Kassavirtojen ennustaminen projektilähtöisessä liiketoiminnassa

Työn tavoitteena oli vastata ensisijaisesti kysymykseen, voidaanko projektiliiketoiminnan kassavirtoja ennustaa 3-15 kuukauden aikavälillä ja jos voidaan, niin miten ja millä tarkkuudella. Tutkimus toteutettiin teoriatutkimuksena aihepiiristä ja tutkimuksen pohjalta luotiin malli kassavirtojen ennustamiseen kohdeyritykselle 3-15 kuukauden aikavälille. Mallin laatimiseksi oli hyödynnettävissä viiden vuoden aineistot kohdeyrityksen kassavirroista, budjetista ja liiketoiminnan toteumatiedoista. Työn teoriaosiossa tutkittiin kirjallisuuden pohjalta projektiliiketoimintaa, budjetointia sekä kassavirtoja ja niiden ennustamista. Tämän jälkeen teorian pohjalta rakennettiin kohdeyritykselle historiatietoihin perustuva malli kassavirtojen ennustamiseksi. Mallia rakennettaessa määritettiin ensimmäiseksi merkittävimmät kassavirran komponentit, minkä jälkeen niille laadittiin ennustemenetelmät. Samalla arvioitiin millä tarkkuudella projektilähtöisen liiketoiminnan kassavirtoja pystytään ennustamaan. Tutkimuksen tuloksena oli historiatietoihin pohjautuva ennustemalli kohdeyritykselle. Mallilla tehtyjen testien pohjalta voitiin todeta, että projektilähtöisen liiketoiminnan kassavirtoja pystytään ennustamaan melko hyvällä tarkkuudella, ennustaminen ei kuitenkaan ole niin luotettavaa, kuin jos ennustettaisiin tasaisemmin kehittyvän liiketoiminnan kassavirtoja. Historiaan pohjautuvaa mallia käytettäessä pitää myös muistaa, että mikään ei takaa historian toistumista tulevaisuudessa.

Periprocedural prognostic factors in coronary interventions – retrospective studies

Background: Approximately 11,000 revascularization procedures, either percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG), are performed yearly in Finland for coronary artery disease. Periprocedural risk factors for mortality and morbidity as well as long-term outcome have been extensively studied in general populations undergoing revascularization. Treatment choice between PCI and CABG in many high risk groups and risk-stratification, however, needs clarification and there is still room for improvement in periprocedural outcomes. Materials and methods: Cohorts of patients from Finnish hospitals revascularized between 2001 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Patient records were reviewed for baseline variables and postprocedural outcomes (stroke, myocardial infarction, quality of life measured by the EQ-5D –questionnaire, repeat revascularization, bleeding episodes). Data on date and mode of death was acquired from Statistics Finland. Statistical analysis was performed to identify predictors of adverse events and compare procedures. Results: Postoperative administration of blood products (red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, platelets) after isolated CABG independently and dose-dependently increases the risk of stroke. Patients 80 years or older who underwent CABG had better survival at 5 years compared to those who underwent PCI. After adjusting for baseline differences survival was similar. Patients on oral anticoagulation (OAC) for atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with CABG had better survival and overall outcome at 3 years compared to PCI patients. There was no difference in incidence of stroke or bleeding episodes. Differences in outcome remained significant after adjusting for propensity score. Lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores as measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS) of the EQ-5D questionnaire at 6 months after CABG predicted later major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Deteriorating function and VAS scores between 0 and 6 months on the EQ-5D also independently predicted later MACCE. Conclusions: Administration of blood products can increase the risk of stroke after CABG and liberal use of transfusions should be avoided. In the frail subpopulations of patients on OAC and octogenarians CABG appears to offer superior long-term outcome as compared to PCI. Deteriorating HRQOL scores predict later adverse events after CABG. Keywords: percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, age over 80, transfusion, anticoagulants, coronary artery disease, health-related quality of life, outcome.

Industrial-Scale hydrothermal carbonization of waste sludge materials for fuel production

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a thermochemical process used in the production of charred matter similar in composition to coal. It involves the use of wet, carbohydrate feedstock, a relatively low temperature environment (180 °C-350 °C) and high autogenous pressure (up to 2,4 MPa) in a closed system. Various applications of the solid char product exist, opening the way for a range of biomass feedstock materials to be exploited that have so far proven to be troublesome due to high water content or other factors. Sludge materials are investigated as candidates for industrial-scale HTC treatment in fuel production. In general, HTC treatment of pulp and paper industry sludge (PPS) and anaerobically digested municipal sewage sludge (ADS) using existing technology is competitive with traditional treatment options, which range in price from EUR 30-80 per ton of wet sludge. PPS and ADS can be treated by HTC for less than EUR 13 and 33, respectively. Opportunities and challenges related to HTC exist, as this relatively new technology moves from laboratory and pilot-scale production to an industrial scale. Feedstock materials, end-products, process conditions and local markets ultimately determine the feasibility of a given HTC operation. However, there is potential for sludge materials to be converted to sustainable bio-coal fuel in a Finnish context.

