Cloud computing contribution to manufacturing industry

Manufacturing industry has been always facing challenge to improve the production efficiency, product quality, innovation ability and struggling to adopt cost-effective manufacturing system. In recent years cloud computing is emerging as one of the major enablers for the manufacturing industry. Combining the emerged cloud computing and other advanced manufacturing technologies such as Internet of Things, service-oriented architecture (SOA), networked manufacturing (NM) and manufacturing grid (MGrid), with existing manufacturing models and enterprise information technologies, a new paradigm called cloud manufacturing is proposed by the recent literature. This study presents concepts and ideas of cloud computing and cloud manufacturing. The concept, architecture, core enabling technologies, and typical characteristics of cloud manufacturing are discussed, as well as the difference and relationship between cloud computing and cloud manufacturing. The research is based on mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, and a case study. The case is a prototype of cloud manufacturing solution, which is software platform cooperated by ATR Soft Oy and SW Company China office. This study tries to understand the practical impacts and challenges that are derived from cloud manufacturing. The main conclusion of this study is that cloud manufacturing is an approach to achieve the transformation from traditional production-oriented manufacturing to next generation service-oriented manufacturing. Many manufacturing enterprises are already using a form of cloud computing in their existing network infrastructure to increase flexibility of its supply chain, reduce resources consumption, the study finds out the shift from cloud computing to cloud manufacturing is feasible. Meanwhile, the study points out the related theory, methodology and application of cloud manufacturing system are far from maturity, it is still an open field where many new technologies need to be studied.

Identification of fatty foods with contamination possibilities by plasticizers when stored in PVC film packaging

Poly-(vinyl chloride) (PVC) requires the addition of plasticizers - additives that give flexibility and malleability for its processing into flexible film. The most used ones are: di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Toxic effects of DEHP have been observed by several authors. Phthalates are being replaced by alternative substances in PVC flexible products, because of their possible toxicological effects. DEHA is a substitute for phthalates widely used as a plasticizer in PVC materials for involving food. Some authors have shown that the exposure to DEHA also induces toxicity. A cross-sectional study was performed to identify which fatty foods carry the possibility of contamination by DEHP and DEHA. Eighteen different foods with at least 3% (m/m) fat and the possibility of being wrapped in plastic film were determined. This study suggested that all foods were subject to contamination by DEHP and DEHA in those conditions - in decreasing consumption order of 96 to 22% in the convenience sample. New guidelines on the limits of DEHA and DEHP established by the Brazilian legislation, as additives in PVC film for packaging fatty food, are still relevant to ensure human health.

Virtuaaliprototyypin käyttö roottorin dynamiikan analysoinnissa

Työn tavoitteena oli selvittää kaupallisen dynamiikansimulointiohjelmiston so-veltuvuus roottoridynamiikan analysointiin. Työssä keskityttiin erityisesti rootto-rin dynamiikkaan vaikuttavien epäideaalisuuksien mallintamiseen. Simulointitu-losten tarkkuutta selvitettiin mittauksilla. Lisäksi vertailtiin yleiskäyttöisen dyna-miikan simulointiohjelmiston ja roottoridynamiikan erikoisohjelmiston teoriaa. Tutkittava roottori oli paperikoneen putkitela. Telan joustavuus kuvattiin ele-menttimenetelmällä ratkaistujen moodien avulla. Elementtimallissa huomioitiin telan vaipan seinämänpaksuusvaihtelu, joka vaikuttaa telan massa- ja jäykkyysja-kaumaan. Dynamiikkaohjelmistossa mallinnettiin telan tuennasta tulevat herätteet. Dynamiikkaohjelmistona käytettiin ADAMS:ia ja FEM-ohjelmana ANSYS:stä. Tuloksista havaittiin käytetyn menetelmän soveltuvan roottoridynamiikan ana-lysointiin ja roottorin epäideaalisuuksien mallintamiseen. Simulointimallilla saa-tiin esille murtolukukriittiset pyörimisnopeudet ja telan kriittinen pyörimisnopeus vastasi hyvin mittaustuloksia.

