LOW COST ANALYZER FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PHOSPHORUS BASED ON OPEN-SOURCE HARDWARE AND PULSED FLOWS

The need for automated analyzers for industrial and environmental samples has triggered the research for new and cost-effective strategies of automation and control of analytical systems. The widespread availability of open-source hardware together with novel analytical methods based on pulsed flows have opened the possibility of implementing standalone automated analytical systems at low cost. Among the areas that can benefit from this approach are the analysis of industrial products and effluents and environmental analysis. In this work, a multi-pumping flow system is proposed for the determination of phosphorus in effluents and polluted water samples. The system employs photometric detection based on the formation of molybdovanadophosphoric acid, and the fluidic circuit is built using three solenoid micropumps. The detection is implemented with a low cost LED-photodiode photometric detection system and the whole system is controlled by an open-source Arduino Uno microcontroller board. The optimization of the timing to ensure the color development and the pumping cycle is discussed for the proposed implementation. Experimental results to evaluate the system behavior are presented verifying a linear relationship between the relative absorbance and the phosphorus concentrations for levels as high as 50 mg L-1.

Test automation scheme for LTE core network element

Modern sophisticated telecommunication devices require even more and more comprehensive testing to ensure quality. The test case amount to ensure well enough coverage of testing has increased rapidly and this increased demand cannot be fulfilled anymore only by using manual testing. Also new agile development models require execution of all test cases with every iteration. This has lead manufactures to use test automation more than ever to achieve adequate testing coverage and quality. This thesis is separated into three parts. Evolution of cellular networks is presented at the beginning of the first part. Also software testing, test automation and the influence of development model for testing are examined in the first part. The second part describes a process which was used to implement test automation scheme for functional testing of LTE core network MME element. In implementation of the test automation scheme agile development models and Robot Framework test automation tool were used. In the third part two alternative models are presented for integrating this test automation scheme as part of a continuous integration process. As a result, the test automation scheme for functional testing was implemented. Almost all new functional level testing test cases can now be automated with this scheme. In addition, two models for integrating this scheme to be part of a wider continuous integration pipe were introduced. Also shift from usage of a traditional waterfall model to a new agile development based model in testing stated to be successful.

E-Business Intreoperability Frameworks for SMEs

Current e-business standards have been developed and used by large organizations to reduce clerical costs in business transactions by increased automation and higher level of business-to-business integration. Small and medium enterprises (SME's), however, cannot easily adopt these standards due to the SME's lacking the technical expertise and resources for implementing them. Still, large organizations increasingly require their business partners, most of which are SME's, to be able to interoperate by their chosen e-business standards. The research question for the study was, first, which of the existing e-business technologies are most SME-adoptable, and, second, how could those e-business technologies be made easier for SME's to implement. The study was conducted as a literature study that evaluated the available e-business frameworks and SME-oriented e-business architectures based on the implementation complexity and costs incurred for the SME adopter. The study found that only few e-business solutions are SMEadoptable. The technological approaches used in the solutions need to be improved on a number of areas, the most important of which is implementation complexity. The study revealed that this also applies to the special, SME-oriented e-business architectures, which are also still too difficult for SME's to implement. Based on these findings, a high-level e-business interoperability framework concept was proposed as the basis for future research to overcome the found implementation complexities for SME's.

Numerical Investigation of Flow Past a Circular Cylinder and in a Staggered Tube Bundle Using Various Turbulence Models

