Modeling information in software languages

Ohjelmiston kehitystyökalut käyttävät infromaatiota kehittäjän tuottamasta lähdekoodista. Informaatiota hyödynnetään ohjelmistoprojektin eri vaiheissa ja eri tarkoituksissa. Moderneissa ohjelmistoprojekteissa käytetyn informaation määrä voi kasvaa erittäin suureksi. Ohjelmistotyökaluilla on omat informaatiomallinsa ja käyttömekanisminsa. Informaation määrä sekä erilliset työkaluinformaatiomallit tekevät erittäin hankalaksi rakentaa joustavaa työkaluympäristöä, erityisesti ongelma-aluekohtaiseen ohjelmiston kehitysprosessiin. Tässä työssä on analysoitu perusinformaatiometamalleja Unified Modeling language kielestä, Python ohjelmointikielestä ja C++ ohjelmointikielestä. Metainformaation taso on rajoitettu rakenteelliselle tasolle. Ajettavat rakenteet on jätetty pois. ModelBase metamalli on yhdistetty olemassa olevista analysoiduista metamalleista. Tätä metamallia voidaan käyttää tulevaisuudessa ohjelmistotyökalujen kehitykseen.

Tunnuslukujärjestelmän rakentaminen pelastuslaitokselle

Tutkimuksen tavoitteina oli rakentaa pelastuslaitoksen tuloksellisuuden arvioimiseen tasapainotettu mittaristo sekä valita mittareita, joiden avulla voidaan vertailla pelastuslaitoksia keskenään. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään, miten julkisen sektorin palveluiden tuloksellisuutta arvioidaan erityisesti kuntasektorilla, mitä tarkoitukseen soveltuvia mittausjärjestelmiä on olemassa, miten tasapainotetun mittausjärjestelmän rakentamisprosessi etenee, miten henkilöstön aikaansaannoskyky voidaan ottaa huomioon kuntien tuloksellisuuden arvioinnissa, minkälaisilla mittareilla voidaan parhaiten arvioida pelastuslaitoksen toimintaa ja mitkä mittareista soveltuvat pelastuslaitosten vertailuun. Teoriaosuudessa käsitellään julkisten palvelujen erityispiirteitä, suositusta kunnallisten palvelujen tuloksellisuuden arvioimisesta sekä henkilöstön aikaansaannoskyvyn mittaamista. Työssä esitellään joitakin tasapainotetun mittaamisen malleja sekä kuvataan mittariston rakentamisprosessin vaiheita. Teorian pohjalta rakennettiin tasapainotettu tunnuslukujärjestelmä Etelä-Karjalan pelastuslaitokselle. Kunnalliselle organisaatiolle voidaan rakentaa tasapainotettu mittaristo, mutta yksittäisen pelastuslaitoksen osalta on lähdettävä sen omista kriittisistä menestystekijöistä ja noudatettava kunnallisen sektorin suosituksia. Yhteisiä mittareita pelastuslaitosten käyttöön löytyy, mutta pääosin yksikön tuloksellisuutta ohjaavat mittarit soveltuvat vain sisäiseen käyttöön.

Toimintamallin luominen halutun ympäristöluokitustason saavuttamiseksi uudisrakennusprojektissa

Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena on selvittää miksi uudisrakennushankkeeseen ryhtyvän kannattaa huomioida kestävän rakentamisen vaatimukset ja miten asetettuja kestävän ra-kentamisen tavoitteita voidaan hallita rakennusprojektin aikana. Perinteisesti rakennussektorilla on keskitytty tilaajan tavoitteiden saavuttamiseen kustan-nustehokkaasti ja aikataulussa. Kestävän kehityksen ja vastuullisuuden näkökulmat ovat kuitenkin vahvistuneet viime aikoina. Kestävän rakentamisen hallinta vaatii vielä uusia toimintatapoja ja -malleja, jotta voidaan varmistaa kestävän kehityksen kriteerien mukai-suus läpi hankkeen ja valmiissa rakennuksessa. Ympäristöluokitusjärjestelmien avulla voidaan asettaa kestävän rakentamisen tavoitteita, joita seurataan läpi hankkeen. Diplomityössä selvitetään yksityiskohtaisemmin BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method)-ympäristöluokitusjärjestelmän käyttämistä kestävän rakentamisen ohjaamisessa. Työssä selvitetään myös miten rakennusten tietomallinnusta voidaan käyttää tukemaan kestävän rakentamisen uudisrakennushanketta. Työ toteutetaan kirjalli-suustutkimuksen, asiantuntijahaastatteluiden ja ympäristöluokitusta hakeneesta esimerkki-kohteesta saatujen tietojen avulla. Diplomityön tuloksena muodostettiin toimintamalli varmistamaan halutun kestävän kehi-tyksen tason saavuttaminen uudisrakennusprojektissa. Toimintamallissa on jaettu vastuut ja tehtävät eri osapuolille koko projektin ajalle tarveselvityksestä käytönaikaan.

