Toimintajärjestelmien harmonisointi kansainvälisessä rakennustuotealan yrityksessä

Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena on määritellä ja antaa suuntaviivat yhtenäisen, harmonisoidun toimintajärjestelmän luomiseksi kansainvälisessä rakennustuotealan yrityksessä. Toimintajärjestelmä tarkoittaa tässä työssä laatujärjestelmän ISO 9001 sekä ympäristöjärjestelmän ISO 14001 muodostamaa kokonaisuutta. Lähtökohtaisesti yrityksessä on useita hajautettuja toimintajärjestelmiä. Tarkoituksena on antaa kehitysehdotus yhtenäisen kokonaisratkaisun toteuttamisesta järkevässä mittakaavassa. Työssä tutkitaan, millainen toimintajärjestelmä soveltuisi parhaiten yrityksen toimintaan tällä hetkellä ja lähitulevaisuudessa. Tutkimus on tehty sisäisen ja ulkoisen esikuva-analyysin sekä yrityksen sisällä luotujen toimintajärjestelmävaihtoehtojen avulla. Sisäinen esikuva-analyysi toteutettiin yhteistyössä kahden sisäisen yksikön kanssa. Ulkoisessa esikuva-analyysissä oli mukana neljä ulkoista yhteistyökumppania. Yrityksen sisällä luodut toimintajärjestelmävaihtoehdot käsittelevät erilaisia sertifiointiratkaisuja ja vaihtoehtoja arvioidaan SWOT-analyysillä yhdessä ulkoisesta esikuva-analyysistä saatujen tuloksien avulla. Työssä otetaan lisäksi kantaa toimintajärjestelmän dokumenttien hallintaan ja toimintajärjestelmän kehittämiseen. Työn tulosten perusteella voidaan nähdä, että toimintajärjestelmän sertifiointi tulevaisuudessa tapahtuisi parhaiten liiketoimintaryhmittäin. Toimintajärjestelmän sähköistä dokumenttien hallintaa tulisi tehostaa ja toimintajärjestelmästä tulisi olla liityntäpinta yrityksen toiminnanohjausjärjestelmään. Toimintajärjestelmän dokumenttien siirrettävyys eri organisaatiotasoille tehostuu yhtenäisen sähköisen järjestelmän myötä ja yrityksen virallisen kielen käyttämistä voitaisiin laajentaa toimintajärjestelmädokumentaatiossa. Järjestelmän rakenteellinen kehittäminen toteutettaisiin kehittämistoimenpiteinä organisaatiossa alhaalta ylöspäin, konsernitason ohjeistus huomioiden.

Facing Structural Disadvantage: The Role of Ingroup Connectedness

This thesis focuses on the social-psychological factors that help coping with structural disadvantage, and specifically on the role of cohesive ingroups and the sense of connectedness and efficacy they entail in this process. It aims to complement existing group-based models of coping that are grounded in a categorization perspective to groups and consequently focus exclusively on the large-scale categories made salient in intergroup contexts of comparisons. The dissertation accomplishes this aim through a reconsideration of between-persons relational interdependence as a sufficient and independent antecedent of a sense of groupness, and the benefits that a sense of group connectedness in one's direct environment, regardless of the categorical or relational basis of groupness, might have in the everyday struggles of disadvantaged group members. The three empirical papers aim to validate this approach, outlined in the first theoretical introduction, by testing derived hypotheses. They are based on data collected with youth populations (15-30) from three institutions in French-speaking Switzerland within the context of a larger project on youth transitions. Methods of data collection are paper-pencil questionnaires and in-depth interviews with a selected sub-sample of participants. The key argument of the first paper is that members of socially disadvantaged categories face higher barriers to their life project and that a general sense of connectedness, either based on categorical identities or other proximal groups and relations, mitigates the feeling of powerlessness associated with this experience. The second paper develops and tests a model that defines individual needs satisfaction as antecedent of self-group bonds and the efficacy beliefs derived from these intragroup bonds as the mechanism underlining the role of ingroups in coping. The third paper highlights the complexities that might be associated with the construction of a sense of groupness directly from intergroup comparisons and categorization-based disadvantage, and points out a more subtle understanding of the processes underling the emergence of groupness out of the situation of structural disadvantage. Overall, the findings confirm the central role of ingroups in coping with structural disadvantage and the importance of an understanding of groupness and its role that goes beyond the dominant focus on intergroup contexts and categorization processes.

