Life cycle assessment of coated abrasives and polishing agents : Case Mirka

This thesis presents and discusses the lifecycle assessment (LCA) of coated abrasives and polishing agents. The thesis was commissioned by Mirka Ltd. in 2020 and it’s aims are to 1) establish the environmental impact (as carbon and water footprints) of coated abrasives and polishing agents throughout the products’ life cycles and 2) compare the carbon footprint of three abrasives with the results from Henriksson’s 2012 thesis. The LCA methodology is standardised through the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards and the number of LCA studies commissioned by companies is increasing. However, in the sanding solutions industry specifically are there yet not many published LCA studies. For this study the standardised LCA methodology was used, with background data from the ecoinvent 3.6 database and foreground data collected through Mirka employees. Data collected for the establishment of the environmental impact was made up of a sample of four PAPER, two PLASTIC, two NET and one TEXTILE coated abrasive products and four polishing agents. Data collected for the comparison included the products PRODUCT 1, PRODUCT 2 and PRODUCT 3. The data was assessed in the OpenLCA 1.10.2 software with the ReCiPe Midpoint (H) V1.13 method. The results show that one major contributor to the environmental impact is the raw material, followed by production for coated abrasives and packaging for polishing agents. The large impact of air freight is highlighted in the assessment of the distribution. The discussion on the end-of-life stage finds waste-to-energy (WtE) to be the most suitable option for the coated abrasives, with recycling or reuse the preferred option for the packaging materials. In the comparative assessment it is found that Mirka’s transition to WtE technology at the Jepua facility has zeroed the facility’s production impact. With the biggest environmental impact areas identified, Mirka can now search for solutions to lower their impact and have a benchmark to track their progress against.Denna pro gradu avhandling presenterar och diskuterar livscykelanalysen (LCA) på sandpapper och polermedel. Avhandlingen som beställdes av Mirka Ltd. år 2020 har som mål att 1) etablera miljöpåverkan (koldioxid- och vattenfotavtryck) av sandpapper och polermedel under produkternas livscykel och 2) jämföra tre sandpappers koldioxidfotavtryck med resultaten från Henrikssons slutarbete från 2012. LCA metoden är standardiserad genom standarderna ISO 14040 och ISO 14044 och efterfrågan på LCA studier ökar bland företag. Inom slipmaterialsindustrin har det dock ännu inte publicerats någon större mängd LCA studier. I denna studie användes den standardiserade LCA metoden, med bakgrundsdata från ecoinvent 3.6 databasen och förgrundsdata som är insamlat i samarbete med anställda på Mirka. För etablering av produkternas miljöpåverkan samlades data ur ett stickprov på fem pappers- (PAPER), två plast- (PLASTIC) och två nätprodukter (NET), samt en textilprodukt (TEXTILE) ur sandpapperskategorin och fyra polermedel. Data för jämförelsen inkluderade produkterna PRODUCT 1, PRODUCT 2 och PRODUCT 3. Analysen gjordes i programvaran OpenLCA 1.10.2 med metoden ReCiPe Midpoint (H) V1.13. Enligt resultaten har råmaterialen den största inverkan på produkternas miljöpåverkan, med produktionen för sandpappren och förpackningsmaterialen för polermedlen på andra plats. Den höga påverkan av flygtransport synliggörs i analysen av distributionen. I diskussionen angående graven-delen av produkternas livscykel är slutsatsen att avfallsenergiprocesser är det bästa alternativet för sandpapper, medan återvinning eller återanvändning är att föredra för förpackningsmaterialen. I den jämförande delen synliggörs det att Mirkas övergång till avfallsförbränning som huvudsaklig energikälla vid fabriken i Jeppo har nollat fabrikens koldioxidfotavtryck för produktionen. När områden med den största miljöpåverkan nu identifierade kan Mirka hitta lösningar för att sänka deras påverkan och ha en baslinje att jämföra framstegen mot

Network approach to fundamental tasks in knowledge-based organizations

Organizational networks are increasingly drawing the attention of management scholars worldwide. It is commonly expected that certain intra-organizational network structures predict how well the individual, the group, and the firm will perform. This study focuses on the structures and management of intra-organizational networks in knowledge-based organizations, studied with a literature review and with three separate research settings. The settings include the network perspective on the development of a professional service, network analysis of team communication structures, and communication networks among employees in a professional service firm. It is argued in the study that a firm utilizes its knowledge resources in value creation with intra-organizational networks. An essential insight of the study is that production, development and idea generation are the fundamental tasks of a firm, and by managing the intra-organizational networks in these tasks successfully, the firm can find a sustained competitive advantage compared to other firms in the market. The study consists of four papers and an introductory part. Based on the literature review presented in Paper I, it is stated that the structure of a production network is centralized, a development network is distributed, and an idea generation network decentralized. According to the theme-based interview study presented in Paper II, each task-related network needs different management initiatives. In Paper III, it is argued on the basis of theory and a case that the ideal communication network structure of a team in production tasks is hierarchical, in development tasks it is core-periphery, and idea generation tasks are ego-centric. According to the results of statistical analysis in Paper IV, the communication network structure in routine tasks is dense, whereas in non-routine tasks it is sparse. It is also shown in Paper IV that centrality in intra-organizational networks predicts employees' performance according to their roles. Individuals in non-routine roles (managers) benefit more from centrality compared to individuals in routine roles (professionals). The results of the study indicate that there is no one optimal network structure, but many, according to the task. Theoretically, the distinction between the three task-related networks is evident, but in the case study in Paper III, the development network and idea generation network were difficult to distinguish from each other. Therefore, in empirical research, the distinction between routine and non-routine tasks is more useful, as shown in Paper IV. According to the results of Paper IV, centrality predicts employees' performance less than expected - only the managers in a professional service firm seemed to enjoy positive consequences of centrality measured with performance at work. As a managerial implication of the study, it is suggested that managing the three task-related organizational networks separately, the firm will achieve improved simultaneous scanning of the environment, seizing opportunities and transformation of the organization - mechanisms also known as the dynamic capabilities of the firm. The study is related to the disciplines of knowledge management, strategic management, network theory and social capital