Extending the Hydra Head to Create a Pluggable, Extensible Architecture: Diving into the Technology of Hydramata

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

Laser cladding with scanning optics

Scanning optics create different types of phenomena and limitation to cladding process compared to cladding with static optics. This work concentrates on identifying and explaining the special features of laser cladding with scanning optics. Scanner optics changes cladding process energy input mechanics. Laser energy is introduced into the process through a relatively small laser spot which moves rapidly back and forth, distributing the energy to a relatively large area. The moving laser spot was noticed to cause dynamic movement in the melt pool. Due to different energy input mechanism scanner optic can make cladding process unstable if parameter selection is not done carefully. Especially laser beam intensity and scanning frequency have significant role in the process stability. The laser beam scanning frequency determines how long the laser beam affects with specific place local specific energy input. It was determined that if the scanning frequency in too low, under 40 Hz, scanned beam can start to vaporize material. The intensity in turn determines on how large package this energy is brought and if the intensity of the laser beam was too high, over 191 kW/cm2, laser beam started to vaporize material. If there was vapor formation noticed in the melt pool, the process starts to resample more laser alloying due to deep penetration of laser beam in to the substrate. Scanner optics enables more flexibility to the process than static optics. The numerical adjustment of scanning amplitude enables clad bead width adjustment. In turn scanner power modulation (where laser power is adjusted according to where the scanner is pointing) enables modification of clad bead cross-section geometry when laser power can be adjusted locally and thus affect how much laser beam melts material in each sector. Power modulation is also an important factor in terms of process stability. When a linear scanner is used, oscillating the scanning mirror causes a dwell time in scanning amplitude border area, where the scanning mirror changes the direction of movement. This can cause excessive energy input to this area which in turn can cause vaporization and process instability. This process instability can be avoided by decreasing energy in this region by power modulation. Powder feeding parameters have a significant role in terms of process stability. It was determined that with certain powder feeding parameter combinations powder cloud behavior became unstable, due to the vaporizing powder material in powder cloud. Mainly this was noticed, when either or both the scanning frequency or powder feeding gas flow was low or steep powder feeding angle was used. When powder material vaporization occurred, it created vapor flow, which prevented powder material to reach the melt pool and thus dilution increased. Also powder material vaporization was noticed to produce emission of light at wavelength range of visible light. This emission intensity was noticed to be correlated with the amount of vaporization in the powder cloud.

Modelling of ultrasound assisted mixing in Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids

The purpose of this work is to obtain a better understanding of behaviour of possible ultrasound appliance on fluid media mixing. The research is done in the regard to Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. The process of ultrasound appliance on liquids is modelled in COMSOL Multiphysics software. The influence of ultrasound using is introduced as waveform equation. Turbulence modelling is fulfilled by the k-ε model in Newtonian fluid. The modeling of ultrasound assisted mixing in non-Newtonian fluids is based on the power law. To verify modelling results two practical methods are used: Particle Image Velocimetry and measurements of mixing time. Particle Image Velocimetry allows capturing of velocity flow field continuously and presents detailed depiction of liquid dynamics. The second way of verification is the comparison of mixing time of homogeneity. Experimentally achievement of mixing time is done by conductivity measurements. In modelling part mixing time is achieved by special module of COMSOL Multiphysics – the transport of diluted species. Both practical and modelling parts show similar radial mechanism of fluid flow under ultrasound appliance – from the horn tip fluid moves to the bottom and along the walls goes back. Velocity profiles are similar in modelling and experimental part in the case of Newtonian fluid. In the case of non-Newtonian fluid velocity profiles do not agree. The development track of ultrasound-assisted mixing modelling is presented in the thesis.

