University Of Eastern Finland Research Articles

Antipsychotics double risk of pneumonia in Alzheimer's.

Taking antipsychotic drugs increases the risk of pneumonia in people with Alzheimer's disease, say researchers from the University of Eastern Finland.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF METHANE EMISSION FROM SUBARCTIC LAKE IN KOMI REPUBLIC (RUSSIA)

During last decades, a special attention has been paid to methane emission from lakes [Bastviken et al., 2004; Wik et al., 2016 and etc.] as one of the significant sources of this important greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. However, attempts to simulate methane production and efflux at the air-water interface are scarce [Stepanenko et al., 2011; Tan et al., 2015a; Tan et al., 2015b] and models proposed so far need further validation using observation datasets. In this study, we use the 1D + numerical model LAKE [Stepanenko et al., 2011; Stepanenko et al., 2016]. The LAKE model was applied to a small subarctic lake in the Seida study site (Komi Republic, Russia) for identification of the key factors influencing the surface CH4flux and its concentration in the lake. We carried out a calibration of biogeochemical constants involving qualitative considerations of the character of biogeochemical and physical processes occurring in the lake and aiming at a satisfactory agreement with observations, performed by the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) [Lind et al., 2009; Marushchak et al., 2016]. Comparing our model calibration results to earlier studies suggest that the crucial parameter of the model – methane production rate constant (Pnew, 0) – has similar values for lakes of different types in high latitudes.

Comparing the knowledge management practices in selected European higher education libraries

Purpose – Knowledge Management (KM) in libraries refers to the systematic management and control of knowledge as an important resource when producing high-quality library and information services. If one wishes to make the optimal use and dissemination of organizational and other work life related knowledge, then one needs to acquire appropriate KM tools and to adopt a systematic procedure for KM throughout the organization. This can exert an energizing effect on the lifelong learning of the libraries’ staff which is essential in today’s rapidly changing scientific information environment. The purpose of this paper is to analyze KM practices is selected higher education libraries. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative research conducted in three academic libraries – IZUS/Universitätsbibliothek Stuttgart, Germany; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Library Barcelona, Spain; and University of Eastern Finland (UEF) Library, Finland – makes a comparison of the KM processes being implemented in each of the institutions to ensure the continuous learning of the libraries’ staff. Findings – This comparative study revealed several key reasons and best practices for implementing KM procedures in the selected university libraries. They are collected under three main issues: KM advantages; KM technological opportunities; and KM organizational culture. Research limitations/implications – Based on three cases and thus are mainly examples of the KM implementation. Practical implications – Paper gives tools for libraries and their management on the KM system implementation. Social implications – Based on the paper’s findings the KM implementation in all the selected libraries led to better management and better staff inclusion into the library service development. Originality/value – KM implementation studies are still rare among the libraries.

Continuous manufacturing of tablets with PROMIS-line — Introduction and case studies from continuous feeding, blending and tableting

Drug manufacturing technology is in the midst of modernization and continuous manufacturing of drug products is especially the focus of great interest. The adoption of new manufacturing approaches requires extensive cooperation between industry, regulatory bodies, academics and equipment manufacturers. In this paper we introduce PROMIS-line which is a continuous tableting line built at the University of Eastern Finland, School of Pharmacy, PROMIS-centre. PROMIS-line is modular and tablets can be produced via dry granulation or direct compression. In three case studies, continuous feeding, blending and tablet performance is studied to illustrate some basic features of PROMIS-line. In conclusion, the PROMIS-line is an excellent tool for studying the fundamentals of continuous manufacturing of tablets.

Teachers and their Educators - Views on Contents and their Development Needs in Mathematics Teacher Education

Finland has scored well in international assessments (e.g. PISA, TIMSS), and the pressure to attain excellent scores has activated a drive toward even more effective mathematics teacher education. This article presents the results of a qualitative assessment of the mathematics teacher education provided by the University of Eastern Finland. In this study, the views held by practicing teachers (N=101) and teacher educators (N=19) are compared so that the outstanding development needs of mathematics teacher education in terms of their contents can be revealed. The data was gathered via an electronic survey and was mainly analyzed using data-driven methods. In addition, framework provided by Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) was used to categorize the respondents’ views regarding the contents of mathematics teacher education and to develop general guidelines for the reform of mathematics teacher education. The results indicate that mathematics teacher education should include pure mathematical content (Common Content Knowledge, CCK) and mathematical content that will have been designed only for future teachers (Specialized Content Knowledge, SCK). Teacher educators and practicing teachers both held the view that the relevance of CCK studies depend on the connections between university and school mathematics. Pedagogical studies should also be reformed because practicing teachers have realized that effective teaching (Knowledge of Content and Teaching, KCT) requires knowledge about learning mathematics (Knowledge of Content and Students, KCS) that is not offered in the current educational system on a sufficiently broad basis. In this study, suggestions for developing mathematics teacher education were mostly connected to four domains of MKT: (CCK, SCK, KCT and KCS). Interestingly those domains are the same domains which has been empirically tested and better conceptualized.

