Multicointegration, polynomial cointegration and I(2) cointegration with structural breaks. An application to the sustainability of the US external deficit

In this paper we model the multicointegration relation, allowing for one structural break. Since multicointegration is a particular case of polynomial or I(2) cointegration, our proposal can also be applied in these cases. The paper proposes the use of a residualbased Dickey-Fuller class of statistic that accounts for one known or unknown structural break. Finite sample performance of the proposed statistic is investigated by using Monte Carlo simulations, which reveals that the statistic shows good properties in terms of empirical size and power. We complete the study with an empirical application of the sustainability of the US external deficit. Contrary to existing evidence, the consideration of one structural break leads to conclude in favour of the sustainability of the US external deficit.

Internal standard versus external standard calibration: an uncertainty case study of a liquid chromatography analysis

Traditionally, in the cigarettes industry, the determination of ammonium ion in the mainstream smoke is performed by ion chromatography. This work studies this determination and compares the results of this technique with the use of external and internal standard calibration. A reference cigarette sample presented measurement uncertainty of 2.0 μg/cigarette and 1.5 μg/cigarette, with external and internal standard, respectively. It is observed that the greatest source of uncertainty is the bias correction factor and that it is even more significant when using external standard, confirming thus the importance of internal standardization for this correction.

Carbon footprint as part of a company’s external environmental communication

The aim of this thesis was to find out how the carbon footprint calculations can be utilized in the company’s external environmental communication, what is the demand for carbon footprint from the market, and how the other actors in the forest industry have approached the issue. The aim was to recognize the best practises to communicate carbon footprints and to find possibilities to extend the UPM-Kymmene Wood Oy’s mill specific carbon footprints. This research included a literature review, an inquiry to the UPM-Kymmene Wood Oy’s sales offices, and Internet survey concerning the external environmental communication in the forest industry and three small case studies based on mill specific parameters. The inquiry to the sales offices showed that the carbon footprint is not yet a common demand from the customers in the wood product sector. In addition, the Internet survey showed that generally in the forest industry, not much has been done concerning carbon footprint communication so far. The biggest challenge in carbon footprint communication is the variation in the knowledge level of the receivers. In addition btob and btoc communication situations demand a different approach to the issue. Carbon profile brochures developed in the company can be seen as suitable for btob communication situations. Case studies have shown that the contribution of final product transport to the overall carbon footprint was significant. It was recommended to include post mill transport in the carbon footprint information supplied to the btob customers. When discussing environmental communication on a general level it can be stated that a good external environmental communication is based on facts, is open and proactive and takes into account the needs of the receiver. However, the openness and the quality of external environmental communication are essentially strategic decisions. The significance of internal communication as well as the knowhow in the communication and marketing networks play a major role in achieving success in external environmental communication. Carbon footprints are only one part of good balanced external environmental communication. One specific environmental feature like carbon footprint should not be over emphasized to the detriment of other important environmental aspects.

External knowledge transfer mechanisms in service business acquisition

In knowledge-intensive economy an effective knowledge transfer is a part of the firm’s strategy to achieve a competitive advantage in the market. Knowledge transfer related to a variety of mechanisms depends on the nature of knowledge and context. The topic is, however, very little empirical studied and there is a research gap in scientific literature. This study examined and analyzed external knowledge transfer mechanisms in service business and especially in the context of acquisitions. The aim was to find out what kind of mechanisms was used when the buyer began to transfer data e.g. their own agendas and practices to the purchased units. Another major research goal was to identify the critical factors which contributed to knowledge transfer through different mechanisms. The study was conducted as a multiple-case study in a consultative service business company, in its four business units acquired by acquisition, in various parts of the country. The empirical part of the study was carried out as focus group interviews in each unit, and the data were analyzed using qualitative methods. The main findings of this study were firstly the nine different knowledge transfer mechanisms in service business acquisition: acquisition management team as an initiator, unit manager as a translator, formal training, self-directed learning, rooming-in, IT systems implementation, customer relationship management, codified database and ecommunication. The used mechanisms brought up several aspects as giving the face to changing, security of receiving right knowledge and correctly interpreted we-ness atmosphere, and orientation to use more consultative touch with customers. The study pointed out seven critical factors contributed to different mechanisms: absorption, motivation, organizational learning, social interaction, trust, interpretation and time resource. The two last mentioned were new findings compared to previous studies. Each of the mechanisms and the related critical factors contributed in different ways to the activity in different units after the acquisition. The role of knowledge management strategy was the most significant managerial contribution of the study. Phenomenon is not recognized enough although it is strongly linked in knowledge based companies. The recognition would help to develop a better understanding of the business through acquisitions, especially in situations such as where two different knowledge strategies combines in new common company.

