Thermoplastic bioactive composite – with special reference to dissolution behaviour and tissue response

Bioactive glasses are surface-active ceramic materials which support and accelerate bone growth in the body. During the healing of a bone fracture or a large bone defect, fixation is often needed. The aim of this thesis was to determine the dissolution behaviour and biocompatibility of a composite consisting of poly(ε-caprolactone-co-DL-lactide) and bioactive glass (S53P4). In addition the applicability as an injectable material straight to a bone defect was assessed. In in vitro tests the dissolution behaviour of plain copolymer and composites containing bioactive glass granules was evaluated, as well as surface reactivity and the material’s capability to form apatite in simulated body fluid (SBF). The human fibroblast proliferation was tested on materials in cell culture. In in vivo experiments, toxicological tests, material degradation and tissue reactions were tested both in subcutaneous space and in experimental bone defects. The composites containing bioactive glass formed a unified layer of apatite on their surface in SBF. The size and amount of glass granules affected the degradation of polymer matrix, as well the material’s surface reactivity. In cell culture on the test materials the human gingival fibroblasts proliferated and matured faster compared with control materials. In in vitro tests a connective tissue capsule was formed around the specimens, and became thinner in the course of time. Foreign body cell reactions in toxicological tests were mild. In experimental bone defects the specimens with a high concentration of small bioactive glass granules (<45 μm) formed a dense apatite surface layer that restricted the bone ingrowth to material. The range of large glass granules (90-315 μm) with high concentrations formed the best bonding with bone, but slow degradation on the copolymer restricted the bone growth only in the superficial layers. In these studies, the handling properties of the material proved to be good and tissue reactions were mild. The reactivity of bioactive glass was retained inside the copolymer matrix, thus enabling bone conductivity with composites. However, the copolymer was noticed to degradate too slowly compared with the bone healing. Therefore, the porosity of the material should be increased in order to improve tissue healing.

Non-resorbable glass fibre-reinforced composite with porous surface as bone substitute material: Experimental studies in vitro and in vivo focused on bone-implant interface

The development of load-bearing osseous implant with desired mechanical and surface properties in order to promote incorporation with bone and to eliminate risk of bone resorption and implant failure is a very challenging task. Bone formation and resoption processes depend on the mechanical environment. Certain stress/strain conditions are required to promote new bone growth and to prevent bone mass loss. Conventional metallic implants with high stiffness carry most of the load and the surrounding bone becomes virtually unloaded and inactive. Fibre-reinforced composites offer an interesting alternative to metallic implants, because their mechanical properties can be tailored to be equal to those of bone, by the careful selection of matrix polymer, type of fibres, fibre volume fraction, orientation and length. Successful load transfer at bone-implant interface requires proper fixation between the bone and implant. One promising method to promote fixation is to prepare implants with porous surface. Bone ingrowth into porous surface structure stabilises the system and improves clinical success of the implant. The experimental part of this work was focused on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) -based composites with dense load-bearing core and porous surface. Three-dimensionally randomly orientated chopped glass fibres were used to reinforce the composite. A method to fabricate those composites was developed by a solvent treatment technique and some characterisations concerning the functionality of the surface structure were made in vitro and in vivo. Scanning electron microscope observations revealed that the pore size and interconnective porous architecture of the surface layer of the fibre-reinforced composite (FRC) could be optimal for bone ingrowth. Microhardness measurements showed that the solvent treatment did not have an effect on the mechanical properties of the load-bearing core. A push-out test, using dental stone as a bone model material, revealed that short glass fibre-reinforced porous surface layer is strong enough to carry load. Unreacted monomers can cause the chemical necrosis of the tissue, but the levels of leachable resisidual monomers were considerably lower than those found in chemically cured fibre-reinforced dentures and in modified acrylic bone cements. Animal experiments proved that surface porous FRC implant can enhance fixation between bone and FRC. New bone ingrowth into the pores was detected and strong interlocking between bone and the implant was achieved.