A multi-disciplinary collaborative project developing public health higher education in four higher education institutes in Africa and Europe

ABSTRACTThe HEI-ICI project involves cooperation between the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and three African partners. The main aim of the project, now in its fourth year, has been to develop education in health sciences and to improve the quality of teaching. The target has been to develop the skills of selected junior faculty from the Public Health departments, library and IT centres at partner universities. The data was collected during the project in 2010–2014. Written and visual material was analysed using deductive content analysis. The main obstacles researchers were faced with while working in the project have been cultural: the project encouraged different cultures – not only European and African but also pan-African – to meet and work together. This novel approach to learning and teaching is based on the concept of cooperation, collaboration and trust between all of the participating partners; its foundation is the full ownership by the less developed Southern partner institutions.

Daud Hassan, Tuomas Kuokkanen, and Niko Soininen, eds, Transboundary Marine Spatial Planning and International Law

This book is a collection of twelve articles on the relationship between international law and the transboundary aspects of marine spatial planning (MSP). MSP has evolved as a very significant tool in oceans governance. It can be described as ‘[a]n integrated planning framework that informs the spatial distribution of activities in and on the ocean in order to support current and future uses of ocean ecosystems and maintain the delivery of valuable ecosystem services for future generations in a way that meets ecological, economic and social objectives.’1 Indeed, MSP has emerged as a means of resolving inter-sectoral and cross-border conflicts over maritime space; it provides legal certainty, predictability, transparency, and direction for the future development of an ocean area, thus signalling to the industry that development opportunities do exist.2 Hence, this book is timely and offers valuable insights to a topic of increasing importance. Apart from the introductory and concluding remarks of the editors, the book consists of two main parts. The first part, comprised of four chapters, lays out the general historical, normative, and international legal underpinnings of MSP. The volume then moves on to examine the national and regional experience of MSP through six informative case studies. Overall, the editors—Daud Hassan (University of Western Sydney, Australia), Tuomas Kuokkanen (Ministry of Environment of Finland and University of Eastern Finland), and Niko Soininen (University of Eastern Finland)—have assembled a compilation on this challenging topic that brings together insights from diverse doctrinal and geographical backgrounds in a commendably coherent and structured manner.

In the Light of the Midnight Sun

In the Light of the Midnight Sun

Simvastatin prevents cardiac hypertrophy in a rat model via modulation of the JAK/STAT pathway

Simvastatin prevents cardiac hypertrophy in a rat model via modulation of the JAK/STAT pathway

Characterization and testing of a new environmental chamber

Abstract. A 29 m3 Teflon chamber, designed for studies on the aging of combustion aerosols, at the University of Eastern Finland is described and characterized. The chamber is part of a research facility, called Ilmari, where small-scale combustion devices, a dynamometer for vehicle exhaust studies, dilution systems, the chamber, and cell and animal exposure devices are located side by side under the same roof. The small surface-to-volume ratio of the chamber enables reasonably long experiment times, with particle wall loss rate constants of 0.088, 0.080, 0.045, and 0.040 h−1 for polydisperse, 50, 100, and 200 nm monodisperse aerosols, respectively. The NO2 photolysis rate can be adjusted from 0 to 0.62 min−1. The irradiance spectrum is centered at either 350 or 365 nm, and the maximum irradiance, produced by up to 160 blacklight lamps, is 29.7 W m−2, which corresponds to the ultraviolet (UV) irradiance in Central Finland at noon on a sunny day in the midsummer. The temperature inside the chamber is uniform and can be kept at 25±1 °C. The chamber is kept in an overpressure with a moving top frame, which reduces sample dilution and entrance of contamination during an experiment. The functionality of the chamber was tested with oxidation experiments of toluene, resulting in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) yields of 12–42%, depending on the initial conditions, such as NOx concentration and UV irradiation. The highest gaseous oxidation product yields of 12.4–19.5% and 5.8–19.5% were detected with ions corresponding to methyl glyoxal (m/z 73.029) and 4-oxo-2-pentenal (m/z 99.044), respectively. Overall, reasonable yields of SOA and gaseous reaction products, comparable to those obtained in other laboratories, were obtained.

