Modeling supply chain costs in the automotive manufacturing industry: The case of Valmet Automotive

This thesis examines mathematical modeling as a means to improve profitability. The research is focused on studying supply chain cost drivers and their potential in regard to cost reduction in the automotive manufacturing industry, where the role of supply chain management is significant because of the capital intensive, fast paced, and high volume nature of the business. Hence, supportive tools for decision making are highly valuable. Therefore, the objective of this study is to develop a total supply chain costing model that can be used to add value to business primarily in the automotive manufacturing sector. Despite its significance, surprisingly little research has been published on the subject of supply chain costs in manufacturing in general, let alone modeling of supply chain costs in the automotive manufacturing industry. Research into costing has been published in management accounting literature, but supply chain management is rarely represented. Simulation and optimization models have been developed, even in the automotive sector, but they are usually very case specific, and discuss mostly manufacturing or distribution related modeling problems. Therefore, this thesis aims to contribute to filling the research gap in modeling total supply chain costs in automotive manufacturing by extending the knowledge of both modeling methods and supply chain cost drivers in the automotive sector. This research is conducted as a case study of a Finnish automotive contract manufacturer, Valmet Automotive Inc., that expressed the need to develop a supply chain costing model to streamline its supply chain processes and generate cost savings through improved understanding and control of its supply chain cost drivers. A literature review of the topic informs the theoretical basis for constructing the costing model. In addition to theory, the mechanics and mathematical formulas of the model are developed based on participant observations and informal interviews with supply chain professionals at the case company. Moreover, verification and validation of the costing model is carried out together with the case company's supply chain managers. The output of this thesis is a validated total supply chain costing model that was taken into use at the case company. Experimentation proved that the developed model can be used to add value to the case company's business in forms of cost saving, supply chain process streamlining and performance follow up. Moreover, supply chain managers can utilize the costing model as a strategic planning tool and as a supportive tool for decision making. Lastly, by providing an innovative case study of modeling supply chain costs in the automotive manufacturing industry, this thesis has contributed to the research into supply chain cost drivers and their modeling in the automotive manufacturing context

Magnetic resonance imaging- based radiation therapy treatment planning

This work studied the conversion of the magnetic resonance images to synthetic heterogeneous computed tomography (CT) images, so-called pseudo-CT images. The study focused on updating and modifying a previously introduced conversion technique. Ultimate objective of this study was to verify the technique after a hardware and software update of the MR scanner. This included adjustments of the image conversion algorithms and integration of these into a medical image processing software. Additionally, this work aimed to use automatic bone segmentation atlas with the technique. The updated technique was verified for prostate cancer patients. This work aimed also to evaluate possibilities to adopt the technique for other patient groups and with different MR scanner. The evaluation included measurement for geometric accuracy in MR images. Average local difference in Hounsfield units (HU) between pseudo-CT and actual CT images for soft- and bony tissues were -1±13 HU and -10±139 HU, respectively. Measurement points in soft tissue had coverage of 89 % with smaller absolute error than 20 HUs. In bony tissue average of 88 % of the measurement points were within 200 HU error margin. The dose difference between pseudo-CT and actual CT images was -0.4 % ± 0.2%. Dose difference in PTV for automated bone contouring against user corrected bone volumes was 0.1 % ± 0.1 %. The calculated dose in heterogeneous pseudo-CT was shown statistically significantly (p = 0.0014) more accurate compared to that in simplified pseudo-CT. The geometric error was within 1.1 mm for distances shorter than 20 cm from isocenter with two scanners. Preliminary pseudo-CT images were created with modified conversion algorithms for thigh and abdomen. Magnetic resonance imaging- based radiation therapy treatment planning provides reliable method for radiotherapy treatment in pelvic areas reaching the requirements in patient care. This study showed that the MR image conversion technique can be adjusted in case of updates in MR platform. The examinations suggested also that it seems doable to adopt the MR image conversion technique to different body parts and with different MR scanners

Feasibility of MRI-only treatment planning for proton therapy in brain and prostate cancers: Dose calculation accuracy in substitute CT images

Peer reviewe

Sharing risk experiences of polydrug use on YouTube

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss what kinds of messages about the risks of polydrug use are mediated in YouTube video blogs and on what kinds of norms and values do the vloggers base these messages. Design/methodology/approach The data consist of 12 YouTube videos where vloggers share their own experiences of the risks and harms of polydrug use. In the analysis, the actantial model of Greimas' theory of structural semiotics was applied. Findings Two main types of videos were identified - sobriety and controlled use - where polydrug use has different meanings. In sobriety videos, polydrug use is presented as the heavy use of multiple substances. In the videos dealing with controlled use, polydrug use is taken as the combining of certain substances. Whereas the sobriety videos emphasized total abstinence from all substances due to their destructiveness, the videos about controlled use emphasized risk awareness when combining substances. Despite modern digital media and a new generation operating in this space, the messages of the risks of polydrug use mainly repeat those of familiar discourses. Originality/value This paper offers an analytical insight into the ways in which the risks of polydrug use are conceptualized in a YouTube context that is increasingly gaining a foothold among the youth. Greimas' actantial model offers a fruitful tool to find semiotic meanings that hide under the surface. The model has not been applied in previous drug research.Peer reviewe

