Varastointikapasiteetin käytön tehostaminen

Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin kuormalavoille varastoidun materiaalin varastointikapasiteetin tehostamista mahdollisimman kustannustehokkaasti. Varastointikapasiteetin tehostamiseksi pyrittiin löytämään ratkaisut kahdelle esimerkkivarastolle uusia varastointiteknologioita ja materiaalinkäsittelylaitteita hyödyntämällä. Tutkimuksen aihe perustui Maavoimien esikunnan huolto-osaston tarpeeseen saada tutkittua mahdollisuuksia nykyisten varastojen varastointikapasiteetin tehostamiseksi. Nykyisten varastosuojien varastointikapasiteetin käytön tehostamisella voidaan välttää uusien kalliiden varastosuojien rakentaminen. Tutkimus laadittiin suorittamalla kirjallisuustutkimus varastoinnin perusteisiin, varastojen jaotteluun, tilasuunnitteluun, varastointiteknologioihin sekä materiaalinkäsittelylaitteisiin. Varastoinnin nykytilan kartoittamiseksi perehdyttiin puolustusvoimien varastointisuunnitelman version 3.0 luonnokseen. Esimerkkivarastojen nykytilanteen selvittäminen toteutettiin laatimalla varastoille kysely sekä vierailemalla toisella varastolla. Esimerkkivarastoille suunniteltiin Intolog Vantaa Oy:n edustajien kanssa uudet hyllyjärjestelmävaihtoehdot. Tutkija laati itse toiset vaihtoehdot molemmille varastoille Intolog Vantaa Oy:n vaihtoehtojen vertaamiseksi. Vaihtoehdoille laskettiin tunnusluvut ja investointikustannukset, joita vertailtiin sekä keskenään että nykytilaan. Tutkimustyön tuloksena syntyi laskelma saavutettavasta varastointikapasiteetin lisäyksestä investointikustannuksineen. Esimerkkivaraston 1 osalta kapasiteettia on mahdollista lisätä liikkuvia sekä push back -hyllystöjä käyttämällä noin 1 500 kuormalavapaikkaa (40 %) investointikustannusten ollessa noin 680 000 euroa. Esimerkkivaraston 2 osalta lisäys push back -hyllystöillä on noin 500 kuormalavapaikkaa (35 %) investointikustannusten ollessa noin 350 000 euroa. Tutkimuksen tuloksien perusteella voidaan uusia varastointiteknologioita hyödyntämällä lisätä puolustusvoimien varastoihin varovaisesti arvioiden noin 26 000 kuormalavapaikkaa. Jokainen varasto on kuitenkin erilainen, joten tutkimuksen tuloksia pitää tarkastella varastokohtaisesti.

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

Ovule ontogeny of Tabebuia pulcherrima Sandwith (Bignoniaceae): megasporogenesis and integument development

The ovule of Tabebuia pulcherrima is anatropous, unitegmic and tenuinucellate. The nucellus shows a trizonate structural organization. The integument is initiated by periclinal divisions in the dermal layer (zone I), around the base of the archesporium. Subsequently, cells derived from the subdermal layer (zone II) start to push the dermal cells, so that they shift toward the micropylar region. The archesporial cell differentiates directly into the megaspore mother cell, undergoes meiosis, and originates a linear tetrad of megaspores. The mature embryo sac mother cell is elongated, possess a conspicuous central nucleus, and a characteristic bipolar vacuome with fibrous-granulated content. The inner cell layers of the integument differentiate into an amyloplast-rich endothelium. Patterns of callose deposition in the tetrad and selection of the functional megaspore, as well as the taxonomic value of some characters are discussed.

Warranty Prediction Using Weibull Simulation

The main objective of this master’s thesis is to examine if Weibull analysis is suitable method for warranty forecasting in the Case Company. The Case Company has used Reliasoft’s Weibull++ software, which is basing on the Weibull method, but the Company has noticed that the analysis has not given right results. This study was conducted making Weibull simulations in different profit centers of the Case Company and then comparing actual cost and forecasted cost. Simula-tions were made using different time frames and two methods for determining future deliveries. The first sub objective is to examine, which parameters of simulations will give the best result to each profit center. The second sub objective of this study is to create a simple control model for following forecasted costs and actual realized costs. The third sub objective is to document all Qlikview-parameters of profit centers. This study is a constructive research, and solutions for company’s problems are figured out in this master’s thesis. In the theory parts were introduced quality issues, for example; what is quality, quality costing and cost of poor quality. Quality is one of the major aspects in the Case Company, so understand-ing the link between quality and warranty forecasting is important. Warranty management was also introduced and other different tools for warranty forecasting. The Weibull method and its mathematical properties and reliability engineering were introduced. The main results of this master’s thesis are that the Weibull analysis forecasted too high costs, when calculating provision. Although, some forecasted values of profit centers were lower than actual values, the method works better for planning purposes. One of the reasons is that quality improving or alternatively quality decreasing is not showing in the results of the analysis in the short run. The other reason for too high values is that the products of the Case Company are com-plex and analyses were made in the profit center-level. The Weibull method was developed for standard products, but products of the Case Company consists of many complex components. According to the theory, this method was developed for homogeneous-data. So the most im-portant notification is that the analysis should be made in the product level, not the profit center level, when the data is more homogeneous.

