Games in Education and Process Development

The aim of the thesis is to devise a framework for analyzing simulation games, in particular introductory supply chain simulation games which are used in education and process development. The framework is then applied to three case examples which are introductory supply chain simulation games used at Lappeenranta University of Technology. The theoretical part of the thesis studies simulation games in the context of education and training as well as of process management. Simulation games can be seen as learning processes which comprise of briefing, micro cycle, and debriefing which includes observation and reflection as well as conceptualization. The micro cycle, i.e. the game itself, is defined through elements and characteristics. Both briefing and debriefing ought to support the micro cycle. The whole learning process needs to support learning objectives of the simulation game. Based on the analysis of the case simulation games, suggestions on how to boost the debriefing and promote long term effects of the games are made. In addition, a framework is suggested to be used in designing simulation games and characteristics of introductory supply chain simulation games are defined. They are designed for general purposes, are simple and operated manually, are multifunctional interplays, and last about 2.5 4 hours. Participants co operate during a game run and competition arises between different runs or game sessions.

Development of beam and plate finite elements based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation

The focus of this dissertation is to develop finite elements based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation. The absolute nodal coordinate formulation is a nonlinear finite element formulation, which is introduced for special requirements in the field of flexible multibody dynamics. In this formulation, a special definition for the rotation of elements is employed to ensure the formulation will not suffer from singularities due to large rotations. The absolute nodal coordinate formulation can be used for analyzing the dynamics of beam, plate and shell type structures. The improvements of the formulation are mainly concentrated towards the description of transverse shear deformation. Additionally, the formulation is verified by using conventional iso-parametric solid finite element and geometrically exact beam theory. Previous claims about especially high eigenfrequencies are studied by introducing beam elements based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation in the framework of the large rotation vector approach. Additionally, the same high eigenfrequency problem is studied by using constraints for transverse deformation. It was determined that the improvements for shear deformation in the transverse direction lead to clear improvements in computational efficiency. This was especially true when comparative stress must be defined, for example when using elasto-plastic material. Furthermore, the developed plate element can be used to avoid certain numerical problems, such as shear and curvature lockings. In addition, it was shown that when compared to conventional solid elements, or elements based on nonlinear beam theory, elements based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation do not lead to an especially stiff system for the equations of motion.

The use of Rich and Suter diagrams to explain the electron configurations of transition elements

Rich and Suter diagrams are a very useful tool to explain the electron configurations of all transition elements, and in particular, the s¹ and s0 configurations of the elements Cr, Cu, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, and Pt. The application of these diagrams to the inner transition elements also explains the electron configurations of lanthanoids and actinoids, except for Ce, Pa, U, Np, and Cm, whose electron configurations are indeed very special because they are a mixture of several configurations.

Measuring Brand Equity and Analyzing Its Relationship with Key Marketing Mix Elements

The aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of price and advertising on brand equity. The dimensionality of brand equity is thoroughly examined, and the effect price, price deals, perceived advertising spending and advertising appeal have on the dimensions of brand equity are analyzed using multiple regression analysis as well as other supporting analyses. Price and advertising are found to be of great importance to brand equity. Arguably the most influential finding is the strong positive effect low prices – an integral brand element – have on the case company brand equity, even though a negative effect was hypothesized based on prior research. The results also support separating advertising appeal from perceived advertising spending, as well as linking service quality as part of the overall perceived quality in the context of service-intensive firms.

Spectroscopic analysis of C80 doping with group III and group V elements using semiempirical PM3 molecular modelling technique

Semiempirical calculations at the level of PM3 of theory were carried out to study the structural and electronic properties of C80 and some of its doped derivatives with the elements of group III and V at the level of PM3 of theory. We have selected these elements to be substituted in the fullerene-C80 cage in order to show the effect of such structural change on the electronic properties of the molecules studied. The theoretical IR spectra, some of physical and chemical properties of the molecules studied are obtained and discussed.

Evaluation of group electronegativities and hardness (softness) of group 14 elements and containing functional groups through density functional theory and correlation with NMR spectra data

Quantum Chemical calculations for group 14 elements of Periodic Table (C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) and their functional groups have been carried out using Density Functional Theory (DFT) based reactivity descriptors such as group electronegativities, hardness and softness. DFT calculations were performed for a large series of tetracoordinated Sn compounds of the CH3SnRR'X type, where X is a halogen and R and R' are alkyl, halogenated alkyl, alkoxy, or alkyl thio groups. The results were interpreted in terms of calculated electronegativity and hardness of the SnRR'X groups, applying a methodology previously developed by Geerlings and coworkers (J. Phys. Chem. 1993, 97, 1826). These calculations allowed to see the regularities concerning the influence of the nature of organic groups RR' and inorganic group X on electronegativities and hardness of the SnRR'X groups; in this case, it was found a very good correlation between the electronegativity of the fragment and experimental 119Sn chemical shifts, a property that sensitively reflects the change in the valence electronic structure of molecules. This work was complemented with the study of some compounds of the EX and ER types, where E= C, Si, Ge, Sn and R= CH3, H, which was performed to study the influence that the central atom has on the electronegativity and hardness of molecules, or whether these properties are mainly affected for the type of ligand bound to the central atom. All these calculations were performed using the B3PW91 functional together with the 6-311++G** basis set level for H, C, Si, Ge, F, Cl and Br atoms and the 3-21G for Sn and I atoms.