Development of modular roll service concepts

The goal of this study was to find and develop new or improved service concepts for rolls in a paper machine and secondary targets were to find out what the KPIs and values of the concepts are. Two methodologies were utilized in researching this problem; firstly sales personnel were interviewed about customer values and KPIs and a questionnaire about service modules were sent out to four BSI (basic sales item) responsible persons. Throughout the research process differences in geographic regions were identified and several customer KPIs and values were discovered. The interviews showed that the main concern for customers is the cost of operations. The goal is to produce the same or in some cases more tons with smaller operating costs. The questionnaire standardized the data about service modules and made it possible to link these values, KPIs and concerns of customers to Valmet’s service offering. Eventually these service modules were used to create a service concepts that offer flexibility, cost savings, safety and peace of mind for the customers. With this new conceptual approach Valmet can more flexibly answer to customer quotations and modify the offering to better generate customer value and customer satisfaction. In addition a new BSI was defined and proposed for pilot projects.

Structural and Mechanistic Studies of Phosphoserine Aminotransferase

Phosphoserine aminotrasferase (PSAT: EC 2.6.1.52) is a vitamin B6-dependent enzyme and a member of the subgroup IV in the aminotransferase superfamily. Here, X-ray crystallography was used to determine the structure of PSAT from Bacillus alcalophilus with pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate (PMP) at high resolution (1.57 Å). In addition, analysis of active residues and their conformational changes was performed. The structure is of good quality as indicated, for example, by the last recorded Rwork and Rfree numbers (0.1331 and 0.1495, respectively). The enzyme was initially crystallized in the presence of substrate L-glutamate with the idea to produce the enzyme-substrate complex. However, the structure determination revealed no glutamate bound at the active site. Instead, the Schiff base between Lys196 and PLP appeared broken, resulting in the formation of PMP owing to the excess of the donor substrate used during co-crystallization. Structural comparison with the free PSAT enzyme and the PSAR-PSER complex showed that the aromatic ring of the co-factor remains in almost the same place in all structures. A flexible nearby loop in the active site was found in the same position as in the free PSAT structure while in the PSAT-PSER structure it moves inwards to interact with PSER. B-factors comparison in all three structures (PSAT-PMP complex, free PSAT, and PSAT-PSER complex) showed elevated loop flexibility in the absence of the substrate, indicating that loop flexibility plays an important role during substrate binding. The reported structure provides mechanistic details into the reaction mechanism of PSAT and may help in understanding better the role of various parts in the structure towards the design of novel compounds as potential disruptors of PSAT function. This may lead to the development of new drugs which could target the human and bacterial PSAT active site.