Hemicellulose extracted Kraft pulp as a raw material of paper

The transformation of a traditional pulp mill into an integrated forest biorefinery utilizing wood-derived biomass presents a promising opportunity for enterprise revival of the pulp and paper industry by offering new sources of revenue and significantly improved industry profitability. One proposed next generation process step for an integrated forest biorefinery is the extraction of hemicelluloses, allowing the co-production of pulp and ethanol or chemicals. The extraction of hemicelluloses, however, will likely have downstream effects on pulp quality. In the literature survey an overview of the integrated forest biorefinery and possible next generation technologies implementable in such facility were reviewed. Moreover, some hemicellulose extraction methods suitable for the co-production of pulp and hemicellulose products were looked into in more detail. Also, an overview on the significance of pulp’s hemicellulose content on papermaking properties of pulp fibers was made. In the literature it is stated that the hemicellulose content of pulp affects on many papermaking properties of pulp fibers, hornification and paper strength properties in particular. In the experimental part the goal was to investigate what effects alkaline hemicellulose extraction after bleaching has on the papermaking properties of birch Kraft pulp. It was discovered that tested pulps, normal and hemi-poor birch Kraft pulp, were different in many ways regarding to pulp properties. Differences were observed in both physical and chemical characteristics. Furthermore, clear distinctions were seen in tested paper properties, especially in strength properties, between the handsheets made from hemi-poor or normal birch Kraft pulp. Hemi-poor and normal birch Kraft pulps were also compared as a raw material of laboratory made copy paper. Based on this comparison, usage of hemi-poor birch pulp as the raw material of copy paper does not drastically deteriorate its quality.

Analyzing the Background Information of an Activity-Based Costing System

The aim of this thesis was to analyze the background information of an activity-based costing system, which is being used in a domestic forest industry company. The reports produced by the system have not been reliable, and this has caused the utilization of the system to diminish. The study was initiated by examining the theory of activity-based costing. It was also discovered, that the system produces management accounting information and therefore also that theory was introduced briefly. Next the possible sources of errors were examined. The significance of these errors was evaluated and waste handling was chosen as a subject of further study. The problem regarding waste handling was that there is no waste compensation in current model. When paper or board machine produces waste, it can be used as raw material in the process. However, at the moment the product, which is being produced, at the time does not get any compensation. The use of compensation has not been possible due to not knowing the quantity of process waste. As a result of the study a calculatory model, which enables calculating the quantity of process waste based on the data from the mill system, was introduced. This, for one, enables starting to use waste compensation in the future.

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.

Altistuminen PAH-yhdisteille kreosoottikyllästetyn puun käsittelyssä

Tässä työssä selvitettiin altistutaanko kreosoottikyllästetyn puun käsittelyssä polysyklisille aromaattisille hiilivedyille ja mistä työsuojelullisista syistä altistumista tapahtuu. Lisäksi työssä selvitettiin mitä altistuminen tarkoittaa työnantajan kannalta. Altistumista tarkasteltiin työturvallisuuden näkökulmasta. Lähtöaineisto koostui maastossa toteutetuista tutkimuksista. Aineisto kerättiin kesällä 2009 kolmesta Itä-Suomessa sijaitsevasta kohteesta, joissa käsiteltiin kreosootilla kyllästettyä puuta. Altistumisen todentamiseksi tutkimukseen osallistuneilta työntekijöiltä pyydettiin virtsanäytteet, joista analysoitiin yhden yleisimmän PAH-altistumista indikoivan merkkiaineen, virtsan 1-pyrenolin pitoisuuksia työntekijöillä. Altistumisen syiden selvittämiseksi työntekijöitä haastateltiin ja havainnoitiin. Tulosten perusteella työntekijät altistuvat PAH-yhdisteille työssään. PAH-altistumisen merkkiaineena olleelle virtsan 1-pyrenolille ei toimenpiderajaa tällä hetkellä ole, mutta se on Työterveyslaitoksella suunnitteilla. Lainsäädäntö velvoittaa erinäisin toimenpitein työnantajaa minimoimaan työntekijöiden altistumisen syöpäsairauden vaaraa aiheuttaville aineille, kuten PAH-yhdisteille. Tulosten perusteella työsuojelutoimenpiteitä on syytä tehostaa altistumisen minimoimiseksi ja etenkin ihon suojaamiseen on syytä kiinnittää erityistä huomiota.

