On Innovative Search: the use of internal and external sources of innovation among Finnish innovators

This dissertation explores the use of internal and external sources of knowledge in modern innovation processes. It builds on a framework that combines theories such as a behavioural theory of the firm, the evolutionary theory of economic change, and modern approaches to strategic management. It follows the recent increase in innovation research focusing on the firm-level examination of innovative activities instead of traditional industry-level determinants. The innovation process is seen as a problem- and slack- driven search process, which can take several directions in terms of organizational boundaries in the pursuit of new knowledge and other resources. It thus draws on recent models of technological change, according to which firms nowadays should build their innovative activities on both internal and external sources of innovation rather than relying solely on internal resources. Four different research questions are addressed, all of which are empirically investigated via a rich dataset covering Finnish innovators collected by Statistics Finland. Firstly, the study examines how the nature of problems shapes the direction of any search for new knowledge. In general it demonstrates that the nature of the problem does affect the direction of the search, although under resource constraints firms tend to use external rather than internal sources of knowledge. At the same time, it shows that those firms that are constrained in terms of finance seem to search both internally and externally. Secondly, the dissertation investigates the relationships between different kinds of internal and external sources of knowledge in an attempt to find out where firms should direct their search in order to exploit the potential of a distributed innovation process. The concept of complementarities is applied in this context. The third research question concerns how the use of external knowledge sources – openness to external knowledge – influences the financial performance of firms. Given the many advantages of openness presented in the current literature, the focus is on how it shapes profitability. The results reveal a curvilinear relationship between profitability and openness (taking an inverted U-shape), the implication being that it pays to be open up to a certain point, but being too open to external sources may be detrimental to financial performance. Finally, the dissertation addresses some challenges in CISbased innovation research that have received relatively little attention in prior studies. The general aim is to underline the fact that comprehensive understanding of the complex process of technological change requires the constant development of methodological approaches (in terms of data and measures, for example). All the empirical analyses included in the dissertation are based on the Finnish CIS (Finnish Innovation Survey 1998-2000).

A retrospective search for bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) antigens in histological specimens by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) has been only sporadically identified as a causative agent of respiratory disease in Brazil. This contrasts with frequent reports of clinical and histopathological findings suggestive of BRSV-associated disease. In order to examine a possible involvement of BRSV in cases of calf pneumonia, a retrospective search was performed for BRSV antigens in histological specimens submitted to veterinary diagnostic services from the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais. Ten out of 41 cases examined (24.4%) were positive for BRSV antigens by immunohistochemistry (IPX). Eight of these cases (19.5%) were also positive by indirect immunofluorescence (IFA), and 31 cases (75.6%) were negative in both assays. In the lungs, BRSV antigens were predominantly observed in epithelial cells of bronchioles and less frequently found in alveoli. In one case, antigens were detected only in the epithelium of the alveolar septae. The presence of antigen-positive cells was largely restricted to epithelial cells of these airways. In two cases, positive staining was also observed in cells and cellular debris in the exudate within the pulmonary airways. The clinical cases positive for BRSV antigens were observed mainly in young animals (2 to 12 month-old) from dairy herds. The main microscopic changes included bronchointerstitial pneumonia characterized by thickening of alveolar septae adjacent to airways by mononuclear cell infiltrates, and the presence of alveolar syncytial giant cells. In summary, the results demonstrate the suitability of the immunodetection of viral antigens in routinely fixed tissue specimens as a diagnostic tool for BRSV infection. Moreover, the findings provide further evidence of the importance of BRSV as a respiratory pathogen of young cattle in southeastern and southern Brazil.

