Secure Cloud Connectivity for Scientific Applications

Cloud computing improves utilization and flexibility in allocating computing resources while reducing the infrastructural costs. However, in many cases cloud technology is still proprietary and tainted by security issues rooted in the multi-user and hybrid cloud environment. A lack of secure connectivity in a hybrid cloud environment hinders the adaptation of clouds by scientific communities that require scaling-out of the local infrastructure using publicly available resources for large-scale experiments. In this article, we present a case study of the DII-HEP secure cloud infrastructure and propose an approach to securely scale-out a private cloud deployment to public clouds in order to support hybrid cloud scenarios. A challenge in such scenarios is that cloud vendors may offer varying and possibly incompatible ways to isolate and interconnect virtual machines located in different cloud networks. Our approach is tenant driven in the sense that the tenant provides its connectivity mechanism. We provide a qualitative and quantitative analysis of a number of alternatives to solve this problem. We have chosen one of the standardized alternatives, Host Identity Protocol, for further experimentation in a production system because it supports legacy applications in a topologically-independent and secure way.Peer reviewe

Fine particle emissions from sauna stoves : effects of combustion appliance and fuel, and implications for the Finnish emission inventory

Sauna Stoves (SS) are simple wood combustion appliances used mainly in Nordic countries. They generate emissions that have an impact on air quality and climate. In this study, a new measurement concept for comparing the operation, thermal efficiency, and real-life fine particle and gaseous emissions of SS was utilized. In addition, a novel, simple, and universal emission calculation procedure for the determination of nominal emission factors was developed for which the equations are presented for the first time. Fine particle and gaseous concentrations from 10 different types of SS were investigated. It was found that each SS model was an individual in relation to stove performance: stove heating time, air-to-fuel ratio, thermal efficiency, and emissions. Nine-fold differences in fine particle mass (PM1) concentrations, and about 90-fold differences in concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were found between the SS, when dry (11% moisture content) birch wood was used. By using moist (18%) wood, particle number and carbon monoxide concentrations increased, but interestingly, PM1, PAH, and black carbon (BC) concentrations clearly decreased, when comparing to dry wood. E.g., PAH concentrations were 5.5–9.6 times higher with dry wood than with moist wood. Between wood species, 2–3-fold maximum differences in the emissions were found, whereas about 1.5-fold differences were observed between bark-containing and debarked wood logs. On average, the emissions measured in this study were considerably lower than in previous studies and emission inventories. This suggests that overall the designs of sauna stoves available on the market have improved during the 2010s. The findings of this study were used to update the calculation scheme behind the inventories, causing the estimates for total PM emissions from SS in Finland to decrease. However, wood-fired sauna stoves are still estimated to be the highest individual emission source of fine particles and black carbon in Finland

Emissions from a modern log wood masonry heater and wood pellet boiler : Composition and biological impact on air-liquid interface exposed human lung cancer cells

The consumption of wood fuel is markedly increasing in developing and industrialized countries. Known side effects of wood smoke inhalation manifest in proinflammatory signaling, oxidative stress, DNA damage and hence increased cancer risk. In this study, the composition and acute biological impact of emissions of state-of-the-art wood combustion compliances: masonry heater (MH) and pellet boiler (PB) were investigated. Therefore A549 cells were exposed to emission aerosols in an automated air-liquid interface exposure station followed by cytotoxicity, transcriptome and proteome analyses. In parallel, aerosols were subjected to a chemical and physical haracterization. Compared to PB, the MH combustion at the same dilution ratio resulted in a 3-fold higher particle mass concentration (PM2.5) and deposited dose (PB: 27 $\pm$ 2 ng/cm2, MH; 73 $\pm$ 12 ng/cm2). Additionally, the MH aerosol displayed a substantially larger concentration of aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) or oxidized PAH. Gene ontology analysis of transcriptome of A549 cells exposed to MH emissions revealed the activation of proinflammatory response and key signaling cascades MAP kinase and JAK-STAT. Furthermore, CYP1A1, an essential enzyme in PAH metabolism, was induced. PB combustion aerosol activated the proinflammatory marker IL6 and different transport processes. The proteomics data uncovered induction of DNA damage-associated proteins in response to PB and DNA doublestrand break processing proteins in response to MH emissions. Taking together, the MH produces emissions with a higher particle dose and more toxic compounds while causing only mild biological responses. This finding points to a significant mitigating effect of antioxidative compounds in MH wood smoke