The value of cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise-induced ST segment depression in predicting death from coronary heart disease

a Lapland Central Hospital, Rovaniemi, Finland b Rovaniemi Health Center, Finland c Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Finland d Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland e Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Finland f The Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Finland g Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio Campus, Finland h Central Finland Central Hospital, Jyvaskyla, Finland

Sparse alternating decision tree

Alternating decision tree (ADTree) is a special decision tree representation that brings interpretability to boosting, a well-established ensemble algorithm. This has found success in wide applications. However, existing variants of ADTree are implementing univariate decision nodes where potential interactions between features are ignored. To date, there has been no multivariate ADTree. We propose a sparse version of multivariate ADTree such that it remains comprehensible. The proposed sparse ADTree is empirically tested on UCI datasets as well as spectral datasets from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF). We show that sparse ADTree is competitive against both univariate decision trees (original ADTree, C4.5, and CART) and multivariate decision trees (Fisher's decision tree and a single multivariate decision tree from oblique Random Forest). It achieves the best average rank in terms of prediction accuracy, second in terms of decision tree size and faster induction time than existing ADTree. In addition, it performs especially well on datasets with correlated features such as UEF spectral datasets. Thus, the proposed sparse ADTree extends the applicability of ADTree to a wider variety of applications.

A human resources model supporting academic excellence

In this paper, I shall put forward a model which highlights key issues to be taken into account in an attempt to improve academic excellence by the means of human resources management and leadership. Practices at the University of Eastern Finland and elsewhere are used as examples. It is maintained that logical and coherent human resources policies and capable leadership can support and contribute to academic performance and excellence. A key issue is not to interfere too much with active academic work, but still give sufficient support and prerequisites for academic basic tasks.

The simulation method in learning interpersonal communication competence—Experiences of masters' degree students of health sciences

This article describes the experiences of master students of nursing science in learning interpersonal communication competence through the simulation method. The exercises reflected challenging interactive situations in the field of health care. Few studies have been published on using the simulation method in the communication education of teachers, managers, and experts in this field. The aim of this study is to produce information which can be utilised in developing the simulation method to promote the interpersonal communication competence of master-level students of health sciences. This study used the qualitative, descriptive research method. At the Department of Nursing Science, the University of Eastern Finland, students major in nursing science specialise in nursing leadership and management, preventive nursing science, or nurse teacher education. Students from all three specialties taking the Challenging Situations in Speech Communication course participated (n=47). Essays on meaningful learning experiences collected using the critical incident technique, underwent content analysis. Planning of teaching, carrying out different stages of the simulation exercise, participant roles, and students' personal factors were central to learning interpersonal communication competence. Simulation is a valuable method in developing the interpersonal communication competence of students of health sciences at the masters' level. The methods used in the simulation teaching of emergency care are not necessarily applicable as such to communication education. The role of teacher is essential to supervising students' learning in simulation exercises. In the future, it is important to construct questions that help students to reflect specifically on communication.

Preface: Writing at Borders

No abstract available.

21st Century Manufacturing — Printing the Future of Optics

AbstractThe always smooth landscape of optics and photonics is getting reawakened by new additive manufacturing techniques. Two visionary entrepreneurs give their opinion on the new way of making functional optics and how digital computing will extend the possibilities for all optical products and markets. Prof. Jyrki Saarinen, based at the University of Eastern Finland, UEF, is the founder of Heptagon and Executive Director of the European Optical Society, and Richard van de Vrie, entrepreneur in the lighting industry and founder of Luxexcel, inventor of optical 3D printing, offering a new service for the production of functional optics in the additive way. How do they envision the role of 3D printing in the optical market?