Elemental analysis of wood materials by external millibeam thick target PIXE

PIXE (Particle Induce X-ray Emission spectrometry) was used for analysing stem bark and stem wood of Scots pine, Norway spruce and Silver birch. Thick samples were irradiated, in laboratory atmosphere, with 3 MeV protons and the beam current was measured indirectly using a photo multiplicator (PM) tube. Both point scans and bulk analyses were performed with the 1 mm diameter proton beam. In bulk analyses, whole bark and sectors of discs of the stem wood were dry ashed at 550 ˚C. The ashes were homogenised by shaking and prepared to target pellets for PIXE analyses. This procedure generated representative samples to be analysed, but the enrichment also enabled quantification of some additional trace elements. The ash contents obtained as a product of the sample preparation procedure also showed to be of great importance in the evaluation of results in environmental studies. Spot scans from the pith of pine wood outwards, showed clearly highest concentrations of manganese, calcium and zinc in the first spot irradiated, or 2-3 times higher than in the surrounding wood. For stem wood from the crown part of a pine this higher concentration level was found in the first four spots/mms, including the pith and the two following growth rings. Zinc showed increasing concentrations outwards in sapwood of the pine stem, with the over-all lowest concentrations in the inner half of the sapwood. This could indicate emigration of this element from sapwood being under transformation to heartwood. Point scans across sapwood of pine and spruce showed more distinct variations in concentrations relative to hearth wood. Higher concentrations of e.g. zinc, calcium and manganese were found in earlywood than in denser latewood. Very high concentrations of iron and copper were also seen for some earlywood increments. The ash content of stem bark is up to and order higher than for the stem wood. However, when the elemental concentration in ashes of bark and wood of the same disc were compared, these are very similar – this when trees are growing at spots with no anthropogenic contamination from the atmosphere. The largest difference was obtained for calcium which appeared at two times high concentrations in ashes of bark than in ashes of the wood (ratio of 2). Pine bark is often used in monitoring of atmospheric pollution, where concentrations in bark samples are compared. Here an alternative approach is suggested: Bark and the underlying stem wood of a pine trees are dry ashed and analysed. The elemental concentration in the bark ash is then compared to the concentration of the same element in the wood ash. Comparing bark to wood includes a normalisation for the varying availability of an element from the soil at different sites. When this comparison is done for the ashes of the materials, a normalisation is also obtained for the general and locally different enrichment of inorganic elements from wood to bark. Already a ratio >2 between the concentration in the bark ash and the concentration in the wood ash could indicate atmospheric pollution. For monitoring where bark is used, this way of “inwards” comparison is suggested - instead of comparing to results from analyses of bark from other trees (read reference areas), growing at sites with different soil and, locally, different climate conditions. This approach also enables evaluation of atmospheric pollution from sampling of only relative few individual trees –preferable during forest felling.

Climate variations in greenhouse cultivated with gerbera and relationship with external conditions

Black meshes used in greenhouses provide shade to plants, affecting photosynthesis and presenting certain properties that change the microclimatic conditions in these environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the variation in climate elements in greenhouse cultivated with gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii, Vr. Rambo) in relation to external conditions and the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) at Teresina, State of Piauí, Brazil. The measurements were obtained from July to October 2007 by an automatic data acquisition system installed inside and outside the greenhouse. The global solar radiation, evapotranspiration, precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed were estimated. The results showed that major effect of the shading occurred on the mean air temperature during the 120 days, making it higher than the external environment. Inside the greenhouse, mean values of relative air humidity, reference evapotranspiração, global solar radiation and wind speed were lower compared to those outside the greenhouse.

