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Research | Innovative Research InitiativesThe University of Eastern Finland has selected twelve Innovative Research Initiatives (IRI) as part of the implementation plan of the university’s strategy. The university provides a total of 3 million euros of funding for the Innovative Research Initiatives in 2011–2015. The IRI projects are listed below by faculty. Some of the project descriptions will be published later. Philosophical facultyFaculty of Science and Forestry
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies
Kick-off project for establishing the Institute of Inclusive Science and Solutions (IISS)The purpose of the kick-off project is to launch the interdisciplinary and international Institute of Inclusive Science and Solutions (IISS). IISS focuses on the research and development of inclusive solutions (technology applications, pedagogical design, and services) with and for people with special needs, i.e. elderly people and individuals, particularly children and young adults with special needs (moderate and severe disabilities). Activities of IISS aim at promoting social inclusion of people with special needs in society. IISS consists of three components that are
The research community, called Research Plaza, designs and implements research and development projects under the theme of inclusive solutions. Research Incubator involves national and international expertise and special interest groups, that are for example researchers, educators, service providers and representatives of enterprises, in seminars and workshops to brainstorm and promote social inclusion. The kick-off project aims at establishing an interdisciplinary Research Space, that serves as an environment for research and development. Final users and special interest groups are involved in participatory design and action research for developing inclusive solutions throughout the project. IISS will generate several research and development projects by applying funding from national and international funds, create an international network of researchers, experts, and final users, and conduct research in partnership with target groups.
Disruption of Social Cognition and Language: Linguistic and Clinical Studies in Schizophrenia an Asperger’s Syndrome
Individuals with schizophrenia and Asperger offer us a window into the interfaces between social cognition, linguistic pragmatics and grammar. In terms of the theory of mind, individuals with schizophrenia over-interpret, and those with autism under-interpret other minds.However, like in several pathological conditions involving language, it has been mainly clinicians that have studied language in schizophrenia and Asperger. In these studies the main goal, and quite an understandable one as such, has typically been the characterization of the language performance for diagnostic and eventual therapeutic purposes. Thus, the methods have not typically been linguistically rigorous, in depth or scope, or in both. Our project is intended to fill, at least partially, this methodological quasi-vacuum. Our behavioral (linguistic, clinical) studies of Finnish individuals with schizophrenia and Asperger aim at giving us the linguistic profiles of discourse and narrative performance in these pathologies. Parallel to this linguistically oriented goal, we analyze a widely used clinical tool of schizophrenic language (viz., Andreasen’s TLA Scale) with linguistic tools in order to improve clinical practices of schizophrenia. The project is a joint UEF effort involving Linguistics (Joensuu) and Psychiatry (Kuopio, co-PI: professor Jukka Hintikka). Genomic instability induced by genotoxic and non-genotoxic exposures, GITOXThe project is led by Docent Jonne Naarala. Many non-genotoxic environmental agents, which do not cause direct DNA damage, can cause cancer. The unifying hypothesis of the project is that genomic instability is the key phenomenon that underlies both non-genotoxic carcinogenesis and transgenerational effects. Genomic instability is a concept to describe delayed effects (e.g. chromosomal aberrations, mutations, micronuclei, apoptosis) which are observed many cell generations later in the progeny of cells exposed to damaging agents. The daughter cells inherit not only direct mutations but an increased mutation frequency. In this project, genomic instability is seen as a response to environmental stress which may be caused by either genotoxic or non-genotoxic agents. The objectives of the project are:
Artificial optical activity in achiral metamaterials
Optical metamaterials are nanoscale structures that behave like homogeneous materials. In other words, metamaterials may be said to mimic these materials. Well known examples of such artificial materials are birefringent artificial materials, chiral metamaterials,and negative-refractive-index materials. The first two of these examples belong to metamaterials that have counterparts among natural bulk media. On the other hand, no negative-index materials have been encountered among natural materials. The research on optical metamaterials has been quite intensive during the last years. This is partly due to the rapid development of the fabrication methods of nanoscale structures. The main purpose of this research is to develop metamaterials that behave as natural optically active media. Such materials rotate the plane of polarization of light that propagates through the material. For example linearly polarized input light remains linearly polarized but its polarization angle is changed. In contrast to other researches on the subject, we aim to employ non-chiral structures that may lead to completely new effects such that artificial optical activity in higher diffraction orders. These materials will be fabricated using the electron-beam lithography