Design and validation of stateful composite RESTful web services

A web service is a software system that provides a machine-processable interface to the other machines over the network using different Internet protocols. They are being increasingly used in the industry in order to automate different tasks and offer services to a wider audience. The REST architectural style aims at producing scalable and extensible web services using technologies that play well with the existing tools and infrastructure of the web. It provides a uniform set of operation that can be used to invoke a CRUD interface (create, retrieve, update and delete) of a web service. The stateless behavior of the service interface requires that every request to a resource is independent of the previous ones facilitating scalability. Automated systems, e.g., hotel reservation systems, provide advanced scenarios for stateful services that require a certain sequence of requests that must be followed in order to fulfill the service goals. Designing and developing such services for advanced scenarios with REST constraints require rigorous approaches that are capable of creating web services that can be trusted for their behavior. Systems that can be trusted for their behavior can be termed as dependable systems. This thesis presents an integrated design, analysis and validation approach that facilitates the service developer to create dependable and stateful REST web services. The main contribution of this thesis is that we provide a novel model-driven methodology to design behavioral REST web service interfaces and their compositions. The behavioral interfaces provide information on what methods can be invoked on a service and the pre- and post-conditions of these methods. The methodology uses Unified Modeling Language (UML), as the modeling language, which has a wide user base and has mature tools that are continuously evolving. We have used UML class diagram and UML state machine diagram with additional design constraints to provide resource and behavioral models, respectively, for designing REST web service interfaces. These service design models serve as a specification document and the information presented in them have manifold applications. The service design models also contain information about the time and domain requirements of the service that can help in requirement traceability which is an important part of our approach. Requirement traceability helps in capturing faults in the design models and other elements of software development environment by tracing back and forth the unfulfilled requirements of the service. The information about service actors is also included in the design models which is required for authenticating the service requests by authorized actors since not all types of users have access to all the resources. In addition, following our design approach, the service developer can ensure that the designed web service interfaces will be REST compliant. The second contribution of this thesis is consistency analysis of the behavioral REST interfaces. To overcome the inconsistency problem and design errors in our service models, we have used semantic technologies. The REST interfaces are represented in web ontology language, OWL2, that can be part of the semantic web. These interfaces are used with OWL 2 reasoners to check unsatisfiable concepts which result in implementations that fail. This work is fully automated thanks to the implemented translation tool and the existing OWL 2 reasoners. The third contribution of this thesis is the verification and validation of REST web services. We have used model checking techniques with UPPAAL model checker for this purpose. The timed automata of UML based service design models are generated with our transformation tool that are verified for their basic characteristics like deadlock freedom, liveness, reachability and safety. The implementation of a web service is tested using a black-box testing approach. Test cases are generated from the UPPAAL timed automata and using the online testing tool, UPPAAL TRON, the service implementation is validated at runtime against its specifications. Requirement traceability is also addressed in our validation approach with which we can see what service goals are met and trace back the unfulfilled service goals to detect the faults in the design models. A final contribution of the thesis is an implementation of behavioral REST interfaces and service monitors from the service design models. The partial code generation tool creates code skeletons of REST web services with method pre and post-conditions. The preconditions of methods constrain the user to invoke the stateful REST service under the right conditions and the post condition constraint the service developer to implement the right functionality. The details of the methods can be manually inserted by the developer as required. We do not target complete automation because we focus only on the interface aspects of the web service. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated with a pedagogical example of a hotel room booking service and a relatively complex worked example of holiday booking service taken from the industrial context. The former example presents a simple explanation of the approach and the later worked example shows how stateful and timed web services offering complex scenarios and involving other web services can be constructed using our approach.

