Let's do data research work: the creation of a portal with research information from Catalan Universities

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

Connections that work – Linked Open Data demystified

Esitys Kirjastoverkkopäivillä 22.10.2014 Helsingissä – Presentation of Jakob Voß at the Library Network Days, October 22, 2014 in Helsinki.

Lightweight, liquid-cooled, direct-drive generator for highpower wind turbines: motivation, concept, and performance

Thesis: A liquid-cooled, direct-drive, permanent-magnet, synchronous generator with helical, double-layer, non-overlapping windings formed from a copper conductor with a coaxial internal coolant conduit offers an excellent combination of attributes to reliably provide economic wind power for the coming generation of wind turbines with power ratings between 5 and 20MW. A generator based on the liquid-cooled architecture proposed here will be reliable and cost effective. Its smaller size and mass will reduce build, transport, and installation costs. Summary: Converting wind energy into electricity and transmitting it to an electrical power grid to supply consumers is a relatively new and rapidly developing method of electricity generation. In the most recent decade, the increase in wind energy’s share of overall energy production has been remarkable. Thousands of land-based and offshore wind turbines have been commissioned around the globe, and thousands more are being planned. The technologies have evolved rapidly and are continuing to evolve, and wind turbine sizes and power ratings are continually increasing. Many of the newer wind turbine designs feature drivetrains based on Direct-Drive, Permanent-Magnet, Synchronous Generators (DD-PMSGs). Being low-speed high-torque machines, the diameters of air-cooled DD-PMSGs become very large to generate higher levels of power. The largest direct-drive wind turbine generator in operation today, rated just below 8MW, is 12m in diameter and approximately 220 tonne. To generate higher powers, traditional DD-PMSGs would need to become extraordinarily large. A 15MW air-cooled direct-drive generator would be of colossal size and tremendous mass and no longer economically viable. One alternative to increasing diameter is instead to increase torque density. In a permanent magnet machine, this is best done by increasing the linear current density of the stator windings. However, greater linear current density results in more Joule heating, and the additional heat cannot be removed practically using a traditional air-cooling approach. Direct liquid cooling is more effective, and when applied directly to the stator windings, higher linear current densities can be sustained leading to substantial increases in torque density. The higher torque density, in turn, makes possible significant reductions in DD-PMSG size. Over the past five years, a multidisciplinary team of researchers has applied a holistic approach to explore the application of liquid cooling to permanent-magnet wind turbine generator design. The approach has considered wind energy markets and the economics of wind power, system reliability, electromagnetic behaviors and design, thermal design and performance, mechanical architecture and behaviors, and the performance modeling of installed wind turbines. This dissertation is based on seven publications that chronicle the work. The primary outcomes are the proposal of a novel generator architecture, a multidisciplinary set of analyses to predict the behaviors, and experimentation to demonstrate some of the key principles and validate the analyses. The proposed generator concept is a direct-drive, surface-magnet, synchronous generator with fractional-slot, duplex-helical, double-layer, non-overlapping windings formed from a copper conductor with a coaxial internal coolant conduit to accommodate liquid coolant flow. The novel liquid-cooling architecture is referred to as LC DD-PMSG. The first of the seven publications summarized in this dissertation discusses the technological and economic benefits and limitations of DD-PMSGs as applied to wind energy. The second publication addresses the long-term reliability of the proposed LC DD-PMSG design. Publication 3 examines the machine’s electromagnetic design, and Publication 4 introduces an optimization tool developed to quickly define basic machine parameters. The static and harmonic behaviors of the stator and rotor wheel structures are the subject of Publication 5. And finally, Publications 6 and 7 examine steady-state and transient thermal behaviors. There have been a number of ancillary concrete outcomes associated with the work including the following. X Intellectual Property (IP) for direct liquid cooling of stator windings via an embedded coaxial coolant conduit, IP for a lightweight wheel structure for lowspeed, high-torque electrical machinery, and IP for numerous other details of the LC DD-PMSG design X Analytical demonstrations of the equivalent reliability of the LC DD-PMSG; validated electromagnetic, thermal, structural, and dynamic prediction models; and an analytical demonstration of the superior partial load efficiency and annual energy output of an LC DD-PMSG design X A set of LC DD-PMSG design guidelines and an analytical tool to establish optimal geometries quickly and early on X Proposed 8 MW LC DD-PMSG concepts for both inner and outer rotor configurations Furthermore, three technologies introduced could be relevant across a broader spectrum of applications. 1) The cost optimization methodology developed as part of this work could be further improved to produce a simple tool to establish base geometries for various electromagnetic machine types. 2) The layered sheet-steel element construction technology used for the LC DD-PMSG stator and rotor wheel structures has potential for a wide range of applications. And finally, 3) the direct liquid-cooling technology could be beneficial in higher speed electromotive applications such as vehicular electric drives.

