Otra mirada al tema del cambio de escala: los nuevos espacios de comercio, ocio y turismo = Another look at the theme of the change of scale: new spaces in commerce, leisure and tourism

The technological advances and new organisation of the economy together with a change in ideas in consumer habits andlifestyle that have happened in the last 25 years have placed us in a new state of capitalism. The spatial translation of thisnew state has been immediate and implies among other changes the overcoming of the concept of scale. Commercialspaces and those of leisure and tourism offer us an unbeatable opportunity of exemplifying these changes because they arethe most effected by the new postmodern tendencies

Effects of landscape evolution on flora and habitats in agricultural mosaics

A landscape mosaic is a landscape that consist of various patches, inhabited by different habitat communities over time. Agricultural mosaics area result of the long history between societies and the environment. The understanding of the driving forces for change in this landscapes, and their effect on biodiversity, allow the development of useful tools to assess and manage natural heritage. Plant diversity, endangered plant species and interesting habitats receive the center of attention, because of their capability to integrate and reflect the main changes of this landscapes after medium and long-term.

Models in country scale carbon accounting of forest soils

Selective papers of the workshop on "Development of models and forest soil surveys for monitoring of soil carbon", Koli, Finland, April 5-9 2006.

Impactos da nanotecnologia na saúde: produção de medicamentos

Several studies have described the benefits of nanoscience and nanotechnology (N&N) in different sectors such as agriculture, energy, environmental preservation, and public health. The rapid evolution of N&N can be shown through a panoramic analysis of scientific papers and patents. In the area of public health, it is estimated that the global market for nanotechnology products will expand to 160 billion U.S. dollars in 2015. The Brazilian government has also strengthened its innovative potential in N&N through economic subsidies, as observed for other countries. This review is focused on the current landscape of N&N in a therapeutic context, highlighting the development of nanotech-products produced with biocompatible and biodegradable materials that are already commercially available or under investigation. Most studies under investigation are focused on the development of nanotechnology-based formulations intended for treatment of cancer, inflammatory, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases. Although there are several advantages of N&N in healthcare, many challenges have to be conquered to increase the availability of nanotechnology products in toxicological, preclinical and clinical studies, scale-up, regulatory, and private investments.

Inertization of small-scale chemical wastes using iron phosphate glass

The viability of small-scale heavy-metal waste immobilization into iron phosphate glasses was investigated. Several waste forms containing different amounts of heavy-ion wastes were evaluated (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 26%, 33%, 40% and 50% by mass) and their X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that no crystallization occurred in glasses with waste concentrations up to 26%. The dissolution rates for all of the reported glass compositions (ca. 10-8 g cm-2 min-1) are similar to those reported for the materials most commonly used for waste vitrification. Iron phosphate glasses thus proved to be very useful for the immobilization of heavy-metal wastes, exhibiting good contention and chemical durability comparable to that of borosilicate glasses.

Managing regulatory risks when outsourcing network-related services in the electricity distribution sector

Deregulation of the electricity sector liberated the electricity sale and production for competitive forces while in the network business, electricity transmission and distribution, natural monopoly positions were recognised. Deregulation was accompanied by efficiencyoriented thinking on the whole electricity supply industry. For electricity distribution this meant a transition from a public service towards profit-driven business guided by economic regulation. Regulation is the primary means to enforce societal and other goals in the regulated monopoly sector. The design of economic regulation is concerned with two main attributes; end-customer price and quality of electricity distribution services. Regulation limits the costs of the regulated company but also defines the desired quality of monopoly services. The characteristics of the regulatory framework and the incentives it provides are therefore decisive for the electricity distribution sector. Regulation is not a static factor; changes in the regulatory practices cause discontinuity points, which in turn generate risks. A variety of social and environmental concerns together with technological advancements have emphasised the relevance of quality regulation, which is expected to lead to the large-scale replacement of overhead lines with underground cables. The electricity network construction activity is therefore currently witnessing revolutionary changes in its competitive landscape. In a business characterised by high statutory involvement and a high level of sunk costs, recognising and understanding the regulatory risks becomes a key success factor. As a response, electricity distribution companies have turned into outsourcing to attain efficiency and quality goals. This doctoral thesis addresses the impacts of regulatory risks on electricity network construction, which is a commonly outsourced activity in the electricity distribution network sector. The chosen research approach is characterised as an action analytical research on account of the fact that regulatory risks are greatly dependent on the individual nature of the regulatory regime applied in the electricity distribution sector. The main contribution of this doctoral thesis is to develop a concept for recognising and managing the business risks stemming from economic regulation. The degree of outsourcing in the sector is expected to increase in years to come. The results of the research provide new knowledge to manage the regulatory risks when outsourcing services.