Asiakkuuksien johtaminen tietointensiivisessä pk-yrityksessä: Case Severa Oyj

Asiakkuuksien johtaminen on tunnistettu laskentatoimen ja markkinoinnin kirjallisuudessa yhdeksi tärkeimmistä kilpailuedun lähteistä tulevaisuudessa. Teema korostuu tietointensiivisissä pk-yrityksissä. Tutkielman tarkoitus oli tämän pohjalta löytää keinoja tehostamaan asiakkuuksien johtamista caseyrityksessä. Teoriaosuudessa aihealuetta tarkasteltiin yleisenä ilmiönä aiemman kirjallisuuden pohjalta, empiirinen osio toteutettiin casetutkimuksena. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin yrityksen tietojärjestelmistä, kyselylomaketutkimuksella ja osallistuvan havainnoinnin avulla. Tulosten perusteella caseyrityksen asiakasryhmien kannattavuudet eroavat toisistaan merkittävästi. Analyysien avulla resurssien käyttöä voidaan kohdistaa tarkemmin tulevaisuudessa. Asiakasinformaation integroimista ja ongelmatilanteiden hallintaa voidaan myös tehostaa. Parannuksia voidaan toteuttaa osin jo olemassa olevin keinoin, vastuu on viime kädessä yrityksen johdolla. Pääfokuksen tulisi kiinnittyä jatkossa asiakaskannattavuuksiin, sisäisiin prosesseihin ja tulevaisuuden asiakashankintaan.

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.

Economy of converting wood to biocoal

The pre-treatment step has a significant influence on the performance of bioenergy chains, especially on logistics. In nowadays conditions it is important to have technologies allowing to convert biomass at modest scales into dense energy carriers that ease transportation and handling. There are such technologies as charring and torrefaction. It is a thermal treatment of organic waste (only woody biomass is considered as a raw material in this work), which aims to produce a fuel with increased energy density. Wood processing is attractive under meaning of green house gas emissions. Charring and torrefaction are promising technologies due to its high process efficiency. It may be also attractive in the future as a renewable fuel with improved storage properties, increased energy density (compared to raw wood) for co-combustion and/or gasification.

Simplified sample handing in mass spectrometry based protein research - focus on protein phosphorylation

The human genome comprises roughly 20 000 protein coding genes. Proteins are the building material for cells and tissues, and proteins are functional compounds having an important role in many cellular responses, such as cell signalling. In multicellular organisms such as humans, cells need to communicate with each other in order to maintain a normal function of the tissues within the body. This complex signalling between and within cells is transferred by proteins and their post-translational modifications, one of the most important being phosphorylation. The work presented here concerns the development and use of tools for phosphorylation analysis. Mass spectrometers have become essential tools to study proteins and proteomes. In mass spectrometry oriented proteomics, proteins can be identified and their post-translational modifications can be studied. In this Ph.D. thesis the objectives were to improve the robustness of sample handling methods prior to mass spectrometry analysis for peptides and their phosphorylation status. The focus was to develop strategies that enable acquisition of more MS measurements per sample, higher quality MS spectra and simplified and rapid enrichment procedures for phosphopeptides. Furthermore, an objective was to apply these methods to characterize phosphorylation sites of phosphopeptides. In these studies a new MALDI matrix was developed which allowed more homogenous, intense and durable signals to be acquired when compared to traditional CHCA matrix. This new matrix along with other matrices was subsequently used to develop a new method that combines multiple spectra from different matrises from identical peptides. With this approach it was possible to identify more phosphopeptides than with conventional LC/ESI-MS/MS methods, and to use 5 times less sample. Also, phosphopeptide affinity MALDI target was prepared to capture and immobilise phosphopeptides from a standard peptide mixture while maintaining their spatial orientation. In addition a new protocol utilizing commercially available conductive glass slides was developed that enabled fast and sensitive phosphopeptide purification. This protocol was applied to characterize the in vivo phosphorylation of a signalling protein, NFATc1. Evidence for 12 phosphorylation sites were found, and many of those were found in multiply phosphorylated peptides

Det pedagogiska övervägandet : en uppmärksamhetsriktande studie i och genom humanvetenskaplig handlingsteori