Work and non-work : on work and meaning

I den politiska retoriken florerar debattinlägg om arbetslivet, och målsättningen är för det mesta att så många som möjligt ska arbeta så länge som möjligt. Att skapa jobb och minimera arbetslösheten ses som de främsta utmaningarna. På ett individuellt plan beskrivs arbete ofta som personligt självförverkligande eller som en nödvändig form av inkomst som kräver att livet struktureras enligt behovet av sysselsättning. I avhandlingen diskuteras hur de här till synes självklara rollerna som arbete spelar kan sägas neutralisera arbete. Med detta menas att kontroverser kring arbetets mening åsidosätts så att politiskt och etiskt grundläggande frågor om ett gott liv och mänskliga gemenskaper inte ges plats. Genom att gå i dialog med kritiska tänkare som Hannah Arendt, André Gorz, Kathi Weeks, Karl Marx och Richard Sennett diskuteras riskerna med att behandla arbete som en resurs, ett gemensamt samhällsprojekt eller individuellt självförverkligande. Vad är nödvändigt arbete? Vad innebär det att arbete är en vara? Vad är problemet med fragmentering av arbete? Det sägs ofta att arbete har blivit alltmer gränslöst – är detta något positivt eller negativt? Utifrån sådana frågor tar avhandlingen fasta på spänningar i arbetets roll i våra liv och i samhället. Genom att artikulera spänningar utmanas en neutralisering av arbetets etiskt och politiskt brännbara dimensioner. Avhandlingen syftar därmed till att lyfta fram ständigt pågående sätt att ifrågasätta och reflektera kring arbetets mening.

How computer programmers work : understanding software development in practise

Hur arbetar en framgångsrik programmerare? Uppgifterna att programmera datorspel och att programmera industriella, säkerhetskritiska system verkar tämligen olika. Genom en noggrann empirisk undersökning jämför och kontrasterar avhandlingen dessa två former av programmering och visar att programmering innefattar mer än teknisk förmåga. Med utgångspunkt i hermeneutisk och retorisk teori och med hjälp av både kulturvetenskap och datavetenskap visar avhandlingen att programmerarnas tradition och värderingar är grundläggande för deras arbete, och att båda sorter av programmering kan uppfattas och analyseras genom klassisk texttolkningstradition. Dessutom kan datorprogram betraktas och analyseras med hjälp av klassiska teorier om talproduktion i praktiken - program ses då i detta sammanhang som ett slags yttranden. Allt som allt förespråkar avhandlingen en återkomst till vetenskapens grunder, vilka innebär en ständig och oupphörlig cyklisk rörelse mellan att erfara och att förstå. Detta står i kontrast till en reduktionistisk syn på vetenskapen, som skiljer skarpt mellan subjektivt och objektivt, och på så sätt utgår från möjligheten att uppnå fullständigt vetande. Ofullständigt vetande är tolkandets och hermeneutikens domän. Syftet med avhandlingen är att med hjälp av exempel demonstrera programmeringens kulturella, hermeneutiska och retoriska natur.

Sleep, ageing and night work

Studies have shown that the frequency or worsening of sleep disorders tends to increase with age and that the ability to perform circadian adjustments tends to decrease in individuals who work the night shift. This condition can cause consequences such as excessive sleepiness, which are often a factor in accidents that occur at work. The present study investigated the effects of age on the daytime and nighttime sleep patterns using polysomnography (PSG) of long-haul bus drivers working fixed night or day shifts. A total of 124 drivers, free of sleep disorders and grouped according to age (<45 years, N = 85, and ≥45 years, N = 39) and PSG timing (daytime (D) PSG, N = 60; nighttime (N) PSG, N = 64) participated in the study. We observed a significant effect of bedtime (D vs N) and found that the length of daytime sleep was shorter [D: <45 years (336.10 ± 73.75 min) vs N: <45 years (398 ± 78.79 min) and D: ≥45 years (346.57 ± 43.17 min) vs N: ≥45 years (386.44 ± 52.92 min); P ≤ 0.05]. Daytime sleep was less efficient compared to nighttime sleep [D: <45 years (78.86 ± 13.30%) vs N: <45 years (86.45 ± 9.77%) and D: ≥45 years (79.89 ± 9.45%) and N: ≥45 years (83.13 ± 9.13%); P ≤ 0.05]. An effect of age was observed for rapid eye movement sleep [D: <45 years (18.05 ± 6.12%) vs D: ≥45 years (15.48 ± 7.11%) and N: <45 years (23.88 ± 6.75%) vs N: ≥45 years (20.77 ± 5.64%); P ≤ 0.05], which was greater in younger drivers. These findings are inconsistent with the notion that older night workers are more adversely affected than younger night workers by the challenge of attempting to rest during the day.

