University Of Eastern Finland Research Articles

Developing forestry curricula: experiences from a KenyanFinnish project

SUMMARY In the context of the challenges that forestry education faces, the improvement of curricula to increase its attractiveness and address the changing needs of the society is imperative. With the aim of improving the forestry education offered at the University of Eldoret in Kenya, a joint project was carried out together with the University of Eastern Finland during 2011–2012. One of the tasks of the project was to revise the curriculum of the undergraduate programme in forestry. According to the needs assessment, the biggest gaps in subject-specific competencies were in areas such as forest information systems and forests and climate change, as well as in generic competencies such as computer skills. The need to update and expand contents (e.g. on dryland forestry) and learning methods (e.g. more practicals) clearly emerged. The proposed changes in the context of various initiatives to improve forestry education in Kenya and worldwide are discussed.

Why Do Young Males Attack Schools? Seven Discipline Leaders Share Their Perspectives

Mass shootings in public places such as political rallies in Arizona, movie theaters in Colorado, and grade schools in Connecticut and Norway are some of the most horrifying events we face in the 21st century. The time has come for us to research, understand, and communicate the causes for perpetrators who wreak such havoc on unsuspecting, unprepared, innocent people. The time has come for a peer-reviewed scientific journal to do everything possible to explore the contributing factors of such violent acts in order to mitigate or prevent them in the future. To this end, Violence and Gender has assembled a multidisciplinary panel of experts to look at the basic information regarding shooters--generally white males between fifteen and thirty years of age--from a wide range of scientific and behavioral perspectives as a foundation for understanding "why." Language: en

Heart rate variability predicts sleep efficiency

Heart rate variability (HRV) provides information about autonomic nervous system function, and has been shown to vary across the sleep-wake cycle. Measures of HRV have also been found disturbed in sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and insomnia. However, it remains unclear whether HRV could be used as a biomarker of sleep quality. Here we evaluated the association between HRV and sleep efficiency in a group of healthy volunteers. 39 (9 men) young university students with a mean age of 23.85 (SD = 6.92) completed a psychological distress questionnaire (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, DASS), and a sleep diary for seven consecutive days. At the end of the daily diary period, participants completed a laboratory visit between 9 AM and 12 PM. During the visit, participants wore a digital interbeat interval recorder (Polar 800CX) and were instructed to relax as they remained seated during 7 min. Average sleep efficiency (time asleep/time in bed) over one week was computed for each participant from the aggregated sleep diary data. The HRV parameters rMSSD, pNN50, and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) were extracted using Kubios HRV (version 2.1, University of Eastern Finland) and CardioBatch (University of Illinois at Chicago). The association between HRV parameters and sleep efficiency was tested by Pearson correlations and linear regressions on log-transformed variables. rMSSD, r = .44 p = .007, pNN50, r = .50 p = .002, and RSA, r = .45 p = .005, were positively correlated with average sleep efficiency. In hierarchical regressions, rMSSD, p = .01, pNN50, p = .002, and RSA, p = .005, predicted sleep efficiency over and above differences in age, sex, ethnicity, and current psychological distress. Greater HRV during resting wakefulness is associated with better sleep efficiency measured with sleep diaries over one-week period in healthy young individuals. This relationship remains significant after taking into account demographic and psychological variables. Therefore our results indicate that HRV during a short resting period is an independent index of sleep efficiency, and could be used as a clinical biomarker of sleep quality. Future studies should reassess this relationship in various clinical populations. Support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), the Sleep Research Society Foundation (SRSF), and the Petro-Canada Young Innovators Awards Program.