Transitional flow past a three-dimensional circular cylinder is a widely studied phenomenon since this problem is of interest with respect to many technical applications. In the present work, the numerical simulation of flow past a circular cylinder, performed by using a commercial CFD code (ANSYS Fluent 12.1) with large eddy simulation (LES) and RANS (κ - ε and Shear-Stress Transport (SST) κ - ω! model) approaches. The turbulent flow for ReD = 1000 & 3900 is simulated to investigate the force coefficient, Strouhal number, flow separation angle, pressure distribution on cylinder and the complex three dimensional vortex shedding of the cylinder wake region. The numerical results extracted from these simulations have good agreement with the experimental data (Zdravkovich, 1997). Moreover, grid refinement and time-step influence have been examined. Numerical calculations of turbulent cross-flow in a staggered tube bundle continues to attract interest due to its importance in the engineering application as well as the fact that this complex flow represents a challenging problem for CFD. In the present work a time dependent simulation using κ – ε, κ - ω! and SST models are performed in two dimensional for a subcritical flow through a staggered tube bundle. The predicted turbulence statistics (mean and r.m.s velocities) have good agreement with the experimental data (S. Balabani, 1996). Turbulent quantities such as turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate are predicted using RANS models and compared with each other. The sensitivity of grid and time-step size have been analyzed. Model constants sensitivity study have been carried out by adopting κ – ε model. It has been observed that model constants are very sensitive to turbulence statistics and turbulent quantities.

Effect of hydrodynamics on modelling, monitoring and control of crystallization

Crystallization is a purification method used to obtain crystalline product of a certain crystal size. It is one of the oldest industrial unit processes and commonly used in modern industry due to its good purification capability from rather impure solutions with reasonably low energy consumption. However, the process is extremely challenging to model and control because it involves inhomogeneous mixing and many simultaneous phenomena such as nucleation, crystal growth and agglomeration. All these phenomena are dependent on supersaturation, i.e. the difference between actual liquid phase concentration and solubility. Homogeneous mass and heat transfer in the crystallizer would greatly simplify modelling and control of crystallization processes, such conditions are, however, not the reality, especially in industrial scale processes. Consequently, the hydrodynamics of crystallizers, i.e. the combination of mixing, feed and product removal flows, and recycling of the suspension, needs to be thoroughly investigated. Understanding of hydrodynamics is important in crystallization, especially inlargerscale equipment where uniform flow conditions are difficult to attain. It is also important to understand different size scales of mixing; micro-, meso- and macromixing. Fast processes, like nucleation and chemical reactions, are typically highly dependent on micro- and mesomixing but macromixing, which equalizes the concentrations of all the species within the entire crystallizer, cannot be disregarded. This study investigates the influence of hydrodynamics on crystallization processes. Modelling of crystallizers with the mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) theory (ideal mixing), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and a compartmental multiblock model is compared. The importance of proper verification of CFD and multiblock models is demonstrated. In addition, the influence of different hydrodynamic conditions on reactive crystallization process control is studied. Finally, the effect of extreme local supersaturation is studied using power ultrasound to initiate nucleation. The present work shows that mixing and chemical feeding conditions clearly affect induction time and cluster formation, nucleation, growth kinetics, and agglomeration. Consequently, the properties of crystalline end products, e.g. crystal size and crystal habit, can be influenced by management of mixing and feeding conditions. Impurities may have varying impacts on crystallization processes. As an example, manganese ions were shown to replace magnesium ions in the crystal lattice of magnesium sulphate heptahydrate, increasing the crystal growth rate significantly, whereas sodium ions showed no interaction at all. Modelling of continuous crystallization based on MSMPR theory showed that the model is feasible in a small laboratoryscale crystallizer, whereas in larger pilot- and industrial-scale crystallizers hydrodynamic effects should be taken into account. For that reason, CFD and multiblock modelling are shown to be effective tools for modelling crystallization with inhomogeneous mixing. The present work shows also that selection of the measurement point, or points in the case of multiprobe systems, is crucial when process analytical technology (PAT) is used to control larger scale crystallization. The thesis concludes by describing how control of local supersaturation by highly localized ultrasound was successfully applied to induce nucleation and to control polymorphism in reactive crystallization of L-glutamic acid.

