Using cluster analysis to segment tourists: response-style effects

Different people have different response styles, some favour high scores whereas others low scorers and some people avoid using extreme scores, especially in attitudinal research questions. This is called response style effect. The goal of segmentation is to group people into homogenous clusters that differ from each other significantly. According to a literature review of earlier segmentation studies, there is a possibility that response style effects can influence segmentation results. In this study, empirical data is used to examine how response style effects affect cluster formation in a single country context using k-means cluster analysis. Results show that especially when using cluster analysis, response style effects should be closely examined as the results can be drastically different.Different people have different response styles, some favour high scores whereas others low scorers and some people avoid using extreme scores, especially in attitudinal research questions. This is called response style effect. The goal of segmentation is to group people into homogenous clusters that differ from each other significantly. According to a literature review of earlier segmentation studies, there is a possibility that response style effects can influence segmentation results. In this study, empirical data is used to examine how response style effects affect cluster formation in a single country context using k-means cluster analysis. Results show that especially when using cluster analysis, response style effects should be closely examined as the results can be drastically different

Matkailualan verkostoyliopisto osana matkailualan opetuksen ja tutkimuksen kehitystä

Matkailualan verkostoyliopisto perustettin vuonna 1994 antamaan matkailualan korkeakouluopetusta yliopistojen välisenä yhteistyönä. Yliopistolain (558/2009) muutos ja yliopistojen välisen kilpalun koveneminen kuitenkin johtivat toiminnan lakkauttamiseen muutama vuosi sitten. Matkailualan verkostoyliopistolla on ollut merkittävä rooli yliopistollisen matkailukoulutuksen ja tutkimuksen kehittämisessä Suomessa

Microelectromechanical components in electrical metrology

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) can offer a competitive alternative for conventional technology in electrical precision measurements. This article summarises recent work in development of MEMS solutions for electrical metrology. MEMS-based voltage references, RMS-to-DC converters, high frequency power sensors, and reference oscillators are discussed. The main principle of operation of the components is the balance between electrical forces and mechanical spring forces in micromachined silicon structures. In RMS sensors and RMS-to-DC converters, the quadratic voltage dependence of the force between plates of a moving-plate capacitor is utilised, and the operation of the MEMS voltage reference is based on the pull-in phenomenon of a moving-plate capacitor. Advantages of MEMS devices compared to more conventional solutions include small size, low power consumption, low price in mass production, and stability. The drift caused by electrostatic charging effects has turned out to be a major problem. This problem has not yet been solved in DC applications, but it can be circumvented by using AC actuation instead of DC and by compensating the internal DC voltages of the component. In this way, an AC voltage reference with relative drift rate below 2 ppm during a three-week test period has been constructed. Even better stability has been demonstrated with a MEMS-based reference oscillator: no changes in resonance frequency were observed at relative uncertainty level of about 0.01 ppm in a measurement which was continued for more than a month. MEMS components have also been developed for measuring RF and microwave power up to frequencies of about 40 GHz. Unlike conventional high frequency power sensors, which measure the absorbed power, the MEMS device measures the power that is transmitted through the sensor

Kulttuurimatkailun vaikuttavuusindikaattorit: Esiselvityshankkeen 2013–2015 loppuraportti

Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö käynnisti kulttuurimatkailun vaikuttavuusindikaattoreiden kehittämisen esiselvityshankkeella. Taustalla on tarve vahvistaa kulttuurimatkailun tietoperustaa. Kyse on pitkäaikaisesta kehittämistyöstä, jolle tämä esiselvityshanke luo pohjaa. Esiselvityshanke 2013–2015 toteutettiin seuraavasti: 1. perustettiin sisältöryhmä tiedon tarpeiden ja indikaattoreiden määrittelyä varten 2. kartoitettiin kulttuurimatkailusta kerättävän tiedon ja vaikuttavuuden arvioinnin nykytila 3. määriteltiin laadulliset ja määrälliset avainindikaattorit pilottitutkimusta varten 4. toteutettiin valittujen indikaattoreiden testaus museoissa pilottitutkimuksen avulla 5. tuotettiin raportti, jossa kuvataan keskeiset huomiot ja pilottitutkimuksen tulokset 6. määriteltiin avainindikaattorit jatkotoimenpiteitä varten 7. laadittiin ohjekirja museoille kulttuurimatkailun vaikuttavuutta kuvaavien indikaattorien tiedonkeräämisen tueksi. Pilottitutkimus toteutettiin lomakehaastattelututkimuksena museoissa vierailevien keskuudessa. Museot valittiin pilottikohteeksi, koska ne ovat suosittuja vierailukohteita lomamatkoilla ja vaikuttavat keskeisesti kulttuurimatkailun kehittymiseen myös Suomessa. Mukaan ilmoittautui 48 museota, joista 43 päätyi keräämään aineistoa. Museot sijaitsivat eri puolilla Suomea ja edustivat eri museotyyppejä. Esiselvityshankkeen työskentelytapa oli osallistava. Tavoitteena oli saada museot pohtimaan indikaattoreita kulttuurimatkailun näkökulmasta, sitoutumaan niiden käyttämiseen ja kehittämiseen. Museot ovat saaneet oman museonsa tiedot käyttöönsä