The probabilistic risk analysis of external hazards of an interim storage for spent nuclear fuel

Tässä diplomityössä tehtiin Olkiluodon ydinvoimalaitoksella sijaitsevan käytetyn ydinpolttoaineen allasvarastointiin perustuvan välivaraston todennäköisyysperustainen ulkoisten uhkien riskianalyysi. Todennäköisyysperustainen riskianalyysi (PRA) on yleisesti käytetty riskien tunnistus- ja lähestymistapa ydinvoimalaitoksella. Työn tarkoituksena oli laatia täysin uusi ulkoisten uhkien PRA-analyysi, koska Suomessa ei ole aiemmin tehty vastaavanlaisia tämän tutkimusalueen riskitarkasteluja. Riskitarkastelun motiivina ovat myös maailmalla tapahtuneiden luonnonkatastrofien vuoksi korostunut ulkoisten uhkien rooli käytetyn ydinpolttoaineen välivarastoinnin turvallisuudessa. PRA analyysin rakenne pohjautui tutkimuksen alussa luotuun metodologiaan. Analyysi perustuu mahdollisten ulkoisten uhkien tunnistamiseen pois lukien ihmisen aikaansaamat tahalliset vahingot. Tunnistettujen ulkoisten uhkien esiintymistaajuuksien ja vahingoittamispotentiaalin perusteella ulkoiset uhat joko karsittiin pois tutkimuksessa määriteltyjen karsintakriteerien avulla tai analysoitiin tarkemmin. Tutkimustulosten perusteella voitiin todeta, että tiedot hyvin harvoin tapahtuvista ulkoisista uhista ovat epätäydellisiä. Suurinta osaa näistä hyvin harvoin tapahtuvista ulkoisista uhista ei ole koskaan esiintynyt eikä todennäköisesti koskaan tule esiintymään Olkiluodon vaikutusalueella tai edes Suomessa. Esimerkiksi salaman iskujen ja öljyaltistuksen roolit ja vaikutukset erilaisten komponenttien käytettävyyteen ovat epävarmasti tunnettuja. Tutkimuksen tuloksia voidaan pitää kokonaisuudessaan merkittävinä, koska niiden perusteella voidaan osoittaa ne ulkoiset uhat, joiden vaikutuksia olisi syytä tutkia tarkemmin. Yksityiskohtaisempi tietoisuus hyvin harvoin esiintyvistä ulkoisista uhista tarkentaisi alkutapahtumataajuuksien estimaatteja.

On Innovative Search: the use of internal and external sources of innovation among Finnish innovators

This dissertation explores the use of internal and external sources of knowledge in modern innovation processes. It builds on a framework that combines theories such as a behavioural theory of the firm, the evolutionary theory of economic change, and modern approaches to strategic management. It follows the recent increase in innovation research focusing on the firm-level examination of innovative activities instead of traditional industry-level determinants. The innovation process is seen as a problem- and slack- driven search process, which can take several directions in terms of organizational boundaries in the pursuit of new knowledge and other resources. It thus draws on recent models of technological change, according to which firms nowadays should build their innovative activities on both internal and external sources of innovation rather than relying solely on internal resources. Four different research questions are addressed, all of which are empirically investigated via a rich dataset covering Finnish innovators collected by Statistics Finland. Firstly, the study examines how the nature of problems shapes the direction of any search for new knowledge. In general it demonstrates that the nature of the problem does affect the direction of the search, although under resource constraints firms tend to use external rather than internal sources of knowledge. At the same time, it shows that those firms that are constrained in terms of finance seem to search both internally and externally. Secondly, the dissertation investigates the relationships between different kinds of internal and external sources of knowledge in an attempt to find out where firms should direct their search in order to exploit the potential of a distributed innovation process. The concept of complementarities is applied in this context. The third research question concerns how the use of external knowledge sources – openness to external knowledge – influences the financial performance of firms. Given the many advantages of openness presented in the current literature, the focus is on how it shapes profitability. The results reveal a curvilinear relationship between profitability and openness (taking an inverted U-shape), the implication being that it pays to be open up to a certain point, but being too open to external sources may be detrimental to financial performance. Finally, the dissertation addresses some challenges in CISbased innovation research that have received relatively little attention in prior studies. The general aim is to underline the fact that comprehensive understanding of the complex process of technological change requires the constant development of methodological approaches (in terms of data and measures, for example). All the empirical analyses included in the dissertation are based on the Finnish CIS (Finnish Innovation Survey 1998-2000).