Molecular characteristics of Machado-Joseph disease mutation in 25 newly described Brazilian families

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is a form of autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia first described in North-American patients originating from the Portuguese islands of the Azores. Clinically this disorder is characterized by late onset progressive ataxia with associated features, such as: ophthalmoplegia, pyramidal and extrapyramidal signs and distal muscular atrophies. The causative mutation is an expansion of a CAG repeat in the coding region of the MJD1 gene. We have identified 25 unrelated families segregating the MJD mutation during a large collaborative study of spinocerebellar ataxias in Brazil. In the present study a total of 62 family members were genotyped for the CAG repeat in the MJD1 gene, as well as 63 non-MJD individuals (126 normal chromosomes), used as normal controls. We observed a wide gap between the size range of the normal and expanded CAG repeats: the normal allele had from 12 to 33 CAGs (mean = 23 CAGs), whereas the expanded alleles ranged from 66 to 78 CAGs (mean = 71.5 CAGs). There were no differences in CAG tract length according to gender of affected individuals or transmitting parent. We observed a significant negative correlation between age at onset of the disease and length of the CAG tract in the expended allele (r = -0.6, P = 0.00006); however, the size of the expanded CAG repeat could explain only about 40% of the variability in age at onset (r2 = 0.4). There was instability of the expanded CAG tract during transmission from parent to offspring, both expansions and contractions were observed; however, there was an overall tendency for expansion, with a mean increase of +2.4 CAGs. The tendency for expansion appeared to the greater in paternal (mean increase of +3.5 CAGs) than in maternal transmissions (mean increase of +1.3 CAGs). Anticipation was observed in all transmissions in which ages at onset for parent and offspring were known; however, anticipation was not always associated with an increase in the expanded CAG repeat length. Our results indicate that the molecular diagnosis of MJD can be confirmed or excluded in all suspected individuals, since alleles of intermediary size were not observed.

Utilization of microsatellites for the analysis of genomic alterations in colorectal cancers in Brazil

Two different pathogenetic mechanisms are proposed for colorectal cancers. One, the so-called "classic pathway", is the most common and depends on multiple additive mutational events (germline and/or somatic) in tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes, frequently involving chromosomal deletions in key genomic regions. Methodologically this pathway is recognizable by the phenomenon of loss of heterozygosity. On the other hand, the "mutator pathway" depends on early mutational loss of the mismatch repair system (germline and/or somatic) leading to accelerated accumulation of gene mutations in critical target genes and progression to malignancy. Methodologically this second pathway is recognizable by the phenomenon of microsatellite instability. The distinction between these pathways seems to be more than academic since there is evidence that the tumors emerging from the mutator pathway have a better prognosis. We report here a very simple methodology based on a set of tri-, tetra- and pentanucleotide repeat microsatellites allowing the simultaneous study of microsatellite instability and loss of heterozygosity which could allocate 70% of the colorectal tumors to the classic or the mutator pathway. The ease of execution of the methodology makes it suitable for routine clinical typing

TRAP-silver staining, a highly sensitive assay for measuring telomerase activity in tumor tissue and cell lines

Measurement of telomerase activity in clinically obtained tumor samples may provide important information for use as both a diagnostic marker and a prognostic indicator for patient outcome. In order to evaluate telomerase activity in tumor tissue without radiolabeling the product, we developed a simple telomeric repeat amplification protocol-silver-staining assay that is less time-consuming, is safe and requires minimal equipment. In addition, we determined the sensitivity of the silver-staining method by using extracts of telomerase-positive thyroid carcinoma cell lines which were serially diluted from 5,000 to 10 cells. Telomerase activity was also assayed in 19 thyroid tumors, 2 normal controls and 27 bone marrow aspirates. The results indicate that the technique permits the detection of telomerase activity from 5000 to as few as 10 cells. We propose that it could be immediately applicable in many laboratories due to the minimal amount of equipment required.

Microsatellite instability and cytogenetic survey in myeloid leukemias

Microsatellites are short tandem repeat sequences dispersed throughout the genome. Their instability at multiple genetic loci may result from mismatch repair errors and it occurs in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. This instability is also found in many sporadic cancers. In order to evaluate the importance of this process in myeloid leukemias, we studied five loci in different chromosomes of 43 patients, 22 with chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase, 7 with CML in blast crisis, and 14 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), by comparing leukemic DNA extracted from bone marrow and constitutional DNA obtained from buccal epithelial cells. Only one of the 43 patients (2.1%), with relapsed AML, showed an alteration in the allele length at a single locus. Cytogenetic analysis was performed in order to improve the characterization of leukemic subtypes and to determine if specific chromosome aberrations were associated with the presence of microsatellite instability. Several chromosome aberrations were observed, most of them detected at diagnosis and during follow-up of the patients, according to current literature. These findings suggest that microsatellite instability is an infrequent genetic event in myeloid leukemias, adding support to the current view that the mechanisms of genomic instability in solid tumors differ from those observed in leukemias, where specific chromosome aberrations seem to play a major role.