Mocking the MOOCs

MOOC is one of the new terms that occupy many higher learning institutions these days. Rectors, Presidents or Vice-Chancellors, leaders of higher education in general, are all of a sudden all set for the target: we also want to provide courses for the “MOOC”. The conservative Norwegian newspaper “Aftenposten” claimed recently that the MOOCs will revolutionize higher education, and will alter “the ways we learn” in fundamental ways. The Norwegian Ministry of Education has established an expert group to monitor the development of MOOCs and the consequences for national higher education systems. The reactions sway between exhilaration and “moral panic”. Many positive reactions reflect what Thomas Alva Edison hoped for a century ago, by predicting that learning was now liberated from the institutions and offered entirely via film and radio. The moral panic is a sentiment held by those who think that higher education institutions also have an obligation to maintain national cultures of science and humanities. Leaving teaching to MIT, Open University or whoever wants to claim the turf of teaching a topic, is a challenge to the established higher education policies. The global market of science, communication, publishing and library service is already vastly dominated by the English speaking academia.The MOOCs are so far predominantly a phenomenon from this cultural area, and will add to the cultural dominance that is already so strong. In this respect I subscribe to a moral panic. On the other hand one might ask, what is truly new to the “MOOC”? Not much, in my view, except a different way of organizing, financing and marketing content and processes which are as old as correspondence schools. The technological wrapping is redesigned and offered in an importantly different context: “open access”. This tantalizing concept clouds the fact that teaching in higher education is situated in local cultural contexts, and is, as always, problematic to recontextualize.The first article in this issue is titled “From Classroom to Digital Arena in Seeking Higher-level Learning: Student Experience” and is written by dr. Mark Brown of The Department of Communication, Culture and Languages, BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. In the article he acknowledges the vast influences distance-learning has had on the area of introducing digital technologies in higher education. The article reports some results from a teaching project in which they moved a mid-level learning process out of the classroom and into a digital learning environment in order to free up teaching time for higher-level learning. The findings demonstrate that students respond very positively to such reflective learning opportunities.In the paper “Challenges with social software for collaboration: Two case studies from teacher training” a collective of authors from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Eastern Finland, Teemu Valtonen, Sari Havo-Nuutinen, Patrick Dillon, Sini Kontkanen, Mikko Vesisenaho and Susanne Pöntinen offer us insights into which challenges with collaborative learning one meets when using social software. It reports two case studies conducted in a teacher training department. Although the case studies were concerned with providing teacher students with inspiring and motivating experiences of using ICT in pedagogically meaningful ways, the research design was set up so that challenges could be identified and investigated. It turned out that the presumed added value of interaction and collaboration was poorly recognised.In the last article, Ragnhild Nilsen and Line Lundvoll Nilsen, of The University of Tromsø, write about their project on “Interdisciplinary professional education (IPE)”. The title, “Interprofessional Participation and Reflection in a Digital Network” introduces us to how teaching with digital tools allows collaborative learning to take place. Their methods supported collective reflection and increased professional understanding. The digital network allowed students from different health science programmes to draw on each other’s knowledge and expertise. The authors suggest that their findings are relevant for the development of reflection and professional understanding among health science students, as they show how students discuss and seek solutions to complex challenges in the practice.

Commitment in the Context of a Merger

The University of Eastern Finland was established through a merger at the beginning of the year 2010. The article focuses on the commitment of the personnel to the organization prior to and after the merger process. The data are based on 42 theme-interviews. The study discusses the merger and its impacts on the personnel’s commitment by analysing: (a) the interviews with members of staff, and (b) key intentions, messages and choices by the university management. The differences between the orientations and viewpoints of the personnel and university management will be discussed in relation to the changing operational environment of universities. Implications for the leadership in the context of a merger will be discussed, especially from the point of view of the impact of leadership and governance on research, teaching and learning.

Effects of Implementing an Ergonomic Work Schedule on Heart Rate Variability in Shift‐working Nurses

The aim of this study was to compare the psychophysiological strain related to a conventional shift schedule and new ergonomically improved two- and three-shift schedules using heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. The specific aim was to determine whether the introduced ergonomic shift arrangement had any positive effects on the psychophysiological strain such as increased HRV or decrease in the sympathovagal balance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Questionnaire data and 24-hour HRV recordings were gathered from 48 female shift-working nurses once while working the conventional shift schedule (baseline) and again after one year working an ergonomic shift schedule during the morning shift. Comparisons between conventional and ergonomic shift schedules (baseline and follow-up, respectively) revealed significant differences in frequency-domain parameters. Implementing an ergonomic shift schedule resulted in decreased normalized low frequency (LF) power, increased normalized high frequency (HF) power, and decreased LF/HF ratio at the beginning of the shift. Furthermore, at baseline, mean RR interval, root mean square of successive RR interval differences (RMSSD) and normalized HF power were increased at the end of the shift compared with the values at the beginning of the morning shift. In contrast, at the follow-up, LF power was increased between the end and beginning of the morning shift. The psychophysiological strain measured by HRV analysis was lower at the beginning of the work shift for the ergonomic shift schedules compared with the conventional schedule. This indicates that an ergonomic shift schedule may have a positive effect on the ANS recovery occurring between successive work shifts.

