Design of an Enterprise Resource Planning System Using Service-Oriented Architecture

A typical ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system integrates many business functionalities such as billing, accounting, order processing, manufacturing and customer relationship management. Generally they are implemented as separate modules that are changed and modified as needed. However, lack of proper design can cause the modules to become tightly coupled. Unnecessary dependencies decrease maintainability because change in one part of the system can affect other parts. Large enterprise applications are often build by multiple organizations using varying methods and technologies. Development teams are not always fully aware of the work of others. This makes reusing existing features difficult and causes developers to recreate the same logic multiple times. This thesis describes how a monolithic architecture can be migrated into a service-oriented architecture (SOA). An ERP system designed for Apple service providers is used as an example. The large example system is converted into small services to improve its maintainability. The aim is to create an architecture that does not depend on a specific technology and supports reusing functionality. Although SOA has many benefits, effective use of it requires technological changes and adjustments to the whole development process. In the example system, lots of changes were made to the development, testing and deployment processes. The new architecture lead to eliminating lots of manual work. This was achieved by implementing a deployment pipeline that takes advantage of Docker virtual containers

Forest variable estimation using high-resolution digital surface model (DSM)

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli kehittää puuston arviointiin ja metsävaratietojen päivitykseen soveltuva menetelmä, joka perustuu metsätalouden piirissä hyvin tunnettuun ja yleisesti käytössä olevaan ilmakuvaukseen. Lisäksi oli tavoitteena tuottaa tietoa ilmakuvilta tuotettuun pintamalliin perustuvan menetelmän kustannustehokkuudesta ja tarkkuudesta laserkeilaukseen perustuviin menetelmiin verrattuna. Hämeenlinnassa Evon valtionmetsässä sijaitsevalle noin 2000 hehtaarin tutkimusalueelle tehtiin laserkeilaus ja ilmakuvaus kesällä 2009. Tutkimusaineisto koostui 85 orto-oikaistusta väri-infrailmakuvasta, tutkimusalueen kattavasta laserkeilausaineistosta, sekä 402 ympyräkoealasta. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin korkearesoluutioisista ilmakuvista muodostetun pintamallin tarkkuutta koealatason metsikkötunnusten estimoinnissa. Metsikkötunnusten estimointi tehtiin käyttäen ei- parametrista k:n lähimmän naapurin (k-nn) -menetelmää. Molempien kaukokartoitusaineistojen piirteiden valinnassa käytettiin askeltavaa edestä valintaa ja tarkkuuden arvioinnissa ristiinvalidiointi -menetelmällä. Estimoituja metsikkötunnuksia olivat keskiläpimitta, pohjapinta-ala, keskipituus, valtapituus ja kokonaistilavuus. Ilmakuvapintamallilta tulkittujen puustotunnusten tarkkuutta verrattiin laserkeilausaineiston tarkkuuteen. IImakuvapintamalli -estimoinnin suhteelliset RMSE -arvot olivat parhaimmillaan keskiläpimitalle, pohjapinta-alalle, keskipituudella, valtapituudelle ja kokonaistilavuudelle 33,67 %, 36,23 %, 25,33 %, 23,53 % ja 40,39 %. Vertailuaineistona olleelle laserkeilausaineistolle vastaavat suhteelliset RMSE -arvot olivat 25,26 %, 27,89 %, 19,94 %, 16,76 % ja 31,26 %. Ilmakuvapintamalli toimi parhaiten keskipituuden estimoinnissa, jossa sen tuottama estimaatit olivat likimain yhtä tarkat laserkeilausaineistoon verrattuna. Keskiläpimitan estimoinnissa ilmakuvapintamalli tuotti hieman laserkeilausaineistoa paremman tuloksen, mutta keskitilavuuden estimoinnissa laserkeilaus oli jälleen hieman tarkempi. Pohjapinta-alan estimoinnissa laserkeilausaineisto oli huomattavasti ilmakuvapintamallia parempi. Tutkimus osoitti menetelmän käyttökelpoisuuden metsävaratietojen päivityksessä ja osoitti olevansa varteenotettava menetelmä myös kustannustehokkuuden kannalta.The objective of this study was to develop a method for estimation of forest stand variables and updating the forest resource data, based on a well known and widely used method among forest sector, aerial photography. The second objective was to produce information of cost-effectiveness and accuracy of digital surface model (DSM) generated from very high resolution aerial images in comparison of methods based on aerial laser scanning (ALS). The study area covering circa 2000 hectares is located in state owned forest in Hämeenlinna, Southern Finland. The study material consisted of 85 digitised and orthorectified colour-infrared (CIR) aerial photographs, LiDAR measurements of the corresponding area and field measurements of 402 concentric circular plots. Both the remote sensing data and the field measurements were acquired in 2009. In this study, the accuracy of DSM generated from very high resolution CIR - aerial images was examined in the estimation of forest stand variables. Estimation of forest stand variables was made using non-parametric k-nearest neighbour method. Sequential forward selection was used for selecting features from remote sensing data and the examination of accuracy was done with cross validation. The variables examined were mean diameter, basal area, mean height, dominant height and mean volume. Relative RMSE -values of DMS estimation were at the best with mean diameter, basal area, mean height, dominant height and mean volume 33,67 %, 36,23 %, 25,33 %, 23,53 % and 40,39 %. For the reference ALS-data, relative RMSE-values were 25,26 %, 27,89 %, 19,94 %, 16,76 % ja 31,26 %. Photogrammetric DSM was best suited for estimating dominant and mean height and produced estimates slightly more inaccurate than those of reference ALS-data. When estimating mean diameter, photogrammetric DSM was slightly better, but at mean volume estimation, ALS-data proved again to be a little more a accurate than photogrammetric DSM. At basal area estimation, ALS-data gave considerably better results than photogrammetric DSM. This research showed that the photogrammetric DSM suits well for updating the forest resource data, and also satisfies the requirements in a more economic way