Identification and validation of novel prostate cancer biomarkers

Prostate cancer (PCa) has emerged as the most commonly diagnosed lethal cancer in European men. PCa is a heterogeneous cancer that in the majority of the cases is slow growing: consequently, these patients would not need any medical treatment. Currently, the measurement of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) from blood by immunoassay followed by digital rectal examination and a pathological examination of prostate tissue biopsies are the most widely used methods in the diagnosis of PCa. These methods suffer from a lack of sensitivity and specificity that may cause either missed cancers or overtreatment as a consequence of over-diagnosis. Therefore, more reliable biomarkers are needed for a better discrimination between indolent and potentially aggressive cancers. The aim of this thesis was the identification and validation of novel biomarkers for PCa. The mRNA expression level of 14 genes including AMACR, AR, PCA3, SPINK1, TMPRSS2-ERG, KLK3, ACSM1, CACNA1D, DLX1, LMNB1, PLA2G7, RHOU, SPON2, and TDRD1 was measured by a truly quantitative reverse transcription PCR in different prostate tissue samples from men with and without PCa. For the last eight genes the function of the genes in PCa progression was studied by a specific siRNA knockdown in PC-3 and VCaP cells. The results from radical prostatectomy and cystoprostatectomy samples showed statistically significant overexpression for all the target genes, except for KLK3 in men with PCa compared with men without PCa. Statistically significant difference was also observed in low versus high Gleason grade tumors (for PLA2G7), PSA relapse versus no relapse (for SPON2), and low versus high TNM stages (for CACNA1D and DLX1). Functional studies and siRNA silencing results revealed a cytotoxicity effect for the knock-down of DLX1, PLA2G7, and RHOU, and altered tumor cell invasion for PLA2G7, RHOU, ACSM1, and CACNA1D knock-down in 3D conditions. In addition, effects on tumor cell motility were observed after silencing PLA2G7 and RHOU in 2D monolayer cultures. Altogether, these findings indicate the possibility of utilizing these new markers as diagnostic and prognostic markers, and they may also represent therapeutic targets for PCa.

Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision. Development and Validation of the CLES Evaluation Scale

The purpose of the study is: (1) to describe how nursing students' experienced their clinical learning environment and the supervision given by staff nurses working in hospital settings; and (2) to develop and test an evaluation scale of Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision (CLES). The study has been carried out in different phases. The pilot study (n=163) explored the association between the characteristics of a ward and its evaluation as a learning environment by students. The second version of research instrument (which was developed by the results of this pilot study) were tested by an expert panel (n=9 nurse teachers) and test-retest group formed by student nurses (n=38). After this evaluative phase, the CLES was formed as the basic research instrument for this study and it was tested with the Finnish main sample (n=416). In this phase, a concurrent validity instrument (Dunn & Burnett 1995) was used to confirm the validation process of CLES. The international comparative study was made by comparing the Finnish main sample with a British sample (n=142). The international comparative study was necessary for two reasons. In the instrument developing process, there is a need to test the new instrument in some other nursing culture. Other reason for comparative international study is the reflecting the impact of open employment markets in the European Union (EU) on the need to evaluate and to integrate EU health care educational systems. The results showed that the individualised supervision system is the most used supervision model and the supervisory relationship with personal mentor is the most meaningful single element of supervision evaluated by nursing students. The ward atmosphere and the management style of ward manager are the most important environmental factors of the clinical ward. The study integrates two theoretical elements - learning environment and supervision - in developing a preliminary theoretical model. The comparative international study showed that, Finnish students were more satisfied and evaluated their clinical placements and supervision with higher scores than students in the United Kingdom (UK). The difference between groups was statistical highly significant (p= 0.000). In the UK, clinical placements were longer but students met their nurse teachers less frequently than students in Finland. Arrangements for supervision were similar. This research process has produced the evaluation scale (CLES), which can be used in research and quality assessments of clinical learning environment and supervision in Finland and in the UK. CLES consists of 27 items and it is sub-divided into five sub-dimensions. Cronbach's alpha coefficient varied from high 0.94 to marginal 0.73. CLES is a compact evaluation scale and user-friendliness makes it suitable for continuing evaluation.

Comparison of methods for estimation of needle losses in Scots pine following defoliation by Bupalus piniaria

Abstract

Reuse of information for selection of methods and operating conditions for drying of pharmaceutical materials

Drying is a major step in the manufacturing process in pharmaceutical industries, and the selection of dryer and operating conditions are sometimes a bottleneck. In spite of difficulties, the bottlenecks are taken care of with utmost care due to good manufacturing practices (GMP) and industries' image in the global market. The purpose of this work is to research the use of existing knowledge for the selection of dryer and its operating conditions for drying of pharmaceutical materials with the help of methods like case-based reasoning and decision trees to reduce time and expenditure for research. The work consisted of two major parts as follows: Literature survey on the theories of spray dying, case-based reasoning and decision trees; working part includes data acquisition and testing of the models based on existing and upgraded data. Testing resulted in a combination of two models, case-based reasoning and decision trees, leading to more specific results when compared to conventional methods.