FRI0184 Cost-effectiveness and budget impact of certolizumab pegol against the current mix of anti-tnf treatments in an outcomes-based risk-sharing scheme in finland

BackgroundGiven the existing evidence that the degree of response to certolizumab pegol (CZP) at Week 12 is determinant of the probability of long-term response to CZP, a risk-sharing scheme (RSS)...

TRANSFOR-M: A unique transatlantic forestry Master program leading to a dual European and Canadian degree

To educate their students in modern sustainable forest and environmental management approaches sensitive to cultural and situational differences, three Canadian (Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick) and four European (Albert-Ludwigs- Universität, Freiburg, Germany; University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden; and Bangor University, Wales) universities have developed a new transatlantic forestry Master program leading to a dual European and Canadian post-graduate degree (TRANSFOR-M). The two-year English language program has the following key characteristics: 1) the optimal use of expertise at partner institutions to deliver effective, globally oriented programs in forestry and environmental management; 2) one intensive language course in the language of the host country for the Canadian students; 3) e-learning courses accessible among all partner institutions (and once tested through TRANSFOR-M, to a broader audience); 4) a “thesis” or research project report that is co-supervised by both a Canadian and a European professor; 5) access to work internships to provide practical experience in an international context and increase the employability of the graduate students and 6) two mandatory three-week field courses (one across the four European countries and one across the three Canadian provinces), where all program participants meet.

The European Dementia Prevention Initiative

The European Dementia Prevention Initiative

Predicting AD conversion with a computerized diagnostic tool

Predicting AD conversion with a computerized diagnostic tool

User-friendly e-learning Environment for Educational Action Research

The study aims to bridge the newest information and communication technologies and action research which has come to be known as a modern inquiry driven learning method and a learning strategy. To this end, the paper presents research into the effectiveness of action research as an e-learning method, notably, identifies the basic principles of the e-learning environment, explores the importance of constructive supportive dialogue and discusses the creation of a model of interface for educational action research (EAR) in an e-learning environment.The paper analyses experience from a Business course implemented in an e-learning environment at Riga Technical University over a two-year period.Thus, the study: (1) discusses the advantages and disadvantages of EAR in an e-learning environment in the context of sustainable education and (2) evaluates the adequacy of the developed interface model to the user's cognitive needs. The proposed methodology suggests new possibilities for creative cooperation in an e-learning environment for sustainable ubiquitous education.Partially article was presented at the 10th International JTEFS/BBCC Conference “Sustainable Development. Culture. Education” University of Eastern Finland, Savonlinna, Finland.

Принцип прямого определения влагосодержания целлюлозы на основе 1H ЯМР-релаксометрии

A novel express approach is suggested for determination of moisture of cellulose. This method also allows measurement of adsorption isotherm of water and other adsorbates on cellulose by using 1 Н NMR-relaxometry, assuming no necessity of sample drying and initial weighting. The proposed technique can be used to estimate the amount of firmly bounded water and has been successfully applied for measurements of relative moisture content below 25 % for cotton cellulose samples. Key words : cellulose, moisture content, sorption capability, adsorption isotherm, NMR-relaxation. (Russian) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2013.17.2.004 Е . А . Nikolskaya 1,2 , L.Yu. Grunin 1 , Yu. B. Grunin 1 , Y. Hiltunen 2 1 Povolzhskii State Technological University , Russian Federation , Mary El Republic, Yoshkar-Ola 2 University of Eastern Finland , Kuopio, Finland