Internal quality control indicators of cervical cytopathology exams performed in laboratories monitored by the External Quality Control Laboratory

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of continued education provided by an external quality control laboratory on the indicators of internal quality control of cytopathology exams.METHODS: The internal quality assurance indicators for cytopathology exams from 12 laboratories monitored by the External Quality Control Laboratory were evaluated. Overall, 185,194 exams were included, 98,133 of which referred to the period preceding implementation of a continued education program, while 87,061 referred to the period following this intervention. Data were obtained from the Cervical Cancer Database of the Brazilian National Health Service.RESULTS: Following implementation of the continued education program, the positivity index (PI) remained within recommended limits in four laboratories. In another four laboratories, the PI progressed from below the limits to within the recommended standards. In one laboratory, the PI remained low, in two laboratories, it remained very low, and in one, it increased from very low to low. The percentage of exams compatible with a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) remained within the recommended limits in five laboratories, while in three laboratories it progressed from below the recommended levels to >0.4% of the total number of satisfactory exams, and in four laboratories it remained below the standard limit. Both the percentage of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) in relation to abnormal exams, and the ratio between ASC-US and intraepithelial lesions remained within recommended levels in all the laboratories investigated.CONCLUSION: An improvement was found in the indicators represented by the positivity index and the percentage of exams compatible with a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, showing that the role played by the external quality control laboratory in providing continued education contributed towards improving laboratory staff skills in detecting cervical cancer precursor lesions.

Strategic external deployment of intellectual assets

Globalization, pervasiveness of technology and ICT, and the buildup of information societies and policies have lead to a growing abundance of knowledge and highly educated labour supply that is distributed widely. These changes have shifted the foundation of competitiveness to valuable knowledge resources which are now distributed widely across the globe, across actors in the value chain and across educated individuals in multiple organizations. Against this backdrop, the paradigm of open innovation (OI) has emerged as a new response to managing the increased amount of boundary-spanning knowledge flows in and out of the innovation process. The outbound mode of open innovation, that is to say the external exploitation of knowledge assets outside of the firm’s own products and services, has been the less-researched aspect of the concept and so far typically seen as concerning the outlicensing of unused technological assets to generate additional revenue. Given that open innovation is essentially a framework for the holistic structuring and management of crossboundary knowledge flows to improve a firm’s innovative performance, a close integration to corporate strategy seems imperative in order to fully benefit from it. Integrating open innovation to strategy leads to elevating its role from a fringe activity to a central innovation management issue that needs to be systematically managed. Building a structure that allows effective management necessitates linking open innovation activities to each phase of the innovation process. Previously, the connection between outbound OI and the earlier stages of innovation has not been studied. The thesis finds that connecting outbound OI to the entire innovation process of the firm, including the fuzzy front end of innovation, is critical for attaining strategic objectives and to the successful implementation and management of the activity. The practical purpose for the research is to enable companies to fully utilize their potential for outbound open innovation and to be able to implement and manage it from a strategic standpoint.

Bordering with Culture(s): Europeanization and Cultural Agency at the External Border of the European Union.