Validation of plant dynamic model by online and laboratory measurements – a tool to predict online COD loads out of production of mechanical printing papers

COD discharges out of processes have increased in line with elevating brightness demands for mechanical pulp and papers. The share of lignin-like substances in COD discharges is on average 75%. In this thesis, a plant dynamic model was created and validated as a means to predict COD loading and discharges out of a mill. The assays were carried out in one paper mill integrate producing mechanical printing papers. The objective in the modeling of plant dynamics was to predict day averages of COD load and discharges out of mills. This means that online data, like 1) the level of large storage towers of pulp and white water 2) pulp dosages, 3) production rates and 4) internal white water flows and discharges were used to create transients into the balances of solids and white water, referred to as “plant dynamics”. A conversion coefficient was verified between TOC and COD. The conversion coefficient was used for predicting the flows from TOC to COD to the waste water treatment plant. The COD load was modeled with similar uncertainty as in reference TOC sampling. The water balance of waste water treatment was validated by the reference concentration of COD. The difference of COD predictions against references was within the same deviation of TOC-predictions. The modeled yield losses and retention values of TOC in pulping and bleaching processes and the modeled fixing of colloidal TOC to solids between the pulping plant and the aeration basin in the waste water treatment plant were similar to references presented in literature. The valid water balances of the waste water treatment plant and the reduction model of lignin-like substances produced a valid prediction of COD discharges out of the mill. A 30% increase in the release of lignin-like substances in the form of production problems was observed in pulping and bleaching processes. The same increase was observed in COD discharges out of waste water treatment. In the prediction of annual COD discharge, it was noticed that the reduction of lignin has a wide deviation from year to year and from one mill to another. This made it difficult to compare the parameters of COD discharges validated in plant dynamic simulation with another mill producing mechanical printing papers. However, a trend of moving from unbleached towards high-brightness TMP in COD discharges was valid.

Health-related quality of life in school children: validation of instrument, child self assessment, parent-proxy assessment and school nursing documentation of health check-ups

The aims of this study were to validate an international Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) instrument, to describe child self and parent-proxy assessed HRQL at child age 10 to 12 and to compare child self assessments with parent-proxy assessments and school nursing documentation. The study is part of the Schools on the Move –research project. In phase one, a cross-cultural translation and validation process was performed to develop a Finnish version of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ 4.0 (PedsQL™ 4.0). The process included a two-way translation, cognitive interviews (children n=7, parents n=5) and a survey (children n=1097, parents n=999). In phase two, baseline and follow-up surveys (children n=986, parents n=710) were conducted to describe and compare the child self and parent-proxy assessed HRQL in school children between the ages 10 and 12. Phase three included two separate data, school nurse documented patient records (children n=270) and a survey (children n=986). The relation between child self assessed HRQL and school nursing documentation was evaluated. Validity and reliability of the Finnish version of PedsQL™ 4.0 was good (Child Self Report α=0.91, Parent-Proxy Report α=0.88). Children reported lower HRQL scores at the emotional (mean 76/80) than the physical (mean 85/89) health domains and significantly lower scores at the age of 10 than 12 (dMean=4, p=<0.001). Agreement between child self and parent-proxy assessment was fragile (r=0,4, p=<0.001) but increased as the child grew from age 10 to 12 years. At health check-ups, school nurses documented frequently children’s physical health, such as growth (97%) and posture (98/99%) but seldom emotional issues, such as mood (2/7%). The PedsQLTM 4.0 is a valid instrument to assess HRQL in Finnish school children although future research is recommended. Children’s emotional wellbeing needs future attention. HRQL scores increase during ages between childhood and adolescence. Concordance between child self and parent-proxy assessed HRQL is low. School nursing documentation, related to child health check-ups, is not in line with child self assessed HRQL and emotional issues need more attention.