Modelling of combustion and sorbent reactions in three-dimensional flow environment of a circulating fluidized bed furnace

This thesis presents a three-dimensional, semi-empirical, steady state model for simulating the combustion, gasification, and formation of emissions in circulating fluidized bed (CFB) processes. In a large-scale CFB furnace, the local feeding of fuel, air, and other input materials, as well as the limited mixing rate of different reactants produce inhomogeneous process conditions. To simulate the real conditions, the furnace should be modelled three-dimensionally or the three-dimensional effects should be taken into account. The only available methods for simulating the large CFB furnaces three-dimensionally are semi-empirical models, which apply a relatively coarse calculation mesh and a combination of fundamental conservation equations, theoretical models and empirical correlations. The number of such models is extremely small. The main objective of this work was to achieve a model which can be applied to calculating industrial scale CFB boilers and which can simulate all the essential sub-phenomena: fluid dynamics, reactions, the attrition of particles, and heat transfer. The core of the work was to develop the model frame and the required sub-models for determining the combustion and sorbent reactions. The objective was reached, and the developed model was successfully used for studying various industrial scale CFB boilers combusting different types of fuel. The model for sorbent reactions, which includes the main reactions for calcitic limestones, was applied for studying the new possible phenomena occurring in the oxygen-fired combustion. The presented combustion and sorbent models and principles can be utilized in other model approaches as well, including other empirical and semi-empirical model approaches, and CFD based simulations. The main achievement is the overall model frame which can be utilized for the further development and testing of new sub-models and theories, and for concentrating the knowledge gathered from the experimental work carried out at bench scale, pilot scale and industrial scale apparatus, and from the computational work performed by other modelling methods.

Solution Business Model for Energy Efficiency

This study examined solution business models and how they could be applied into energy efficiency business. The target of this study was to find out, what a functional solution business model applied to energy efficiency improvement projects is like. The term “functionality” was used to refer not only to the economic viability but to environmental and legal aspects and also to the implement of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and the ability to overcome the most important market barriers and risks. This thesis is based on a comprehensive literature study on solution business, business models and energy efficiency business. This literature review was used as a foundation to an energy efficiency solution business model scheme. The created scheme was tested in a case study which studied two different energy efficiency improvement projects, illustrated the functionality of the created business model and evaluated their potential as customer targets. Solution approach was found to be suitable for energy efficiency business. The most important characteristics of a good solution business model were identified to be the relationship between the supplier and customer, a proper network, knowledge on the customer’s process and supreme technological expertise. Thus the energy efficiency solution business was recognized to be particularly suitable for example for energy suppliers or technological equipment suppliers. Because the case study was not executed from a certain company’s point of view, the most important factors such as relationships and the availability of funding could not be evaluated. Although the energy efficiency business is recognized to be economically viable, the most important factors influencing the profitability and the success of energy efficiency solution business model were identified to be the proper risk management, the ability to overcome market barriers and the realization of CSFs.

Evaluation of roof slope and exposure with different roofing materials in reduced models of animal production facilities in spring and summer

The present study was conducted at the Department of Rural Engineering and the Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology of FCAV/Unesp, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil. The objective was to verify the influence of roof slope, exposure and roofing material on the internal temperature of reduced models of animal production facilities. For the development of the research, 48 reduced and dissemble models with dimensions 1.00 × 1.00 × 0.50 m were used. The roof was shed-type, and the models faced to the North or South directions, with 24 models for each side of exposure. Ceramic, galvanized-steel and fibro tiles were used to build the roofs. Slopes varied between 20, 30, 40 and 50% for the ceramic tile and 10, 30, 40 and 50% for the other two. Inside the models, temperature readings were performed at every hour, for 12 months. The results were evaluated in a general linear model in a nested 3 × 4 × 2 factorial arrangement, in which the effects of roofing material and exposure were nested on the factor Slope. Means were compared by the Tukey test at 5% of probability. After analyzing the data, we observed that with the increase in the slope and exposure to the South, there was a drop in the internal temperature within the model at the geographic coordinates of Jaboticabal city (SP/Brazil).