Understanding Online Game Players' Post-adoption Behavior: an Investigation of Social Network Games in China

Retaining players and re-attracting switching players has long been a central topic for SNG providers with regard to the post-adoption stage of playing an online game. However, there has not been much research which has explored players’ post-adoption behavior by incorporating the continuance intention and the switching intention. In addition, traditional IS continuance theories were mainly developed to investigate users’ continued use of utilitarian IS, and thus they may fall short when trying to explain the continued use of hedonic IS. Furthermore, compared to the richer literature on IS continuance, far too little attention has been paid to IS switching, leading to a dearth of knowledge on the subject, despite the increased incidence of the switching phenomenon in the IS field. By addressing the limitations of prior literature, this study seeks to examine the determinants of SNG players’ two different post-adoption behaviors, including the continuance intention and the switching intention. This study takes a positivist approach and uses survey research method to test five proposed research models based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2; Use and Gratification Theory; Push-Pull-Mooring model; Cognitive Dissonance Theory; and a self-developed model respectively with empirical data collected from the SNG players of one of the biggest SNG providers in China. A total of 3919 valid responses and 541 valid responses were used to examine the continuance intention and the switching intention, respectively. SEM is utilized as the data analysis method. The proposed research models are supported by the empirical data. The continuance intention is determined by enjoyment, fantasy, escapism, social interaction, social presence, social influence, achievement and habit. The switching intention is determined by enjoyment, satisfaction, subjective norms, descriptive norms, alternative attractiveness, the need for variety, change experience, and adaptation cost. This study contributes to IS theories in three important ways. Firstly, it shows IS switching should be included in IS post-adoption research together with IS continuance. Secondly, a modern IS is usually multi-functional and SNG players have multiple reasons for using a SNG, thus a player’s beliefs about the hedonic, social and utilitarian perceptions of their continued use of the SNG exert significant effects on the continuance intention. Thirdly, the determinants of the switch ing intention mainly exert push, pull, and mooring effects. Players’ beliefs about their current SNG and the available alternatives, as well as their individual characteristics are all significant determinants of the switching intention. SNG players combine these effects in order to formulate the switching intention. Finally, this study presents limitations and suggestions for future research.

Online peer to peer lending: clustering borrowers using self-organizing maps

The purpose of this thesis is to find out whether all the peer to peer lenders are unworthy of credit and also if there are single qualities or combinations of qualities that determine the probability of default of a person or group of people. Distinguishing qualities are searched with self-organizing maps (SOM). Qualities and groups of people found by the self-organizing map are then compared to the average. The comparison is carried out by looking how big proportion of borrowers meeting the criteria is two months or more behind with their payments. Research data used is collected by an Estonian peer to peer lending company during the years of 2011-2014. Data consists of peer to peer borrowers and information gathered from them.

“Till gruvhålet som suger och skrämmer” : en studie i Nils Bolanders predikan under åren 1940–1950

The aim of this thesis is to examine the preaching of Nils Bolander during the years 1940–1950. Nils Bolander (1902–1959) was a Swedish minister, later bishop, in the Church of Sweden. Bolander experienced his breakthrough as a preacher and a poet during the years 1940–1950, when he was a pastor of the Engelbrekt congregation in Stockholm. One characteristic of Bolander’s poetry as well as of his sermons is a rich and poetical language. At the same time he also had a clear agenda with his sermons with regard to their contents. The primary research question of this thesis is: What was Bolander’s purpose with his sermons? In this context, two secondary research questions were asked: 1) In what way does the poetical language support and assist the purpose of the sermons? 2) How is Bolander, as an individual and a preacher, engaged in the language and the contents of the sermons? The research material of this study consists of 152 hand-­written sermon manuscripts from church services held by Nils Bolander in Stockholm during the period in question. The method of the study is qualitative research with an abductive approach. Content analysis has formed the primary tool. With regard to the main research question, the purpose of Bolander’s sermons, my study indicated that the purpose was to rouse the listeners from their routine-­like faith and push them towards commitment and active service for God. In Bolander’s theology I found strong influences from Pietism but also some traits usually associated with the theological profile of the Oxford Group. Despite these influences, Nils Bolander’s theology is mainly founded on the Lutheran interpretation of faith. With regard to the secondary research questions concerning the poetical language as well as the role of the preacher my study concludes that the language, the individual and the contents were all connected in Bolander’s preaching and formed a whole that spoke to the audience in various ways.