Motion modeling from 4D MR images of liver simulating phantom

Background and purpose A novel method of retrospective liver modeling was developed based on four-dimensional magnetic resonance (4D-MR) images. The 4D-MR images will be utilized in generation of the subject-specific deformable liver model to be used in radiotherapy planning (RTP). The purpose of this study was to test and validate the developed 4D-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method with extensive phantom tests. We also aimed to build a motion model with image registration methods from liver simulating phantom images. Materials and methods A deformable phantom was constructed by combining deformable tissue-equivalent material and a programmable 4D CIRS-platform. The phantom was imaged in 1.5 T MRI scanner with T2-weighted 4D SSFSE and T1-weighted Ax dual-echo Dixon SPGR sequences, and in computed tomography (CT). In addition, geometric distortion of the 4D sequence was measured with a GRADE phantom. The motion model was developed; the phases of the 4D-MRI were used as surrogate data, and displacement vector fields (DVF's) were used as a motion measurement. The motion model and the developed 4D-MRI method were evaluated and validated with extensive tests. Result The 4D-MRI method enabled an accuracy of 2 mm using our deformable phantom compared to the 4D-CT. Results showed a mean accuracy of <2 mm between coordinates and DVF's measured from the 4D images. Three-dimensional geometric accuracy results with the GRADE phantom were: 0.9-mm mean and 2.5 mm maximum distortion within a 100 mm distance, and 2.2 mm mean, 5.2 mm maximum distortion within a 150 mm distance from the isocenter. Conclusions The 4D-MRI method was validated with phantom tests as a necessary step before patient studies. The subject-specific motion model was generated and will be utilized in the generation of the deformable liver model of patients to be used in RTP.Background and purpose A novel method of retrospective liver modeling was developed based on four-dimensional magnetic resonance (4D-MR) images. The 4D-MR images will be utilized in generation of the subject-specific deformable liver model to be used in radiotherapy planning (RTP). The purpose of this study was to test and validate the developed 4D-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method with extensive phantom tests. We also aimed to build a motion model with image registration methods from liver simulating phantom images. Materials and methods A deformable phantom was constructed by combining deformable tissue-equivalent material and a programmable 4D CIRS-platform. The phantom was imaged in 1.5 T MRI scanner with T2-weighted 4D SSFSE and T1-weighted Ax dual-echo Dixon SPGR sequences, and in computed tomography (CT). In addition, geometric distortion of the 4D sequence was measured with a GRADE phantom. The motion model was developed; the phases of the 4D-MRI were used as surrogate data, and displacement vector fields (DVF's) were used as a motion measurement. The motion model and the developed 4D-MRI method were evaluated and validated with extensive tests. Result The 4D-MRI method enabled an accuracy of 2 mm using our deformable phantom compared to the 4D-CT. Results showed a mean accuracy ofPeer reviewe

Electroblown titanium dioxide and titanium dioxide/silicon dioxide submicron fibers with and without titania nanorod layer for strontium(II) uptake

Nuclear power is a clean alternative to fossil fuels. However, the use of nuclear energy generates hazardous fission products of which 90Sr is the second most important. To remove Sr2+ from aqueous solutions, we synthesized submicron TiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 composite fibers with Ti : Si molar ratios of 3 : 1 (3TiO2–1SiO2) and 1 : 1 (1TiO2–1SiO2) utilizing a novel electroblowing technique. After calcination at 500 °C, the TiO2 and 3TiO2–1SiO2 fibers had a predominantly anatase TiO2 structure with portions of rutile and brookite but the crystallites in the 3TiO2–1SiO2 fibers were smaller due to the SiO2 component. The 1TiO2–1SiO2 fibers were quasi-amorphous. Rutile TiO2 nanorods were grown on the fibers by a hydrothermal method. The rods seemed to grow only on the TiO2 domains of the fiber surface, which affected their size and morphology. In batch adsorption experiments all the fibers had excellent Sr2+ uptake with the hydrothermally modified TiO2 fibers having the highest distribution coefficient (Kd) of 3,490,000 mL g−1. The results show that both anatase and rutile TiO2 can efficiently adsorb Sr2+ from an aqueous environment. Hardly any damage was observed in the nanorods on the TiO2 fibers in a column operation test with flow rates up to 74 mL h−1 which is promising for the use of the fibers in industrial column mode wastewater treatment.Peer reviewe