Design and implementation of a multipurpose reactor for scale-up studies

In the theoretical part, the different polymerisation catalysts are introduced and the phenomena related to mixing in the stirred tank reactor are presented. Also the advantages and challenges related to scale-up are discussed. The aim of the applied part was to design and implement an intermediate-sized reactor useful for scale-up studies. The reactor setting was tested making one batch of Ziegler–Natta polypropylene catalyst. The catalyst preparation with a designed equipment setting succeeded and the catalyst was analysed. The analyses of the catalyst were done, because the properties of the catalyst were compared to the normal properties of Ziegler–Natta polypropylene catalyst. The total titanium content of the catalyst was slightly higher than in normal Ziegler–Natta polypropylene catalyst, but the magnesium and aluminium content of the catalyst were in the normal level. By adjusting the siphonation tube and adding one washing step the titanium content of the catalyst could be decreased. The particle size of the catalyst was small, but the activity was in a normal range. The size of the catalyst particles could be increased by decreasing the stirring speed. During the test run, it was noticed that some improvements for the designed equipment setting could be done. For example more valves for the chemical feed line need to be added to ensure inert conditions during the catalyst preparation. Also nitrogen for the reactor needs to separate from other nitrogen line. With this change the pressure in the reactor can be kept as desired during the catalyst preparation. The proposals for improvements are presented in the applied part. After these improvements are done, the equipment setting is ready for start-up. The computational fluid dynamics model for the designed reactor was provided by cooperation with Lappeenranta University of Technology. The experiments showed that for adequate mixing with one impeller, stirring speed of 600 rpm is needed. The computational fluid dynamics model with two impellers showed that there was no difference in the mixing efficiency if the upper impeller were pumping downwards or upwards.

Diagrammatic scale for assessment of soybean rust severity

A diagrammatic scale to assess soybean (Glycine max) rust severity, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, was developed in this study. Leaflets showing different severity levels were collected for determination of the minimum and maximum severity limits; intermediate levels were determined according to "Weber-Fechner's stimulus-response law". The proposed scale showed the levels of 0.6; 2; 7; 18; 42, and 78.5%. Scale validation was performed by eight raters (four inexperienced and four experienced), who estimated the severity of 44 soybean leaflets showing rust symptoms, with and without the use of the scale. Except for rater number eight, all showed a tendency to overestimate severity without the aid of the diagrammatic scale. With the scale, the raters obtained better accuracy and precision levels, although the tendency to overestimate was maintained. Experienced raters were more accurate and precise than inexperienced raters, and assessment improvements with the use of the scale were more significant for inexperienced raters.

Determination of herbicides residues in soil by small scale extraction

Herbicides such as trifluralin, simazine, atrazine, metribuzin and metolachlor are used in Brazilian agriculture. The efficiency of a small scale method for determination of these herbicides and two degradation products (deisopropylatrazine and deethylatrazine) in soil samples was evaluated. The compounds were extracted from soil samples (5 g) with 20 ml of ethyl acetate in a mechanical shaker for 50 min. Following the extraction, the supernatant was dried through anhydrous sodium sulphate, concentrated and analysed by high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) with thermionic specific detection (TSD). Mean recoveries obtained from soil samples fortified at three different levels ranged from 81 to 115% with relative standard deviation (RSD) values varying from 1.2 to 12.7%. The method detection limits ranged from 0.01 to 0.06 mg kg-1. The methodology was applied using soil samples from farms located near the town of Araraquara, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.