Co-creating value with customers as a new approach of entering new market

Global trends associated with development of information technology, globalization, industrial and economic changes are influencing on company and customer domains and thus transforming company-customer relationship. The company centric paradigm with a strong product focus shifts to a customer oriented one with a strong emphasis on customer collaboration. As a result, the customer role changes from a passive observer to an active player. Moreover, global trends contribute to transformation of competitive environment making it tougher and simplifying an access to resources previously considered as unique. All that factors push the companies towards cooperation with customers in order to identify unarticulated needs and finding the best possible solution to existing customer problems. The Master’s Thesis is done for Outotec (Lappeenranta) which considers extension of dewatering business in Russian coal market. Research aims to identify key features of coal preparation and dewatering of fine coal and tailings in Russian preparation plants; analyze the state of Russian coal market and evaluate market potential for Outotec dewatering solutions. The study has a qualitative nature and implements an action research methodology that involves both creation of knowledge and introduction of changes into the system. The base for taking actions is formed by theoretical framework that targets on describing company - customer interaction and has selected co-creation as the most appropriate method of customer involvement. The integration of co-creation approach into an action research cycle allows not only fulfilling the research objectives but also facilitates organizational learning and intraorganizational collaboration, assists in establishing customer contacts and making the first steps into the market, bringing new joint projects to the company and opening real business opportunities.

The brain decade in debate: VI. Sensory and motor maps: dynamics and plasticity

This article is an edited transcription of a virtual symposium promoted by the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC). Although the dynamics of sensory and motor representations have been one of the most studied features of the central nervous system, the actual mechanisms of brain plasticity that underlie the dynamic nature of sensory and motor maps are not entirely unraveled. Our discussion began with the notion that the processing of sensory information depends on many different cortical areas. Some of them are arranged topographically and others have non-topographic (analytical) properties. Besides a sensory component, every cortical area has an efferent output that can be mapped and can influence motor behavior. Although new behaviors might be related to modifications of the sensory or motor representations in a given cortical area, they can also be the result of the acquired ability to make new associations between specific sensory cues and certain movements, a type of learning known as conditioning motor learning. Many types of learning are directly related to the emotional or cognitive context in which a new behavior is acquired. This has been demonstrated by paradigms in which the receptive field properties of cortical neurons are modified when an animal is engaged in a given discrimination task or when a triggering feature is paired with an aversive stimulus. The role of the cholinergic input from the nucleus basalis to the neocortex was also highlighted as one important component of the circuits responsible for the context-dependent changes that can be induced in cortical maps.

Natiivin Android-pelin käyttöliittymän skaalautuminen ja suorituskyvyn optimointi

Tässä työssä esiteltiin Android laitteisto- ja sovellusalustana sekä kuvattiin, kuinka Android-pelisovelluksen käyttöliittymä voidaan pitää yhtenäisenä eri näyttölaitteilla skaalauskertoimien ja ankkuroinnin avulla. Toisena osiona työtä käsiteltiin yksinkertaisia tapoja, joilla pelisovelluksien suorituskykyä voidaan parantaa. Näistä tarkempiin mittauksiin valittiin matalatarkkuuksinen piirtopuskuri ja näkymättömissä olevien kappaleiden piilotus. Mittauksissa valitut menetelmät vaikuttivat demosovelluksen suorituskykyyn huomattavasti. Tässä työssä rajauduttiin Android-ohjelmointiin Java-kielellä ilman ulkoisia kirjastoja, jolloin työn tuloksia voi helposti hyödyntää mahdollisimman monessa eri käyttökohteessa.

Visual maps in the adult primate cerebral cortex: some implications for brain development and evolution

In this paper, the topology of cortical visuotopic maps in adult primates is reviewed, with emphasis on recent studies. The observed visuotopic organisation can be summarised with reference to two basic rules. First, adjacent radial columns in the cortex represent partially overlapping regions of the visual field, irrespective of whether these columns are part of the same or different cortical areas. This primary rule is seldom, if ever, violated. Second, adjacent regions of the visual field tend to be represented in adjacent radial columns of a same area. This rule is not as rigid as the first, as many cortical areas form discontinuous, second-order representations of the visual field. A developmental model based on these physiological observations, and on comparative studies of cortical organisation, is then proposed, in order to explain how a combination of molecular specification steps and activity-driven processes can generate the variety of visuotopic organisations observed in adult cortex.