Teaching and learning innovation practice: a case study from Finland

The article explores the question of how to teach and learn innovation in higher education institutions. A case study from Finland, a world leader in innovation rankings, shows how a practice-oriented model for learning 'innovation practice' was developed and implemented at the business school of the University of Eastern Finland. The case study shows how university-level business degree teaching can be attuned to learning innovation through experiential learning and real-life projects with companies and other organisations. The results are encouraging. The understanding of innovation has accelerated when measured by course feedback. Also, business students' interest in entrepreneurial action has increased within and outside

Inhibitors of LRRK2 Kinase Activity To Probe the Treatment Option in Parkinson’s Disease

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVViewpointNEXTInhibitors of LRRK2 Kinase Activity To Probe the Treatment Option in Parkinson’s DiseaseJarkko Rautio*View Author Information School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland*Phone: +358 40 353 2791. E-mail: [email protected]Cite this: J. Med. Chem. 2012, 55, 22, 9414–9415Publication Date (Web):October 18, 2012Publication History Received9 October 2012Published online18 October 2012Published inissue 26 November 2012https://doi.org/10.1021/jm301460xCopyright © 2012 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views2316Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (177 KB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Central nervous system,Inhibition,Inhibitors,Peptides and proteins,Selectivity Get e-Alerts

CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES AND SUBJECTIVE PERCEIVE DURING DIFFERENT POSITIONS AND RESISTIVE EXERCISES IN HEALTHY ADULTS

ObjectivesAlthough heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure (BP) differences between the transfer of supine and sitting position have long been recognised, limited data are available on the different positions...

HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND SUBJECTIVE RESPONSES IN PATIENTS WITH STROKE: INFLUENCE OF POSTURES AND RESISTIVE EXERCISES

ObjectivesStroke survivors experience the loss of muscle mass and muscle atrophy changes on the paretic lower limbs as well as the non-paretic side. Traditional stroke rehabilitation intervention concerned whether the...

The development of a digitising service centre for natural history collections

Digitarium is a joint initiative of the Finnish Museum of Natural History and the University of Eastern Finland. It was established in 2010 as a dedicated shop for the large-scale digitisation of natural history collections. Digitarium offers service packages based on the digitisation process, including tagging, imaging, data entry, georeferencing, filtering, and validation. During the process, all specimens are imaged, and distance workers take care of the data entry from the images. The customer receives the data in Darwin Core Archive format, as well as images of the specimens and their labels. Digitarium also offers the option of publishing images through Morphbank, sharing data through GBIF, and archiving data for long-term storage. Service packages can also be designed on demand to respond to the specific needs of the customer. The paper also discusses logistics, costs, and intellectual property rights (IPR) issues related to the work that Digitarium undertakes.

The benefits of a quality management system in a university merger – a case study of the merger of two Finnish universities

At the turn of the century the higher education legislation and structure was reorganized in Finland. The number of universities was reduced by merging seven existing universities into three new universities. One of these new universities is the University of Eastern Finland, which was formed from the Universities of Joensuu and Kuopio. The merger process started in 2007 and during this time the quality management techniques have been utilized in the development of the administration system for the new university, one aim being to meet the standards of FINHEEC auditing. This article describes utilizing the existing quality know-how and the FINHEEC quality criteria to build a quality management system and how to utilize the auditing and other assessing techniques in reorganizing the management system of a new university.

Low-grade inflammation and the phenotypic expression of myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of inflammation in the phenotypic expression of myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).DesignClinical study.SettingKuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.SubjectsTwenty-four patients with a...

Glucose control in diabetes: which target level to aim for?

The most important goal in the treatment of patients with diabetes is to lower the risk of long-term diabetes complications. Hyperglycaemia is the most important risk factor for microvascular complications in diabetes, but, in addition to hyperglycaemia, several other risk factors, particularly dyslipidaemia, elevated blood pressure and smoking, also determine the risk of macrovascular complications. In this review, we present evidence from longitudinal population-based studies that hyperglycaemia is an important risk factor for long-term complications of diabetes and discuss the results from clinical trials of the effects of the treatment of hyperglycaemia on the prevention of long-term micro- and macrovascular complications in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. An HbA(1c) target of <7.0% for the treatment of diabetes is generally accepted on the basis of evidence from several trials, whereas a target of <6.5% may be reasonable for patients with a short duration of type 2 diabetes and without extensive atherosclerosis.