia ja vegaaneja vastaan ja mitä retorisia keinoja kyseisissä argumenteissa käytetään. Aikaisemmat tutkimukset ovat osoittaneet, että ihmiset uskovat lihan olevan yhä välttämätön osa ruokavaliota, jotta voi pysyä terveenä. Tutkimukset ilmaisevat myös, että syyt siihen miksi ihmiset eivät muuta ruokatottumuksiaan voivat olla asenteellisia tai käytännöllisiä. Esimerkiksi ihmiset ajattelevat, että liha on tarkoitettu syötäväksi tai että tarpeeksi tietoa muista vaihtoehdoista ei ole saatavilla. Tutkimuksen materiaali on suomalaiselta Suomi24-keskustelufoorumilta ja käsittää viestit, jotka on kohdistettu veganismia tai vegaaneja vastaan. Data Suomi24:stä saatiin KORP-käyttöliittymästä, joka mahdollisti veganismiin liittyvien viestien etsimisen. Koska kirjoittajat ovat foorumilla anonyymeja, ei heistä ole tietoa saatavilla. Materiaali analysoitiin sisällönanalyysilla käyttäen apuna myös retorista analyysia. Kategorisointi oli osa analyysia ja kategoriat koodattiin materiaaliin Atlas.ti-ohjelmistolla. Tulokseksi saatiin seitsemän pääkategoriaa ja 28 alakategoriaa kahden yläkategorian alle. Eniten käytetyt argumentit veganismia ja vegaaneja vastaan liittyivät terveyteen, vegaaneihin yksilöinä sekä siihen miten vegaanit käyttäytyvät. Eniten käytetyt retoriset keinot olivat faktoihin perustuva argumentaatio, kategorisointi, ääri-ilmaisut ja etäisyyden ottaminen omista intresseistä. Jotta ihmisten ruokavalioihin voitaisiin lisätä kasvipainotteisia ruokia, tarvitaan lisää tietoa ihmisten saataville ja positiivista kannustamista ilman syyttelyä houkuttelevan ilmapiirin rakentamiseksi veganismin ja vegaanien ympärille.Meat consumption in the world is increasing, which has significant negative effects on the ongoing climate change. There is a need to make people change their diets towards more plant-based. One of the problems is that there is a negative atmosphere around veganism and vegans that prevents the change. In order to get people more plant-based, that negative atmosphere around veganism and vegans should be reduced. The aim of this study is to find out what kind of arguments are used against veganism and vegans, and what rhetorical strategies are used in these arguments. Previous studies have shown that there is still a strong belief that meat is a necessary part of the diet to keep one healthy. Studies also show, that the reason people do not change their diets can be attitudinal, for example that people think they are meant to eat meat, or practical, for example that there is not enough information available. The material for this study is from the Finnish online discussion forum Suomi24 and consists of messages that are against veganism and vegans. The Suomi24 data was retrieved from the KORP interface, where it was possible to search messages related to veganism. There is no information about the people behind the messages, because they are anonymous on the forum. The material was analysed with content analysis and strengthened with rhetorical analysis. Categorization was part of the analysis and categories were coded to the material in the Atlas.ti program. As a result, there were seven main categories and 28 sub-categories under two parent categories. The most common arguments against veganism and vegans were related to health, vegans as individuals and how vegans act. The most commonly used rhetorical strategies were factual argumentation, categorization, extreme expression and taking distance from one’s own interests. As a conclusion, to be able to increase plant-based food in people’s diets, more available information is needed, and positive encouragement without incrimination to build up an attractive atmosphere around veganism and vegans