Intensity-based dual model method for generation of synthetic CT images from standard T2-weighted MR images - Generalized technique for four different MR scanners

Background and purpose: Recent studies have shown that it is possible to conduct entire radiotherapy treatment planning (RTP) workflow using only MR images. This study aims to develop a generalized intensity-based method to generate synthetic CT (sCT) images from standard T2-weighted (T2(W)) MR images of the pelvis. Materials and methods: This study developed a generalized dual model HU conversion method to convert standard T2(W) MR image intensity values to synthetic HU values, separately inside and outside of atlas-segmented bone volume contour. The method was developed and evaluated with 20 and 35 prostate cancer patients, respectively. MR images with scanning sequences in clinical use were acquired with four different MR scanners of three vendors. Results: For the generated synthetic CT (sCT) images of the 35 prostate patients, the mean (and maximal) HU differences in soft and bony tissue volumes were 16 +/- 6 HUs (34 HUs) and -46 +/- 56 HUs (181 HUs), respectively, against the true CT images. The average of the PTV mean dose difference in sCTs compared to those in true CTs was -0.6 +/- 0.4% (-1.3%). Conclusions: The study provides a generalized method for sCT creation from standard T2(W) images of the pelvis. The method produced clinically acceptable dose calculation results for all the included scanners and MR sequences. (c) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Kaukokartoitus ja metsäkoneiden sensorit metsien monimuotoisuus­indikaattorien seurannassa

Tässä kirjallisuuskatsauksessa tarkastellaan, millaista metsien monimuotoisuutta kuvaavaa tietoa voidaan saada nykyaikaisen kaukokartoitus- ja sensoritekniikan avulla. Käsittely keskittyy Suomeen, Ruotsiin ja Norjaan, missä metsät, ilmasto-olot ja teknologiset valmiudet sekä käytetyt teknologiat ovat samankaltaisia. Laserkeilaimia ja kuvantavia monikanavasensoreita voidaan asentaa monenlaisille liikkuville alustoille: satelliitteihin, lentokoneisiin, drooneihin ja metsäkoneisiin. Mitä lähempää kohdetta havainnoidaan, sitä tarkempaa tietoa saadaan, mutta sitä pienempi on myös kerralla havainnoitu pinta-ala. Yleisesti käytetyistä monimuotoisuuden indikaattoreista suurikokoisten säästöpuiden määrää, puuston eri-ikäisrakenteisuutta ja vesistöjen suojavyöhykkeitä voidaan havainnoida suhteellisen luotettavasti Suomessa laajalti saatavilla olevilla lentolaserkeilausaineistoilla. Lahopuun ja vähälukuisten puulajien, kuten haavan (Populus tremula L.), tunnistaminen onnistuu tällä hetkellä esimerkiksi droonien avulla pienille alueille kerrallaan, mutta riittävän tarkan tiedon saaminen suuralueille vaatii nykyistä tarkemman tekniikan käyttöönottamista lentokoneilla tehtävissä kartoituksissa. Tietyille eläin- ja kasvilajeille sopivia elinympäristöjä voidaan kartoittaa suuriltakin alueilta, mutta esimerkiksi pintakasvillisuudesta ei käytännössä vielä saada riittävän tarkkoja suoria havaintoja. Kaukokartoitus soveltuu kuitenkin hyvin maastoinventointien kohdentamiseen oikeisiin paikkoihin. Metsäkonetietoa hyödyntämällä on mahdollista dokumentoida hakkuissa tehdyt tekopökkelöt ja säästöpuuryhmän tai muun käsittelemättömän alueen, esimerkiksi vesistön tai pienveden suojavyöhykkeen, avainbiotoopin, suojeltavan alueen tai riistatiheikön ympäriltä hakatut rungot. Hyödynnettäessä metsäkonetietoa metsäluonnon monimuotoisuuden mittaamisessa ja seurannassa tärkein asia juuri nyt on parantaa hakkuukoneen hakkuulaitteen sijaintitiedon tarkkuutta anturoimalla hakkuukoneen puomi. Tulevaisuudessa tavoitteena on oltava automatisoitu metsäluonnon monimuotoisuuden mittaaminen ja dokumentointi puunkorjuuoperaatioiden yhteydessä, mikä edellyttää metsäkoneen sensorointia. Tarkan, automatisoidun monimuotoisuustiedon tuottaminen metsäkoneissa olevilla sensoreilla on todennäköisesti mahdollista toteuttaa tällä vuosikymmenellä. Yhteenvetona kaukokartoitus- ja sensoritekniikka mahdollistaa tulevaisuudessa huomattavasti nykyistä tarkemman metsien monimuotoisuutta kuvaavan tiedon keräämisen myös suuralueilta. Tarkimpaan lopputulokseen päästään yhdistämällä useista eri lähteistä peräisin olevia tietoja