Rajallistamisen kulttuuri(t): Eurooppalaistuminen ja kulttuurinen toimijuus Euroopan unionin ulkorajalla Euroopan integraation ja Euroopan unionin laajentumisen myötä EU:n sisärajat ovat avautuneet kun taas sen ulkorajoilla lisääntyvää rajan ylitysten valvontaa on pyritty kompensoimaan yhteistyön merkitystä ja verkostoitumista painottamalla. Tämä tutkimus pyrkii ymmärtämään EU:n ulkorajan muutosten merkitystä paikalliselle hyvinvoinnille sekä laajemmin ylirajaisuuden merkitystä identiteettien rakentamiselle raja-alueilla. EU:n ulkorajalla Puolassa ja Suomessa toteutettavat rajat ylittävät, kulttuuriin ja kulttuuriperintöön liittyvät, projektit kertovat eurooppalaistumisesta ja sen vaikutuksista kulttuurisen horisontin muutokselle. Voidaan nähdä miten Eurooppa kulttuurisena konstruktiona tulee paikallisesti merkittäväksi tavoilla jotka kertovat myös paikallisten toimijoiden mahdollisuuksista osallistua EU-rajan muutoksia ja paikallisuutta määritteleviin prosesseihin. Tällöin erityisesti raja-alueiden materiaalisen perinnön, ja sen mahdollistamien rajaan liittyvien neuvottelujen, voidaan nähdä kertovat Eurooppalaistumisesta myös ns. alhaaltapäin muotoutuvana prosessina. Artikkeliväitöskirjan taustalla on Puolan ja Suomen toisen maailmansodan seurauksena luovuttamien raja-alueiden (Kresy ja Karjala) asema nykyisellä Euroopan unionin ulkorajalla. Tutkimusidea perustuu tutkijan omiin kokemuksiin projekteista Puolan ja Ukrainan raja-alueella vuonna 2003, ennen Puolan liittymistä EU:hun vuonna 2004. Tutkimusaineisto on peräisin vuosien 2005-2009 aikana tehdyistä ns. monipaikkaisista (multi-sited) kenttätöistä EU:n ulkorajalla, pääosin Puolassa ja Suomessa, joissa kohteena olivat kulttuuria ja kulttuuriperintöä hyödyntävät, pääosin EU-rahoitetut, rajat ylittävät projektit. Materiaalit koostuvat 34 projektitoimijan haastatteluista, projektien materiaaleista, kenttätöiden havainnoista, paikallisten sanomalehtien artikkeleista sekä eri tasoilla (EU, kansallinen, alueellinen) tuotetuista ohjelmadokumenteista. Huomio kiinnittyy projektitoimijoiden tapoihin tehdä rajanylityksiä, sekä heidän tapaansa kokea ja hyödyntää raja-alueiden kulttuuriperintöä sekä ymmärtää niiden nykyistä kulttuurista moninaisuutta. Tällöin havaitaan miten erilaiset eurooppalaiset ideat, representaatiot ja käytänteet tulevat osaksi erilaisia translokaaleja, rajat ylittäviä ja paikallis-eurooppalaisia, suhteita. Vertailun kohteeksi eivät tällöin asetu projektit, toimijat tai raja-alueet sinänsä, vaan näihin suhteisiin liittyvä kulttuurinen toimijuus. Keskeinen käsite tutkimuksessa on ’rajallistaminen’, eli sen havaitseminen, miten jokainen rajan ylitys tarkoittaa myös neuvottelua rajasta. Rajan ylitys voi siis tarkoittaa myös sen vahvistamista. Myös itse raja voi asettua toiminnan kohteeksi, jolloin nousee esiin se, miten rajat ylittäviä ”kulttuureja” käytetään ja mitkä ovat niiden rajaan liittyvät paikalliset merkitykset. Kysymys on siitä kuka, ja kenelle, rajan merkityksiä neuvottelee? Projektitoimijoiden voidaan nähdä neuvottelevan näitä erilaisia ”kulttuureja” jotka tuottavat rajaa neuvottelevia suhteita, kuten esimerkiksi yhteistyön verkostojen tapaa ohittaa rajan paikallinen merkitys. Tämä rajallistaminen voi kuitenkin tarkoittaa myös paikallisten kulttuuristen identifikaatioiden huomioimista. Tällöin kyse on myös sen luovuuden havaitsemisesta, jota yksilöillä on kun he neuvottelevat näitä erilaisia rajallistamisen kulttuureja. Erityisesti toisen maailmansodan seurauksena valtiorajoista tuli vahvasti kansallisia kulttuureja erottavia, mutta nyt kulttuurisista rajoista neuvotellaan ja rajojen yli tapahtuva vuorovaikutus, sekä paikallisen ja Eurooppalaisen tason väliset suhteet, ja niiden moniäänisyys, nousevat tutkimuksen keskiöön. Tutkimuksen yhteenvedon kannalta keskeinen on kysymys raja/alueen kestävyydestä. Tyypillisesti verkostoitumista painottavan rajat ylittävän yhteistyön suhde paikalliseen yhteisöön voi jäädä häilyväksi. Tavoite paikallisen kulttuuriperinnön suojeluun ei itsessään vielä kerro sen merkityksestä paikalliselle hyvinvoinnille. Arvioinnin kannalta on hyödyllistä nähdä miten myös materiaalisella perinnöllä on toimijuutta osana paikallisuutta muokkaavia suhteita. Paikallisten asukkaiden kokemus rajasta voi edelleen olla että se ei ole muuttunut Neuvostoliiton ajoista, toisaalta EU:nkin voidaan toivoa määrittelemään rajansa vielä tarkemmin, jotta sen kansallinen luonne muuttuisi. Tutkimus nostaa esiin miten eurooppalaiset yhteistyötä ja kulttuurista moninaisuutta korostavat ideat ja käytänteet vaikuttavat erityisesti puolalaisten toimijoiden mahdollisuuksiin määritellä EU-rajaan liittyviä prosesseja osana paikallisia kulttuuriperinnön määrittelyjä. Paikallisten rajaan liittyvien kulttuuristen identifikaatioiden liittäminen osaksi projekteja ei kuitenkaan ole helppoa. Toisaalta rajan merkitys on sisäistetty osana arkea, toisaalta taas rajaan liittyvät suuret kertomukset kansallisena ja EU-rajana voivat olla etäännyttäviä tekijöitä. EU-raja, projektit ja monikulttuurisen perinnön autenttisuus ovat kuitenkin raja-alueen toimijoille ja yhteisöille mahdollisuus osallistua rajallistamiseen. Toiminnan kestävyyden kannalta kyse on pitkälti siitä avaako rajallistaminen paikallisen perinnön merkityksiä osana paikallis-eurooppalaisia suhteita.