Peace of mind and anxiety in the waking state are related to the affective content of dreams

Waking mental well-being is assumed to be tightly linked to sleep and the affective content of dreams. However, empirical research is scant and has mostly focused on ill-being by studying the dreams of people with psychopathology. We explored the relationship between waking well-being and dream affect by measuring not only symptoms of ill-being but also different types and components of well-being. Importantly, this is the first time peace of mind was investigated as a distinct aspect of well-being in a Western sample and in relation to dream content. Healthy participants completed a well-being questionnaire, followed by a three-week daily dream diary and ratings of dream affect. Multilevel analyses showed that peace of mind was related to positive dream affect, whereas symptoms of anxiety were related to negative dream affect. Moreover, waking measures were better related to affect expressed in dream reports rather than participants’ self-ratings of dream affect. We propose that whereas anxiety may reflect affect dysregulation in waking and dreaming, peace of mind reflects enhanced affect regulation in both states of consciousness. Therefore, dream reports may possibly serve as markers of mental health. Finally, our study shows that peace of mind complements existing conceptualizations and measures of well-being.</p

Optimization of Early Steps in Oncolytic Adenovirus ONCOS-401 Production in T-175 and HYPERFlasks

Oncolytic adenoviruses can trigger lysis of tumor cells, induce an antitumor immune response, bypass classical chemotherapeutic resistance strategies of tumors, and provide opportunities for combination strategies. A major challenge is the development of scalable production methods for viral seed stocks and sufficient quantities of clinical grade viruses. Because of promising clinical signals in a compassionate use program (Advanced Therapy Access Program) which supported further development, we chose the oncolytic adenovirus ONCOS-401 as a testbed for a new approach to scale up. We found that the best viral production conditions in both T-175 flasks and HYPERFlasks included A549 cells grown to 220,000 cells/cm2 (80% confluency), with ONCOS-401 infection at 30 multiplicity of infection (MOI), and an incubation period of 66 h. The Lysis A harvesting method with benzonase provided the highest viral yield from both T-175 and HYPERFlasks (10,887 ± 100 and 14,559 ± 802 infectious viral particles/cell, respectively). T-175 flasks and HYPERFlasks produced up to 2.1 × 109 ± 0.2 and 1.75 × 109 ± 0.08 infectious particles of ONCOS-401 per cm2 of surface area, respectively. Our findings suggest a suitable stepwise process that can be applied to optimizing the initial production of other oncolytic viruses

Optimization of Early Steps in Oncolytic Adenovirus ONCOS-401 Production in T-175 and HYPERFlasks

Oncolytic adenoviruses can trigger lysis of tumor cells, induce an antitumor immune response, bypass classical chemotherapeutic resistance strategies of tumors, and provide opportunities for combination strategies. A major challenge is the development of scalable production methods for viral seed stocks and sufficient quantities of clinical grade viruses. Because of promising clinical signals in a compassionate use program (Advanced Therapy Access Program) which supported further development, we chose the oncolytic adenovirus ONCOS-401 as a testbed for a new approach to scale up. We found that the best viral production conditions in both T-175 flasks and HYPERFlasks included A549 cells grown to 220,000 cells/cm2 (80% confluency), with ONCOS-401 infection at 30 multiplicity of infection (MOI), and an incubation period of 66 h. The Lysis A harvesting method with benzonase provided the highest viral yield from both T-175 and HYPERFlasks (10,887 ± 100 and 14,559 ± 802 infectious viral particles/cell, respectively). T-175 flasks and HYPERFlasks produced up to 2.1 × 109 ± 0.2 and 1.75 × 109 ± 0.08 infectious particles of ONCOS-401 per cm2 of surface area, respectively. Our findings suggest a suitable stepwise process that can be applied to optimizing the initial production of other oncolytic viruses

Fadolmidine – Favourable adverse effects profile for spinal analgesia suggested by in vitro and in vivo models