Chemical changes in biomass during torrefaction

Torrefaction is moderate thermal treatment (~200-300 °C) of biomass in an inert atmosphere. The torrefied fuel offers advantages to traditional biomass, such as higher heating value, reduced hydrophilic nature, increased its resistance to biological decay, and improved grindability. These factors could, for instance, lead to better handling and storage of biomass and increased use of biomass in pulverized combustors. In this work, we look at several aspects of changes in the biomass during torrefaction. We investigate the fate of carboxylic groups during torrefaction and its dependency to equilibrium moisture content. The changes in the wood components including carbohydrates, lignin, extractable materials and ashforming matters are also studied. And at last, the effect of K on torrefaction is investigated and then modeled. In biomass, carboxylic sites are partially responsible for its hydrophilic characteristic. These sites are degraded to varying extents during torrefaction. In this work, methylene blue sorption and potentiometric titration were applied to measure the concentration of carboxylic groups in torrefied spruce wood. The results from both methods were applicable and the values agreed well. A decrease in the equilibrium moisture content at different humidity was also measured for the torrefied wood samples, which is in good agreement with the decrease in carboxylic group contents. Thus, both methods offer a means of directly measuring the decomposition of carboxylic groups in biomass during torrefaction as a valuable parameter in evaluating the extent of torrefaction. This provides new information to the chemical changes occurring during torrefaction. The effect of torrefaction temperature on the chemistry of birch wood was investigated. The samples were from a pilot plant at Energy research Center of the Netherlands (ECN). And in that way they were representative of industrially produced samples. Sugar analysis was applied to analyze the hemicellulose and cellulose content during torrefaction. The results show a significant degradation of hemicellulose already at 240 °C, while cellulose degradation becomes significant above 270 °C torrefaction. Several methods including Klason lignin method, solid state NMR and Py-GC-MS analyses were applied to measure the changes in lignin during torrefaction. The changes in the ratio of phenyl, guaiacyl and syringyl units show that lignin degrades already at 240 °C to a small extent. To investigate the changes in the extractives from acetone extraction during torrefaction, gravimetric method, HP-SEC and GC-FID followed by GC-MS analysis were performed. The content of acetone-extractable material increases already at 240 °C torrefaction through the degradation of carbohydrate and lignin. The molecular weight of the acetone-extractable material decreases with increasing the torrefaction temperature. The formation of some valuable materials like syringaresinol or vanillin is also observed which is important from biorefinery perspective. To investigate the change in the chemical association of ash-forming elements in birch wood during torrefaction, chemical fractionation was performed on the original and torrefied birch samples. These results give a first understanding of the changes in the association of ashforming elements during torrefaction. The most significant changes can be seen in the distribution of calcium, magnesium and manganese, with some change in water solubility seen in potassium. These changes may in part be due to the destruction of carboxylic groups. In addition to some changes in water and acid solubility of phosphorous, a clear decrease in the concentration of both chlorine and sulfur was observed. This would be a significant additional benefit for the combustion of torrefied biomass. Another objective of this work is studying the impact of organically bound K, Na, Ca and Mn on mass loss of biomass during torrefaction. These elements were of interest because they have been shown to be catalytically active in solid fuels during pyrolysis and/or gasification. The biomasses were first acid washed to remove the ash-forming matters and then organic sites were doped with K, Na, Ca or Mn. The results show that K and Na bound to organic sites can significantly increase the mass loss during torrefaction. It is also seen that Mn bound to organic sites increases the mass loss and Ca addition does not influence the mass loss rate on torrefaction. This increase in mass loss during torrefaction with alkali addition is unlike what has been found in the case of pyrolysis where alkali addition resulted in a reduced mass loss. These results are important for the future operation of torrefaction plants, which will likely be designed to handle various biomasses with significantly different contents of K. The results imply that shorter retention times are possible for high K-containing biomasses. The mass loss of spruce wood with different content of K was modeled using a two-step reaction model based on four kinetic rate constants. The results show that it is possible to model the mass loss of spruce wood doped with different levels of K using the same activation energies but different pre-exponential factors for the rate constants. Three of the pre-exponential factors increased linearly with increasing K content, while one of the preexponential factors decreased with increasing K content. Therefore, a new torrefaction model was formulated using the hemicellulose and cellulose content and K content. The new torrefaction model was validated against the mass loss during the torrefaction of aspen, miscanthus, straw and bark. There is good agreement between the model and the experimental data for the other biomasses, except bark. For bark, the mass loss of acetone extractable material is also needed to be taken into account. The new model can describe the kinetics of mass loss during torrefaction of different types of biomass. This is important for considering fuel flexibility in torrefaction plants.

China: crescimento econômico de longo prazo

China: long-run economic growth. The paper aims to understand on theoretical and empirical grounds the main determinants of China´s long run growth. The econometric analysis suggests the exchange rate as the most important variable in explaining China´s economic growth and in a different model specification using growth rates of exports instead of trade openness, the exchange rate remains as the main variable but export performance has almost the same relevance. Exchange rate policy seems to be a direct road to explain economic growth in China and there is no clear sign that China will increase exchange rate flexibility in the same pattern and pace suggested by most trade partners, which cannot be criticized based on China´s own interest in sustaining its export performance and economic growth.