Small and Large Scale Dynamics in the Milky Way

This thesis contains dynamical analysis on four different scales: the Solar system, the Sun itself, the Solar neighbourhood, and the central region of the Milky Way galaxy. All of these topics have been handled through methods of potential theory and statistics. The central topic of the thesis is the orbits of stars in the Milky Way. An introduction into the general structure of the Milky Way is presented, with an emphasis on the evolution of the observed value for the scale-length of the Milky Way disc and the observations of two separate bars in the Milky Way. The basics of potential theory are also presented, as well as a developed potential model for the Milky Way. An implementation of the backwards restricted integration method is shown, rounding off the basic principles used in the dynamical studies of this thesis. The thesis looks at the orbit of the Sun, and its impact on the Oort cloud comets (Paper IV), showing that there is a clear link between these two dynamical systems. The statistical atypicalness of the orbit of the Sun is questioned (Paper I), concluding that there is some statistical typicalness to the orbit of the Sun, although it is not very significant. This does depend slightly on whether one includes a bar, or not, as a bar has a clear effect on the dynamical features seen in the Solar neighbourhood (Paper III). This method can be used to find the possible properties of a bar. Finally, we look at the effect of a bar on a statistical system in the Milky Way, seeing that there are not only interesting effects depending on the mass and size of the bar, but also how bars can capture disc stars (Paper II).

A study of combustion phenomena in circulating fluidized beds by developing and applying experimental and modelling methods for laboratory-scale reactors

The results shown in this thesis are based on selected publications of the 2000s decade. The work was carried out in several national and EC funded public research projects and in close cooperation with industrial partners. The main objective of the thesis was to study and quantify the most important phenomena of circulating fluidized bed combustors by developing and applying proper experimental and modelling methods using laboratory scale equipments. An understanding of the phenomena plays an essential role in the development of combustion and emission performance, and the availability and controls of CFB boilers. Experimental procedures to study fuel combustion behaviour under CFB conditions are presented in the thesis. Steady state and dynamic measurements under well controlled conditions were carried out to produce the data needed for the development of high efficiency, utility scale CFB technology. The importance of combustion control and furnace dynamics is emphasized when CFB boilers are scaled up with a once through steam cycle. Qualitative information on fuel combustion characteristics was obtained directly by comparing flue gas oxygen responses during the impulse change experiments with fuel feed. A one-dimensional, time dependent model was developed to analyse the measurement data Emission formation was studied combined with fuel combustion behaviour. Correlations were developed for NO, N2O, CO and char loading, as a function of temperature and oxygen concentration in the bed area. An online method to characterize char loading under CFB conditions was developed and validated with the pilot scale CFB tests. Finally, a new method to control air and fuel feeds in CFB combustion was introduced. The method is based on models and an analysis of the fluctuation of the flue gas oxygen concentration. The effect of high oxygen concentrations on fuel combustion behaviour was also studied to evaluate the potential of CFB boilers to apply oxygenfiring technology to CCS. In future studies, it will be necessary to go through the whole scale up chain from laboratory phenomena devices through pilot scale test rigs to large scale, commercial boilers in order to validate the applicability and scalability of the, results. This thesis shows the chain between the laboratory scale phenomena test rig (bench scale) and the CFB process test rig (pilot). CFB technology has been scaled up successfully from an industrial scale to a utility scale during the last decade. The work shown in the thesis, for its part, has supported the development by producing new detailed information on combustion under CFB conditions.