Thick XML client and technology of its construction

Nykyään kolmeen kerrokseen perustuvat client-server –sovellukset ovat suuri kinnostuskohde sekä niiden kehittäjille etta käyttäjille. Tietotekniikan nopean kehityksen ansiosta näillä sovelluksilla on monipuolinen käyttö teollisuuden eri alueilla. Tällä hetkellä on olemassa paljon työkaluja client-server –sovellusten kehittämiseen, jotka myös tyydyttävät asiakkaiden asettamia vaatimuksia. Nämä työkalut eivät kuitenkaan mahdollista joustavaa toimintaa graafisen käyttöliittyman kanssa. Tämä diplomityö käsittelee client-server –sovellusten kehittamistä XML –kielen avulla. Tämä lähestymistapa mahdollistaa client-server –sovellusten rakentamista niin, että niiden graafinen käyttöliittymä ja ulkonäkö olisivat helposti muokattavissa ilman ohjelman ytimen uudelleenkääntämistä. Diplomityö koostuu kahdesta ostasta: teoreettisesta ja käytännöllisestä. Teoreettinen osa antaa yleisen tiedon client-server –arkkitehtuurista ja kuvailee ohjelmistotekniikan pääkohdat. Käytannöllinen osa esittää tulokset, client-server –sovellusten kehittämisteknologian kehittämislähestymistavan XML: ää käyttäen ja tuloksiin johtavat usecase– ja sekvenssidiagrammit. Käytännöllinen osa myos sisältää esimerkit toteutetuista XML-struktuureista, jotka kuvaavat client –sovellusten kuvaruutukaavakkeiden esintymisen ja serverikyselykaaviot.

Methods for construction and analysis of computational models in systems biology : applications to the modelling of the heat shock response and the self-assembly of intermediate filaments

Systems biology is a new, emerging and rapidly developing, multidisciplinary research field that aims to study biochemical and biological systems from a holistic perspective, with the goal of providing a comprehensive, system- level understanding of cellular behaviour. In this way, it addresses one of the greatest challenges faced by contemporary biology, which is to compre- hend the function of complex biological systems. Systems biology combines various methods that originate from scientific disciplines such as molecu- lar biology, chemistry, engineering sciences, mathematics, computer science and systems theory. Systems biology, unlike “traditional” biology, focuses on high-level concepts such as: network, component, robustness, efficiency, control, regulation, hierarchical design, synchronization, concurrency, and many others. The very terminology of systems biology is “foreign” to “tra- ditional” biology, marks its drastic shift in the research paradigm and it indicates close linkage of systems biology to computer science. One of the basic tools utilized in systems biology is the mathematical modelling of life processes tightly linked to experimental practice. The stud- ies contained in this thesis revolve around a number of challenges commonly encountered in the computational modelling in systems biology. The re- search comprises of the development and application of a broad range of methods originating in the fields of computer science and mathematics for construction and analysis of computational models in systems biology. In particular, the performed research is setup in the context of two biolog- ical phenomena chosen as modelling case studies: 1) the eukaryotic heat shock response and 2) the in vitro self-assembly of intermediate filaments, one of the main constituents of the cytoskeleton. The range of presented approaches spans from heuristic, through numerical and statistical to ana- lytical methods applied in the effort to formally describe and analyse the two biological processes. We notice however, that although applied to cer- tain case studies, the presented methods are not limited to them and can be utilized in the analysis of other biological mechanisms as well as com- plex systems in general. The full range of developed and applied modelling techniques as well as model analysis methodologies constitutes a rich mod- elling framework. Moreover, the presentation of the developed methods, their application to the two case studies and the discussions concerning their potentials and limitations point to the difficulties and challenges one encounters in computational modelling of biological systems. The problems of model identifiability, model comparison, model refinement, model inte- gration and extension, choice of the proper modelling framework and level of abstraction, or the choice of the proper scope of the model run through this thesis.