Nopeus riskitekijänä kuolemaan johtaneissa liikenneonnettomuuksissa

320061

Seeing what other miss: A competition network lens on product innovation

How a firm views its competitors affects its performance. We extend the networks literature to examine how a firm’s positioning in competition networks—networks of perceived competitive relations between firms—relates to a significant organizational outcome, namely, product innovation. We find that when firms position themselves in ways that allow them to see differently than rivals, new product ideas emerge. Simply put, firms with an unusual view of competition are more innovative. We situate our analysis in the U.S. enterprise infrastructure software industry, examining the relationship between the firm’s position in competition networks and its innovation over the period of 1995–2012. Using both archival and in-depth field data, we find that two factors—the focal firm’s spanning of structural holes in the network and the perception of peripheral firms as competitors—are positively associated with its product innovation. At the same time, turnover in firms perceived as competitors has an unexpected negative association with innovation. Overall, the findings suggest that firms benefit when they see the competitive landscape differently than their competitors. The findings also show that what we know about innovation-enhancing positioning in collaboration networks does not necessarily hold in competition networks

Evolution of the Concepts of Endometrosis, Post Breeding Endometritis, and Susceptibility of Mares

Simple Summary Our understanding about inflammation of the endometrium after mating and susceptibility of mares to endometritis has changed in the last 100 years since it was recognized for the first time. Initially, it was believed that bacteria introduced into the uterus during mating could infect the uterus until it was shown that sperm induce neutrophilia. It was realized that post breeding endometritis (PBE) is a physiological defense mechanism used to clean the uterus from excess semen and inflammatory by-products. In mares susceptible to endometritis, PBE can be prolonged beyond the normal duration of 24 h. Delayed uterine clearance due to conformational defects, deficient myometrial contractions, and failure of the cervix to relax is detected by intrauterine fluid accumulation and is an important reason for susceptibility to endometritis. Untreated prolonged PBE can lead to bacterial or fungal endometritis called persistent or chronic endometritis. Multiparous aged mares are more likely to be susceptible. When sperm arrive in the uterus, pro-inflammatory cytokines are released. They attract neutrophils and induce modulatory cytokines which control inflammation. However, persistence of neutrophils and pro-fibrotic cytokines can have deleterious effects in inducing endometrosis. In this paper, the pathogenesis of fibrosis is reviewed. Endometritis and endometrosis are interconnected influencing each other. In this paper, the evolution of our understanding about post breeding endometritis (PBE), the susceptibility of mares, and events leading to endometrosis are reviewed. When sperm arrive in the uterus, pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines are released. They attract neutrophils and induce modulatory cytokines which control inflammation. In susceptible mares, this physiological defense can be prolonged since the pattern of cytokine release differs from that of resistant mares being delayed and weaker for anti-inflammatory cytokines. Delayed uterine clearance due to conformational defects, deficient myometrial contractions, and failure of the cervix to relax is detected by intrauterine fluid accumulation and is an important reason for susceptibility to endometritis. Multiparous aged mares are more likely to be susceptible. Untreated prolonged PBE can lead to bacterial or fungal endometritis called persistent or chronic endometritis. Exuberant or prolonged neutrophilia and cytokine release can have deleterious and permanent effects in inducing endometrosis. Interactions of neutrophils, cytokines, and prostaglandins in the formation of collagen and extracellular matrix in the pathogenesis of fibrosis are discussed. Endometritis and endometrosis are interconnected, influencing each other. It is suggested that they represent epigenetic changes induced by age and hostile uterine environment.Peer reviewe

Gender and intergenerational support: the case of Ghanaian women

Africa must formulate appropriate social welfare policy for the elderly as a matter of urgency. Whether policy formulation takes place without in-depth knowledge of black indigenous structures, or whether it does the contrary and builds upon this knowledge, will have consequences for the whole of Africa. This article addresses the issue of gender and intergenerational support as a policy agenda for African countries. The article focusses on Ghana and examines intergenerational support systems, in particular the intergenerational exchanges between women traders. It also considers the social welfare benefits and contributions that intergenerational support can make. A new approach to the design of social welfare policy is proposed, which recognizes that the problems of the aged are increasingly African problems

Megatrendit muuttavat Suomen metsäalaa

Tieteen tori: Metsäalan toimintaympäristön muutoksen ennakoint