Det övergripande syftet med avhandlingen är att bidra till en handlingsinriktad diskurs. Ambitionen är att rikta uppmärksamheten mot den pedagogiska övervägande handlingen genom att pröva konkreta exempel från en pedagogisk praktik mot en begreppsapparat inspirerad av den humanvetenskapliga handlingsteorin. Forskningsfrågorna lyder: Vad är en övervägande handling? Hur byggs den upp och vad förutsätter den? Bakgrunden till intresset att belysa den övervägande handlingen är en önskan att överbrygga klyftan mellan teori och praktik och att hitta ett sätt att samtala om ”tyst kunskap” och den konkreta pedagogiska verkligheten så att denna kan utvecklas på ett meningsfullt sätt. Förhållandet mellan intentionalitet och instrumentella handlingar är av särskilt intresse. Den aristoteliska begreppsapparaten som avser att belysa den mänskliga handlingen används i studien som både utgångspunkt och analysredskap. Retoriken ses som den vetenskap som kan beskriva och förklara hur vi skapar mening med hjälp av språket. Fyra fokussamtal med sammanlagt fem studerande på musikanimatörutbildningen genomfördes under vårterminen 2006. Referaten från samtalen bearbetades till en berättelse. I konstruktionen av berättelsen användes dels en fenomenologisk analys, dels narrativ bearbetning. De aristoteliska begreppen poíesis, praxis och theoria tillämpades och prövades på berättelsen varefter en retorisk analys genomfördes. Berättelsen visar två konkurrerande praxis. Utbildningen framstår i berättelsen dels som en horisontell ”alla kan”-utbildning, dels som en vertikal och lärarstyrd verksamhet. Berättelsen ger inte så många exempel på pedagogiska överväganden men tydliggör ändå den övervägande handlingen. Det pedagogiska övervägandet innebär ett väljande utifrån teoretiskt tänkbara och med praxis förenliga handlingsalternativ. Reflektion ingår i övervägandet men är inte detsamma som övervägande. Övervägandet är inte enbart en rationellt kalkylerande aktivitet. Holistiska och intuitiva procedurer är en viktig del i processen. Övervägande förutsätter dessutom ansvar.

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.

Hjärtats vanor, tankens välvilja och handens gärning : dygd som vårdetiskt grundbegrepp

The main aim of the study is to elucidate the meaning and dimensions of the concept of „virtue‟, and to find the place of virtue in a caritative caring ethics, i.e. a caring ethics based on human love and mercy. The intention is to create a theory model which utilizes the possibilities of virtue in developing the caritative caring ethics as a whole. The caritative caring ethics has a universal potential – it is primarily not a professional ethics, but it may form a frame of reference and basis for formulating ethical codes, and for ethical discussions within different caring contexts. The hermeneutic approach of the study is inspired by Gadamer‟s philosophical hermeneutics combined with the view of hermeneutics as a hypothetical-deductive process. The study is guided by Eriksson‟s model of definition of concepts. The concept of „virtue‟ is studied focusing on its ethical dimensions. These ethical dimensions of virtue are seen as anchored to an inner ethos, whereas ethos stands for the ontological goodness, a basic notion of the Good that permeates the entity of the human being, and forms the base of the culture where he lives and acts. The overarching research questions are: 1. What is virtue? 2. What is „virtue‟ as a basic concept in caring science? 3. What place does virtue have in caritative caring ethics? The answer of the first question is mainly searched for by an ontological determination comprising partly an etymologic and semantic analysis of „virtue‟, and partly a determination of the essence of virtue. The answer to the second and third questions are mainly searched for using a contextual determination, where the purposive context and pragmatic features of virtue are studied in relation to caring ethics. The ontological and contextual determinations are brought together through hermeneutical interpretation, forming a new whole, which constitutes the results of the study. The results of the study are depicted in a theory model, in which the movement of virtue from ethos to deed is moulded as caritative caring ethics. The material of the study consists of dictionaries, texts written by Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, articles, dissertations, and books, as well as parts of a pilot survey answered by 33 nurses. The results of the study show that the essence of virtue is primarily functional, not ethical. The ethical emerges when virtue is contextualized in a human communion. Virtue makes something fulfil its function well; makes the human being good, and gives him morals and morality. The human being needs prudence, love, and humility to acquire and develop the moral virtues. Virtue is a power, related to a value, which considering a caritative caring ethics consists of the caritas motif. Human love is shown through deeds, making the human being do what he is expected to do. Virtue, as an active power of becoming, affirms and clarifies the human being‟s ability to develop in the direction of the Good. Virtue becomes essential and unifying when morality appears in the human mind as auctoritas, an inner, prompting power based on divinity or a transcendental ethos. Together ethos and virtue create opportunities for an inner ethics based on voluntariness and joy in being and doing the true, the good, and the beautiful.