Allelic frequencies of six polymorphic markers for risk of prostate cancer

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the distribution of polymorphisms for the androgen receptor (AR) (CAG, StuI, GGN), SRD5A2 (Ala49Thr, Val89Leu) and CYP17 (MspA1) genes that are considered to be relevant for risk of prostate cancer. We studied 200 individuals from two cities in the State of São Paulo, by PCR, PCR-RFLP and ASOH techniques. The allelic frequencies of the autosomal markers and the StuI polymorphism of the AR gene were very similar to those described in most North American and European populations. In relation to the CAG and GGN number of repeats, the study subjects had smaller repeat lengths (mean of 20.65 and 22.38, respectively) than those described in North American, European and Chinese populations. In the present study, 30.5% of the individuals had less than 22 CAG repeats and 45.5% had less than 23 GGN repeats. When both repeat lengths are considered jointly, this Brazilian population is remarkably different from the others. Further studies on prostate cancer patients need to be conducted to assess the significance of these markers in the Brazilian population.

Kallet til livets embete : mødre i helse og lidelse

Mothers represent the natural caring. Natural caring is the object of caring science and of research interest because it establishes the central core of professional caring. In this study, we encounter patients who are mothers in need of care in a psychiatric context. Motherhood involves taking responsibility that extends beyond one's own life, because the child represents possibilities in a yet unknown future. Understanding and knowledge about the mothers' struggle in health and suffering are of crucial importance to enable clinical practice to make provisions for and adapt to the individual patient. The overall purpose of this dissertation is to illuminate how the innermost essence of caring emerges in health and suffering in patients who are mothers in psychiatric care. The purpose of the study in a clinical sense is to seek to understand and illuminate the patient's inner world in health and suffering in terms of contextual, existential, ontological and ethical dimensions. The dissertation is exploratory and descriptive in nature and encompasses induction, deduction and abduction as logics tools of reasoning. A theoretical model of natural caring and a universal theoretical model of the innermost essence of caring is developed as seen from the patient's world in a psychiatric context. The dissertation is anchored in human science's view of the human being and the world and in caring science's perspective. Caring science's view of the human being as a unity comprising body, soul and spirit is central in the study's concept of the patient. This multi-dimensional conception of the human being encompasses the dissertation's basic values and is decisive for choice of methodology. Hermeneutic epistemology guided the interpretation of the empirical data, the paradigmatic theses and assumptions. The dialectical movement in interpretation moves back and forth between empirical data, caring science theory and philosophical theory and reveals deeper insight into meaningful content in the clinical context. The interpretation process comprises four levels of abstraction: rational, contextual, existential and ontological. Hermeneutic philosophy guides the inductive and deductive approach to interpretation, as well as the movement between the clinical context and the caring science paradigm. In this encounter between the visible and invisible reality, the image of natural caring – motherliness emerged. The dissertation consists of four studies. The first study is a systematic review of nineteen research articles. The three other studies are hermeneutical interpretations based on text materials from open interviews. Fifteen participants were interviewed, all of whom are mothers of children between 0 and 18 years of age. All were outpatients in the psychiatric specialist health service. In the interpretation process, the mothers' struggle in health and suffering emerges as a struggle between the inner and outer world. Being a mother and patient in health and suffering in a psychiatric context means to struggle to be oneself, to create oneself, to live and realize one's good deeds as a mother and human being. To be oneself, to possess oneself as a mother is not only a question of tending, playing and learning in order to master a practical situation or to survive. It involves constituting a deep, inner desire to courageously create oneself so that the child is able to realize his or her potential in health and suffering. Motherliness manifests itself in caring as a call to ministering humanity and life. The voice of motherliness is understood as the voice of life—the eternal, inner call of love and freedom. The inner call craves fulfilment. Motherliness in natural caring does not retreat. Motherliness defines the Other as freedom and proceeds without regard for all other exterior requirements to realizing wellbeing. The inner essence of caring is attentive, aware and heeds the call of the heart. The innermost essence of caring is to be and to make oneself responsible for the Other. Responsibility cannot be relinquished; free choice consists in whether or not to follow the call. To renounce the inner call to responsibility is to deny oneself and one's dignity as a human being. The theoretical models provide clinical and systematic caring science with knowledge and understanding based on the natural caring spirit inherent in the human being. The study elucidates and strengthens the ontological basic assumptions about the human being as a unity of body, soul and spirit, the sanctity of the human being and the core of caring, ethos. The results of the dissertation will provide clinical practice with knowledge about the inner movements of the mothers' souls in relation to their responsibility as mothers and human beings. Being able to understand the basic conditions for responsibility is crucial for developing care that encompasses mother and child and the mutual relationship between them. This is basic knowledge for developing attitudes and actions that meet and provide for the needs of the patient as mother and as a whole, suffering human being.