Private Home Care in Municipal Service Systems – A Case Study among Finnish and Swedish Municipalities

The aim of this study is to assess the current and future preconditions for conducting private business in municipal service systems for home care in Lahti and Hyvinkää in Finland, and in Uppsala and Huddinge in Sweden. This study also aims to assess the implications of quality related issues on the preconditions for conducting private business in the service systems in question. The theories and the research methodologies of the study are based on the Business Model Generation and the Business Model Canvas -concepts. Also a couple of frameworks on implications of quality are applied and integrated into the study. The study is completed as a case study – with structured and identical approaches for all four municipalities. The analyses and assessments of the study are primarily qualitative, but supported by simple quantitative methodologies. The data of the study consists primarily of publicly available information, and secondarily of answers provided by the case-municipalities to multiple choice questions. The results of the study show that the service systems for home care among the case-municipalities are, from perspective of private companies, diverse with local characteristics. Both the premises for conducting private business and the quality-issues are in many respects different in the Finnish and the Swedish case-municipalities. This is partly due to differences in the national service systems; the service voucher system versus the system of choice. Still, it appears that the current preconditions for conducting private business in the service systems for home care, including the implications of quality, would be more favorable in Uppsala and Huddinge than in Lahti and Hyvinkää. On the other hand, the service systems are subject to changes, and the most positive and significant development is here forecasted for a Finnish case-municipality (Lahti). Communication of quality is clearly more advanced in the Swedish case-municipalities. The results of this study can be utilized in several ways, for instance by private companies interested in entering into service systems for home care, either in some of the case-municipalities, or in some other Finnish or Swedish municipalities. Also municipalities can apply the analyses of the study when designing, developing or evaluating their own service systems for home care.

Music digitalization and its effects on the Finnish music industry stakeholders

For the past two decades the music digitalization has been considered the most significant phenomenon in the music industry as the physical sales have been decreasing rapidly. The advancement of the digital technology and the internet have facilitated the digitalization in the music industry and affected all stages of the music value chain, namely music creation, distribution and consumption. The newly created consumer culture has led to the establishment of novel business models such as music subscriptions and à-la-carte downloads websites and live streaming. The dynamic digital environment has presented the music industry stakeholders with the challenge to adapt to the requirements of the constantly changing modern consumers’ needs and demands. The purpose of this study was to identify how music digitalization can influence change in the Finnish music industry value chain; i.e. how digitalization affects the music industry stakeholders, their functions and inter-relatedness and how the stakeholders are able to react to the changes in the industry. The study was conducted as a qualitative research based entirely on primary data in the form of semi-structured interviews with experts from different units of the Finnish music industry value chain. Since the study offers assessment of diverse viewpoints on the value chain, it further provides an integrated picture of the Finnish music industry current situation and its competitive environment. The results suggest that the music industry is currently in a turbulent stage of experimentation with new business models and digital innovations. However, at this point it is impossible to determine which business model will be approved by the consumers in the longer run. Nevertheless, the study confirmed the claim that consumption of music in its digital form is to become dominant over the traditional physical copies sales in the nearest future. As a result the music industry is becoming more user-oriented; that is the focus is shifting from music production towards artist branding and management and visibility to the audience. Furthermore, the music industry is undergoing the process of integration with other industries such as media, social networks, internet services providers and mobile phone manufacturers in order to better fulfill the consumers’ needs. The previously underrated live music and merchandising are also increasing their significance for the revenues in the stagnant music markets. Therefore, the music industry is developing at present towards becoming an integrated entertainment industry deeply penetrating every point of modern people’s leisure activities.

A Farewell to Flat Biology. Three-dimensional Cell Culture Models in Cancer Drug Target Identification and Validation

