Open Access Dynamic Human Point Cloud Datasets

Video conferencing tools in use today transmit 2-dimensional (2D) video. 2D video lacks the depth dimension, meaning the distance between an object and the camera. Therefore, 2D video may not be viewed from other angles in order to see behind captured objects. A more immersive form of tele-communication, known as tele-presence, instead utilizes volumetric video. Volumetric video is 3-dimensional (3D) video that can be viewed from any angle. Tele-presence systems create virtual spaces where the users are able to interact with the environment and with each other like in the real world. Volumetric video may be implemented using point clouds. Point clouds are sets of sampled data points that represent surfaces in 3D space. However, point clouds require large amounts of storage. In order to encode point clouds into a less memory intensive format, point cloud compression is required. The development of tele-presence and point cloud compression technologies is currently lagging due to a lack of diverse test data. This thesis evaluates the state of currently available point cloud datasets and their usability in development of the technologies mentioned above and compares the datasets. In order to ensure that the compared datasets match the planned use cases, a set of selection criteria is defined. In addition to the subjective visual quality of each dataset, the number of point clouds within each dataset and their contents are also considered. As a result of the comparison, it is found that video produced using point clouds has lower visual quality than video produced using the commonly used textured meshes. The largest of the datasets, CWIPC-SXR, is found to be a versatile test dataset for tele-presence, due to the nature of the social interactions depicted in it. There still exists a very limited number of datasets matching the specified selection criteria and all except one contain only 1-4 point clouds. Therefore, more point cloud datasets meeting the criteria must be captured

Data availability in challenging networking environments in presence of failures

This Doctoral thesis presents research on improving data availability in challenging networking environments where failures frequently occur. The thesis discusses the data retrieval and transfer mechanisms in challenging networks such as the Grid and the delay-tolerant networking (DTN). The Grid concept has gained adaptation as a solution to high-performance computing challenges that are faced in international research collaborations. Challenging networking is a novel research area in communications. The first part of the thesis introduces the challenges of data availability in environment where resources are scarce. The focus is especially on the challenges faced in the Grid and in the challenging networking scenarios. A literature overview is given to explain the most important research findings and the state of the standardization work in the field. The experimental part of the thesis consists of eight scientific publications and explains how they contribute to research in the field. Focus in on explaining how data transfer mechanisms have been improved from the application and networking layer points of views. Experimental methods for the Grid scenarios comprise of running a newly developed storage application on the existing research infrastructure. A network simulator is extended for the experimentation with challenging networking mechanisms in a network formed by mobile users. The simulator enables to investigate network behavior with a large number of nodes, and with conditions that are difficult to re-instantiate. As a result, recommendations are given for data retrieval and transfer design for the Grid and mobile networks. These recommendations can guide both system architects and application developers in their work. In the case of the Grid research, the results give first indications on the applicability of the erasure correcting codes for data storage and retrieval with the existing Grid data storage tools. In the case of the challenging networks, the results show how an application-aware communication approach can be used to improve data retrieval and communications. Recommendations are presented to enable efficient transfer and management of data items that are large compared to available resources

TARINALLISTAMINEN MARKKINOINNIN TUKENA Case KAMK

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli kehittää Kajaanin ammattikorkeakoulun liiketalouden koulutusalan markkinointia. Työn tarkoituksena oli perehtyä tarinamuotoisen markkinointisisällön tuottamiseen ja sen julkaisuun sopiviin sosiaalisen median kanaviin. Tavoitteena oli tehdä markkinointisisällön tuottamiseen valmis toimintamalli, jossa hyödynnetään liiketalouden tradenomeiksi valmistuneiden kokemuksia koulutusalasta. Työn teoreettinen viitekehys rakentuu tarinamuotoisen markkinoinnin menetelmistä markkinoinnin apuna, tarinamuotoisen markkinoinnin julkaisukanavista, sekä tämän opinnäytetyön kehitystehtävän toteuttamismenetelmistä. Opinnäytetyön tuloksena toimeksiantaja Kajaanin ammattikorkeakoulu saa valmiin toimintamallin tarinamuotoisen markkinointisisällön tuottamiseen, sekä valmista markkinointimateriaalia. Valmiiseen materiaaliin on koottu valmistuneiden liiketalouden tradenomien kokemuksia opiskelusta ja tuotettu niistä tarinamuotoista markkinointisisältöä. Toimeksiantaja voi hyödyntää opinnäytetyötä ja työn yhteydessä tuotettua materiaalia markkinoinnissaan.The aim of the thesis was to further develop the marketing of the education of Bachelor of business administration in Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. The purpose of this thesis was to get acquainted with how to produce story based marketing material and where to publish it in social media. The main goal was to create a pattern to help produce story based marketing material based on the experiences of graduated BBA -students. The theoretical context of the thesis consists of how to use storification in marketing, which channels of social media are most applicable for publishing the marketing material and of the methods that are used to achieve the goals of this thesis. As a result, KUAS receives the completed pattern of producing story based marketing material. KUAS also receives the story based marketing material, which is produced by using the pattern. The material is gathered from the study experiences of the graduated BBA students and then completed into story based marketing material. This thesis and all the marketing material can be utilized by KUAS in their marketing of the BBA -education