Search and Paper SKU Analysis of Recipes Meeting EUPS Standard

The theoretical research of the study concentrated on finding theoretical frameworks to optimize the amount of needed stock keeping units (SKUs) in manufacturing industry. The goal was to find ways for a company to acquire an optimal collection of stock keeping units needed for manufacturing needed amount of end products. The research follows constructive research approach leaning towards practical problem solving. In the empirical part of this study, a recipe search tool was developed to an existing database used in the target company. The purpose of the tools was to find all the recipes meeting the EUPS performance standard and put the recipes in a ranking order using the data available in the database. The ranking of the recipes was formed from the combination of the performance measures and price of the recipes. In addition, the tool researched what kind of paper SKUs were needed to manufacture the best performing recipes. The tool developed during this process meets the requirements. It eases and makes it much faster to search for all the recipes meeting the EUPS standard. Furthermore, many future development possibilities for the tool were discovered while writing the thesis.

Algorithm to determine the intersection curves between bezier surfaces by the solution of multivariable polynomial system and the differential marching method

The determination of the intersection curve between Bézier Surfaces may be seen as the composition of two separated problems: determining initial points and tracing the intersection curve from these points. The Bézier Surface is represented by a parametric function (polynomial with two variables) that maps a point in the tridimensional space from the bidimensional parametric space. In this article, it is proposed an algorithm to determine the initial points of the intersection curve of Bézier Surfaces, based on the solution of polynomial systems with the Projected Polyhedral Method, followed by a method for tracing the intersection curves (Marching Method with differential equations). In order to allow the use of the Projected Polyhedral Method, the equations of the system must be represented in terms of the Bernstein basis, and towards this goal it is proposed a robust and reliable algorithm to exactly transform a multivariable polynomial in terms of power basis to a polynomial written in terms of Bernstein basis .

Numerical Simulation of the Cavitation in the Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Journal Bearings: a Parallel Algorithm

In this paper we present an algorithm for the numerical simulation of the cavitation in the hydrodynamic lubrication of journal bearings. Despite the fact that this physical process is usually modelled as a free boundary problem, we adopted the equivalent variational inequality formulation. We propose a two-level iterative algorithm, where the outer iteration is associated to the penalty method, used to transform the variational inequality into a variational equation, and the inner iteration is associated to the conjugate gradient method, used to solve the linear system generated by applying the finite element method to the variational equation. This inner part was implemented using the element by element strategy, which is easily parallelized. We analyse the behavior of two physical parameters and discuss some numerical results. Also, we analyse some results related to the performance of a parallel implementation of the algorithm.

Methodology for wind turbine blade geometry optimization

Nowadays, the upwind three bladed horizontal axis wind turbine is the leading player on the market. It has been found to be the best industrial compromise in the range of different turbine constructions. The current wind industry innovation is conducted in the development of individual turbine components. The blade constitutes 20-25% of the overall turbine budget. Its optimal operation in particular local economic and wind conditions is worth investigating. The blade geometry, namely the chord, twist and airfoil type distributions along the span, responds to the output measures of the blade performance. Therefore, the optimal wind blade geometry can improve the overall turbine performance. The objectives of the dissertation are focused on the development of a methodology and specific tool for the investigation of possible existing wind blade geometry adjustments. The novelty of the methodology presented in the thesis is the multiobjective perspective on wind blade geometry optimization, particularly taking simultaneously into account the local wind conditions and the issue of aerodynamic noise emissions. The presented optimization objective approach has not been investigated previously for the implementation in wind blade design. The possibilities to use different theories for the analysis and search procedures are investigated and sufficient arguments derived for the usage of proposed theories. The tool is used for the test optimization of a particular wind turbine blade. The sensitivity analysis shows the dependence of the outputs on the provided inputs, as well as its relative and absolute divergences and instabilities. The pros and cons of the proposed technique are seen from the practical implementation, which is documented in the results, analysis and conclusion sections.

In search of information systems value : a case study of the EHR benefits realisation efforts of three Swedish hospitals.