Analysis and validation of space averaged drag model for numerical simulations of gas-solid flows in fluidized beds

This thesis presents an approach for formulating and validating a space averaged drag model for coarse mesh simulations of gas-solid flows in fluidized beds using the two-fluid model. Proper modeling for fluid dynamics is central in understanding any industrial multiphase flow. The gas-solid flows in fluidized beds are heterogeneous and usually simulated with the Eulerian description of phases. Such a description requires the usage of fine meshes and small time steps for the proper prediction of its hydrodynamics. Such constraint on the mesh and time step size results in a large number of control volumes and long computational times which are unaffordable for simulations of large scale fluidized beds. If proper closure models are not included, coarse mesh simulations for fluidized beds do not give reasonable results. The coarse mesh simulation fails to resolve the mesoscale structures and results in uniform solids concentration profiles. For a circulating fluidized bed riser, such predicted profiles result in a higher drag force between the gas and solid phase and also overestimated solids mass flux at the outlet. Thus, there is a need to formulate the closure correlations which can accurately predict the hydrodynamics using coarse meshes. This thesis uses the space averaging modeling approach in the formulation of closure models for coarse mesh simulations of the gas-solid flow in fluidized beds using Geldart group B particles. In the analysis of formulating the closure correlation for space averaged drag model, the main parameters for the modeling were found to be the averaging size, solid volume fraction, and distance from the wall. The closure model for the gas-solid drag force was formulated and validated for coarse mesh simulations of the riser, which showed the verification of this modeling approach. Coarse mesh simulations using the corrected drag model resulted in lowered values of solids mass flux. Such an approach is a promising tool in the formulation of appropriate closure models which can be used in coarse mesh simulations of large scale fluidized beds.

Validation of a 3D model for oxygen combustion in a circulating fluidized bed

In this thesis, a model called CFB3D is validated for oxygen combustion in circulating fluidized bed boiler. The first part of the work consists of literature review in which circulating fluidized bed and oxygen combustion technologies are studied. In addition, the modeling of circulating fluidized bed furnaces is discussed and currently available industrial scale three-dimensional furnace models are presented. The main features of CFB3D model are presented along with the theories and equations related to the model parameters used in this work. The second part of this work consists of the actual research and modeling work including measurements, model setup, and modeling results. The objectives of this thesis is to study how well CFB3D model works with oxygen combustion compared to air combustion in circulating fluidized bed boiler and what model parameters need to be adjusted when changing from air to oxygen combustion. The study is performed by modeling two air combustion cases and two oxygen combustion cases with comparable boiler loads. The cases are measured at Ciuden 30 MWth Flexi-Burn demonstration plant in April 2012. The modeled furnace temperatures match with the measurements as well in oxygen combustion cases as in air combustion cases but the modeled gas concentrations differ from the measurements clearly more in oxygen combustion cases. However, the same model parameters are optimal for both air and oxygen combustion cases. When the boiler load is changed, some combustion and heat transfer related model parameters need to be adjusted. To improve the accuracy of modeling results, better flow dynamics model should be developed in the CFB3D model. Additionally, more measurements are needed from the lower furnace to find the best model parameters for each case. The validation work needs to be continued in order to improve the modeling results and model predictability.

Evaluation of methods for estimating energy performance of biogas production

This study focused on identifying various system boundaries and evaluating methods of estimating energy performance of biogas production. First, the output-input ratio method used for evaluating energy performance from the system boundaries was reviewed. Secondly, ways to assess the efficiency of biogas use and parasitic energy demand were investigated. Thirdly, an approach for comparing biogas production to other energy production methods was evaluated. Data from an existing biogas plant, located in Finland, was used for the evaluation of the methods. The results indicate that calculating and comparing the output-input ratios (Rpr1, Rpr2, Rut, Rpl and Rsy) can be used in evaluating the performance of biogas production system. In addition, the parasitic energy demand calculations (w) and the efficiency of utilizing produced biogas (η) provide detailed information on energy performance of the biogas plant. Furthermore, Rf and energy output in relation to total solid mass of feedstock (FO/TS) are useful in comparing biogas production with other energy recovery technologies. As a conclusion it is essential for the comparability of biogas plants that their energy performance would be calculated in a more consistent manner in the future.

In-House Validation of Capillary Electrophoresis Method

Capillary electrophoresis method designed originally for the analysis of monosaccharides was validated using reference solutions of polydatin. The validation was conducted by studying and determining the concentration levels of LOD and LOQ and the range of linearity and by determining levels of uncertainty in respect to repeatability and reproducibility. The reliability of the gained results is also discussed. A guide with recommendations considering the validation and overall design of analysis sequences with CE is also produced as a result of this study.