University of Oulu

A Data-Driven Framework for Characterizing Nonlinear Responses of River Ice Growth and Decay in the Shisifenzi Reach of the Upper Yellow River

The Shisifenzi Reach, with its sharp curvature, serves as a prime observational target for river ice research in the Upper Yellow River. Using six winter seasons (2020–2026) of monitoring data, this study developed a Random Forest with SHAP and Accumulated Local Effects (ALE) to...

Problem-driven design methods for organizing collaborative learning: learning circles and change laboratories

Purpose This study aims to examine how two Nordic co-design methods, namely, learning circles (LC) and change laboratory (CL), support collaborative learning and system-level redesign in educational settings. The authors identify learning and facilitation principles that guide th...

Linking solar magnetism, extreme solar particle events and stellar superflares

The magnetic field of the Sun drives a wide range of eruptive phenomena, from small-scale nanoflares to large flares and coronal mass ejections. While direct observations of solar activity cover only the past few decades, indirect evidence indicates that the Sun can occasionally...

International consensus guidance for general population screening for islet autoantibodies to diagnose early-stage type 1 diabetes: a nominal group technique process

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that targets and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets. The incidence of type 1 diabetes is rising globally. At the clinical diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, between 20% and 67% of children and adolescents present wit...

Mechanism of coalburst triggered by thrust fault slipping based on field monitoring, indoor experiments and numerical simulation

Abstract Coalburst disasters induced by thrust fault slip frequently take place in underground coal mines and often lead to severe roadway damage and personnel casualties. However, the triggering mechanism of coalburst remains unclear. Combined with field monitoring, physical ana...

Automated tooth number recognition from smartphone intraoral photographs using Mask R-CNN: internal and external validation study

Tooth numbering plays a significant role in dental care, providing accurate record keeping, diagnosis, and treatment of dental issues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R-CNN) model for tooth number detection, classific...

X-ray imaging from nonlinear waves: numerical reconstruction of a cubic nonlinearity

Abstract We study an inverse boundary value problem for the nonlinear wave equation in $2 + 1$ dimensions. The objective is to recover an unknown potential $q(x, t)$ from the associated Dirichlet-to-Neumann map using real-valued waves. We propose a direct numerical reconstruction...

FI-TW: An open train–weather dataset for railway delay analysis in Finland

Background Train delays result from complex interactions between operational, technical, and environmental factors. Weather strongly affects railway reliability in Nordic regions, yet publicly available datasets rarely integrate meteorological information with operational train r...

Students’ educational expectations: the role of school burnout and parental involvement

Adolescents’ educational expectations shape their futures. School burnout has been identified as affecting these expectations; however, research remains limited. Therefore, this study investigated the associations between school burnout (exhaustion and cynicism) and students’ edu...

Explainable AI–enhanced pavement deterioration modeling using hybrid classification–regression deep learning architecture

Abstract Effective Pavement Management System (PMS) planning depends on the ability to anticipate both the severity and physical extent of multiple distress types under real-world data constraints. This work introduces an interpretable dual-stage Deep Learning (DL) framework that...

The impact of patient-facing digital health interventions on patient safety outcomes: a meta-analysis of meta-analyses

Abstract Patient safety is a critical concern in healthcare, with preventable adverse events contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality. Digital health interventions (DHIs) are increasingly integrated into healthcare systems to improve patient safety outcomes. However,...

Can Solar Cyclic Variability Mimic Extreme Solar Particle (Miyake) Events in Radiocarbon?

Abstract Rapid, strong enhancements in C in the Earth's atmosphere, known as Miyake events, rarely occurred over the past millennia, pointing to major radiation storms affecting Earth. They are produced by extreme solar particle events (ESPEs) and are separated by an order‐of‐mag...

Breeding Dispersal of Baltic Dunlins Is Not an Adaptive Response to Unpredictable Nest Flooding

ABSTRACT Human‐driven habitat loss and climate change are rapidly degrading bird breeding habitats worldwide. For ground‐nesting shorebirds using low‐lying shore habitats, nest failure is primarily driven by predation but can also result from intensified temporary flooding. In th...

Dune aurora: survey from a citizen science database

Abstract. Auroral forms can provide information not only on the state of near-Earth space but also on conditions in the lower-thermosphere–ionosphere. The so-called dune aurora, consisting of brighter stripes forming a wave-like pattern in the dim, diffuse green aurora, has been...

Exploring the impact of robot-based services on hotel brand image among senior consumers

Robot has introduced new opportunities for enhancing hotel brand image, yet few studies on hotel robots have focused on senior consumers. Drawing on the Information Systems Success (ISS) model, this study examines the impact of information quality, system quality, and service qua...

Factors associated with a positive vaccination decision as described by vaccine-hesitant parents of pre-school-age children

Abstract Background Relatively few parents refuse all vaccinations for their children, but more and more have doubts and concerns about vaccination, even if their children have been vaccinated according to a vaccination program. This study identifies factors associated with a pos...

Applicability of Online Course for Teaching Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders ( DC / TMD ) Axis I in Undergraduate Dental Education–Interexaminer Reliability Between Students and Teachers in a Student Exercise

ABSTRACT Introduction Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are common conditions affecting the masticatory system, causing pain and dysfunction. The DC/TMD Axis I protocol is increasingly included in undergraduate dental curricula. Aim To evaluate the applicability of a DC/TMD Axis...

Beyond AI Literacy: Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Pedagogical and Ethical Reasoning in Generative AI Integration in Education

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) offers opportunities for innovative teaching but also raises ethical concerns. While pre-service teachers are expected to integrate GenAI responsibly, little is known about how they engage in reasoning processes that guide such integrati...

Operationalizing the Concept of Socio-environmental Tipping Points in River Basin Management

Abstract The concept of socio-environmental tipping points (SETPs) is gaining interest as a means to describe nonlinear transformations in socio-environmental systems that are driven by both biophysical and social dynamics. These SETPs stem from multiple interacting factors that...

Prevalence of Lumbar MRI Changes Associated with Nerve Root Compression Among Middle-aged People - A Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study

Study design. A cross-sectional study. Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of lumbar MRI changes associated with nerve root compression in a large, unselected middle-aged population. Summary of Background Data. While degenerative spinal changes are frequently observed in imagin...