The Sottunga-Jurmo shear zone : structure and deformation history of a crustal-scale ductile shear zone in SW Finland

The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the structure and the deformation history of a NW-SE trending regional, crustal-scale shear structure in the Åland archipelago, SW Finland, called the Sottunga-Jurmo shear zone (SJSZ). Approaches involving e.g. structural geology, geochronology, geochemistry and metamorphic petrology were utilised in order to reconstruct the overall deformation history of the study area. The study therefore describes several features of the shear zone including structures, kinematics and lithologies within the study area, the ages of the different deformation phases (ductile to brittle) within the shear zone, as well as some geothermobarometric results. The results indicate that the SJSZ outlines a major crustal discontinuity between the extensively migmatized rocks NE of the shear zone and the unmigmatised, amphibolite facies rocks SW of the zone. The main SJSZ shows overall dextral lateral kinematics with a SW-side up vertical component and deformation partitioning into pure shear and simple shear dominated deformation styles that was intensified toward later stages of the deformation history. The deformation partitioning resulted in complex folding and refolding against the SW margin of the SJSZ, including conical and sheath folds, and in a formation of several minor strike-slip shear zones both parallel and conjugate to the main SJSZ in order to accommodate the regional transpressive stresses. Different deformation phases within the study area were dated by SIMS (zircon U-Pb), ID-TIMS (titanite U-Pb) and 40Ar/39Ar (pseudotachylyte wholerock) methods. The first deformation phase within the ca. 1.88 Ga rocks of the study area is dated at ca. 1.85 Ga, and the shear zone was reactivated twice within the ductile regime (at ca. 1.83 Ga and 1.79 Ga), during which the strain was successively increasingly partitioned into the main SJSZ and the minor shear zones. The age determinations suggest that the orogenic processes within the study area did not occur in a temporal continuum; instead, the metamorphic zircon rims and titanites show distinct, 10-20 Ma long breaks in deformation between phases of active deformation. The results of this study further imply slow cooling of the rocks through 600-700ºC so that at 1.79 Ga, 2 the temperature was still at least 600ºC. The highest recorded metamorphic pressures are 6.4-7.1 kbar. At the late stages or soon after the last ductile phase (ca. 1.79 Ga), relatively high-T mylonites and ultramylonites were formed, witnessing extreme deformation partitioning and high strain rates. After the rocks reached lower amphibolite facies to amphibolite-greenschist facies transitional conditions (ca. 500-550ºC), they cooled rapidly, probably due to crustal uplift and exhumation. The shear zone was reactivated at least once within the semi-brittle to brittle regime between ca. 1.79 Ga and 1.58 Ga, as evidenced by cataclasites and pseudotachylytes. In summary, the results of this study suggest that the Sottunga-Jurmo shear zone (and the South Finland shear zone) defines a major crustal discontinuity, and played a central role in accommodating the regional stresses during and after the Svecofennian orogeny.

Innovations of ageing and societal transition : Dynamics of change of the socio-technical regime of ageing