Large Break Blowdown Test Facility Study

Työn tarkoituksena on kerätä yhteen tiedot kaikista maailmalta löytyvistä ison LOCA:n ulospuhallusvaiheen tutkimiseen käytetyistä koelaitteistoista. Työn tarkoituksena on myös antaa pohjaa päätökselle, onko tarpeellista rakentaa uusi koelaitteisto nesterakenne-vuorovaikutuskoodien laskennan validoimista varten. Ennen varsinaisen koelaitteiston rakentamista olisi tarkoituksenmukaista myös rakentaa pienempi pilottikoelaitteisto, jolla voitaisiin testata käytettäviä mittausmenetelmiä. Sopivaa mittausdataa tarvitaan uusien CFD-koodien ja rakenneanalyysikoodien kytketyn laskennan validoimisessa. Näitä koodeja voidaan käyttää esimerkiksi arvioitaessa reaktorin sisäosien rakenteellista kestävyyttä ison LOCA:n ulospuhallusvaiheen aikana. Raportti keskittyy maailmalta löytyviin koelaitteistoihin, uuden koelaitteiston suunnitteluperusteisiin sekä aiheeseen liittyviin yleisiin asioihin. Raportti ei korvaa olemassa olevia validointimatriiseja, mutta sitä voi käyttää apuna etsittäessä validointitarkoituksiin sopivaa ison LOCA:n ulospuhallusvaiheen koelaitteistoa.

Macroinvertebrate assemblages on reed beds, with special attention to Chironomidae (Diptera), in Mediterranean shallow lakes.

Macroinvertebrates associated to reed-beds (Phragmites australis) in six shallow natural water bodies along the 220 km of coast of the Comunidad Valenciana (Spain) were studied. These sites were selected to reflect different trophic states, but also, and due to the natural variability of mediterranean wetlands, they greatly differ in salinity and hydroperiod. To unify the sampling, reed bed was chosen to provide data from a habitat common to all wetlands, including the most eutrophic ones where submerged macrophytes have disappeared due to water turbidity. Individual submerged stems of Phragmites australis were sampled along with the surrounding water. The animal density found refers to the available stem surface area for colonization. Forty-one taxa were recorded in total, finding Chironomidae to be the most important group, quantitatively and qualitatively. In freshwater sites it was observed an increase in macroinvertebrate"s density at higher trophic states. Nevertheless each studied region had a different fauna. The PCA analysis with macroinvertebrate groups distinguished three types of environment: freshwaters (characterized by swimming insect larvae, collectors and predators, oligochaetes and Orthocladiinae), saline waters (characterized by crustaceans and Chironominae) and the spring pool, which shares both taxa. Chironomids were paid special attention for being the most abundant. A DCA analysis based on the relative abundance of Chironomids reveals salinity as the main characteristic responsible for its distribution, but trophic state and hydrological regime were also shown to be important factors.

Gamma Knife Surgery versus Linac for Brain Metastasis: Which Technique for Which Patient? Analysis of an Historical Cohort of 63 Consecutive Patients Harboring 130 Lesions

Objectives: We present the retrospective analysis of a single-institution experience for radiosurgery (RS) in brain metastasis (BM) with Gamma Knife (GK) and Linac. Methods: From July 2010 to July 2012, 28 patients (with 83 lesions) had RS with GK and 35 patients (with 47 lesions) with Linac. The primary outcome was the local progression-free survival (LPFS). The secondary outcome was the overall survival (OS). Apart a standard statistical analysis, we included a Cox regression model with shared frailty, to modulate the within-patient correlation (preliminary evaluation showed a significant frailty effect, meaning that the correlation within patient could be ignored). Results: The mean follow-up period was 11.7 months (median 7.9, 1.7-22.7) for GK and 18.1 (median 17, 7.5-28.7) for Linac. The median number of lesions per patient was 2.5 (1-9) in GK compared with 1 (1-3) in Linac. There were more radioresistant lesions (melanoma) and more lesions located in functional areas for the GK group. The median dose was 24 Gy (GK) compared with 20 Gy (Linac). The LPFS actuarial rate was as follows: for GK at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 17 months: 96.96, 96.96, 96.96, 88.1, and 81.5%, and remained stable till 32 months; for Linac at 3, 6, 12, 17, 24, and 33 months, it was 91.5, 91.5, 91.5, 79.9, 55.5, and 17.1%, respectively (p = 0.03, chi-square test). After the Cox regression analysis with shared frailty, the p-value was not statistically significant between groups. The median overall survival was 9.7 months for GK and 23.6 months for Linac group. Uni- and multivariate analysis showed a lower GPA score and noncontrolled systemic status were associated with lower OS. Cox regression analysis adjusting for these two parameters showed comparable OS rate. Conclusions: In this comparative report between GK and Linac, preliminary analysis showed that more difficult cases are treated by GK, with patients harboring more lesions, radioresistant tumors, and highly functional located. The groups look, in this sense, very heterogeneous at baseline. After a Cox frailty model, the LPFS rates seemed very similar (p < 0.05). The OS was similar, after adjusting for systemic status and GPA score (p < 0.05). The technical reasons for choosing GK instead of Linac were the anatomical location related to highly functional areas, histology, technical limitations of Linac movements, especially lower posterior fossa locations, or closeness of multiple lesions to highly functional areas optimal dosimetry with Linac