Relationship between work rate and oxygen uptake in mitochondrial myopathy during ramp-incremental exercise

We determined the response characteristics and functional correlates of the dynamic relationship between the rate (Δ) of oxygen consumption ( O2) and the applied power output (work rate = WR) during ramp-incremental exercise in patients with mitochondrial myopathy (MM). Fourteen patients (7 males, age 35.4 ± 10.8 years) with biopsy-proven MM and 10 sedentary controls (6 males, age 29.0 ± 7.8 years) took a ramp-incremental cycle ergometer test for the determination of the O2 on-exercise mean response time (MRT) and the gas exchange threshold (GET). The ΔO2/ΔWR slope was calculated up to GET (S1), above GET (S2) and over the entire linear portion of the response (S T). Knee muscle endurance was measured by isokinetic dynamometry. As expected, peak O2 and muscle performance were lower in patients than controls (P < 0.05). Patients had significantly lower ΔO2/ΔWR than controls, especially the S2 component (6.8 ± 1.5 vs 10.3 ± 0.6 mL·min-1·W-1, respectively; P < 0.001). There were significant relationships between ΔO2/ΔWR (S T) and muscle endurance, MRT-O2, GET and peak O2 in MM patients (P < 0.05). In fact, all patients with ΔO2/ΔWR below 8 mL·min-1·W-1 had severely reduced peak O2 values (<60% predicted). Moreover, patients with higher cardiopulmonary stresses during exercise (e.g., higher Δ ventilation/carbon dioxide output and Δ heart rate/ΔO2) had lower ΔO2/ΔWR (P < 0.05). In conclusion, a readily available, effort-independent index of aerobic dysfunction during dynamic exercise (ΔO2/ΔWR) is typically reduced in patients with MM, being related to increased functional impairment and higher cardiopulmonary stress.

Dynamics of chest wall volume regulation during constant work rate exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

This study evaluated the dynamic behavior of total and compartmental chest wall volumes [(V CW) = rib cage (V RC) + abdomen (V AB)] as measured breath-by-breath by optoelectronic plethysmography during constant-load exercise in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thirty males (GOLD stages II-III) underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test to the limit of tolerance (Tlim) at 75% of peak work rate on an electronically braked cycle ergometer. Exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation was considered to be present when end-expiratory (EE) V CW increased in relation to resting values. There was a noticeable heterogeneity in the patterns of V CW regulation as EEV CW increased non-linearly in 17/30 "hyperinflators" and decreased in 13/30 "non-hyperinflators" (P < 0.05). EEV AB decreased slightly in 8 of the "hyperinflators", thereby reducing and slowing the rate of increase in end-inspiratory (EI) V CW (P < 0.05). In contrast, decreases in EEV CW in the "non-hyperinflators" were due to the combination of stable EEV RC with marked reductions in EEV AB. These patients showed lower EIV CW and end-exercise dyspnea scores but longer Tlim than their counterparts (P < 0.05). Dyspnea increased and Tlim decreased non-linearly with a faster rate of increase in EIV CW regardless of the presence or absence of dynamic hyperinflation (P < 0.001). However, no significant between-group differences were observed in metabolic, pulmonary gas exchange and cardiovascular responses to exercise. Chest wall volumes are continuously regulated during exercise in order to postpone (or even avoid) their migration to higher operating volumes in patients with COPD, a dynamic process that is strongly dependent on the behavior of the abdominal compartment.