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the dynamics of the socio-technical system in the field of ageing. The study stems from the notion that the ageing of the population as a powerful megatrend has wide societal effects, and is not just a matter for the social and health sector. The central topic in the study is change: not only the age structures and structures of society are changing, but also at the same time there is constant development, for instance, in technologies, infrastructures and cultural perceptions. The changing concept of innovation has widened the understanding of innovations related to ageing from medical and assistive technological innovations to service and social innovations, as well as systemic innovations at different levels, which means the intertwined and co-evolutionary change in technologies, structures, services and thinking models. By the same token, the perceptions of older people and old age are becoming more multi-faceted: old age is no longer equated to illnesses and decline, but visions of active ageing and a third age have emerged, which are framed by choices, opportunities, resources and consumption in later life. The research task in this study is to open up the processes and mechanisms of change in the field of ageing, which are studied as a complex, multi-level and interrelated socio-technical system. The question is about co-effective elements consisting of macro-level landscape changes, the existing socio-technical regime (the rule system, practices and structures) and bottom-up niche-innovations. Societal transitions do not account for the things inside the regime alone, or for the long-term changes in the landscape, nor for the radical innovations, but for the interplay between all these levels. The research problem is studied through five research articles, which offer micro-level case studies to macro-level phenomenon. Each of the articles focus on different aspects related to ageing and change, and utilise various datasets. The framework of this study leans on the studies of socio-technical systems and multi-level perspective on transitions mainly developed by Frank Geels. Essential factors in transition from one socio-technological regime to another are the co-evolutionary processes between landscape changes, regime level and experimental niches. Landscape level changes, like the ageing of the population, destabilise the regime in the forms of coming pressures. This destabilization offers windows for opportunity to niche-innovations outside or at fringe of the regime, which, through their breakthrough, accelerate the transition process. However, the change is not easy because of various kinds of lock-ins and inertia, which tend to maintain the stability of the regime. In this dissertation, a constructionist approach of society is applied leaning mainly to the ideas of Anthony Giddens’ theory of structuration, with the dual nature of structures. The change is taking place in the interplay between actors and structures: structures shape people’s practices, but at the same time these practices constitute and reproduce social systems. Technology and other material aspects, as part of socio-technical systems, and the use of them, also take part in the structuration process. The findings of the study point out that co-evolutionary and co-effective relationships between economic, cultural, technological and institutional fields, as well as relationships between landscape changes, changes in the local and regime-level practices and rule systems, are a very complex and multi-level dynamic socio-technical phenomenon. At the landscape level of ageing, which creates the pressures and triggers to the regime change, there are three remarkable megatrends: demographic change, changes in the global economy and the development of technologies. These exert pressures to the socio-technical regime, which as a rule system is experiencing changes in the form of new markets and consumer habits, new ways of perceiving ageing, new models of organising the health care and other services and as new ways of considering innovation and innovativeness. There are also inner dynamics in the relationships between these aspects within the regime. These are interrelated and coconstructed: the prevailing perceptions of ageing and innovation, for instance, reflect the ageing policies, innovation policies, societal structures, organising models, technology and scientific discussion, and vice versa. Technology is part of the inner dynamics of the sociotechnological regime. Physical properties of the artefacts set limitations and opportunities with regard to their functions and uses. The use of and discussion about technology, contributes producing and reproducing the perceptions of old age. For societal transition, micro-level changes are also needed, in form of niche-innovations, for instance new services, organisational models or new technologies, Regimes, as stabilitystriven systems, tend to generate incremental innovations, but radically new innovations are generated in experimental niches protected from ‘normal’ market selection. The windows of opportunity for radical novelties may be opened if the circumstances are favourable for instance by tensions in the socio-technical regime affected by landscape level changes. This dissertation indicates that a change is taking place, firstly, in the dynamic interactionbetween levels, as a result of purposive action and governance to some extent. Breaking the inertia and using the window of opportunity for change and innovation offered by dynamics between levels, presupposes the actors’ special capabilities and actions such as dynamic capabilities and distance management. Secondly, the change is taking place the socio-technological negotiations inside the regime: interaction between technological and social, which is embodied in the use of technology. The use of technology includes small-level contextual scripts that also participate in forming broader societal scripts (for instance defining old age at the society level), which in their turn affect the formation of policies for innovation and ageing. Thirdly, the change is taking place by the means of active formation of the multi-actor innovation networks, where the role of distance management is crucial to facilitate the communication between actors coming from different backgrounds as well as to help the niches born outside the regime to utilise the window of opportunity offered by regime destabilisation. This dissertation has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study participates in the discussion of action-oriented view on transition by opening up of the socio-technological, coevolutionary processes of the multi-faceted phenomenon of ageing, which has lacked systematic analyses. The focus of this study, however, is not on the large-scale coordination and governance, but rather on opening up the incremental elements and structuration processes, which contribute to the transition little by little, and which can be affected to. This increases the practical importance of this dissertation, by highlighting the importance of very tiny, everyday elements in the change processes in the long run.