Solution of aerospace problems using structured and unstructured strategies

Products developed at industries, institutes and research centers are expected to have high level of quality and performance, having a minimum waste, which require efficient and robust tools to numerically simulate stringent project conditions with great reliability. In this context, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) plays an important role and the present work shows two numerical algorithms that are used in the CFD community to solve the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations applied to typical aerospace and aeronautical problems. Particularly, unstructured discretization of the spatial domain has gained special attention by the international community due to its ease in discretizing complex spatial domains. This work has the main objective of illustrating some advantages and disadvantages of numerical algorithms using structured and unstructured spatial discretization of the flow governing equations. Numerical methods include a finite volume formulation and the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations are applied to solve a transonic nozzle problem, a low supersonic airfoil problem and a hypersonic inlet problem. In a structured context, these problems are solved using MacCormack’s implicit algorithm with Steger and Warming’s flux vector splitting technique, while, in an unstructured context, Jameson and Mavriplis’ explicit algorithm is used. Convergence acceleration is obtained using a spatially variable time stepping procedure.

Improving the Supply Chain Performance Management System in a Finnish paper mill

This Master’s Thesis studies performance management system and its benefits, risks and costs. Objective of the thesis is to describe and evaluate currently used supply chain performance management system (SCPMS) in a Finnish paper mill and its interfaces with its business unit’s SCPMS. As a result, the host company has improvement road map for improving its SCPMS. Used SCPMS in the host company and its interfaces to business unit’s SCPMS are described based on interviews held in the host company and the business unit. Evaluation of the host company’s SCPMS is based on literature study. For improvement road map, three areas in need of improvements are chosen. The study shows the need of high level top management commitment in successful performance management system implementation and usage, especially when the system is deployed to lower levels in the organization.

Phenolics of the Inner Bark of Silver Birch: Characterization and Intraspecific Variation

This thesis describes work related to the in-depth characterization of the phenolic compounds of silver birch (Betula pendula) inner bark. Phenolic compounds are the most ubiquitous class of plant secondary compounds. The unifying feature of this structurally diverse group is an aromatic ring containing at least one hydroxyl group. Due to the structural diversity, phenolics have various roles in the plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. In addition, they can confer several health-promoting properties to humans. Furthermore, the structural diversity of this class of compounds causes challenges for their analysis. The study species in the present work, silver birch, is economically the most important hard wood species in northern Europe. Its inner bark contains a high level of phenolic compounds and it has shown one of the strongest antioxidant activities among 92 Finnish plant materials. The literature review surveys the diversity and organ specific distribution of phenolic compounds in silver birch as well as the proposed ecological functions of phenolic compounds in nature. In addition, the basis for the characterization of phenolics by mass spectrometry (MS), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) are reviewed. The objective of the experimental work was to extract, purify, characterize, and quantify the inner bark phenolic compounds. Overall 36 compounds were characterized by MS and ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV). 24 compounds were isolated and their structures confirmed by NMR and CD spectroscopy. Five novel natural compounds were identified. Special emphasis was placed on the establishment of a method for the characterization of proanthocyanidins (PAs). Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) was utilized because of its high resolution power and predictable elution order of oligomeric and polymeric PAs according to an increasing degree of polymerization. The combination of HILIC and high-resolution MS detection allowed the identification of procyanidin (PC) polymers up to the degree of polymerization of 22. In addition, a series of oligomeric and polymeric PC monoxylosides were observed for the first time in nature. Season and genotype influenced the quantities of the main inner bark phenolics, yet qualitative differences were not observed. However, manual wounding of the inner bark induced the production of ellagitannins (ETs) in the wounded tissues, i.e. callus. Since ETs were not detected in the intact inner bark, this finding may reflect the capacity of silver birch to exploit ellagitannins in its defense.