equipment installed in the Department of Physics and Mathematics in the University of Eastern Finland. Computational methods for quantitative photoacoustic tomographyAcademy Researcher Tanja Tarvainen, Department of Applied Physics Photoacoustic tomography is an imaging modality which combines the benefits of optical imaging and ultrasound measurements. The optical methods provide information about the distribution of chromophores, which are light absorbing molecules such as haemoglobin, and the ultrasound techniques are used to combine this functional information into accurate anatomical information. The technique can be used to provide high spatial resolution images of soft biological tissues. However, this information is only an image and it does not include any information about the amount of the chromophores.Quantitative photoacoustic tomography is a technique which aims at reconstructing quantitative distribution of the chromophores. This reconstruction problem is highly challenging ill-posed inverse problem and it is also non-unique unless some of the parameters are assumed to be known. The objective of this project is to develop computational methods for photoacoustic tomography so that the technique can be used as a quantitative imaging modality. The implementation is based on Bayesian framework. This includes modelling and reconstruction of pressure wave detected with ultrasound transducers (an acoustic inverse initial value problem), development of advanced mathematical modelling and computational methods to accurately describe the behaviour of near-infrared light in target tissues (forward problem), and development of sophisticated inversion methods for the image reconstruction problem of quantitative photoacoustic tomography (inverse problem). Crayfish and berry production threatened by oomycetes - Understanding host-pathogen interactions: search for oomycete effectors by combining analysis of transcriptomes and gene-to-gene interactionsThe research consortium is led by Professor Raine Kortet. Oomycetes cause diseases and severe economic losses in several aquatic animals and in nearly all economically important crop species. A well-known example is the spread of crayfish plague (Aphanomyces astaci), a virulent oomycete, through Europe since late 1800’s. This pathogen has devastated wild native crayfish stocks through continental Europe, leaving only some sparse populations in the Nordic countries. The objective of this project is to characterize the repertoire of virulence effectors in oomycete pathogens. We will use crayfishes (Astacus astacus, Pacifastacus leniusculus) and diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) and their oomycete pathogens (A. astaci, Phytopthora cactorum) as model organisms. The project will increase the understanding of
New powerful deep sequencing tools have been developed for genome and transcriptome analyses, and will be used for the identification of pathogen effectors. Together with identification of host immune responses our techniques will provide a highly informative way to understand how the pathogen modulates and kills the host cells, and how the host responds to these molecular-level invasions. The Finnish Vitamin D Trial (FIND)Professor Tomi-Pekka Tuomainen Vitamin D insufficiency is widespread throughout the world. In addition to its classic role in bone metabolism, accumulating data from laboratory studies and ecologic and epidemiologic research suggest that vitamin D reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) or cancer, but little to no evidence exists from large primary prevention trials. The Finnish Vitamin D Trial (FIND) will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 5-y supplementation study of the benefits and risks of vitamin D in the primary prevention of CVD, cancer and type 2 diabetes among 18000 men ≥60 y and women ≥65 y. The participants will be randomized to 3 groups with 6000 in each, with daily supplementation of either: 1) 40 µg/d of vitamin D3, 2) 80 µg/d of vitamin D3, or 3) placebo. Compliance, use of non-study drugs or supplements, diet, development of endpoints, and disease risk factors will be assessed by questionnaires. Blood samples will also be collected. Event data will be obtained by record linkage from the national computerized hospitalization registry. There is increasing attention in the medical literature and popular press on the purported benefits of vitamin D, and the vitamin D supplement sales are increasing. This underscores a timely initiation of a large-scale supplementation study, before the increasing use of vitamin D supplements or a large-scale fortification of foods makes a participant recruiting and hypothesis testing impossible. The data obtained from this supplementation study will help to make public health guidelines, clinical recommendations, and individual decisions. Targets in neuronal disease and development – from cell-based screens to in vivo validation
Attractive and safe hospital (AT SAFE -study)The consortium is led by professor Katri Vehviläinen-Julkunen. The challenges of human resources shortage, aging workforce have brought to light inefficiencies within health care systems. The clinical and administrative processes in health care environments are becoming increasingly complex and the complexity is emerging as patient safety problems such as medical errors and complications. With greater acuity and complexity of illness, the adoption of innovative technologies and the shortage of health personnel (especially nurses), the coordination of health care services has become increasingly demanding. This is highlighting the need to understand health care as a complex system. In our research team we have gained knowledge of nursing and health care quality evaluated by service providers and users, leadership and management