Cells of epithelial origin, e.g. from breast and prostate cancers, effectively differentiate into complex multicellular structures when cultured in three-dimensions (3D) instead of conventional two-dimensional (2D) adherent surfaces. The spectrum of different organotypic morphologies is highly dependent on the culture environment that can be either non-adherent or scaffold-based. When embedded in physiological extracellular matrices (ECMs), such as laminin-rich basement membrane extracts, normal epithelial cells differentiate into acinar spheroids reminiscent of glandular ductal structures. Transformed cancer cells, in contrast, typically fail to undergo acinar morphogenic patterns, forming poorly differentiated or invasive multicellular structures. The 3D cancer spheroids are widely accepted to better recapitulate various tumorigenic processes and drug responses. So far, however, 3D models have been employed predominantly in the Academia, whereas the pharmaceutical industry has yet to adopt a more widely and routine use. This is mainly due to poor characterisation of cell models, lack of standardised workflows and high throughput cell culture platforms, and the availability of proper readout and quantification tools. In this thesis, a complete workflow has been established entailing well-characterised 3D cell culture models for prostate cancer, a standardised 3D cell culture routine based on high-throughput-ready platform, automated image acquisition with concomitant morphometric image analysis, and data visualisation, in order to enable large-scale high-content screens. Our integrated suite of software and statistical analysis tools were optimised and validated using a comprehensive panel of prostate cancer cell lines and 3D models. The tools quantify multiple key cancer-relevant morphological features, ranging from cancer cell invasion through multicellular differentiation to growth, and detect dynamic changes both in morphology and function, such as cell death and apoptosis, in response to experimental perturbations including RNA interference and small molecule inhibitors. Our panel of cell lines included many non-transformed and most currently available classic prostate cancer cell lines, which were characterised for their morphogenetic properties in 3D laminin-rich ECM. The phenotypes and gene expression profiles were evaluated concerning their relevance for pre-clinical drug discovery, disease modelling and basic research. In addition, a spontaneous model for invasive transformation was discovered, displaying a highdegree of epithelial plasticity. This plasticity is mediated by an abundant bioactive serum lipid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), and its receptor LPAR1. The invasive transformation was caused by abrupt cytoskeletal rearrangement through impaired G protein alpha 12/13 and RhoA/ROCK, and mediated by upregulated adenylyl cyclase/cyclic AMP (cAMP)/protein kinase A, and Rac/ PAK pathways. The spontaneous invasion model tangibly exemplifies the biological relevance of organotypic cell culture models. Overall, this thesis work underlines the power of novel morphometric screening tools in drug discovery.

Value creation through business model in international entrepreneurship

Business model in the context of international entrepreneurship is a rather new topic in academic literature. The objective of this thesis is to examine value creation through business models in internationally entrepreneurial firms. The study examines value creation through the two partner interfaces and the customer interface of a company. Central for the study is the consideration of also the partners’ incentives. Business model construct is studied by defining the concept, examining its elements and the relationship with strategy – concluding with value creation through the concept. The international entrepreneurship chapter focuses on internationally entrepreneurial firms, inspecting the drivers behind international entrepreneurship and studying value network concept. Value creation functions as a driving theme in the theory discussion. The empirical research of the study focuses on eight Finnish internationally entrepreneurial software companies. The study is conducted as a qualitative cross-case analysis building on the single case company business model analyses. The findings suggest that the business models of software companies incorporate vast similarities. However, the degree of international experience has influence on the companies’ value creation and the way they organize their activities both in upstream and downstream of the value chain.

Application of social media and ICT-tools in new and small business ventures.

The current research emphasizes on various questions raised and deliberated upon by different entrepreneurs. It provides a valuable contribution to comprehend the importance of social media and ICT-applications. Furthermore, it demonstrates how to support and implement the management consulting and business coaching start-ups with the help of social media and ICT-tools. The thesis presents a literary review from different information systems science, SME and e-business journals, web articles, as well as, survey analysis reports on social media applications. The methodology incorporated into a qualitative research method in which social anthropological approaches were used to oversee the case study activities in order to collect data. The collaborative social research approach was used to shelter the action research method. The research discovered that new business start-ups, as well as small businesses do not use social media and ICT-tools, unlike most of the large corporations use. At present, the current open-source ICT-technologies and social media applications are equally available for new and small businesses as they are available for larger companies. Successful implementation of social media and ICT-applications can easily enhance start-up performance and overcome business hassles. The thesis sheds some light on effective and innovative implementation of social media and ICT-applications for new business risk takers and small business birds. Key words