Factoring-rahoituksen tarve ja kannattavuus yrityksen maksuvalmiuden varmistamisessa : case-tutkimus

Siirretty Doriast

Deep Learning Method for Mandibular Canal Segmentation in Dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography Volumes

publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Trade-Off between Task Accuracy, Task Completion Time and Naturalness for Direct Object Manipulation in Virtual Reality

Virtual reality devices are used for several application domains, such as medicine, entertainment, marketing and training. A handheld controller is the common interaction method for direct object manipulation in virtual reality environments. Using hands would be a straightforward way to directly manipulate objects in the virtual environment if hand-tracking technology were reliable enough. In recent comparison studies, hand-based systems compared unfavorably against the handheld controllers in task completion times and accuracy. In our controlled study, we com-pare these two interaction techniques with a new hybrid interaction technique which combines the controller tracking with hand gestures for a rigid object manipulation task. The results demonstrate that the hybrid interaction technique is the most preferred because it is intuitive, easy to use, fast, reliable and it provides haptic feedback resembling the real-world object grab. This suggests that there is a trade-off between naturalness, task accuracy and task completion time when using these direct manipulation interaction techniques, and participants prefer to use interaction techniques that provide a balance between these three factors.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Diagnosis of Newly Delivered Mothers for Periodontitis with a Novel Oral-Rinse aMMP-8 Point-of-Care Test in a Rural Malawian Population

A novel qualitative point-of-care test of activated matrix metalloproteinase-8 (aMMP-8) using noninvasive oral rinse sampling procedures has been developed for the early detection of collagen breakdown indicating periodontal tissue destruction. The main object of this study was to assess the reliability of the test in a low-income setting to identify participants with history of periodontal destruction detected as alveolar bone loss (ABL) in radiographs. This cross-sectional study included 486 women who had recently delivered in rural Malawi. The aMMP-8 test and dental panoramic radiographs were taken within 48 h of delivery. The performance of the test in comparison to radiological examinations was tested by following the standards for reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies protocol (STARD) with respective statistical measures and 95% confidence intervals. From the 486 eligible participants, 461 mothers with complete data, aged from 15 to 46 years (mean 24.8, SD 6.0) were included in the analysis. ABL was identified in 116 of 461 participants. There was 56% agreement between the aMMP-8 test results and detected ABL (yes or no) in radiographs. Calculated sensitivity of the test was 80% (72–87%), specificity 48% (43–54%), positive predictive value 34% (31–37%), negative predictive value 88% (83–91%), positive likelihood ratio 1.55 (1.35–1.77), and negative likelihood ratio 0.41(0.28–0.60). The aMMP-8 test sensitivity and negative predictive value to identify the ABL cases were relatively high, but there was additionally a high rate of test-positive results in participants without ABL, especially in young mothers, leading to low overall agreement between the test results and radiological bone loss. Further longitudinal studies are needed to examine if the test positive subjects are in risk of future bone loss before the detectable signs of periodontitis in radiographs.Peer reviewe

