Development of Russian Ports in The Gulf of Finland

Russia has been one of the fastest developing economic areas in the world. Based on the GDP, the Russian economy grew evenly since the crisis in 1998 up till 2008. The growth in the gross domestic product has annually been some 5–10%. In 2007, the growth reached 8.1%, which is the highest figure after the 10% growth in 2000. Due to the growth of the economy and wage levels, purchasing power and consumption have been strongly increasing. The growing consumption has especially increased the imports of durables, such as passenger cars, domestic appliances and electronics. The Russian ports and infrastructure have not been able to satisfy the growing needs of exports and imports, which is why quite a large share of Russian foreign trade is going through third countries as transit transports. Finnish ports play a major role in transit transports to and from Russia. About 15% of the total value of Russian imports was transported through Finland in 2008. The economic recession that started in autumn 2008 and continues to date has had an impact on the economic development of Russia. The export income has decreased, mainly due to the reduced world market prices of energy products (oil and gas) and raw minerals. Investments have been postponed, getting credit is more difficult than before, and the ruble has weakened in relation to the euro and the dollar. The imports are decreasing remarkably, and are not forecast to reach the 2008 volumes even in 2012. The economic crisis is reflected in Finland's transit traffic. The volume of goods transported through Finland to and from Russia has decreased almost in the same proportion as the imports of goods to Russia. The biggest risk threatening the development of the Russian economy over long term is its dependence on export income from oil, gas, metals, minerals and forest products, as well as the trends of the world market prices of these products. Nevertheless, it is expected that the GDP of Russia will start to grow again in the forthcoming years due to the increased demand for energy products and raw minerals in the world. At the same time, it is obvious that the world market prices of these products will go up with the increasing demand. The increased income from exports will lead to a growth of imports, especially those of consumer goods, as the living standard of Russian citizens rises. The forecasts produced by the Russian Government concerning the economic development of Russia up till 2030 also indicate a shift in exported goods from raw materials to processed products, which together with energy products will become the main export goods of Russia. As a consequence, Russia may need export routes through third countries, which can be seen as an opportunity for increased transit transports through the ports of Finland. The ports competing with the ports of Finland for Russian foreign trade traffic are the Russian Baltic Sea ports and the ports of the Baltic countries. The strongest competitors are the Baltic Sea ports handling containers. On the Russian Baltic Sea, these ports include Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad and, in the near future, the ports of Ust-Luga and possibly Vyborg. There are plans to develop Ust-Luga and Vyborg as modern container ports, which would become serious competitors to the Finnish ports. Russia is aiming to redirect as large a share as possible of foreign trade traffic to its own ports. The ports of Russia and the infrastructure associated with them are under constant development. On the other hand, the logistic capacity of Russia is not able to satisfy the continually growing needs of the Russian foreign trade. The capacity problem is emphasized by a structural incompatibility between the exports and imports in the Russian foreign trade. Russian exports can only use a small part of the containers brought in with imports. Problems are also caused by the difficult ice conditions and narrow waterways leading to the ports. It is predicted that Finland will maintain its position as a transit route for the Russian foreign trade, at least in the near future. The Russian foreign trade is increasing, and Russia will not be able to develop its ports in proportion with the increasing foreign trade. With the development of port capacity, cargo flows through the ports of Russia will grow. Structural changes in transit traffic are already visible. Firms are more and more relocating their production to Russia, for example as regards the assembly of cars and warehousing services. Simultaneously, an increasing part of transit cargoes are sent directly to Russia without unloading and reloading in Finland. New product groups have nevertheless been transported through Finland (textile products and tools), replacing the lost cargos. The global recession that started in autumn 2008 has influenced the volume of Russian imports and, consequently, the transit volumes of Finland, but the recession is not expected to be of long duration, and will thus only have a short-term impact on transit volumes. The Finnish infrastructure and services offered by the logistic chain should also be ready to react to the changes in imported product groups as well as to the change in Russian export products in the future. If the development plans of the Russian economy are realized, export products will be more refined, and the share of energy and raw material products will decrease. The other notable factor to be taken into consideration is the extremely fast-changing business environment in Russia. Operators in the logistic chain should be flexible enough to adapt to all kinds of changes to capitalise on business opportunities offered by the Russian foreign trade for the companies and for the transit volumes of Finnish ports, also in the future.