El éxito del Mercosur posible

The success of the possible Mercosur. Mercosur can be observed from two different perspectives. One from an ideal integration project, whose reference is the European Union. The other, based in the profound prevailing asymmetries within the region and the progress achieved since the founding bilateral agreements of presidents Alfonsin and Sarney, in 1985. From the first perspective, Mercosur in a failure; from the second, it has achieved considerable success. The integration process is displayed in three levels: the national density prevailing in the member countries, the rules of the game of the system and the common standings vis a vis the rest of the world. The future of Mercosur depends on progress achieved in these three levels and the opening of new possibilities of national development for each member country in a regional framework.

Regulação de indústrias de rede: entre flexibilidade e estabilidade

This paper explores the problems of an unstable regulatory regime in network industries and addresses the tension between the necessary flexibility in the long-term regulatory commitment and the need for institutional stability. A draft statute that substantively changes the initial terms under which fixed telecommunications services have been transferred to private companies - currently under discussion in the Brazilian Congress - is presented as an example of that tension. Some alternative proposals to tackle with universal service challenges - the underlying problem behind the mentioned draft statute - are presented in the end.

Metas de inflação: lições da era Greenspan

This paper approaches the experience of monetary policy in the Greenspan period and suggests what lessons could be learnt. The adoption of inflation targeting would denote a step backward in the policymaking process in the USA, for, since the 1980s, a distinctive feature is flexibility of response to adjust to unexpected events and changing environments. The Fed was able to exercise an informed judgement in critical situations and this opens the case for the importance of not restraining policymakers' actions through the adoption of tight rules. Furthermore, that the various experiences with inflation targeting are indisputably huge successes, and that this framework represents the state of the art (therefore nothing else can alternatively be done), remains to be seen.

Replacing traditional ERP with EAI - the next generation’s ERP

Organizations often consider investing in a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system as a way to enhance their business processes, as it allows integrating information used by multiple different departments into a harmonized computing system. The hope of gaining significant business benefits, such as reducing operating costs, is the key reason why organizations have decided to invest in ERP systems since 1990’s. Still, all ERP projects do not end up in success, and deployment of ERP system does not necessarily guarantee the results people were waiting for. This research studies why organizations invest in ERP, but also what downsides ERP projects currently have. Additionally Enterprise Application Integrations (EAI) as next generation’s ERP solutions are studied to challenge and develop traditional ERP. The research questions are: What are the weaknesses in traditional ERP deployment in today’s business? How does the proposed next generation’s ERP answer to these weaknesses? At the beginning of the thesis, as an answer to the first research question, the basics of ERP implementation are introduced with both the pros and cons of investing in ERP. Key concepts such as IS integration and EAI are also studied. Empirical section of the thesis focuses on answering the second research question from the integration approach. A qualitative research is executed by interviewing five experienced IT professionals about EAI benefits, limitations, and problems. The thematic interview and questionnaire follow the presented ERP main elements from literature. The research shows that adopting traditional ERP includes multiple downsides, e.g. inflexibility and requiring big investments in terms of money. To avoid these critical issues, organizations could find a solution from integrations between their current IS. Based on the empirical study a new framework for the next generation’s ERP is created, consisting of a model and a framework that deal with various features regarding IS adoption. With this framework organizations can assess whether they should implement EAI or ERP. The model and framework suggest that there are multiple factors IT managers needs to consider when planning their IT investments, including their current IS, role of IT in the organization, as well as new system’s flexibility, investment level, and number of vendors. The framework created in the thesis encourages IT management to assess holistically their i) organization, ii) its IT, and iii) solution requirements in order to determine what kind of IS solution would suit their needs the best.