Sairaanhoitajan opiskelijaohjaustaidot sekä ohjaajakoulutuksen tarve ja hyöty hoitotyön ohjatun harjoittelun oppimisympäristössä

A Nurse's Preceptorship Skills of Guiding Students and the Need for and Benefit from Preceptorship Education Guided practical training in units of health services is an essential part of the education of nurses. Nurses take care of a student's preceptorship during these periods, and their role in supporting a student's learning has been shown to be the most important factor in the learning environment of guided practical training. Education for preceptors in various educational units has been organized to develop their skills of guiding students. The aim of this study was both to investigate preceptors' skills of guiding students, the differences in the student guiding skills of those who have and who have not received preceptorship education and to describe their experiences of their own need for preceptorship education and of the benefit of such education. Any activities that promote a student's learning were included in nurses' preceptorship skills. On the basis of research knowledge, the preceptorship skills were divided into the following subdomains: proficiency in nursing; creation of a preceptorship relationship; planning of preceptorship; implementation of preceptorship; combination of theory and practice; and evaluation. The target group comprised all those nurses (n=128) in a hospital in southern Finland who guided future nurses. The material was gathered by means of a questionnaire with structural and open questions. Preceptorship skills were studied with the structured questions and the need for and benefit from preceptorship education with the open questions. The material was interpreted by means of a statistical SAS programme and qualitative content analysis. The preceptorship skills in all domains of guiding skills proved good. Those who had received preceptorship education had better skills than those who had not received such education in all domains but “creation of a preceptorship relationship”. However, the differences were not statistically significant. The need for preceptorship education was highest in evaluation and in setting goals for a student. To support these, the preceptors wanted information on education and students' requirements. Most of all, preceptorship education had benefited the creation of a preceptorship relationship and the implementation of evaluation. The preceptors were of the opinion that their skills of guiding students were good. However, education is needed, which makes the results inconsistent in this respect. The results can be used in developing preceptorship skills and in planning preceptorship education.

The single principle of compositional data analysis, continuing fallacies, confusionsand misunderstandings and some suggested remedies

In any discipline, where uncertainty and variability are present, it is important to haveprinciples which are accepted as inviolate and which should therefore drive statisticalmodelling, statistical analysis of data and any inferences from such an analysis.Despite the fact that two such principles have existed over the last two decades andfrom these a sensible, meaningful methodology has been developed for the statisticalanalysis of compositional data, the application of inappropriate and/or meaninglessmethods persists in many areas of application. This paper identifies at least tencommon fallacies and confusions in compositional data analysis with illustrativeexamples and provides readers with necessary, and hopefully sufficient, arguments topersuade the culprits why and how they should amend their ways

Preparação e caracterização de substratos SERS ativos: um estudo da adsorção do cristal violeta sobre nanopartículas de prata

The structural characterization of molecules used in the sterilization of blood for transfusions, such as crystal violet (CV), is relevant for understanding the action of these prophylactic drugs. The characterization is feasible by surface enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS) of CV in solution or on surfaces. The limit of detection of CV by SERRS, in the presence of colloidal particles, using 514.5 nm as excitation radiation, was found to be around 1 ppb. The characterization of CV was also made by SERS, by using different active-particles-containing substrates, proving the versatility of this technique for the study of such structures. The results suggest that the controlled production of highly efficient SERS-active substrates may allow qualitative and quantitative analysis, with high sensitivity, with potential applications in medical and environmental fields.