Socioeconomic differences in psychiatric treatment before and after self-harm : an observational study of 4,280 adolescents and young adults

Background: Individuals in higher socioeconomic positions tend to utilise more mental health care, especially specialist services, than those in lower positions. Whether these disparities in treatment exist among adolescents and young adults who self-harm is currently unknown. Methods: The study is based on Finnish administrative register data on all individuals born 1986–1994. Adolescents and young adults with an episode of self-harm treated in specialised healthcare at ages 16–21 in 2002–2015 (n=4280, 64% female) were identified and followed 2 years before and after the episode. Probabilities of specialised psychiatric inpatient admissions and outpatient visits and purchases of psychotropic medication at different time points relative to self-harm were estimated using generalised estimation equations, multinomial models and cumulative averages. Socioeconomic differences were assessed based on parental education, controlling for income. Results: An educational gradient in specialised treatment and prescription medication was observed, with the highest probabilities of treatment among the adolescents and young adults with the highest educated parents and low- est probabilities among those whose parents had basic education. These differences emerged mostly after self-harm. The probability to not receive any treatment, either in specialised healthcare or psychotropic medication, was highest among youth whose parents had a basic level of education (before self-harm 0.39, 95% CI 0.34–0.43, and after 0.29, 95% CI 0.25–0.33 after) and lowest among youth with higher tertiary educated parents (before self-harm: 0.22, 95% CI 0.18–0.26, and after 0.18, 95% CI 0.14–0.22). The largest differences were observed in inpatient care. Conclusions: The results suggest that specialised psychiatric care and psychotropic medication use are common among youth who self-harm, but a considerable proportion have no prior or subsequent specialised treatment. The children of parents with lower levels of education are likely to benefit from additional support in initiating and adhering to treatment after an episode of self-harm. Further research on the mechanisms underlying the educational gradient in psychiatric treatment is needed.Peer reviewe

Imprisonment, community sanctions and mortality by cause of death among patients with substance use disorder – a 28-year follow-up using Finnish register data

Background The first few weeks’ post-imprisonment are associated with high mortality, particularly among individuals with a history of substance use. Excess risk may vary by societal context due to a range of penal systems and substance use patterns. Using data on Finnish individuals who had sought treatment for substance use, we studied the association between criminal sanctions with cause-specific mortality. Methods The database contained 10887 individuals who had sought treatment between 1990 and 2009. Their treatment data were combined with register data on imprisonments and community sanctions and weekly mortality between 1992 and 2015. Mortality was analysed using discrete-time survival models. We controlled for age and sociodemographic factors, and analysed whether education, type of substance used and the type of latest sentence modified the associations. Findings Mortality was high in the first two weeks after sanctions (all-cause odds ratio [OR] 2.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.67-4.07; drug-related deaths OR 8.52, 95% CI 4.64-15.7). Excess risk declined over time (OR after 12 weeks: 1.19, 95% CI 1.07-1.31). Most of the excess risk was attributable to external causes. Mortality was low during imprisonment, but not during community sanctions. The patterns were similar by level of education, substance use and the type of latest sentence. Conclusions Community sanctions were not associated with mortality among people with substance use disorders. Mortality was low during imprisonment, but high post-release. Criminal sanctions should be better utilised as intervention touchpoints and follow-up resources should target prisoners with substance use treatment history to reduce post-release mortality.Peer reviewe

Experience of maternal and paternal adversities in childhood as determinants of self-harm in adolescence and young adulthood

Introduction Previous studies suggest that childhood experience of parental adversities increases the risk of subsequent offspring self-harm, but studies on distinct paternal and maternal characteristics are few and it remains unclear how these interact with childhood social position. The study aims to assess whether paternal and maternal adversities have different associations with offspring self-harm in adolescence and young adulthood. Interaction by offspring gender and childhood income are investigated, as well as cumulative effects of multiple adversities. Methods The study uses administrative register data on a 20% random sample of Finnish households with children aged 0–14 years in 2000. We follow children born in 1986–1998 (n=155 855) from their 13th birthday until 2011. Parental substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, criminality and hospitalisations due to interpersonal violence or self-harm are used to predict offspring self-harm with Cox proportional hazards models. Results The results show a clear increase in the risk of self-harm among those exposed to maternal or paternal adversities with HRs between 1.5 and 5.4 among boys and 1.7 and 3.9 among girls. The excess risks hold for every measure of maternal and paternal adversities after adjusting for childhood income and parental education. Evidence was found suggesting that low income, accumulation of adversity and female gender may exacerbate the consequences of adversities. Conclusions Our findings suggest that both parents’ adversities increase the risk of self-harm and that multiple experiences of parental adversities in childhood are especially harmful, regardless of parent gender. Higher levels of childhood income can protect from the negative consequences of adverse experiences.Peer reviewe