Unitizing in Supply Chain – Case SECU Container

The aim of this thesis is to analyze how increasing the level of unitizing affects to the costs in the transport system of a Finnish paper and board company. The parts of the supply chain where costs are analyzed are limited to domestic inland transport and port operations. Supply Chain management is important aspect of modern day companies’ strategies. Intermodal transport and different transport systems are the key items which are studied in the theory part of this thesis. In the case study the payload simulations for SECU container (Stora Enso Cargo Unit) stuffed in mills sites are base of the cost analyze of this thesis. Thesis also makes a glance for the restrictions and development trends in Finnish railroads. In analyze SECU containers are moved up to the mill site for stuffing. This increases the level of unitizing in supply chain. Analyze is made for three variation of current traffic lines. Analyze shows that when idea of intermodalism is well used there is considerable cost savings to gather in pre-transportation and port operations. But also effects to mill sites and destination ports needs to be take under considering. In analyze the effects of increased axle weight for SECU container transportation in Finnish railroads is studied. When transport unit is stuffed in earliest possible point supply chain and unloaded the last possible point the savings made in chain can be considerable. In case study of this thesis almost 40% savings in total costs could be reached in pre transportation and port operations when unitizing level is increased in supply chain.

Certificate Handling Middleware for Mobile Devices

The purpose of this thesis was to study how certificates could be used to improve security of mobile devices. In the theoretical part the usage of certificates to improve security is explained. In the practical part a concept of certificate handling middleware is introduced and implemented. This is to demonstrate what kind of functionality is needed to provide an improvement over the current situation in security with mobile devices. The certificate handling middleware is a concept that would work better if implemented directly into mobile device's core functionality. Many of the mobile devices have a certificate store to some degree and often it is not used to store other people's certificates. A certificate store combined with address book and added with possibility to add attributes to the people such as group memberships would be sufficient to satisfy the needs of many emerging sharing and social applications.

Kropp, handling och ritual: hur förstå religion och personer med grava funktionshinder?

Arbetet som omsorgspräst sedan 1990 har väckt många frågor samband med mötet med personer som har grava funktionshinder. Det har skett framför allt i skriftskolor och konfirmationsundervisning från år 1984 framåt. Men speciellt samarbetet med fysioterapeut Karin Isaksson fick betydelse. Vi inbjöd personer med svåra spänningar och lite aktivitet att delta i en grupp med avslappning och kontemplativ sång. Gruppen (1997-2001)som höll på en timme gav uppmuntrande resultat. Men det var lättare för Isaksson att tänka på det i termer av avslappning och fysiskt välbefinnande då det för mig ingick sådant som helig närvaro och tystnad i mötet med deltagarna. Det resulterade så småningom i ett forskningsprojekt som jag kallar för Aaa-gruppen efter de kontemplativa intonationsövningar som ingår i ritualen. (AÅOM). Sex par (deltagare och handledare) anmälde sig till forskningsprojektet. Materialet samlades in åren 2002-2003. Aaa-gruppens ritual består av kontemplativ gregoriansk sång(intonationsövningar + antifoner som Kyrie eleison, Hosanna Filio David, Sanctus, Non i solo pane - Människan skall icke leva av bröd allenast och Fader Vår bönen.) Samarbetet i Aaa-gruppen mellan deltagare och handledare omfattade taktil stimulans (beröring enligt strykningar och ”Keep in Touch”) Materialet samlades in som observationsprotokoll, frågeformulär och intervjuer. Materialet har jag använt för att reflektera över hur vi kan förstå Aaa-gruppen och verklighet. I avhandlingen utgår jag från tankar om kontextens betydelse för en förståelse. Jag uppfattar att tre sammanhang är av betydelse för förståelsen. Dem har jag kallat för omsorgssammanhang, religiöst sammanhang och forskarsammanhang. I avhandlingen användes tre perspektiv som jag kallar för dialogfilosofi, neurofilosofi och livsformsfilosofi för att reflektera materialet. Den nära relationen mellan deltagare och handledare i Aaa-gruppen kan förstås ur olika sammanhang. Resultatet av den religionsfilosofiska reflektionen är att sammanhangen liksom de olika filosofiska perspektiven kompletterar och ger en mångsidig förståelse för religion och personer med grava funktionshinder. Reflektionen berör grundläggande frågeställningar kring kropp och medvetande och frågan om språk (nonverbalt och verbalt) och verklighet. En dualistisk uppfattning om jaget, som delbart i kropp och medvetande, avisas till förmån för ett så kallat ”kroppsjag”. Religion i Aaa-gruppen kan förstås som ett möte i en nära relation. Ett möte som är nonverbalt men inbegriper en mänskligt förhållningssätt som inom dialogfilosofin kan beskrivas med ordparet Jag-Du.