Social ventures : the development of the theory of sustainable contributive advantage and initial empirical tests

This thesis attempts to fill gaps in both a theoretical basis and an operational and strategic understanding in the areas of social ventures, social entrepreneurship and nonprofit business models. This study also attempts to bridge the gap in strategic and economic theory between social and commercial ventures. More specifically, this thesis explores sustainable competitive advantage from a resource-based theory perspective and explores how it may be applied to the nonmarket situation of nonprofit organizations and social ventures. It is proposed that a social value-orientation of sustainable competitive advantage, called sustainable contributive advantage, provides a more realistic depiction of what is necessary in order for a social venture to perform better than its competitors over time. In addition to providing this realistic depiction, this research provides a substantial theoretical contribution in the area of economics, social ventures, and strategy research, specifically in regards to resource-based theory. The proposed model for sustainable contributive advantage uses resource-based theory and competitive advantage in order to be applicable to social ventures. This model proposes an explanation of a social venture’s ability to demonstrate consistently superior performance. In order to determine whether sustainable competitive advantage is in fact, appropriate to apply to both social and economic environments, quantitative analyses are conducted on a large sample of nonprofit organizations in a single industry and then compared to similar quantitative analyses conducted on commercial ventures. In comparing the trends and strategies between the two types of entities from a quantitative perspective, propositions are developed regarding a social venture’s resource utilization strategies and their possible impact on performance. Evidence is found to support the necessity of adjusting existing models in resource-based theory in order to apply them to social ventures. Additionally supported is the proposed theory of sustainable contributive advantage. The thesis concludes with recommendations for practitioners, researchers and policy makers as well as suggestions for future research paths.

The Finnish it industries in transition. Defining and Measuring the Finnish Software Product and IT Services Industries by Applying Theoretical Frameworks

The starting point of this study is that the prevailing way to consider the Finnish IT industries and industry information often results in a limited and even skewed picture of the sector. The purpose of the study is to contribute and increase knowledge and understanding of the status, structure and evolution of the Finnish IT industries as well as the Finnish IT vendor field and competition. The focus is on software product and IT services industries which form a crucial part of all ICT industries. This study examines the Finnish IT sector from production (supply) as well as market (demand) perspective. The study is based on empirical information from multiple sources. Three research questions were formulated for the study. The first concerns the status of the Finnish IT industries considered by applying theoretical frameworks. The second research question targets at the basis for the future evolution of the Finnish IT industries and, finally, the third at the ability of the available definitions and indicators to describe the Finnish IT industries and IT markets. Major structural changes like technological changes and related innovations, globalization and new business models are drivers of the evolution of the IT industries. The findings of this study emphasize the significant role of IT services in the Finnish IT sector and in connection to that the ability to combine IT service skills, competences and practices with high level software skills also in the future. According to the study the Finnish IT enterprises and their customers have become increasingly dependent on global ecosystems and platforms, applications and IT services provided by global vendors. As a result, more IT decisions are made outside Finland. In addition, IT companies are facing new competition from other than IT industries bringing into market new substitutes. To respond to the new competition, IT firms seek growth by expanding beyond their traditional markets.. The changing global division of labor accentuates the need for accurate information of the IT sector but, at the same time, also makes it increasingly challenging to acquire the information needed. One of the main contributions of this study is to provide frameworks for describing the Finnish IT sector and its evolution. These frameworks help combine empirical information from various sources and make it easier to concretize the structures, volumes, relationships and interaction of both, the production and market side of the Finnish IT industry. Some frameworks provide tools to analyze the vendor field, competition and the basis for the future evolution of the IT industries. The observations of the study support the argument that static industry definitions and related classifications do not serve the information needs in dynamic industries, such as the IT industries. One of the main messages of this study is to emphasize the importance of understanding the definitions and starting points of different information sources. Simultaneously, in the structure and evolution of Finnish IT industries the number of employees has become a more valid and reliable measure than the revenue based indicators.