Ultra-low-dose CBCT scan : rational map for ear surgery

Purpose: This study will evaluate the clinical quality and usability of peripheral image data from the temporal bone area obtained using a sinonasal ultra-low-dose (ULD) cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan and compare them to those obtained using a high-resolution (HR) CBCT. Methods: The population consisted of 66 anatomical sites (ears of 33 subjects) imaged using two modalities: an HR CBCT (Scanora 3Dx scanner; Soredex, Tuusula, Finland) and a ULD CBCT (Promax 3D Mid scanner; Plandent, Helsinki, Finland). The image quality (IQ) for every anatomical site in each image was rated using a Likert scale from 0 to 5. Results: The quality of ULD CBCT scans was clinically sufficient in over 95% of the assessed images of the sigmoid sinus, jugular bulb, epitympanum and mastoid antrum as well as external acoustic meatus (all p > 0.05 compared to HR CBCT). The IQ was clinically sufficient in 75–94% of the assessed images of the scutum, mastoid segment of the facial nerve, cochlea and semicircular canals (all p < 0.05 compared to HR CBCT). The overall IQ of the HR CBCT scans was good or excellent. Conclusion: CBCT imaging and the data at image margins are underutilized. CBCT can produce excellent structural resolution with conventional imaging parameters, even with off-focus images. Using ultra-low doses of radiation, the produced IQ is clinically sufficient. We encourage ear surgeons to check the patients’ imaging history and to consider the use of imaging modalities that involve lower radiation doses especially when conducting repetitive investigations and with children.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Comparison of a VR Stylus with a Controller, Hand Tracking, and a Mouse for Object Manipulation and Medical Marking Tasks in Virtual Reality

In medical surgery planning, virtual reality (VR) provides a working environment, where 3D images of the operation area can be utilized. VR allows 3D imaging data to be viewed in a more realistic 3D environment, reducing perceptual problems and increasing spatial understanding. In the present experiment, we compared a mouse, hand tracking, and a combination of a VR stylus and a grab-enabled VR controller as interaction methods in VR. The purpose was to investigate the suitability of the methods in VR for object manipulation and marking tasks in medical surgery planning. The tasks required interaction with 3D objects and high accuracy in the creation of landmarks. The combination of stylus and controller was the most preferred interaction method. According to subjective results, it was considered as the most appropriate because it allows the manipulation of objects in a way that is similar to the use of bare hands. In the objective results, the mouse interaction method was the most accurate.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Periapical infection may affect birth outcomes via systemic inflammation.

OBJECTIVES: Maternal dental periapical infections are associated with preterm birth and intrauterine growth restriction. This study investigates whether the association is mediated through bacterial spread from periapical lesions to placenta (direct pathway) or systemic inflammatory reaction (indirect pathway). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared birth outcomes in Malawian mothers with and without periapical infection. As markers of a direct pathway, we identified placental bacteria using a 16S rDNA approach and assessed histological evidence of inflammation in the placenta and amniotic membranes. We measured C-reactive protein, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, and salivary cortisol as markers of an indirect pathway. We used regression models to associate the predictor variables with duration of pregnancy and newborn size. RESULTS: Of 1,024 women, 23.5% had periapical infection. There was no association of periapical infection with either bacterial DNA or histological inflammation in placenta or membranes. Periapical infection was associated with C-reactive protein, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, and cortisol concentrations in a dose-dependent manner at 36 weeks. Addition of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein or cortisol concentration into regression models attenuated the association between periapical infection and pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence of direct spread of periapical bacteria to the placenta. Periapical infections and adverse pregnancy outcomes are in part mediated through systemic inflammation