Harustetun 110 kV kannatuspylvään konseptin kehittäminen

Diplomityössä kehitettiin harustetun 110 kV kannatuspylvään konsepti tuotteeksi. Pylväs on säänkestävästä teräksestä valmistettu putkipalkkirakenteinen I-pylväs. Tavoitteena oli suunnitella rakenteesta kokonaistaloudellisesti edullinen. Rakenteen suunnittelussa otettiin huomioon valmistus-, kuljetus- ja varastointi- sekä rakentamisnäkökohtia. Työssä perehdyttiin pylväsrakenteiden yksityiskohtiin, putkipalkkien liitosmenetelmiin ja pylvään jalan nivelöintiratkaisuihin. Säänkestävä rakennemateriaali otettiin huomioon rakennesuunnittelussa. Rakenteen lujuusteknisen suunnittelun apuna käytettiin epälineaarista elementtimenetelmää. Pylväsrakenteen käyttäytyminen mallinnettiin geometrisesti epälineaariseksi, ja liitosdetaljien analysointia varten kehitettiin epälineaarisia materiaalimalleja. Rakenteen värähtelykäyttäytyminen analysoitiin myös elementtimenetelmällä. Lopputuloksena saatiin aikaan pylväs, joka täyttää sille asetetut vaatimukset. Pylväs on helposti valmistettava, kuljetettava ja pystytettävä.

The Fed Model: International Analysis

The Fed model is a widely used market valuation model. It is often used only on market analysis of the S&P 500 index as a shorthand measure for the attractiveness of equity, and as a timing device for allocating funds between equity and bonds. The Fed model assumes a fixed relationship between bond yield and earnings yield. This relationship is often assumed to be true in market valuation. In this paper we test the Fed model from historical perspective on the European markets. The markets of the United States are also includedfor comparison. The purpose of the tests is to determine if the Fed model and the underlying assumptions come true on different markets. The various tests are made on time-series data ranging from the year 1973 to the end of the year 2008. The statistical methods used are regressions analysis, cointegration analysis and Granger causality. The empirical results do not give strong support for the Fed model. The underlying relationships assumed by the Fed model are statistically not valid in most of the markets examined and therefore the model is not valid in valuation purposes generally. The results vary between the different markets which gives reason to suspect the general use of the Fed model in different market conditions and in different markets.

Social capital and health : variations, associations and challenges

Although social capital and health have been extensively studied during the last decade, there are still open issues in current empirical research. These concern for instance the measurement of the concept in different contexts, as well as the association between different types of social capital and different dimensions of health. The present thesis addressed these questions. The general aim was to promote the understanding of social capital and health by investigating the oldest old and the two major language groups in Finland, Swedish- and Finnish-speakers. Another aim was to contribute to the discussion on methodological issues in social capital and health research. The present thesis investigated two empirical data sets, Umeå 85+ and Health 2000. The Umeå 85+ study was a cross-sectional study of 163 individuals aged 85, 90, and 95 or older, living in the municipality of Umeå, Sweden, in the year of 2000. The Health 2000 survey was a national study of 8,028 persons aged 30 or above carried out in Finland in 2000-2001. Different indicators of structural (e.g. social contacts) and cognitive (e.g. trust) social capital, as well as health indicators were used as variables in the analyses. The Umeå 85+ data set was analyzed with factor analysis, as well as univariate and multivariate analysis of variance. The Health 2000 data was analyzed with logistic regression techniques. The results showed that the Swedish-speakers in the Finnish data set Health 2000 had consistently higher prevalence of social capital compared to the Finnish-speakers even after controlling for central sociodemographic variables. The results further showed that even if the language group differences in health were small, the Swedishspeakers experienced in general better self-reported health compared with the Finnish-speakers. Common sociodemographic variables could not explain these observed differences in health. The results imply that social capital is often, but not always, associated with health. This was clearly seen in the Umeå 85+ data set where only one health indicator (depressive symptoms) was associated with structural social capital among the oldest old. The results based on the analysis of the Health 2000 survey demonstrated that the cognitive component of social capital was associated with self-rated health and psychological health rather than with participation in social activities and social contacts. In addition, social capital statistically reduced the health advantage especially for Swedish-speaking men, indicating that high prevalence of social capital may promote health. Finally, the present thesis also discussed the issue of methodological challenges faced with when analyzing social capital and health. It was suggested that certain components of social capital such as bonding and bridging social capital may be more relevant than structural and cognitive components when investigating social capital among the two language groups in Finland. The results concerning the oldest old indicated that the structural aspects of social capital probably reflect current living conditions, whereas cognitive social capital reflects attitudes and traits often acquired decades earlier. This is interpreted as an indication of the fact that structural and cognitive social capital are closely related yet empirically two distinctive concepts. Taken together, some components of social capital may be more relevant to study than others depending on which population group and age group is under study. The results also implied that the choice of cut-off point of dichotomization of selfrated health has an impact on the estimated effects of the explanatory variables. When the whole age interval, 35-64 years, was analyzed with logistic regression techniques the choice of cut-off point did not matter for the estimated effects of marital status and educational level. The results changed, however, when the age interval was divided into three shorter intervals. If self-rated health is explored using wide age intervals that do not account for age-dependent covariates there is a risk of drawing misleading conclusions. In conclusion, the results presented in the thesis suggest that the uneven distribution of social capital observed between the two language groups in Finland are of importance when trying to further understand health inequalities that exist between Swedish- and Finnish-speakers in Finland. Although social capital seemed to be relevant to the understanding of health among the oldest old, the meaning of social capital is probably different compared to a less vulnerable age group. This should be noticed in future empirical research. In the present thesis, it was shown that the relationship between social capital and health is complex and multidimensional. Different aspects of social capital seem to be important for different aspects of health. This reduces the possibility to generalize the results and to recommend general policy implementations in this area. An increased methodological awareness regarding social capital as well as health are called for in order to further understand the cfomplex association between them. However, based on the present data and findings social capital is associated with health. To understand individual health one must also consider social aspects of the individuals’ environment such as social capital.