issues, the effectiveness of nursing care, safety culture and use of information technology as well as facilities for educating new students and mentoring. We are combining different data sets aiming at the development of a versatile, evidence –based model which supports conditions of effective nursing work by management, education and research. The project aims at producing new information relevant for the ongoing reorganization of the health care services system nationally and internationally. Versatile research methodology is tested with longitudinal designs. The scientific added value generated by the research team activity is in its interdisciplinary nature, theoretical and methodological innovations with strong international collaboration as well as with close relationship with clinical practice and health service experts. The project enhances nursing research nationally and internationally including PhD and post doc education. Developing Bioenergy Governance (DEBEG)
The fast growing bioenergy sector is reshaping the natural resource governance globally. Various interests concerning ecological effects, social equity or economic benefits collide, which indicates a need for transnational bioenergy governance (BEG). This research project aims to study means how the conflicts are dealt with and develop tools to include stakeholders to governance processes. The study aims to: 1) Study how conflicts and stakeholder involvement are taken into account in the emerging transnational BEG by focusing on two cases: Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) and EU bioenergy policy. 2) Scrutinize concrete local bioenergy projects through 2 case studies, one in Finland and Estonia. 3) Examine bioenergy conflicts globally by constructing a broad database, as well as develop related educational resources. In order to focus the research we deploy and develop the concept of governance generating network (GGN). The multidisciplinary research group consists of the 5 researchers. Porous Society. New arrangements of labour, care and education
The notion of ’porous society’ has been used to refer to the current social, political and economicalsituation in which work, care (reproduction) and education gradually lose their self-evident borders,contents and significance as central coordinates of the social life and the politics of the social. Education no longer guarantees income and status, work becomes precarious in its all aspects, andcare arrangements face phenomena like ‘care deficit’, ‘leaks of care’ and ‘deregulation of care’. In the global economy, also the borders between nation-states and the division into developed and developing countries become ambiguous. In the background of the porous society we can perceive profound changes in the mode of production and in the accumulation of wealth. The industrial model of production is gradually degrading as the production of ‘immaterial’ goods, services and relational work (counselling, teaching, guiding and care) gains more and more importance in the production process. However, also the new forms of labour are material in the sense that they often involve human body – the embodied and sensible presence of the worker and her existence as a human being. Reproduction, education and affects, which were once regarded as something outside of the principal production, are increasingly situated at the heart of production and the creation of wealth. While these changes and their effects have been studied on a theoretical and systemic level, there is little empirical research done about the local consequences, institutional arrangements and modes of subjectivity linked to porosity. Our study aims to provide such knowledge by digging global changes locally, in various locations and in the ‘moving localities’ of the global economy. The main objective of the research is to investigate both the effects of ongoing social changes on people’s lives and the ways people make their lives liveable in these circumstances. Porous work is taken here as a dynamic element: people live and shape the world with work, and work, as a countermove, shapes people. IRI-funding will cover two studies, which focus on two novel arrangements of porous work in depth: project work as a model by which to organise care, work, and public policy; and co-research as a novel theoretical and methodological option to grasp the porous conditions. There will be two PhD theses prepared: Iiris Lehto on project work and Heidi Meriläinen on co-research. Moreover, the research team ‘Precarisation in North Karelia’ explores the general development of care entrepreneurship in the area, especially in Keski-Karjala region. The team also organises seminars and workshops on transversal care inviting researchers, care professionals and laymen to practice co-research. Innovation practiceProfessor Päivi Eriksson, Department of Business The cross-disciplinary and international research project focuses on business and education-related innovation. We conceptualize ‘innovation’ as change and renewal that is ‘done’ in interaction with people, activities, artifacts and contexts. Our project complements previous research on innovation processes through the adoption of a new theoretical approach, which enables us to explore innovation as ‘practice’. The objective of our project is to produce new knowledge on innovation through three modes of ‘practice’ in research: practice as phenomenon, practice as perspective, and practice as philosophy. To do so, our project focuses on three research questions: 1) how innovation practitioners’ do their work on change and renewal 2) how organization-level innovation practices develop and shape organizational outcomes 3) how society-level practice produces conceptions of innovation, change and renewal.
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