Collagens and proteoglycans of the corneal extracellular matrix

The cornea is a curved and transparent structure that provides the initial focusing of a light image into the eye. It consists of a central stroma that constitutes 90% of the corneal depth, covered anteriorly with epithelium and posteriorly with endothelium. Its transparency is the result of the regular spacing of collagen fibers with remarkably uniform diameter and interfibrillar space. Corneal collagen is composed of heterotypic fibrils consisting of type I and type V collagen molecules. The cornea also contains unusually high amounts of type VI collagen, which form microfibrillar structures, FACIT collagens (XII and XIV), and other nonfibrillar collagens (XIII and XVIII). FACIT collagens and other molecules, such as leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans, play important roles in modifying the structure and function of collagen fibrils.Proteoglycans are macromolecules composed of a protein core with covalently linked glycosaminoglycan side chains. Four leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans are present in the extracellular matrix of corneal stroma: decorin, lumican, mimecan and keratocan. The first is a dermatan sulfate proteoglycan, and the other three are keratan sulfate proteoglycans. Experimental evidence indicates that the keratan sulfate proteoglycans are involved in the regulation of collagen fibril diameter, and dermatan sulfate proteoglycan participates in the control of interfibrillar spacing and in the lamellar adhesion properties of corneal collagens. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans are minor components of the cornea, and are synthesized mainly by epithelial cells. The effect of injuries on proteoglycan synthesis is discussed.

Contrast sensitivity to angular frequency gratings is not higher than to Cartesian gratings

When contrast sensitivity functions to Cartesian and angular gratings were compared in previous studies the peak sensitivity to angular stimuli was reported to be 0.21 log units higher. In experiments carried out to repeat this result, we used the same two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, but improved experimental control and precision by increasing contrast resolution from 8 to 12 bits, increasing the screen refresh rate from 30 Hz interlaced to 85 Hz non-interlaced, linearizing the voltage-luminance relation, modulating luminance in frequencies that minimize pixel aliasing, and improving control of the subject's exposure to the stimuli. The contrast sensitivity functions to Cartesian and angular gratings were similar in form and peak sensitivity (2.4 cycles per visual degree (c/deg) and 32 c/360º, respectively) to those reported in a previous study (3 c/deg and 32 c/360º, respectively), but peak sensitivity to angular stimuli was 0.13 log units lower than that to Cartesian stimuli. When the experiment was repeated, this time simulating the experimental control level used in the previous study, no difference between the peak sensitivity to Cartesian and angular stimuli was found. This result agrees with most current models that assume Cartesian filtering at the first visual processing stage. The discrepancy in the results is explained in part by differences in the degree of experimental control.

Paul and death : a study in psychological coping

The present investigation looks into the attitudes toward death in Paul’s authentic letters, and puts them in relation to modern theories of psychological coping. Drawing on psychologically-oriented hermeneutic theory, and theories about psychological coping in particular, I argue that each case of psychological coping must be understood in its historical situation as strategies emanating from a specific person’s subjective appraisal (cf. Pargament, Lazarus and Folkman). Paul’s letters frequently refer to persecution and violent death. To aid in psychological coping is often integral to the purpose of the letters, which makes the perspective of psychological coping akin to their genre. In the course of a tentatively assumed chronological order of 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon, Paul moves from the perception of Jesus dying for the faithful to the understanding of dying with Jesus. His coping strategies concerning death are gradually transformed from conservative and deferring coping styles, to a more self-directing coping style, to collaborative and transformative coping styles, and finally to a new sense of deferring coping style in prison. The last case of deferring coping carries the traits of generosity and flexibility even in the face of death, which is in contrast to his previous letters. Through his correspondence, we see Paul’s attitude toward death transformed from denial to reaction, to processing, to acceptance (cf. Lindemann, Kübler-Ross, Bowlby, Parkes, among others). His strategies also shift in accordance with these understandings. Denial is accompanied by diversion, threat by aggression, processing by rumination, and acceptance by joy. The study shows the hermeneutic benefits of reading Paul’s letters as the rhetorically framed expressions of a person in a particular historical situation. The letters open small windows through which we can glimpse the coping process of a person of antiquity. In adopting the method of psychological exegesis, the study shows that the variety of attitudes toward death in Paul’s letters makes sense from the perspective of psychological coping. The psychological aspect of these letters is an underexamined richness that can extend into areas of contemporary individual and group identity, and from there to public policy and ethics.