Ravitsemuksen ja levon vaikutus ensihoitajan työssäjaksamiseen : Juliste ja PowerPoint-esitys Pohjois-Karjalan pelastuslaitokselle

Ravitsemuksen tehtävä on antaa elimistölle polttoainetta päivittäisen toimintakyvyn ylläpitoon. Hyvän ravitsemuksen toteutumiseen voidaan vaikuttaa noudattamalla säännöllistä ateriarytmiä, sekä kiinnittämällä huomiota ravinnon laatuun ja määrään. Oikeanlaisella ravitsemuksella ja sopivalla levon ja aktiviteetin suhteella on selkeä yhteys työssäjaksamiseen ja työhyvinvointiin, sekä työvuorosta palautumiseen. Nämä asiat korostuvat ensihoitajan ammatissa, jossa tehdään yleisesti pitkiä, 12 tunnista 24 tuntiin kestäviä työvuoroja. Tämän toiminnallisen opinnäytetyön tarkoitus on tuoda Pohjois-Karjalan pelastuslaitoksen ensihoitajille tietoutta terveellisestä ravitsemuksesta ja oikeanlaisen levon merkityksestä työssäjaksamiseen paloasemille jaettavan julisteen ja PowerPoint-esityksen avulla. Toimeksiantajana toimi Pohjois-Karjalan pelastuslaitos ja työ tehtiin alusta asti vastaamaan toimeksiantajan toiveita. Opinnäytetyön jatkotutkimuksena voidaan tutkia ensihoitajien elimistössä tapahtuvia muutoksia työvuoroon valmistautuessa ja siitä palautuessa.The function of nutrition is to provide the body with fuel to maintain its daily functional capacity. Good nutritional status can be achieved by eating regular meals and by paying attention to the quality and quantity of the consumed food. Healthy nutrition and an appropriate ratio between rest and activity have a clear connection to coping and well-being at work. It also makes it easier to recover between shifts. These issues are emphasised in the profession of a paramedic, where there are long shifts lasting from 12 to 24 hours. The purpose of this practice-based thesis was to increase awareness among the paramedics employed by the North Karelia Rescue Department of healthy nutrition and the importance of proper rest on coping at work. The method was to distribute posters to Rescue Departments in the area of North Karelia and to add a PowerPoint presentation in their joint Moodle Environment. This thesis was commissioned by North Karelia Rescue Department and the focus was, from the beginning, to meet the needs of the client. A further study of this thesis could focus on physical changes that occur in a paramedic’s body while getting ready or recovering from a shift

Synthesis of solid NMC622 particles by spray drying, post-annealing and lithiation

Funding Information: The research leading to these results has received funding from Business Finland BatCircle and BatCircle2 projects (5867/31/2018 and 44836/31/2020), Umicore Finland Oy and University of Eastern Finland. We kindly thank Mrs. Virpi Miettinen of SIB Labs for the help during the EM specimen cross-sectioning method development. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Society of Powder Technology JapanLayered lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (NMC) cathode materials are widely used in Li-ion batteries that require high energy densities, such as those used in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). Here we studied the synthesis of NMC622 particles by spray pyrolysis, which is a simple one-step process for production of spherical particles. However, synthesising NMC powder using spray pyrolysis has a tendency to produce hollow NMC particles. To gain insight into the mechanism behind the formation of the hollow particles, one dimensional numerical simulation of the physical and chemical phenomena taking place during spray drying were carried out. The effects of several process parameters, including drying air temperature, drying air mass flow rate, and liquid feed mass flow rate, on the evaporation and particle formation process were studied. The increased evaporation rate at higher temperatures was found to result in crust formation on the droplet surface during the particleformation, and thus, in lower solid volume fractions in the dried particles. However, by optimizing the process parameters production of solid NMC622 sulphate particles by spray drying was achieved. The produced NMC622 sulphate particles were then oxidised and lithiated in air at 850 °C via the conventional thermal treatment process. Four lithium precursors, LiOH, Li2CO3, Li2SO4 and LiNO3, were tested for the lithiation of the oxidized NMC particles. The degree of lithiation and the crystalline phase of the powders were determined using ICP-OES and XRD, respectively.Peer reviewe