Making Sense of Shared Leadership. A case study of leadership processes and practices without formal leadership structure in the team context

Leadership is essential for the effectiveness of the teams and organizations they are part of. The challenges facing organizations today require an exhaustive review of the strategic role of leadership. In this context, it is necessary to explore new types of leadership capable of providing an effective response to new needs. The presentday situations, characterized by complexity and ambiguity, make it difficult for an external leader to perform all leadership functions successfully. Likewise, knowledge-based work requires providing professional groups with sufficient autonomy to perform leadership functions. This study focuses on shared leadership in the team context. Shared leadership is seen as an emergent team property resulting from the distribution of leadership influence across multiple team members. Shared leadership entails sharing power and influence broadly among the team members rather than centralizing it in the hands of a single individual who acts in the clear role of a leader. By identifying the team itself as a key source of influence, this study points to the relational nature of leadership as a social construct where leadership is seen as social process of relating processes that are co-constructed by several team members. Based on recent theoretical developments concerned with relational, practice-based and constructionist approaches to the study of leadership processes, this thesis proposes the study of leadership interactions, working processes and practices to focus on the construction of direction, alignment and commitment. During the research process, critical events, activities, working processes and practices of a case team have been examined and analyzed with the grounded theory –approach in the terms of shared leadership. There are a variety of components to this complex process and a multitude of factors that may influence the development of shared leadership. The study suggests that the development process of shared leadership is a common sense -making process and consists of four overlapping dimensions (individual, social, structural, and developmental) to work with as a team. For shared leadership to emerge, the members of the team must offer leadership services, and the team as a whole must be willing to rely on leadership by multiple team members. For these individual and collective behaviors to occur, the team members must believe that offering influence to and accepting it from fellow team members are welcome and constructive actions. Leadership emerges when people with differing world views use dialogue and collaborative learning to create spaces where a shared common purpose can be achieved while a diversity of perspectives is preserved and valued. This study also suggests that this process can be supported by different kinds of meaning-making and process tools. Leadership, then, does not reside in a person or in a role, but in the social system. The built framework integrates the different dimensions of shared leadership and describes their relationships. This way, the findings of this study can be seen as a contribution to the understanding of what constitutes essential aspects of shared leadership in the team context that can be of theoretical value in terms of advancing the adoption and development process of shared leadership. In the real world, teams and organizations can create conditions to foster and facilitate the process. We should encourage leaders and team members to approach leadership as a collective effort that the team can be prepared for, so that the response is rapid and efficient.

Future trends of Finnish cement based construction

The construction material sector, as a capital intensive industry, is highly vulnerable to rapid fluctuations in the economic cycles. In Finland this was witnessed especially during the late 2000s, as in 2007 and 2008 the demand for several construction materials exceeded their supply and right after this, in 2009 the demand collapsed fast as a result of an international recession. These factors brought about the need to study the future trends of the market place of the commissioning company, Finnsementti Oy. As reliable short term market forecasts for the sector are difficult to compose, the study concentrates primarily in examining and identifying the trends that are likely to affect the Finnish cement industry, and as an extension, the concrete industry in a frame of 10 to 15 years. The study’s scope comprehends also the examination of the domestic construction sector, as it represents the end user industry of both cement and concrete. These motives for the study produce the research problem, which is to conduct a trend analysis for cement based building in the Finnish market area in the 2020s. The theoretical frame for composing a trend analysis in the case of this study is twofold. This is due to the fact that both, the macro and micro environments of the examined industries are studied. The main methods used are the PESTE-model (macro) and Porter’s five forces model (micro). The study applies a qualitative approach and the data is gathered by interviewing a group of experts from the cement, concrete and construction industries. The result of the paper is an overall trend analysis for the Finnish cement based building sector, which is based on ‘sub trend analyses’ concerning four identified sub-sectors of the Finnish construction industry. The results are a combination of findings from these sub-sectors and the analyzed data that deals with the studied sector’s macro and micro environment. The conclusions provide an overall picture of the examined sectors’ potential future as a whole and by defined sub-sectors of the construction industry. The recognition of future trends in different areas of the construction industry can be applied as a means for an industry actor’s decision making and in estimating the types of construction that are likely to grow or decline. Finally, based on the analyzed data and conclusions, the commissioning company is provided with a brief SWOT analysis, that provides additional tools for decision making and planning processes regarding the future.

Integration of learning supportive applications into the development of the e-portfolio construction process