Surface chemistry of fibres and vessel elements in chemical and recycled pulps

Den viktigaste råvaran i papperstillverkning är pappersmassa. Massan innehåller (ved)fibrer men också finmaterial och andra typers (ved)celler, så som kärlceller. Hur dessa komponenter beter sig under arkformationen i pappersmaskinen eller hur de bidrar till egenskaperna hos det färdiga pappret avgörs till stor del av massakomponenternas ytkemiska sammansättning, fysiska struktur och mängden joniserbara grupper på ytan. I denna avhandling studerades ytegenskaperna hos fraktionerade kemiska massor och returfibermassor med avancerade analystekniker. Rester av avfärgningskemikalier identifierades på både returfibrer och på kärlceller. Dessa kan påverka arkformationen och arkstyrkan på returfiberpapper. Kärlcellernas cellväggsstruktur visade sig skilja sig från fibrernas. Resultaten kan främja utvecklingen av returfiberprosessen och användningen av kärlcellsrika lövvedsmassor.

Numerical evaluation of the modulus of longitudinal elasticity in structural round timber elements of the Eucalyptus genus

Currently, the standards that deal with the determination of the properties of rigidity and strength for structural round timber elements do not take in consideration in their calculations and mathematical models the influence of the existing irregularities in the geometry of these elements. This study has as objective to determine the effective value of the modulus of longitudinal elasticity for structural round timber pieces of the Eucalyptus citriodora genus by a technique of optimization allied to the Inverse Analysis Method, to the Finite Element Method and the Least Square Method.

Managerial decision-making style : India, Bangladesh, and Finland : cultural side of the game

Julkaisumaa Intia 356 IN IND

Characterization of fiber and vessel elements in pulp suspension images

The thesis is related to the topic of image-based characterization of fibers in pulp suspension during the papermaking process. Papermaking industry is focusing on process control optimization and automatization, which makes it possible to manufacture highquality products in a resource-efficient way. Being a part of the process control, pulp suspension analysis allows to predict and modify properties of the end product. This work is a part of the tree species identification task and focuses on analysis of fiber parameters in the pulp suspension at the wet stage of paper production. The existing machine vision methods for pulp characterization were investigated, and a method exploiting direction sensitive filtering, non-maximum suppression, hysteresis thresholding, tensor voting, and curve extraction from tensor maps was developed. Application of the method to the microscopic grayscale pulp images made it possible to detect curves corresponding to fibers in the pulp image and to compute their morphological characteristics. Performance of the method was evaluated based on the manually produced ground truth data. An accuracy of fiber characteristics estimation, including length, width, and curvature, for the acacia pulp images was found to be 84, 85, and 60% correspondingly.

Geometric nonlinear dynamic analysis of plates and shells using eight-node hexahedral finite elements with reduced integration

This work presents a geometric nonlinear dynamic analysis of plates and shells using eight-node hexahedral isoparametric elements. The main features of the present formulation are: (a) the element matrices are obtained using reduced integrations with hourglass control; (b) an explicit Taylor-Galerkin scheme is used to carry out the dynamic analysis, solving the corresponding equations of motion in terms of velocity components; (c) the Truesdell stress rate tensor is used; (d) the vector processor facilities existing in modern supercomputers were used. The results obtained are comparable with previous solutions in terms of accuracy and computational performance.

Finnish game developers’ perception on public and private funding sources: a survey analysis

The aim of this study is to find out how game companies perceive the three traditional funding sources and how well their opinions and needs are reflected on the choices they make. To accomplish this, 20 game companies were questioned about multiple topics with the help of Tekes and Neogames. The results of this study show that game developers clearly differentiate the three major funding sources and the public sector ends up being the most significant source of external funding. This study also points out that most game companies are indeed facing issues in acquiring funding as well as various other resources.

Stock Price Reactions on M&A, Dividends and Game Releases. Evidence from Gaming Industry.

A rapidly growing gaming industry, which specializes on PC, console, online and other games, attracts attention of investors and analysts, who try to understand what drives changes of the gaming industry companies’ stock prices. This master thesis shows the evidence that, besides long-established types of events (M&A and dividend payments), the companies’ stock price changes depend on industry-specific events. I analyzed specific for gaming industry events - game releases with respect to its subdivisions: new games-sequels, games ratings and subdivision according to a developer of a game (self-developed by publisher or outsourced). The master thesis analyzes stock prices of 55 companies from gaming industry from all over the world. The research period covers 5 year, spreading from April 2008 to April 2013. Executed with an event study method, results of the research show that all the analyzed events types have significant influence on the stock prices of the gaming industry companies. The current master thesis suggests that acquisitions in the industry affect positively bidders’ and targets’ stock prices. Mergers events cause positive stock price reactions as well. But dividends payments and game releases events influence negatively on the stock prices. Game releases’ effect is up to -2.2% of cumulative average abnormal return (CAAR) drop during the first ten days after the game releases. Having researched different kinds of events and identified the direction of their impact, the current paper can be of high value for investors, seeking profits in the gaming industry, and other interested parties.