EN 1090-laatuvaatimusten kartoitus ja hallinta hitsauksen laatujärjestelmän avulla

Diplomityössä tarkastellaan standardin EN 1090 vaikutuksia Bilfinger Industrial Services Finland Oy:n toimintaympäristössä ja kuinka niitä voidaan hallita hitsauksen laatujärjestelmän avulla. Työssä on myös käsitelty yrityksen pääasiallisen tuotannon eli metallisten teollisuusputkistojen valmistusta sekä laadunhallintaa yleisellä tasolla ja erityisesti hitsauksessa. Rakennustuoteasetuksen mukaisen yhdenmukaistetun standardin EN 1090-1:n siirtymäaika päättyy 1.7.2014 ja se asettaa uudenlaisia vaatimuksia teräsrakentamiseen. Rakennustuotteiden CE-merkintä ja sertifioidun laadunhallinnan järjestäminen vaikuttaa hyvin laajasti suomalaiseen metalliteollisuuteen. Työssä selvitettiin yrityksen nykyiset menettelyt ja kuinka niitä tulisi kehittää uusien vaatimusten mukaiseksi. Tietoa hankittiin keskustelemalla yrityksen henkilöstön kanssa ja tutustumalla sen toimintaperiaatteisiin. Selvitystyötä helpotti jo valmiiksi suhteellisen korkea hitsaustoiminnan laatutaso, joka johtuu vaativien asiakkaiden velvoittamasta laatutyöstä. Työn tuloksena yrityksellä on selkeä kuva miten toimintaa tulee kehittää EN 1090 vaatimusten täyttämiseksi. ISO 3834-2:n soveltaminen paineenalaisten putkistojen valmistuksessa tulee ulottaa myös teräsrakenteiden valmistukseen. Myös vaatimusten mukaisen dokumentaation luomista ja hallintaa tulee kehittää, jotta siitä ei tule liian raskasta henkilöstölle.

Can tourism be sustainable? : service experiences from tourism destinations in Europe

The tourism industry is growing rapidly, and thus there is an urgent need to developing sustainable tourism. The research objective of the thesis is to explore and discuss the concept of sustainability within the tourism industry from a marketing point of view, focusing on the perspective of tourist producers’. The thesis consists of four studies, each of which contains different perspectives to support this overall objective. The first study deals with how a hotel can achieve economic sustainability by creating a high level of customer service delivery using a refined GAP-model. The second study examines how tourist producers at mass tourism destinations work with sustainable tourism as a strategic marketing tool in their tourism product development. The third study addresses economic sustainability at the macro level by estimating the tourism demand for Sweden and Norway in five different countries. In the fourth study, the concept of sustainable mass tourism is developed and analyzed from a conceptual standpoint. Study 1 and study 3 concentrate on economic sustainability from a micro and national perspective. The main contribution of Study 1 is the refined GAP-model, which can be seen as a theoretical contribution to the service marketing research. Study 3 shows that exchange rate trends strongly affect tourists’ choice of destination. Study 2 examines sustainable mass tourism as a strategic marketing tool at the destination level. The conclusions of Study 2 contribute to the findings of Study 4 and consider the tourist producers approach to sustainable tourism. One of the contributions of Study 4 is that the concept of sustainable tourism should be divided into three separate parts; economic sustainability, social sustainability and environmental sustainability.

Reduction of seed production of red rice escapes in clearfield rice

Roguing is a practice used to reduce the seed source of red rice escapes to control in Clearfield-rice areas. However, there is great difficulty in performing it in large and heavily infested rice fields. This objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of the use of imazamox herbicide, applied in different rates and times, on plants of Clearfield-rice and red rice. Four experiments were conducted during the 2007/08 and 2008/09 growing seasons, in completely randomized block design and treatments arranged in factorial design, using three replications per treatment. The treatments had increasing rates of imazamox, application times and rice cultivars. The rice cultivars tested were IRGA 417, IRGA 422 CL, Avaxi CL and Puitá INTA CL. The variables evaluated were the number of panicles m-2, number of grains panicle-1, spikelet sterility in rice and red rice; and, rice grain yield and its components. The imazamox reduced the seed production of red rice escapes in a simulated situation of commercial Clearfield-rice area. The greater percentage reductions were obtained when this herbicide was applied at final formation of the panicle or panicle exertion of the red rice plant escapes to control. The Puitá INTA CL cultivar has high level of resistance to imazamox, independent of rate and application times tested, becoming the only alternative to the use of this practice.