Soil penetration resistance analysis by multivariate and geostatistical methods

The penetration resistance (PR) is a soil attribute that allows identifies areas with restrictions due to compaction, which results in mechanical impedance for root growth and reduced crop yield. The aim of this study was to characterize the PR of an agricultural soil by geostatistical and multivariate analysis. Sampling was done randomly in 90 points up to 0.60 m depth. It was determined spatial distribution models of PR, and defined areas with mechanical impedance for roots growth. The PR showed a random distribution to 0.55 and 0.60 m depth. PR in other depths analyzed showed spatial dependence, with adjustments to exponential and spherical models. The cluster analysis that considered sampling points allowed establishing areas with compaction problem identified in the maps by kriging interpolation. The analysis with main components identified three soil layers, where the middle layer showed the highest values of PR.

Effects of vinasse application under the physical attributes of soil covered with sugarcane straw

Areas under vinasse application have been associated to favorable physical conditions for root development, aeration, infiltration and water movement in soil profile. This study aimed to evaluate changes on physical attributes of soil under sugarcane straw after vinasse application in two sugarcane growing areas (Area 1 and Area 2) under mechanized management in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. In each area, the samples were collected in the 0-0.20, 0.20-0.40 and 0.40-0.60m layers of the soil, in 36 points, distributed in a 10×10m mesh, one day before and 40 days after vinasse application. The data were submitted to multivariate analysis with repeated measures and geostatistics. The vinasse application decreased soil density and increased total porosity in both Areas and increased organic matter in Area 2. In Area 1 occurred pure nugget effect for the fractions of sand, silt and clay, independent of soil layer. In Area 2, this effect was verified mostly at superficial layers, except for the fraction of clay that presented a moderate degree of spatial dependence.

Morphological analysis of the corneal endothelium in eyes of dogs using specular microscopy

Both healthy eyes of 10 six-year-old male and female mongrel dogs were studied. With a contact specular microscope the corneal endothelium was examined. Endothelial cells were analyzed in the central and peripheral cornea. Morphological analysis with regard to polymegathism and pleomorphism was performed. Three images of each region with at least 100 cells were obtained. The analysis showed that polygonal cells formed a mosaic-like pattern uniform in size and shape. The predominant number of cells was hexagonal. The polymegathism index was 0.22. The study demonstrates that the morphology of the normal corneal endothelial cells of dogs is similar to that found in the human cornea.

Anatomical and histological characteristics of teeth in agouti (Dasyprocta prymnolopha Wagler, 1831)

The agouti species Dasyprocta prymnolopha (D. prymnolopha) is a medium-sized rodent, diurnal, and characteristic of northeastern Brazil, south of the Amazon. Several studies have been made on these rodents. However, there is a lack of analysis of masticatory system, in particular morphology of the teeth. Thus, this research seeks to describe anatomical and histological aspects of the agouti teeth. For this purpose, we used adult agouti, in which measurements and descriptions of teeth and dental tissues were made. It was observed that the dental arch of D. prymnolopha comprises of twenty teeth, evenly distributed in the upper and lower arch, being inferior teeth larger than their corresponding higher. The incisors are larger, and between the posterior premolars and molars, there is a gradual increase in length in the anterior-posterior arch. In microscopic examination, a prismatic appearance was observed consisting of enamel prisms arranged in different directions, behind the enamel and dentin with standard tubular dentinal tubules with variable diameter and far between, also showing a sinuous path from the inner portion to the junction with more superficial enamel. Morphological analysis of dental tissues showed that an enamel with structural organization adapted to the act of chewing and high impact dentin compatible with standard tubular function resilience and mechanical damping of masticatory forces, as found in larger animals, confirming the understanding of eating habits that define much of its ecological functions within the ecosystem they inhabit.