Hakun kulutusosien materiaalivaihtoehdot sellutehtaan puunkäsittelylaitoksen erilaisiin prosessiolosuhteisiin

Selluteollisuuden puunkäsittelylaitoksilla laitteiden kuluminen on prosessin luonteesta johtuen suurta ja kulumisen aiheuttamat kunnossapitokustannukset laitteiden elinkaaren aikana ovat huomattavia. Näissä olosuhteissa toimivan hakun osien kulumista on tutkittu ja tutkimusten pohjalta on kehitetty kulutusta kestäviä materiaalivaihtoehtoja. Vaihtoehtojen vertailut prosesseittain kuitenkin puuttuvat. Terävasteen osalta tutkimus- ja kehitystyötä on tehty vähän. Tässä diplomityössä selvitetään ja vertaillaan hakun kulutusosien kulumismekanismeja, osien materiaalivaihtoehtoja, valmistus- ja kunnostusmenetelmiä ja -kustannuksia laitteen elinkaaren aikana kolmessa erilaisessa puunkäsittelyprosessissa. Työssä annetaan suosituksia kuhunkin prosessiin ja kunnossapitostrategiaan parhaiten soveltuvista ratkaisuista. Työn Case-osuudessa tutkitaan uusia kulutusta kestäviä materiaalivaihtoehtoja terävasteelle. Case-tutkimuksen tuloksena löydettiin terävasteelle kolme uutta materiaalivaihtoehtoa sekä muita vaihtoehtoja, joiden käyttökelpoisuutta kannattaa tutkia lisää. Samalla saatiin terävasteelle parempaan laatuun pystyvä ja kilpailukykyisempi toimittaja. Tutkimuksen perusteella saatiin uusia suosituksia myös muiden kulutusosien materiaali- ja/tai pinnoitusvaihtoehdoiksi. Tuloksista voidaan mainita lisäksi, että kulutusosille löydettiin suositeltavimmat elinkaarikustannuksiltaan edullisimmat vaihtoehdot. Kulutusosien kunnostamiseen liittyen havaittiin, että kunnostaminen on kannattavaa yhtä poikkeusta lukuun ottamatta. Kunnostusprosessista löydettiin kehitettävää. Työn tuloksena saatiin myös useita uusia kehittämisideoita ja runsaasti suosituksia jatkotoimenpiteistä. Hakun kulutusosien nykytilasta saatiin hyvä käsitys ja kattava tietopaketti.