Replacing traditional ERP with EAI - the next generation’s ERP

Organizations often consider investing in a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system as a way to enhance their business processes, as it allows integrating information used by multiple different departments into a harmonized computing system. The hope of gaining significant business benefits, such as reducing operating costs, is the key reason why organizations have decided to invest in ERP systems since 1990’s. Still, all ERP projects do not end up in success, and deployment of ERP system does not necessarily guarantee the results people were waiting for. This research studies why organizations invest in ERP, but also what downsides ERP projects currently have. Additionally Enterprise Application Integrations (EAI) as next generation’s ERP solutions are studied to challenge and develop traditional ERP. The research questions are: What are the weaknesses in traditional ERP deployment in today’s business? How does the proposed next generation’s ERP answer to these weaknesses? At the beginning of the thesis, as an answer to the first research question, the basics of ERP implementation are introduced with both the pros and cons of investing in ERP. Key concepts such as IS integration and EAI are also studied. Empirical section of the thesis focuses on answering the second research question from the integration approach. A qualitative research is executed by interviewing five experienced IT professionals about EAI benefits, limitations, and problems. The thematic interview and questionnaire follow the presented ERP main elements from literature. The research shows that adopting traditional ERP includes multiple downsides, e.g. inflexibility and requiring big investments in terms of money. To avoid these critical issues, organizations could find a solution from integrations between their current IS. Based on the empirical study a new framework for the next generation’s ERP is created, consisting of a model and a framework that deal with various features regarding IS adoption. With this framework organizations can assess whether they should implement EAI or ERP. The model and framework suggest that there are multiple factors IT managers needs to consider when planning their IT investments, including their current IS, role of IT in the organization, as well as new system’s flexibility, investment level, and number of vendors. The framework created in the thesis encourages IT management to assess holistically their i) organization, ii) its IT, and iii) solution requirements in order to determine what kind of IS solution would suit their needs the best.

Pilvipalveluilla joustavuutta ja kustannustehokkuutta Stora Enso Metsän tietojärjestelmiin

Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli selvittää hyödyttääkö Stora Enso Metsää tietojärjestelmien siirto perinteisistä konesalipalveluista pilvipalveluihin. Stora Enso Metsällä on paljon erilaisia suunnitteluun liittyviä eräajoja. Joitakin niistä ajetaan vain muutamia kertoja vuodessa kuten tehtaiden puuntarve, toisia muutaman kerran kuussa kuten kuljetusten malliajot tai muutaman kerran viikossa ajettava korjuun suunnittelu. Niissä tapauksissa palvelimet voidaan käynnistää erikseen ja käyttää niitä vain silloin, kun niitä oikeasti tarvitaan. Työn lopputuloksena havaittiin, että pilvipalveluiden käyttöönotto tuo kustannussäästöjä ja palveluiden hallintaan joustavuutta. Itsepalveluna toteutettuna palvelimia voidaan hallinnoida joustavasti kustannusten säästämiseksi. Pilvipalveluilla voidaan nopeuttaa projektien läpimenoa ja kohdentaa käyttökatkot tarkemmin koska siihen ei välttämättä tarvita toimittajan työtä lainkaan. Loppujen lopuksi asiakkaan on erittäin vaikea tietää kuinka paljon kustannuksia on jaettu eri tavalla eri palvelujen välillä.

Exploring knowledge worker motivation in autonomous and interdependent problem solving tasks on virtual platforms

The objective of this study is to understand why virtual knowledge workers conduct autonomous tasks and interdependent problem solving tasks on virtual platforms. The study is qualitative case study including three case organizations that tap the knowledge of expert networks, and utilize virtual platforms in the work processes. Research data includes 15 interviews, that is, five experts from each case company. According to the findings there are some specific characteristics in motivation to work on tasks on online platforms. Autonomy, self-improvement, meaningful tasks, knowledge sharing, time management, variety of contacts, and variety of tasks, and projects motivate virtual knowledge workers. Factors that may enhance individuals’ engagement to work on tasks are trust, security of continuous task flow and income, feedback, meaningful tasks and tasks that contribute to self-improvement, flexibility and effectiveness in time management, and virtual tools that support social interaction. The results also indicate that there are some differences in individuals’ motivation based on the tasks’ nature. That is, knowledge sharing and variety of contacts motivated experts who worked on interdependent problem solving tasks. Then again, autonomy and variety of tasks motivated experts who worked on autonomous tasks.