The effect of low childhood income on self-harm in young adulthood : Mediation by adolescent mental health, behavioural factors and school performance

Low childhood income is an established risk factor of self-harm in adolescence and young adulthood, and childhood income is additionally associated with various correlates of self-harm. How these correlates, such as psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, violent behaviour and school problems, mediate the effect of childhood income on self-harm, is less understood. The purpose of the current paper is to examine this mediation. The study is based on administrative register data on all Finnish children born in 1990-1995. An analytical sample of 384,121 children is followed from age 8 to 22. We apply the parametric g-formula to study the effect of childhood income on the risk of self-harm in young adulthood. Adolescent psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, prior self-harm, violent criminality and victimization, out-of-home placements, not being in education, employment or training and school performance are considered as potential mediators. We control for confounding factors related to childhood family characteristics. As a hypothetical intervention, we moved those in the lowest childhood income quintile to the second-lowest quintile, which resulted in a 7% reduction in hospital-presenting self-harm in young adulthood among those targeted by the intervention (2% reduction in the total population). 67% of the effect was mediated through the chosen mediators. The results indicate that increases in childhood material resources could protect from self-harm in young adulthood. Moreover, the large proportion of mediation suggests that targeted interventions for high-risk adolescents may be beneficial. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to use the parametric g-formula to study youth self-harm. Future applications are encouraged as the method offers several further opportunities for analysing the complex life course pathways to self-harm.Peer reviewe

Selvitys alueellisista maahanmuuttostrategioista

MDI Public Oy toteutti syksyllä 2021 työ- ja elinkeinoministeriön ja Sitran toimeksiannosta selvityksen alueellisista maahanmuuttostrategioista. Selvityksessä tarkasteltiin ensinnäkin sitä, onko maakunnissa linjattu maahanmuuttopoliittisia linjauksia ja millä tarkkuudella. Noin puolessa maakunnista oli joko laadittu tai laadinnassa maakunnallinen maahanmuutto-ohjelma. Lakisääteisiä kotouttamisohjelmia on tehty kuntatasoisten lisäksi seutukunnallisesti ja maakunnallisesti. Maahanmuutto-ohjelmissa ja kotouttamisohjelmissa on usein huomioitu koulutus- ja työperäinen maahanmuutto omana teemanaan. Toisena tehtävänä oli selvittää, onko maahanmuuttopolitiikka linkitetty muuhun maakunnalliseen strategiseen kehittämistyöhön. Kaikissa vuosien 2022–2025 maakuntaohjelmissa on kirjattu tavoitteeksi maahanmuuttajien kotoutumisen tukeminen sekä koulutus- ja työperäisen maahanmuuton edistäminen. Talent Boost -toimenpideohjelman myötä maakunnissa on huomioitu kansainvälisten osaajien houkuttelu ja asettautuminen. Selvityksessä kartoitettiin myös sitä, onko koulutus- ja työperäinen maahanmuutto nivottu osaksi erilaisia elinvoimastrategioita tai muita suunnitelmia. Koulutus- ja työperäinen maahanmuutto on huomioitu kaikkien ELY-keskusten sekä korkeakoulujen tulossopimuksissa, mutta eroa siinä, miten laajasti kirjaukset on tehty. Talent Boost -toiminta ja siitä rahoitettavat hankkeet näkyvät samoin vaihtelevasti maakuntien strategioissa ja suunnitelmissa

Hammasvauriot anestesian ja elvytyksen yhteydessä : Potilasvakuutuskeskuksen aineiston analyysi

VertaisarvioituLähtökohdat Hammasvaurio on yleinen anestesiaan, intubaatioon ja elvytykseen liittyvä haittatapahtuma. Menetelmät Analyysi perustuu Potilasvakuutuskeskuksessa v. 2000–13 loppuun käsiteltyihin vahinkoilmoituksiin. Tulokset Hammasvaurioita anestesian ja intubaation yhteydessä koski 137 vahinkoilmoitusta. Potilaille oli tehty leikkaus (83 %), intubaatio hätätilanteessa (7 %) tai muu toimenpide (mm. kardioversio). Tapauksista 66 % liittyi laryngoskopiaan ja intubaatioon ja vajaa 20 % nielutuubin tai kurkunpäänaamarin käyttöön.Vaikea intubaatio oli riskitekijä. Terve hammas vaurioitui 7 %:ssa. Vaurio korvattiin neljälle potilaalle (2,9 %). Päätelmät Hammasvahingolle altistavat heikentynyt hampaisto ja intubaatio. Oikeusturvan takia on tärkeää kirjata hammasstatus etukäteen. Potilasvakuutuskeskus korvaa anestesian aikaisen hammasvaurion harvoin. Nopea hoito voi pelastaa vaurioituneen hampaan.Peer reviewe