Energiapuun haketuksen ja murskauksen kustannukset

Energiapuun tuotannossa puu on hienonnettava kuljettimille ja kattilaan sopivaan kokoon. Tämä tehdään Suomessa yleensä joko metsätien varressa välivarastolla, keskitetyssä terminaalissa tai voimalaitoksella. Puu hienonnetaan joko terävillä terillä hakettamalla tai tylpemmillä työkaluilla murskaamalla. Hakkeessa on vähemmän käsittelyä haittaavia pitkiä tikkuja ja sen valmistamiseen tarvittava energia on hiukan pienempi kuin murskaimilla. Viimeksi mainitulla on merkitystä lähinnä karsittua puuta haketettaessa. Murskain puolestaan sallii enemmän epäpuhtauksia raaka-aineessa, joten esimerkiksi kantoja käsitellään vain murskaimilla. Tässä tarkastellaan erityisesti pienpuun haketuksen ja murskauksen kustannuksia. Pienpuuta saadaan nuoren metsän kunnostuksista ja ensiharvennuksista. Se voi olla joko karsimatonta kokopuuta tai karsittua rankaa. Kokonaiskustannukset pienpuun haketukselle tai murskaukselle ovat tämän tutkimuksen mukaan välivarastolla noin 3,4 euroa/MWh ja terminaalilla tai voimalaitoksella noin 2 euroa/MWh. Pääomakustannukset ovat pienpuulla tavallisesti 1-1,2 euroa/MWh, keskitetyllä terminaalilla toimittaessa noin kolmanneksen vähemmän, jos pääomalle asetetaan 10% tuottovaatimus. Työvoimakustannukset ovat 30-80 snt/MWh varaston ja laitteen koosta riippuen, käyttöenergia dieselmoottoria käytettäessä noin 50 snt/MWh, sähkömoottorilla noin 30 snt/MWh. Muut kulut, mm. huolto, ovat yhteensä 40-80 snt/MWh. Energiapuun hankinnan kokonaiskustannuksista raaka-aineen hienontamisen osuus on 10-30% puutavaran lajista ja käytetystä työmenetelmästä riippuen. Terminaaleilla ja voimalaitoksilla toimittaessa on usein kiinnitettävä huomiota melun- ja pölyntorjuntaan. Muun muassa näistä syistä saattaa kiinteä, sähkökäyttöinen murska olla sopiva sellaisiin kohteisiin, joissa käsiteltävät määrät ovat suuria ja toiminta pysyvää. Melun ja pölyn kunnollinen torjunta vaatii suuria rakenteita, joita on vaikea yhdistää liikuteltaviin laitteisiin.

Practical Experiences with Ingesting Materials for Long-Term Preservation

The National Library of Finland is responsible for the collection, preservation and accessibility of Finland’s published national heritage, and for its other unique collections. This presentation will give a general overview of the several processes employed in the digitization and handling of electronic legal deposit. METS format has been chosen as the container format for digitized materials, and considerable amount of effort has been put into creating adequate METS profiles. As METS will be heavily relied as a container format, the practicalities are discussed in some depth. Regarding electronic legal deposit, the National Library has concentrated on large-scale web harvesting. Depositing of e-books is being tested with publishers. The future plans concerning digital preservation will be presented, especially the National Digital Library initiative.

First dice your dill – new methods and techniques in sample handling

This book is dedicated to celebrate the 60th birthday of Professor Rainer Huopalahti. Professor Rainer “Repe” Huopalahti has had, and in fact is still enjoying a distinguished career in the analysis of food and food related flavor compounds. One will find it hard to make any progress in this particular field without a valid and innovative sample handling technique and this is a field in which Professor Huopalahti has made great contributions. The title and the front cover of this book honors Professor Huopahti’s early steps in science. His PhD thesis which was published on 1985 is entitled “Composition and content of aroma compounds in the dill herb, Anethum graveolens L., affected by different factors”. At that time, the thesis introduced new technology being applied to sample handling and analysis of flavoring compounds of dill. Sample handling is an essential task that in just about every analysis. If one is working with minor compounds in a sample or trying to detect trace levels of the analytes, one of the aims of sample handling may be to increase the sensitivity of the analytical method. On the other hand, if one is working with a challenging matrix such as the kind found in biological samples, one of the aims is to increase the selectivity. However, quite often the aim is to increase both the selectivity and the sensitivity. This book provides good and representative examples about the necessity of valid sample handling and the role of the sample handling in the analytical method. The contributors of the book are leading Finnish scientists on the field of organic instrumental analytical chemistry. Some of them are also Repe’ s personal friends and former students from the University of Turku, Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry. Importantly, the authors all know Repe in one way or another and are well aware of his achievements on the field of analytical chemistry. The editorial team had a great time during the planning phase and during the “hard work editorial phase” of the book. For example, we came up with many ideas on how to publish the book. After many long discussions, we decided to have a limited edition as an “old school hard cover book” – and to acknowledge more modern ways of disseminating knowledge by publishing an internet version of the book on the webpages of the University of Turku. Downloading the book from the webpage for personal use is free of charge. We believe and hope that the book will be read with great interest by scientists working in the fascinating field of organic instrumental analytical chemistry. We decided to publish our book in English for two main reasons. First, we believe that in the near future, more and more teaching in Finnish Universities will be delivered in English. To facilitate this process and encourage students to develop good language skills, it was decided to be published the book in English. Secondly, we believe that the book will also interest scientists outside Finland – particularly in the other member states of the European Union. The editorial team thanks all the authors for their willingness to contribute to this book – and to adhere to the very strict schedule. We also want to thank the various individuals and enterprises who financially supported the book project. Without that support, it would not have been possible to publish the hardcover book.