Minkä nuorena hallitsee sen aikuisena taitaa? Liikehallinnan pysyvyys kouluiästä aikuisikään – 24 vuoden seurantatutkimus

Tässä 24 vuoden pitkittäistutkimuksessa tutkitaan liikehallinnan kehitystä ja pysyvyyttä kouluiästä aikuisikään. Lisäksi ennustetaan ja selitetään aikuisiän liikehallintaa kouluiän liikehallinnan perusteella. Tutkimukseen osallistui 44 miestä ja 44 naista eri puolilta Suomea, joiden liikehallintaa mitattiin kouluiässä 1985 ja 1988 (9–16-vuotiaina) sekä aikuisiässä 2009 (33−39-vuotiaina). Liikehallintaa mitattiin kuudella liiketehtävämittarilla (flamingoseisonta, tarkkuusheittokiinniotto, kahdeksikkokuljetus, edestakaisinhyppely, vauhditon 5-loikka ja kärrynpyörä) sekä niistä lasketulla summamuuttujalla. Miesten ja naisten liikehallintaa vertailtiin varianssianalyysilla. Kouluiässä pojat menestyivät välineenkäsittelytehtävissä ja tytöt tasapaino- ja voimistelutehtävissä, mutta kokonaisuutena sukupuolten välillä ei ollut eroa. Aikuisena miehet olivat naisia parempia lähes kaikissa tehtävissä. Kovarianssianalyysissä havaittiin, että kehonrakenteeltaan (BMI) erilaisten ryhmien liikehallinnassa oli vain yksittäisiä eroja koulu- ja aikuisiässä. Toistettujen mittausten varianssianalyysissa ilmeni, että kouluiässä molempien sukupuolten liikehallinnan kehitys oli samanlaista. Kouluiän jälkeen kevyiden ja keskipainoisten poikien liikehallinta parani, mutta painavien tulokset eivät muuttuneet. Kevyiden tyttöjen tuloksissa ei tapahtunut muutosta, mutta keskipainoisten ja painavien tulokset heikkenivät. Koululiikunnan tehostus- ja vertailuryhmien välille kouluiässä muodostuneet erot kaventuivat tai katosivat aikuisena. Kouluiän liikehallinnaltaan eritasoisten ryhmien väliset erot kaventuivat, mutta eivät poistuneet kouluiän jälkeen. Klusterianalyysissa tutkittavat jakaantuivat kouluiässä neljään liikehallintatyyppiin (yleishyvät, tasapainoiset, pallotaitajat ja yleisheikot), jotka säilyivät myös aikuisiässä, mutta niiden väliset erot kaventuivat. Ristiintaulukointi ja khiin neliö -testi osoittivat, että tasoryhmän ja liikehallinnan monipuolisuuden pysyvyys oli vahvaa kouluiästä aikuisikään. Koulu- ja aikuisiän liikehallintatulosten välinen korrelaatio oli naisilla (0.69) vahvempaa kuin miehillä (0.48). Yksittäiset mittaustulokset kouluiässä selittivät keskimäärin 33 % aikuisiän tuloksista (korrelaation neliö). Regressioanalyysissa miesten aikuisiän liikehallintaa selittivät kouluiän muuttujista parhaiten liikehallinnan monipuolisuus sekä liikkuvuus (61 %), mutta naisilla vain liikehallinnan monipuolisuus (37 %). Miesten ja naisten erot liikehallinnassa syntyivät kouluiän jälkeen, mikä johtunee erilaisista liikuntatavoista ja -harrastuksista. Kouluiän liikehallinta määritti vahvasti varsinkin tytöillä aikuisiän liikehallintaa sekä yksilö- että ryhmätasolla, mikä korostaa monipuolisen koululiikunnan merkitystä. Yksilölliset muutokset olivat mahdollisia. Kouluiän jälkeen erityisesti naiset ja kehonrakenteeltaan painavat tarvitsisivat hermolihasjärjestelmää monipuolisesti kuormittavaa ja liikesuunniltaan moniulotteista liikuntaa liikehallinnan kehittämiseksi ja ylläpitämiseksi. Naisten liikehallinnan taantuminen varsinkin tasapainotehtävissä voi altistaa kaatumistapaturmille ja rajoittaa fyysistä toimintakykyä.