Recent Research Concerning the Walls at Asea

Papers from the third international seminar on Ancient Arcadia, held at the Norwegian Institute at Athens, 7-10 May 2002The fortification walls of Asea Paleokastro in Arcadia have recently been studied in several different aspects. Thus, the parts of the walls which are still visible above the ground have been documented in detail. Furthermore, an attempt has been made to trace the course of the lower city walls which are covered by modem alluvium with the help of various geophysical methods. As a result we suggest that the acropolis walls should be dated to the classical period, whereas the lower city walls probably were constructed during the Kleomenic war (229/28-222 B.C.) Cleaning work done around the main gateway of the acropolis indicates that the road leading up to the acropolis originallly was constructed for carts. During the Late Byzantine period the acropolis was refortified, and some walls belonging to this phase are still to be seen at the main gateway and the summit of the acropolis. Preliminary results of the geophysical prospection finally indicate that the lower circuit wall may have had a total length of ca. 1 km, enclosing an area of about 11 ha

Competitiveness of Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises – A follow-up study

This thesis examines the relationship between the strategic focus of Finnish SMEs and their business performance in the years 2013-2015. Research is based on the large enterprise study (Suuri Yrittäjätutkimus) conducted by credit marketing company Collector Finland Oy in cooperation with the University of Vaasa and builds on the Master’s Thesis by Vainio in 2014. The method of analysis has been the RAL (responsiveness, agility, leanness) -model developed by Takala which based on distributions of the critical success factors cost, quality, time and flexibility determines the strategy types; prospector, analyzer and defender formulated by R.E. Miles and C.C. Snow. Results from the analysis shows clearly that the business environment of Finnish SMEs has been slowly deteriorating over the years 2013-2015. The same applies to the companies’ financial situation and consequently their competitiveness. The outlook on future performance still remained relatively unchanged. The results also show that while quality was the most common critical success factor throughout the time-period cost had become a more emphasized factor in 2015. Prospector proved to be the most competitive strategy type throughout the time-period and emphasize on time was connected to over-average performance.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Monipuolinen tiedemies

Suomen Ateenan-instituutti on tuottanut näyttelyn suomalaisesta 1800-luvun jälkipuolen tiedemiehestä Wilhelm Laguksesta. Näyttely nimeltä Rakas vihattu Ateena! Otteita suomalaisen tutkijan Wilhelm Laguksen elämästä on esillä Kansalliskirjastossa. Se kertoo paitsi Wilhelm Laguksen Ateenan vaikutelmista 1850-luvun alussa myös hänen hämmästyttävän laajasta tutkijanurastaan

Fatal attraction : the relationship between patients and their eating disorders, an interpersonal and attachment perspective

Eating disorders are severe psychiatric illnesses, causing immense suffering for patients, but also for their families and friends. Ambivalence about change and treatment resistance are common, and relapse rates are high. Patients with eating disorders tend to be highly selfcritical and self-attacking, much more so than other psychiatric populations. In this project interpersonal- and attachment theoretical principles were applied in an attempt to understand how and why these disorders are so strongly associated with how patients evaluate and treat themselves (self-image). The first aim was to study connections between self-image and eating disorder symptoms in different groups, to learn more about the quality and strength of such associations (Studies I and II). Further, according to interpersonal theory, we treat ourselves a certain way because important others, attachment figures primarily, have treated us that way. Some patients with eating disorders seem to spontaneously conceptualize their illness as an entity or a voice that they relate to. Therefore, the second aim was to test whether eating disorders could be re-conceptualized as dyadic relationships, possibly triggering attachment mechanisms (i.e. guided by the same mechanisms as other important relationships), and influencing how patients treat themselves as a result (Studies III and IV). All studies were cross-sectional. In Studies I and II, healthy, non-help-seeking and clinical groups of individuals aged 13-25 rated eating disorder symptoms and self-image. Boys (both healthy and clinical) were included in the first study, but all other samples were female. In Studies III and IV patients rated the relationship between themselves and their illness, attachment behaviours, symptoms and self-image. In Studies I-II, strong associations between specific aspects of self-image (primarily self-blame, and self-acceptance/love inversely) and symptoms were found. These associations were stronger in healthy girls compared to healthy boys, in clinical groups compared to healthy groups and in patients with anorexia nervosa compared to patients with bulimia nervosa. Older age seemed to weaken these associations except in the non-help-seeking group where associations were strong regardless of age. In Study III, patients seemed able to conceptualize their disorders as highly negative and enmeshed dyadic relationships. Higher eating disorder control and patient submission were associated with more severe symptomatology. Patients who reacted negatively toward their eating disorder had less symptoms and more positive self-image. In Study IV, attachment behaviours were correlated with aspects of the patient – eating disorder relationship, and as hypothesised from interpersonal theory and supporting attachment processes being active, for some individuals it seemed as if actions of their eating disorder matched their self-image. Placing eating disorders within a relational framework offers an explanation for how and why symptoms are related to self-image. It also offers a language that may help some patients and clinicians understand and work towards letting go of the illness. A focus on intrapersonal processes in the patient – eating disorder relationship and their potential connection to attachment-related issues may inform therapist interventions that could facilitate the development of a secure therapeutic relationship, and ultimately aid recovery

Which one to choose multi focus or trade-off among competitive priorities? Evidence from finnish SMEs

This paper examines the relationship between business environment, competitiveness and firm performance considering a survey data from three consecutive years: 2013–2015. The comparative analysis showed that over these years business environment, competitiveness and firm performance of Finnish SMEs are slowly deteriorating. Results from correlation analysis revealed that business environment, competitiveness and firm performance are positively correlated. However, the relationships between these variables are not consistent in respect to competitive priorities indicating a dynamic nature of cost, quality, time, and flexibility dimensions. Besides these findings our analysis acknowledged that to improve firm performance, irrespective to the choice of competitive priority, SMEs should pay more attention to their competitiveness rather than blaming the business environment. The paper concludes that simultaneous use of competitive priority dimensions might be more favorable as a source of competitiveness and competitive advantage to improve firm performance. However, the managers are encouraged to compare the results, findings and concepts presented in this paper among themselves and comprehend the specific answer to the question posed in the title.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

CLEANING AND PREVENTION OF INORGANIC DEPOSITS IN PLATE HEAT EXCHANGERS USING PULSATING CURRENT

Fouling of heat exchangers is a major problem in many industrial processes. The higher temperature of the heat exchange surface compared with the liquid containing precipitable compounds causes the formation of inorganic deposits. Removing the deposits on plate heat exchangers is most often carried out by high-pressure cleaning. This is a laborious task and often increases the corrosion rate of the plates by increasing the roughness of the cleaned surface. This study presents an electrochemical method to clean heat exchange surfaces fouled by deposits and to prevent formation of deposits. This method utilizes pulsating current to polarize heat exchange surfaces with periodic anodic and cathodic DC current. The shape of the pulse and the current density are adjusted to maximize the deposit removal rate, thus minimizing plate corrosion. The optimal pulsating current depends on the material of the heat exchange surface, as well as the composition of the deposits and the solution. For cleaning, the current densities and the frequency of the current pulse are typically higher than those used for preventing deposition. Pulsating current can effectively remove deposits with low solubility, such as TiO2 on titanium heat exchange plates or dense gypsum deposits on stainless steel plates. For cleaning titanium, the cathodic pulse and formation of hydrogen is more essential than in the cleaning of stainless steels. However, the risk of corrosion limits the use of high current densities. Experiments have until now been carried out mainly in the laboratory, though industrial pilot cleaning equipment has also been constructed. An application has already been submitted to patent the method