The Swedish public health care organisation could very well be undergoing its most significant change since its specialisation during the late 19th and early 20th century. At the heart of this change is a move from using manual patient journals to electronic health records (EHR). EHR are complex integrated organisational wide information systems (IS) that promise great benefits and value as well as presenting great challenges to the organisation. The Swedish public health care is not the first organisation to implement integrated IS, and by no means alone in their quest for realising the potential benefits and value that it has to offer. As organisations invest in IS they embark on a journey of value-creation and capture. A journey where a costbased approach towards their IS-investments is replaced with a value-centric focus, and where the main challenges lie in the practical day-to-day task of finding ways to intertwine technology, people and business processes. This has however proven to be a problematic task. The problematic situation arises from a shift of perspective regarding how to manage IS in order to gain value. This is a shift from technology delivery to benefits delivery; from an ISimplementation plan to a change management plan. The shift gives rise to challenges related to the inability of IS and the elusiveness of value. As a response to these challenges the field of IS-benefits management has emerged offering a framework and a process in order to better understand and formalise benefits realisation activities. In this thesis the benefits realisation efforts of three Swedish hospitals within the same county council are studied. The thesis focuses on the participants of benefits analysis projects; their perceptions, judgments, negotiations and descriptions of potential benefits. The purpose is to address the process where organisations seek to identify which potential IS-benefits to pursue and realise, this in order to better understand what affects the process, so that realisation actions of potential IS-benefits could be supported. A qualitative case study research design is adopted and provides a framework for sample selection, data collection, and data analysis. It also provides a framework for discussions of validity, reliability and generalizability. Findings displayed a benefits fluctuation, which showed that participants’ perception of what constituted potential benefits and value changed throughout the formal benefits management process. Issues like structure, knowledge, expectation and experience affected perception differently, and this in the end changed the amount and composition of potential benefits and value. Five dimensions of benefits judgment were identified and used by participants when finding accommodations of potential benefits and value to pursue. Identified dimensions affected participants’ perceptions, which in turn affected the amount and composition of potential benefits. During the formal benefits management process participants shifted between judgment dimensions. These movements emerged through debates and interactions between participants. Judgments based on what was perceived as expected due to one’s role and perceived best for the organisation as a whole were the two dominant benefits judgment dimensions. A benefits negotiation was identified. Negotiations were divided into two main categories, rational and irrational, depending on participants’ drive when initiating and participating in negotiations. In each category three different types of negotiations were identified having different characteristics and generating different outcomes. There was also a benefits negotiation process identified that displayed management challenges corresponding to its five phases. A discrepancy was also found between how IS-benefits are spoken of and how actions of IS benefits realisation are understood. This was a discrepancy between an evaluation and a realisation focus towards IS value creation. An evaluation focus described IS-benefits as well-defined and measurable effects and a realisation focus spoke of establishing and managing an on-going place of value creation. The notion of valuescape was introduced in order to describe and support the understanding of IS value creation. Valuescape corresponded to a realisation focus and outlined a value configuration consisting of activities, logic, structure, drivers and role of IS.

Search advertising for small Finnish tourism company in Russian Internet – Experimental study: Google AdWords versus Yandex.Direct

Yandex is the dominant search engine in Russia, followed by the world leader Google. This study focuses on the performance differences between the two in search advertising in the context of tourism, by running two identical campaigns and measuring the KPI’s, such as CPA (cost-per-action), on both campaigns. Search engine advertising is a new and fast changing form of advertising, which should be studied frequently in order to keep up with the changes. Research was done as an experimental study in cooperation with a Finnish tourism company and the data is gathered from the clickstream and not from questionnaires, which is recommended method by the literature. The results of the study suggests that Yandex.Direct performed better in the selected niche and that the individual campaign planning for Yandex.Direct and Google AdWords is an important part of the optimization of search advertising in Russia.