Disentangling the effects of insomnia and night work on cardiovascular diseases: a study in nursing professionals

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are known to be associated with poor sleep quality in general populations, but they have not been consistently associated with specific work schedules. Studies of CVD generally do not simultaneously consider sleep and work schedules, but that approach could help to disentangle their effects. We investigated the association between insomnia and a self-reported physician diagnosis of CVD in day and night workers, considering all sleep episodes during nocturnal and diurnal sleep. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1307 female nursing professionals from 3 public hospitals, using baseline data from the “Health and Work in Nursing - a Cohort Study.” Participants were divided into two groups: i) day workers with no previous experience in night shifts (n=281) and whose data on insomnia were related to nocturnal sleep and ii) those who worked exclusively at night (n=340) and had data on both nocturnal and diurnal sleep episodes, as they often sleep at daytime. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. Among day workers, insomnia complaints increased the odds of CVD 2.79-fold (95% CI=1.01-6.71) compared with workers who had no complaints. Among night workers, reports of insomnia during both nocturnal and diurnal sleep increased the odds of reported CVD 3.07-fold (95% CI=1.30-7.24). Workers with insomnia had similar probabilities of reporting CVD regardless of their work schedule, suggesting a relationship to insomnia and not to night work per se. The results also highlighted the importance of including evaluation of all sleep episodes (diurnal plus nocturnal sleep) for night workers.

Thoughts on work-in-progress crowdsourcing metrics of digital collections

The presentation consists of work-in-progress metrics of #digitalkoot, the crowdsourcing project launched by National Library of Finland

Designing gamification for collaborative learning in group work

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a teaching and learning approach which is widely adopted. However there are still some problems can be found when CSCL takes place. Studies show that using game-like mechanics can increase motivation, engagement, as well as modelling behaviors of players. Gamification is a rapid growing trend by applying the same mechanics. It refers to use game design elements in non-game contexts. This thesis is about combining gamification concept and computer supported collaborative learning together in software engineering education field. And finally a gamified prototype system is designed.

TYÖILMOITUS TYÖNANTAJALUPAUKSIEN JA TYÖARVOJEN VIESTIJÄNÄ Tarkastelussa menestyneitä Great Place to Work -työnantajia

Työilmoitus voi jäädä työnhakijan ja työnantajan välillä ainoaksi viestinnän mahdollisuudeksi, jolloin ratkaisevaa on, kuinka houkuttelevaksi työnantaja työilmoituksensa laatii kilpaillessaan halutuista osaajista. Samalla työilmoitus antaa lupauksia tulevasta työstä ja työyhteisöstä. Tämän tutkimuksen perimmäinen tarkoitus on tutkia, näkyykö työsuhteen kahdenvälinen transaktioluonne työilmoitusten tasolla eli kerrotaanko ilmoituksissa työnantajan osaajatarpeiden lisäksi, mitkä olisivat työntekijän työllistymisellä saavutetut hyödyt. Tarkemmiksi tarkastelun kohteiksi on valittu kaksi työnhakijan päätöksenteon kannalta mielenkiintoista näkökulmaa: viestityt työarvot ja työnantajalupaukset. Teoreettiselta taustaltaan tämä tutkimus liittyy rekrytoinnin kokonaisuuteen, mutta se sivuaa useita muita aihealueita, kuten yksilön ja yrityksen yhteensopivuutta, työnantajamielikuvaa, psykologista sopimusta, informaation prosessointia, suostuttelua ja työnhakupäätöksen syntymekanismin tutkimusta. Tutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto koostuu kolmena peräkkäisenä vuonna (2013−2015) Suomen parhaimmiksi työnantajiksi tituleerattujen yritysten julkaisemista työilmoituksista. Näiden oletettiin olevan kiinnostuneita työnantajakuvastaan ja rekrytoinnistaan keskimääräistä enemmän. Kerätyistä 19 työilmoituksesta tulkittiin arvoilmaisuja ja annettuja esilupauksia kahden teoreettisen luokituksen yhdistelmänä muodostetun analyysirungon avulla. Aineiston lauseita eriteltiin analyysirungon teemojen alle ja niiden vakuuttamiskeinoja analysoitiin retorisella diskurssianalyysillä. Tutkimuksen tuloksena havaittiin, että työnteon puitteista, palkkatiedoista, määräysvallasta ja työn merkityksellisyydestä mainittiin verrattain vähän työilmoituksissa. Sen sijaan aineiston työilmoituksista löytyi runsaasti ilmaisuja, joista työnhakija voi tehdä päätelmiä työilmapiiristä tai potentiaalisten kollegoiden asiantuntijuuden tasosta. Yrittäjähenkisyys- ja suorituspainepuheiden läpi heijastui puolestaan kovemmat arvot. Arvojen ilmaisu tapahtui usein epäsuorasti kuin selkeinä arvolistoina. Konkreettisia lupauksia työnantajalta työnhakijalle tehtiin vähän tai ne olivat ylimalkaisia. Tutkimus antaa aihetta laajemmille kartoituksille. Mitkä ovat syyt tiettyä kaavaa toistavien työilmoitusten taustalla ja mitkä tekijät työilmoituksissa eri kohdeyleisöjä aidosti vaikuttavat?