Macroscopic description of the external and middle ear of paca (Cuniculus paca Linnaeus, 1766)

Abstract: Paca (Cuniculus paca), one of the largest rodents of the Brazilian fauna, has inherent characteristics of its species which can conribute as a new option for animal experimantation. As there is a growing demand for suitable experimental models in audiologic and otologic surgical research, the gross anatomy and ultrastructural ear of this rodent have been analyzed and described in detail. Fifteen adult pacas from the Wild Animals Sector herd of Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Unesp-Jaboticabal, were used in this study. After anesthesia and euthanasia, we evaluated the entire composition of the external ear, registering and ddescribing the details; the temporal region was often dissected for a better view and detailing of the tympanic bulla which was removed and opened to expose the ear structures analyzed mascroscopically and ultrastructurally. The ear pinna has a triangular and concave shape with irregular ridges and sharp apex. The external auditory canal is winding in its path to the tympanic mebrane. The tympanic bulla is is on the back-bottom of the skull. The middle ear is formed by a cavity region filled with bone and membranous structures bounded by the tympanic membrane and the oval and round windows. The tympanic membrane is flat and seals the ear canal. The anatomy of the paca ear is similar to the guinea pig and from the viewpoint of experimental model has major advantages compared with the mouse ear.

SYLI - an external workflow system for DSpace

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014