AgEcon Search: Evolution of a Subject Repository

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

Elasticsearch as a new search engine for Invenio and more

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

Tag Cloud of Search Queries for Repository System

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

A Business continuity management maturity model : the search for an ISO 22301 Compliant BCM Maturity model

BCM (business continuity Management) is a holistic management process aiming at ensuring business continuity and building organizational resilience. Maturity models offer organizations a tool for evaluating their current maturity in a certain process. In the recent years BCM has been subject to international ISO standardization, while the interest of organizations to bechmark their state of BCM agains standards and the use of maturity models for these asessments has increased. However, although new standards have been introduced, very little attention has been paid to reviewing the existing BCM maturity models in research - especially in the light of the new ISO 22301 standard for BCM. In this thesis the existing BCM maturily models are carefully evaluated to determine whetherthey could be improved. In order to accomplish this, the compliance of the existing models to the ISO 22301 standard is measured and a framework for assessing a maturitymodel´s quality is defined. After carefully evaluating the existing frameworks for maturity model development and evaluation, an approach suggested by Becker et al. (2009) was chosen as the basis for the research. An additionto the procedural model a set of seven research guidelines proposed by the same authors was applied, drawing on the design-science research guidelines as suggested by Hevner et al. (2004). Furthermore, the existing models´ form and function was evaluated to address their usability. Based on the evaluation of the existing BCM maturity models, the existing models were found to have shortcomings in each dimension of the evaluation. Utilizing the best of the existing models, a draft version for an enhanced model was developed. This draft model was then iteratively developed by conducting six semi-structured interviews with BCM professionals in finland with the aim of validating and improving it. As a Result, a final version of the enhanced BCM maturity model was developed, conforming to the seven key clauses in the ISO 22301 standard and the maturity model development guidelines suggested by Becker et al. (2009).

A search for RFLP markers to identify genes for aluminum tolerance in maize

The objective of this study was to identify restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers linked to QTLs that control aluminum (Al) tolerance in maize. The strategy used was bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and the genetic material utilized was an F2 population derived from a cross between the Al-susceptible inbred line L53 and Al-tolerant inbred line L1327. Both lines were developed at the National Maize and Sorghum Research Center - CNPMS/EMBRAPA. The F2 population of 1554 individuals was evaluated in a nutrient solution containing a toxic concentration of Al and relative seminal root length (RSRL) was used as a phenotypic measure of tolerance. The RSRL frequency distribution was continuous, but skewed towards Al-susceptible individuals. Seedlings of the F2 population which scored the highest and the lowest RSRL values were transplanted to the field and subsequently selfed to obtain F3 families. Thirty F3 families (15 Al-susceptible and 15 Al-tolerant) were evaluated in nutrient solution, using an incomplete block design, to identify those with the smallest variances for aluminum tolerance and susceptibility. Six Al-susceptible and five Al-tolerant F3 families were chosen to construct one pool of Al-susceptible individuals, and another of Al-tolerant, herein referred as "bulks", based on average values of RSRL and genetic variance. One hundred and thirteen probes were selected, with an average interval of 30 cM, covering the 10 maize chromosomes. These were tested for their ability to discriminate the parental lines. Fifty-four of these probes were polymorphic, with 46 showing codominance. These probes were hybridized with DNA from the two contrasting bulks. Three RFLPs on chromosome 8 distinguished the bulks on the basis of band intensity. DNA of individuals from the bulks was hybridized with these probes and showed the presence of heterozygous individuals in each bulk. These results suggest that in maize there is a region related to aluminum tolerance on chromosome 8

Stiffness based trajectory planning and feedforward based vibration suppression control of parallel robot machines