Hereditary motor and autonomic neuronopathy 1 maps to chromosome 20q13.2-13.3

The spinal muscular atrophies (SMA) or hereditary motor neuronopathies result from the continuous degeneration and death of spinal cord lower motor neurons, leading to progressive muscular weakness and atrophy. We describe a large Brazilian family exhibiting an extremely rare, late-onset, dominant, proximal, and progressive SMA accompanied by very unusual manifestations, such as an abnormal sweating pattern, and gastrointestinal and sexual dysfunctions, suggesting concomitant involvement of the autonomic nervous system. We propose a new disease category for this disorder, `hereditary motor and autonomic neuronopathy', and attribute the term, `survival of motor and autonomic neurons 1' (SMAN1) to the respective locus that was mapped to a 14.5 cM region on chromosome 20q13.2-13.3 by genetic linkage analysis and haplotype studies using microsatellite polymorphic markers. This locus lies between markers D20S120 and D20S173 showing a maximum LOD score of 4.6 at D20S171, defining a region with 33 known genes, including several potential candidates. Identifying the SMAN1 gene should not only improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying lower motor neuron diseases but also help to clarify the relationship between motor and autonomic neurons.

Prevention of etomidate-induced myoclonus during anesthetic induction by pretreatment with dexmedetomidine

Myoclonus induced by etomidate during induction of general anesthesia is undesirable. This study evaluated the effect of dexmedetomidine (DEX) pretreatment on the incidence and severity of etomidate-induced myoclonus. Ninety patients undergoing elective surgical procedures were randomly allocated to three groups (n=30 each) for intravenous administration of 10 mL isotonic saline (group I), 0.5 µg/kg DEX in 10 mL isotonic saline (group II), or 1.0 µg/kg DEX in 10 mL isotonic saline (group III) over 10 min. All groups subsequently received 0.3 mg/kg etomidate by intravenous push injection. The incidence and severity of myoclonus were recorded for 1 min after etomidate administration and the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events that occurred between the administration of the DEX infusion and 1 min after tracheal intubation was recorded. The incidence of myoclonus was significantly reduced in groups II and III (30.0 and 36.7%), compared with group I (63.3%). The incidence of severe sinus bradycardia was significantly increased in group III compared with group I (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in heart rate in groups I and II. There were no significant differences in the incidence of low blood pressure among the 3 groups. Pretreatment with 0.5 and 1.0 µg/kg DEX significantly reduced the incidence of etomidate-induced myoclonus during anesthetic induction; however, 0.5 µg/kg DEX is recommended because it had fewer side effects.

Puu- ja turvetuhkan hyötykäyttökelpoisuuteen vaikuttavat tekijät pienillä polttolaitoksilla

Energiantuotannossa syntyvä tuhka voi olla laadultaan hyvin vaihtelevaa ja laadunvaihtelulle on haastavaa löytää yksiselitteistä syy-seuraussuhdetta. Ympäristönsuojelulainsäädäntö ja taloudelliset intressit ohjaavat tuhkantuottajia etsimään tuhkalle sopivia hyötykäyttökohteita, ja sen vuoksi tuhkan laatuun ja hyötykäyttökelpoisuuteen vaikuttavia tekijöitä on tarpeen selvittää. Tässä diplomityössä on tutkittu pienissä, alle 50 MW:n polttolaitoksissa syntyvää tuhkaa. Tavoitteena oli selvittää, kuinka tuhkan hyötykäyttökelpoisuuteen voidaan vaikuttaa. Tutkimuksen kohteena oli polttoainekoostumuksen, poltto-olosuhteiden ja tuhkan jälkikäsittelyn vaikutus tuhkassa olevien haitta-aineiden pitoisuuksiin ja liukoisuuksin. Työhön sisältyi myös aiemmin tehtyjen tuhka-analyysien tarkastelu sekä tuhkakokeet kahdella kohderyhmään kuuluvalla laitoksella. Työssä todettiin lentotuhkan haitta-ainepitoisuuksien ja -liukoisuuksien olevan keskimäärin korkeampia kuin pohjatuhkan vastaavien, ja että tyypillisesti arinakattilan tuhkien haitta-aineet ylittävät useammin hyötykäyttökelpoisuuden raja-arvoja kuin kuplaleijupetikattilan tuhkien. Lisäksi havaittiin metsätähdehaketuhkan kelpaavan useammin hyötykäyttöön kuin rankahaketuhkan.

Juros, câmbio e o sistema de metas de inflação no Brasil

Interest rate, exchange rate and the system of inflation target in Brazil. In the consensus view of the Brazilian system of inflation targeting, the core of inflation is due to demand shocks; the rate of interest is set to control demand; and some variation in the exchange rate happens as "collateral damage". In this note we argue that in reality core inflation comes from cost push; the interest rate affects the exchange rate; changes in the exchange rate affect costs and prices; it is the effect of interest rates on demand that is the "collateral damage" and that the long run anchor of the system is low average real wage rigidity.