Pärandehitus kontseptsioonina ja tehnoloogiakasvatuse osana / Heritage building as a concept and as a part of technology education

The concept of heritage building is used in a multitude of contexts. As a concept, heritage building is young and previously undefined in Finnish scientific literature. Earlier studies about the very notions of heritage building are also nonexistent in Finland. The purpose of the present dissertation was to investigate the conceptions of students in teacher training about heritage building before and after a study module on heritage building, which constitutes a part of their subject studies in didactics of handicrafts (with crafts as their future instructed subject in basic education). Lack of previous studies about conceptions of heritage building in Finland lead to selection of these conceptions as a research target. The study uses two different approaches for achieving its purpose. In order to find answers to the research problem, the students' common conceptions about heritage building were examined first. Secondly, it was considered how structured these conceptions were. Therefore, the research process included a conceptual review of heritage building to provide a baseline for comparing the student's conceptions and their structuredness.
 The target group (N28) comprised two classes of students carrying out subject studies in didactics of handicrafts (60 ECTS) in the University of Eastern Finland's Savonlinna campus. 17 of the students were male and 11 female. The two groups of students completed the pedagogical study module on heritage building in 2011 and 2012. The philosophy behind didactics of handicrafts in the Savonlinna campus includes technology education, which has given rise to the above mentioned study module. The students wrote an instructed essay on their conceptions about heritage building before and after the study module. A description of the students' conceptions about heritage building before and after the study module was created through a phenomenographical analysis. For the purposes of analysing the structuredness of the conceptions, the contents of the definition of heritage building were scored. On the basis of the created criteria, the expressions about heritage building in the students' essays were given points depending on their accuracy. The structuredness of conceptions was described by employing a three-stage scale: unstructured, fairly structured, and structured. The review of structuredness was given more depth by assessing the results against the student background information collected prior to the study module.
 The research results indicate that even though students in didactics of handicrafts have conceptions about heritage building that are parallel with the definition formulated for the purposes of the dissertation, they are superficial on average. The students were able to describe general values associated with heritage building, but understanding of the underlying material technology and structural physical systems often had fundamental limitations. The review of structuredness of conceptions supported the results achieved in the phenomenographical analysis of conceptions. It was observed that completing the study module had an impact on the structuredness of conceptions. Furthermore, the students' personal background was found to have some implications on how structured their conceptions on heritage building were, which was evidenced by notable differences in structuredness of conceptions on the individual level. Therefore, the conclusion is that instruction based on scientific research knowledge and drawing from technology education has influence on how structured the conceptions on heritage building are among students in teacher training. 
 Keywords: heritage building, conceptions, conceptual change, structuredness, essay, phenomenography, technology education

Hyaluronan Metabolism in Human Keratinocytes and Atopic Dermatitis Skin Is Driven by a Balance of Hyaluronan Synthases 1 and 3

Hyaluronan (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan synthesized directly into the extracellular matrix by three hyaluronan synthases (HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3). HA is abundantly synthesized by keratinocytes but its epidermal functions remain unclear. We used culture models to grow human keratinocytes as autocrine monolayers or as reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) to assess HA synthesis and HAS expression levels during the course of keratinocyte differentiation. In both the models, epidermal differentiation downregulates HAS3 mRNA expression while increasing HAS1 without significant changes in hyaluronidase expression. HA production correlates with HAS1 mRNA expression level during normal differentiation. To investigate the regulation of HAS gene expression during inflammatory conditions linked to perturbed differentiation, lesional and non-lesional skin biopsies of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients were analyzed. HAS3 mRNA expression level increases in AD lesions compared with healthy and non-lesional skin. Simultaneously, HAS1 expression decreases. Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is upregulated in AD epidermis. An AD-like HAS expression pattern is observed in RHE incubated with HB-EGF. These results indicate that HAS1 is the main enzyme responsible for HA production by normal keratinocytes and thus, must be considered as an actor of normal keratinocyte differentiation. In contrast, HAS3 can be induced by HB-EGF and seems mainly involved in AD epidermis.

Pain in hip and knee osteoarthritis.