The dissertation proposes two control strategies, which include the trajectory planning and vibration suppression, for a kinematic redundant serial-parallel robot machine, with the aim of attaining the satisfactory machining performance. For a given prescribed trajectory of the robot's end-effector in the Cartesian space, a set of trajectories in the robot's joint space are generated based on the best stiffness performance of the robot along the prescribed trajectory. To construct the required system-wide analytical stiffness model for the serial-parallel robot machine, a variant of the virtual joint method (VJM) is proposed in the dissertation. The modified method is an evolution of Gosselin's lumped model that can account for the deformations of a flexible link in more directions. The effectiveness of this VJM variant is validated by comparing the computed stiffness results of a flexible link with the those of a matrix structural analysis (MSA) method. The comparison shows that the numerical results from both methods on an individual flexible beam are almost identical, which, in some sense, provides mutual validation. The most prominent advantage of the presented VJM variant compared with the MSA method is that it can be applied in a flexible structure system with complicated kinematics formed in terms of flexible serial links and joints. Moreover, by combining the VJM variant and the virtual work principle, a systemwide analytical stiffness model can be easily obtained for mechanisms with both serial kinematics and parallel kinematics. In the dissertation, a system-wide stiffness model of a kinematic redundant serial-parallel robot machine is constructed based on integration of the VJM variant and the virtual work principle. Numerical results of its stiffness performance are reported. For a kinematic redundant robot, to generate a set of feasible joints' trajectories for a prescribed trajectory of its end-effector, its system-wide stiffness performance is taken as the constraint in the joints trajectory planning in the dissertation. For a prescribed location of the end-effector, the robot permits an infinite number of inverse solutions, which consequently yields infinite kinds of stiffness performance. Therefore, a differential evolution (DE) algorithm in which the positions of redundant joints in the kinematics are taken as input variables was employed to search for the best stiffness performance of the robot. Numerical results of the generated joint trajectories are given for a kinematic redundant serial-parallel robot machine, IWR (Intersector Welding/Cutting Robot), when a particular trajectory of its end-effector has been prescribed. The numerical results show that the joint trajectories generated based on the stiffness optimization are feasible for realization in the control system since they are acceptably smooth. The results imply that the stiffness performance of the robot machine deviates smoothly with respect to the kinematic configuration in the adjacent domain of its best stiffness performance. To suppress the vibration of the robot machine due to varying cutting force during the machining process, this dissertation proposed a feedforward control strategy, which is constructed based on the derived inverse dynamics model of target system. The effectiveness of applying such a feedforward control in the vibration suppression has been validated in a parallel manipulator in the software environment. The experimental study of such a feedforward control has also been included in the dissertation. The difficulties of modelling the actual system due to the unknown components in its dynamics is noticed. As a solution, a back propagation (BP) neural network is proposed for identification of the unknown components of the dynamics model of the target system. To train such a BP neural network, a modified Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm that can utilize an experimental input-output data set of the entire dynamic system is introduced in the dissertation. Validation of the BP neural network and the modified Levenberg- Marquardt algorithm is done, respectively, by a sinusoidal output approximation, a second order system parameters estimation, and a friction model estimation of a parallel manipulator, which represent three different application aspects of this method.

Optimization and Measuring Techniques for Collect-and-Place Machines in Printed Circuit Board Industry

This thesis considers optimization problems arising in printed circuit board assembly. Especially, the case in which the electronic components of a single circuit board are placed using a single placement machine is studied. Although there is a large number of different placement machines, the use of collect-and-place -type gantry machines is discussed because of their flexibility and increasing popularity in the industry. Instead of solving the entire control optimization problem of a collect-andplace machine with a single application, the problem is divided into multiple subproblems because of its hard combinatorial nature. This dividing technique is called hierarchical decomposition. All the subproblems of the one PCB - one machine -context are described, classified and reviewed. The derived subproblems are then either solved with exact methods or new heuristic algorithms are developed and applied. The exact methods include, for example, a greedy algorithm and a solution based on dynamic programming. Some of the proposed heuristics contain constructive parts while others utilize local search or are based on frequency calculations. For the heuristics, it is made sure with comprehensive experimental tests that they are applicable and feasible. A number of quality functions will be proposed for evaluation and applied to the subproblems. In the experimental tests, artificially generated data from Markov-models and data from real-world PCB production are used. The thesis consists of an introduction and of five publications where the developed and used solution methods are described in their full detail. For all the problems stated in this thesis, the methods proposed are efficient enough to be used in the PCB assembly production in practice and are readily applicable in the PCB manufacturing industry.