Fadolmidine is an α2-adrenoceptor full agonist developed for spinal analgesia with a local mode of action. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the safety of fadolmidine on known α2-adrenoceptor-related effects: kidney function, urodynamics and cardiovascular variables. Furthermore, the binding affinity of fadolmidine for the 5-HT3 receptor prompted functional studies on 5-HT3. According to the binding affinity data, fadolmidine demonstrated partial agonism on the 5-HT3 receptor in transfected cells and in guinea pig ileum preparation. However, intravenous (IV) fadolmidine did not produce any 5-HT3-related hemodynamic effects in anaesthetised rats. In urodynamic studies, intrathecal (IT) fadolmidine interrupted volume-evoked voiding cycles and induced overflow incontinence at high concentrations in anaesthetised rats; however, at the analgesic dose range, the effects were mild. The effects of fadolmidine on kidney function were studied in conscious rats after IV and IT dosing. While IT fadolmidine increased dose-dependent urine output, sodium ion concentration, IV doses increased only sodium ion concentration The effects of IT fadolmidine on heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and sedation were evaluated in the home cage and in the open field using a telemetry system. In resting conditions, fadolmidine decreased HR dose-dependently and increased initial MAP, whereas in actively moving rats, there were no effects at analgesic doses. The results suggest that at anticipated analgesic clinical doses, IT fadolmidine provides analgesia without significant adverse effects on sedation, MAP or HR and with only modest effects on kidney function and urodynamics.</p

Heparin Binding Protein in Adult Heart Surgery

Background. Heparin binding protein (HBP) is released from neutrophilic secretory vesicles upon neutrophil adhesion on the endothelium. HBP mediates capillary hyperpermeability experimentally. In sepsis, HBP predicts organ dysfunction. Cardiopulmonary bypass induces neutrophil activation and hyperpermeability. We hypothesized that in cardiopulmonary bypass, HBP is released in the reperfused coronary circulation concomitantly with neutrophil adhesion. Methods. In 30 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement, concomitant blood samples were drawn from the coronary sinus and arterial line before aortic cross-clamping and 5 minutes after reperfusion to calculate transcoronary differences. Plasma HBP concentrations, neutrophil markers lactoferrin and myeloperoxidase, myocardial injury marker heart-type fatty acid binding protein, and leukocyte differential counts were measured. Results. Arterial HBP was 4.1 ng/mL (interquartile range [IQR], 3.6 to 5.3 ng/mL) preoperatively and 150.0 ng/mL (IQR, 108.2 to 188.6 ng/mL) after aortic declamping. HBP increased 39-fold, lactoferrin 16-fold, and myeloperoxidase fourfold during cardiopulmonary bypass. Before cardiopulmonary bypass, there were marginal transcoronary differences in HBP (1.4 ng/mL; IQR, -0.4 to 3.6 ng/mL; p = 0.001) and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (0.4 ng/mL; IQR, -0.04 to 3.5 ng/mL; p = 0.001) but not in the other indicators. During reperfusion, transcoronary HBP release (6.4 ng/mL; IQR, 1.8 to 13.7; ng/mL; p <0.001) was observed concomitantly with transcoronary neutrophil sequestration (-0.14 3 109/L; IQR, -0.28 to 0.01 3 109/L; p = 0.001) and transcoronary heart-type fatty acid binding protein release (6.9 ng/mL; IQR, 3.0 to 25.8 ng/mL; p <0.001). There were no transcoronary differences in lactoferrin or myeloperoxidase during reperfusion. Conclusions. Cardiopulmonary bypass results in substantial increase in circulating HBP. HBP is also released from the reperfused coronary circulation concomitantly with coronary neutrophil adhesion and myocardial injury. HBP may be one candidate for a humoral factor mediating capillary leak in cardiopulmonary bypass. (C) 2019 by The Society of Thoracic SurgeonsPeer reviewe

Toxicological and bio-distribution profile of a GM-CSF-expressing, double-targeted, chimeric oncolytic adenovirus ONCOS-102-Support for clinical studies on advanced cancer treatment

The purpose of this work was to carry out preclinical toxicity and bio-distribution studies required for regulatory approval of a clinical trial application for Phase I clinical studies of ONCOS-102 (Ad5/3-D24-GM-CSF) for therapy of advanced cancers (NCT01598129). The study design, route of administration and dosage differs from the clinical protocol and in more detail, investigate bio-distribution and toxicological profile of ONCOS-102 treatment in animal model. The study was carried out in 300 hamsters divided into nine test groups-three bio-distribution groups and six groups for analysis of toxicity. Hamsters received ONCOS-102 by intracardial, intraperitoneal or subcutaneous injections. Additionally, one group was administered twice a week with intraperitoneal injections of Cyclophosphamide. The control animals were administered with NaCl solution without ONCOS-102 in the same volume and the same way. No adverse effects of repeated administration of ONCOS-102 including body weight, food consumption, hematology and clinical chemistry parameters, histopathology and bio-accumulation were observed in the course of 6-month administration and following 3-month recovery period. All obtained findings indicate the treatment clinically safe.Peer reviewe