Biopolttoaineiden leijutusominaisuuksien karakterisointi

Tässä diplomityössä selvitettiin biopolttoaineiden ominaisuuksia leijutuksen kannalta. Ensiksi tutkittavat biopolttoaineet, hake ja turve, seulottiin ja seulotut näytteet analysoitiin. Seuraavaksi turvetta ja haketta leijutettiin eri nopeuksilla ja eri leijutusnopeuksilla saadut näytteet analysoitiin kuva-analysilla. Partikkeleista selvitettiin runsaasti mittoja, kuten keskihalkaisija, pinta-ala ja muotokerroin. Kirjallisuudesta löytyvien korrelaatioiden avulla laskettiin leijutettujen partikkelien vastuskertoimet ja terminaalinopeudet. Korrelaatioiden tuloksia verrattiin mittaustuloksiin. Tässä työssä myös laskettiin kyseisiin biopolttoaineisiin vaikuttavat ominaisvoimat leijutuksessa sekä laskettiin korjauskerroin, jota käytettiin ominaisvoimien korjaamiseen. Referenssiaineina käytettiin hiekkaa ja lasikuulia.

Proactive and Preventive Student Welfare Activities in Finnish Preschool and Elementary School: Handling of Transition to Formal Schooling and a National Anti-Bullying Program as Examples

Prerequisites and effects of proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities in Finnish preschool and elementary school were of interest in the present thesis. So far, Finnish student welfare work has mainly focused on interventions and individuals, and the voluminous possibilities to enhance well-being of all students as a part of everyday school work have not been fully exploited. Consequently, in this thesis three goals were set: (1) To present concrete examples of proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities in Finnish basic education; (2) To investigate measurable positive effects of proactive and preventive activities; and (3) To investigate implementation of proactive and preventive activities in ecological contexts. Two prominent phenomena in preschool and elementary school years—transition to formal schooling and school bullying—were chosen as examples of critical situations that are appropriate targets for proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities. Until lately, the procedures concerning both school transitions and school bullying have been rather problem-focused and reactive in nature. Theoretically, we lean on the bioecological model of development by Bronfenbrenner and Morris with concentric micro-, meso-, exo- and macrosystems. Data were drawn from two large-scale research projects, the longitudinal First Steps Study: Interactive Learning in the Child–Parent– Teacher Triangle, and the Evaluation Study of the National Antibullying Program KiVa. In Study I, we found that the academic skills of children from preschool–elementary school pairs that implemented several supportive activities during the preschool year developed more quickly from preschool to Grade 1 compared with the skills of children from pairs that used fewer practices. In Study II, we focused on possible effects of proactive and preventive actions on teachers and found that participation in the KiVa antibullying program influenced teachers‘ self-evaluated competence to tackle bullying. In Studies III and IV, we investigated factors that affect implementation rate of these proactive and preventive actions. In Study III, we found that principal‘s commitment and support for antibullying work has a clear-cut positive effect on implementation adherence of student lessons of the KiVa antibullying program. The more teachers experience support for and commitment to anti-bullying work from their principal, the more they report having covered KiVa student lessons and topics. In Study IV, we wanted to find out why some schools implement several useful and inexpensive transition practices, whereas other schools use only a few of them. We were interested in broadening the scope and looking at local-level (exosystem) qualities, and, in fact, the local-level activities and guidelines, along with teacherreported importance of the transition practices, were the only factors significantly associated with the implementation rate of transition practices between elementary schools and partner preschools. Teacher- and school-level factors available in this study turned out to be mostly not significant. To summarize, the results confirm that school-based promotion and prevention activities may have beneficial effects not only on students but also on teachers. Second, various top-down processes, such as engagement at the level of elementary school principals or local administration may enhance implementation of these beneficial activities. The main message is that when aiming to support the lives of children the primary focus should be on adults. In future, promotion of psychosocial well-being and the intrinsic value of inter- and intrapersonal skills need to be strengthened in the Finnish educational systems. Future research efforts in student welfare and school psychology, as well as focused training for psychologists in educational contexts, should be encouraged in the departments of psychology and education in Finnish universities. Moreover, a specific research centre for school health and well-being should be established.