The portfolio as a means of demonstrating personal skills has lately been gaining prominence among technology students. This is partially due to the introduction of electronic portfolios, or e-portfolios. As platforms for e-portfolio management with different approaches have been introduced, the learning cycle, traditional portfolio pedagogy, and learner centricity have sometimes been forgotten, and as a result, the tools have been used for the most part as data depositories. The purpose of this thesis is to show how the construction of e-portfolios of IT students can be supported by institutions through the usage of different tools that relate to study advising, teaching, and learning. The construction process is presented as a cycle based on learning theories. Actions related to the various phases of the e-portfolio construction process are supported by the implementation of software applications. To maximize learner-centricity and minimize the intervention of the institution, the evaluated and controlled actions for these practices can be separated from the e-portfolios, leaving the construction of the e-portfolio to students. The main contributions of this thesis are the implemented applications, which can be considered to support the e-portfolio construction by assisting in planning, organizing, and reflecting activities. Eventually, this supports the students in their construction of better and more extensive e-portfolios. The implemented tools include 1) JobSkillSearcher to help students’ recognition of the demands of the ICT industry regarding skills, 2) WebTUTOR to support students’ personal study planning, 3) Learning Styles to determine students' learning styles, and 4) MyPeerReview to provide a platform on which to carry out anonymous peer review processes in courses. The most visible outcome concerning the e-portfolio is its representation, meaning that one can use it to demonstrate personal achievements at the time of seeking a job and gaining employment. Testing the tools and the selected open-source e-portfolio application indicates that the degree of richness of e-portfolio content can be increased by using the implemented applications.

Empirical studies on software quality construction: Exploring human factors and organizational influences

Software quality has become an important research subject, not only in the Information and Communication Technology spheres, but also in other industries at large where software is applied. Software quality is not a happenstance; it is defined, planned and created into the software product throughout the Software Development Life Cycle. The research objective of this study is to investigate the roles of human and organizational factors that influence software quality construction. The study employs the Straussian grounded theory. The empirical data has been collected from 13 software companies, and the data includes 40 interviews. The results of the study suggest that tools, infrastructure and other resources have a positive impact on software quality, but human factors involved in the software development processes will determine the quality of the products developed. On the other hand, methods of development were found to bring little effect on software quality. The research suggests that software quality is an information-intensive process whereby organizational structures, mode of operation, and information flow within the company variably affect software quality. The results also suggest that software development managers influence the productivity of developers and the quality of the software products. Several challenges of software testing that affect software quality are also brought to light. The findings of this research are expected to benefit the academic community and software practitioners by providing an insight into the issues pertaining to software quality construction undertakings.

The Construction of ‘Disciplinary’ Violence Against Children — Social Workers’, Police Officers’ and Parents’ Rationales

This dissertation examines parental disciplinary violence against children in authority records and in the criminal procedure in Finland. The main aim is to analyze disciplinary violence, how it is defined, and how it is constructed as a crime by social workers, the police, and parents. This dissertation consists of four sub-studies and a summary article. In the first sub-study, I examine how disciplinary violence appears in child welfare documents and analyze the decision-making processes and measures taken by the child welfare workers. The second sub-study, utilizing police interview data, examines police officers’ perceptions of disciplinary violence, its criminalization, and its investigation. In addition to this analysis of police officers’ own perceptions, in the third sub-study, I use reports of crime and pre-trial investigation documents to look at what a typical suspicion of disciplinary violence coming to the attention of the police is and examine the decision-making processes of the police. Utilizing authority data, the fourth sub-study analyzes how parents rationalize the use of disciplinary violence to the authorities investigating these suspicions. The research provides findings that are unprecedented in Finland. Firstly, it was shown that social workers’ decision-making processes in suspicions of disciplinary violence follow three pathways of reasoning, with many factors taken into consideration; and in less than one-third of the cases, a request for criminal investigation has been made to the police. Secondly, it was verified that police officers hold different perceptions of disciplinary violence, and these perceptions have multiple effects on the investigation of these cases and the construction of disciplinary violence as a crime. Thirdly, the analysis of the reports of crime and pre-trial investigation documents showed that almost two-thirds of the cases of disciplinary violence had been sent to a prosecutor by the police and, thus, defined as a crime. However, in many cases, acts of disciplinary violence were often seen as ‘educational, petty one-off incidents’ and a possible trial and punishment for the perpetrator were seen as unreasonable. Fourthly, it was found that parents often try to neutralize and rationalize the violence they have used against their children, for example, either by denying the victim, the criminal intent, or the entire act, or relying on the necessity of the forbidden act. The dissertation concludes that disciplinary violence is defined and constructed in authority policies and practices, first and foremost, by the severity of the act, the nature of the act as continuous or singular, the perceived harm caused by the act to a child, and the perceptions of authorities regarding physical punishment of children. The asymmetrical power setting present in disciplinary violence and parents’ legitimized right to raise and discipline their children partly seem to explain why criminal-law processing of these suspicions of violence and understanding these as crimes is difficult. Finally, this research calls for more coherent and consistent authority practices and policies, achieved by educating authorities and increasing awareness on disciplinary violence, questions the need for a concept like ‘disciplinary’ violence, and suggests more emphasis on unambiguous perceptions of a child’s best interest.

Productivity development at construction branch after the last recession

EPC 2006 kansainvälinen tuottavuuskonfrenssi