Q To what extent does pain play a factor in the rehabilitation & treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis? Pain is the most common complaint of individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) and is also the usual reason for seeking advice. Effective pain management is of utmost important for patients with hip and knee OA. Because the natural history of OA is still poorly understood and there is currently no cure or treatment proven to slow OA progression, the main goals of OA treatment are the management and alleviation of pain, as well as the maintenance and improvement of functional capacity. The guidelines on hip and knee OA management emphasize the need for individualized multimodal approaches that involve a combination of non-pharmacological, pharmacological and surgical treatment modalities [1–3]. Jari Arokoski*: Jari Arokoski is Adjunct Professor in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio and Consultant at the Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine in Kuopio University Hospital. He received his medical degree from the University of Kuopio in 1990 and completed his specialisation in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine in 1998 at the University of Kuopio. He finished his PhD thesis titled ‘Altered properties of articular cartilage and subchondral bone after long-term joint loading. An experimental study of young beagles’ in 1996. He became Adjunct Professor (docent) of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Kuopio in 2001. He received his Special Competence in Pain Management in 2001, in Rehabilitation Medicine in 2002, in Insurance Medicine in 2007 and in Medical Education in 2008. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications on different aspects of musculoskeletal issues particularly on cartilage structure and function, joint loading, physical function and gait in osteoarthritis and the effects of exercise and rehabilitation in knee and hip osteoarthritis. He is Chairman of the Working group for Current Care Guideline for Treatment of Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis in Finland (Finnish Medical Society Duodecim) and President of Finnish OsteoArthritis Research Society (FOARS).

In response to commentary on cavernoma‐related epilepsy: Review and recommendations for management—Report of the surgical task force of the ILAE commission on therapeutic strategies

GRAY MATTERS In response to commentary on cavernoma- related epilepsy: Review and recommendations for management— Report of the surgical task force of the ILAE commission on therapeutic strategies To the Editors: We thank Dr. Giulioni and colleagues for their interest in our recommendations for the management of caverno- ma-related epilepsy and their comments regarding inva- sive and noninvasive evaluation of these patients. 1 We agree with Dr. Giulioni that unnecessary invasive evalua- tion should be avoided whenever possible in order to min- imize the risk of complications. Invasive evaluation is not recommended as a general rule in our review, but should be limited to certain specific situations mentioned in our recommendations such as discordant results in noninva- sive video-EEG monitoring (VEM) or epileptogenic cavernomas close to eloquent cortex. 2 In these cases, invasive evaluation including mapping of adjacent cortex can be useful to define the localization and extent of the epileptogenic zone and can provide information that helps to resect as much epileptogenic tissue as possible while avoiding eloquent areas. In addition, invasive VEM might be considered in situations where patients could not be rendered seizure free after resection of the cavernoma. In any case, invasive evaluation should certainly be consid- ered only after noninvasive methods have been exploited. We also agree with Dr. Giulioni and colleagues that for some associated pathologies detection by magnetic reso- nance imaging (MRI) is a challenge, which emphasizes the need for more advanced MRI techniques and stronger field strengths as well as histopathologic evaluation. D ISCLOSURE None of the authors has any conflict of interest to disclose that are rele- vant to this manuscript. We confirm that we have read the Journal’s posi- tion on issues involved in ethical publication and affirm that this report is consistent with those guidelines. Felix Rosenow* 1 rosenow@med.uni-marburg.de Mario A. Alonso-Vanegas 2 Christoph Baumgartner 3 Ingmar Bl€ umcke 4 Mar Carre~ no 5 Elke R. Gizewski 6 Hajo M. Hamer 7 Susanne Knake 1 Philippe Kahane 8 Hans O. L€ uders 9 Gary W. Mathern 10 Katja Menzler 1 Jonathan Miller 11 Epilepsia, 55(3):465–469, 2014 Taisuke Otsuki 12 Cigdem Ozkara 13 Asla Pitk€ anen 14,15 Steven N. Roper 16 Americo C. Sakamoto 17 Ulrich Sure 18 Matthew C. Walker 19 Bernhard J. Steinhoff 20 for the Surgical Task Force, Commission on Therapeutic Strategies of the ILAE Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Center Hessen, University Hospital and Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany; ABC Neurological Center & National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, M exico City, Mexico; Second Neurological Department, Karl Landsteiner Institute for Clinical Epilepsy Research and Cognitive Neurology, General Hospital Hietzing with Neurological Center Rosenh€ ugel, Vienna, Austria; Department of Neuropathology, University Hospitals Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen- Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; Clinical Institute of Neurosciences, Epilepsy Unit, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Radiology, University Clinic for Neuroradiology, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Center Erlangen, University Hospitals Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; Department of Neurology and GIN INSERM U836-UJF- CEA, University Hospital of Grenoble, Grenoble, France; Department of Neurosurgery, Epilepsy Center, University Hospitals Case Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.; Departments of Neurosurgery and Psychiatry & BioBehavioral Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, Mattel Children’s Hospital, University of California, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.; Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.; Epilepsy Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan; Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey; A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Kuopio, Finland; Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A.; Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Science, Ribeir~ ao Preto School of Medicine, University of S~ ao