Locally made equipment

kuv., 22 x 29 cm

Kasanpurkaimen portaalin teknistaloudellinen tarkastelu

Tämä diplomityö on tehty kansainväliseen materiaalinkäsittelyjärjestelmiä toimittavaan yritykseen. Menestyvän yrityksen on pyrittävä kustannustehokkuuden jatkuvaan parantamiseen. Tässä diplomityössä on tutkittu kannattaako kasanpurkaimen portaali valmistaa ristikkorakenteena levyrakenteeseen verrattuna. Tutkimukseen on sisällytetty koko toimitusketju suunnittelusta asennukseen, mutta lujuuslaskennan on suorittanut ulkopuolinen alihankkija. Yrityksen projektissa toimitettiin samaan aikaan purkainta, jonka portaali valmistettiin levyrakenteena. Tätä portaalia on käytetty uuden ristikkorakenteisen portaalin vertailukohtana. Ristikkorakenteinen portaali on suunniteltu putkipalkkirakenteena, jolloin siitä saatiin kevyempi. Suunnittelussa on pyritty huomioimaan valmistusystävällisen suunnittelun näkökohtia, joita esitellään työn teoriaosassa. Ristikkorakenteesta on tehty myös tarjouskuvat, joiden pohjalta valmistustarjoukset on pyydetty. Valmistuskustannusten lisäksi tarkemmassa tarkastelussa ovat suunnittelu- ja laskentakustannukset.

Hakkeen kuivaus ennen varastointia ja biopolttoaineterminaalin suunnittelu

Lempäälään aiotaan rakentaa uusi kaukolämpölaitos, jossa polttoaineena käytettäisiin haketta. Nykyään Lempäälässä tuotetaan kaukolämpöä maakaasulla, jonka käyttämisestä halutaan siirtyä käyttämään lähialueilta saatavaa biopolttoainetta. Tässä työssä halutaan selvittää, mitä hyötyjä saataisiin hakkeen koneellisesta kuivauksesta. Työn toisena tavoitteena on suunnitella ja pohtia biopolttoaineterminaalin rakentamista sekä käsitellä hakkeen varastointia yleensä. Työssä tutustutaan hakkeeseen aiheesta kertovan kirjallisuuden avulla. Työssä on myös laskettu hakkeen kuivauksesta saatavia hyötyjä hakkeen lämpöarvoon sekä energiatiheyteen. Erityisesti perehdytään metsätähdehakkeeseen, rankahakkeeseen, kuorihakkeeseen sekä sahanpuruun. Laskelmien tuloksista on havaittu, että suurin hyöty hakkeen energiatiheyden parantumisessa saadaan kun hake kuivataan 35 % kosteuspitoisuuteen. Tämän jälkeen energiatiheyden paraneminen tapahtuu hitaammin. Hakkeen kuivauksesta saadaan myös muita hyötyjä kuin energiatiheyden paraneminen. Kuivan hakkeen käsittelyn ja varastoinnin on havaittu olevan vaivattomampaa kuin märän hakkeen. Biopolttoaineterminaalin ja voimalaitoksen tulisi sijaita rinnakkain, jotta hakkeen kuivauksesta saadaan mahdollisimman kustannustehokasta. Näin ollen syntyisi myös säästöjä hakkeen kuljetuksen suhteen. Biopolttoaineterminaalin rakentamista varten tarvittaisiin tilaa alustavien laskelmien perusteella noin yksi hehtaari. Työssä on myös laskettu biopolttoaineterminaalin rakentamisesta aiheutuvia kustannuksia sekä hakkeen kuljetuksesta koituvia logistiikka kustannuksia. Haketerminaalin ja voimalaitoksen sijaintia Lempäälässä on myös kartoitettu.