Using Fluency Training to Enhance the Conjugation of Spanish Verbs

This study explored whether a treatment package that included fluency training, Precision Teaching, multiple discrimination, matching to sample, and cumulative practice procedures could teach students to correctly translate noun clauses such as April cried from English to Spanish and correctly conjugate the Spanish verb in the clauses even though the conjugation had not been directly trained. The verbs were in the past tense (preterit) and drawn from three classes such that verb inflection in Spanish was identical for verbs within a class and with only a few exceptions different for verbs from different classes. Three students who could not correctly inflect these verbs used special software for 20 min daily on their own and came to the laboratory twice weekly to verify their training. Multiple discrimination procedures taught translation from English to Spanish of nouns and verbs as well as the conjugation of two members of each verb class. Matching to sample procedures established the three verb classes. The major issue was transfer: When participants translated, could they conjugate the Spanish verbs whose conjugations had not been directly trained? Three transfer tests were constructed. Each test contained English clauses that when translated required Spanish verbs from one class. An additional test included clauses from all the tests. These training procedures and battery of tests were arranged to form, at the level of each participant, a multiple probe design replicated across verb classes. The treatment package was effective for one participant who came to fluently translate and conjugate at rates comparable to those of an experience bilingual speaker. This outcome was not replicated with the other two participants. These failures to replicate were discussed and suggestions for future research were presented

Optometristin sijoittuminen valmistumisen jälkeen ja siihen vaikuttavat asiat

Vuonna 2008 alkanut taantuma on johtanut yhdessä optisen alan rakennemuutoksen kanssa optikkoliikkeiden määrän vähentymiseen. Rakennemuutoksen vaikutuksesta kaupan- ja terveydenhuollon aloilla on tehostettu toimintaa suurentamalla yksikkökokoja ja keskittymällä ketjuliikkeiden yleistämiseen. Tämän seurauksena optikoiden avoimet työpaikat ovat vähentyneet ja samalla työttömien työnhakijoiden määrä on kasvanut. Tutkimuksemme tarkoituksena oli selvittää vastavalmistuneiden optometristien sijoittumista ja siihen vaikuttavia asioita. Tavoitteena oli saada hyödyllistä tietoa, jonka avulla voitaisiin suunnitella keinoja vastavalmistuneiden optometristien työllistymisen edistämiseksi. Lisäksi tavoitteena oli selkeyttää nykyistä optikoiden työtilannetta ja siihen vaikuttavia tekijöitä opiskelijoille, kouluille, alan järjestöille ja työelämän eri tahoille. Tutkimuksemme oli kvantitatiivinen, ja se toteutettiin sähköisenä kyselytutkimuksena Oulun ammattikorkeakoulusta ja Helsingin Metropolia-ammattikorkeakoulusta vuonna 2010–2013 valmistuneille optometristeille. Toimeksiantajamme oli Oulun ammattikorkeakoulu. Kysely tehtiin ja analysoitiin Webropol-ohjelmalla. Kyselyyn vastasi 122 henkilöä 254:stä kyseisinä vuosina valmistuneista optometristeista. Tutkimuksestamme voidaan tehdä johtopäätös, että melkein kaikki vastavalmistuneet optometristit saavat optometristin tutkintoa vastaavan työpaikan ja se saadaan suhteellisen pian valmistumisesta. Positiivista oli, että alaa vaihtaneita on todella vähän. Työpaikkaa hakiessa täytyy olla kuitenkin oma-aloitteinen, koska vastavalmistuneet optometristit kokivat työpaikan kysymistä suoraan työnantajalta edesauttavimmaksi asiaksi työllistymisessä tutkintoa vastaavalle alalle. Tuloksiamme voidaan hyödyntää vastavalmistuneiden optometristien työllistymisen edistämiseksi. Alan järjestöt ja koulut pystyvät vastaamaan paremmin vastavalmistuneiden työllisyyttä koskeviin kysymyksiin. Lisäksi positiivisten tutkimustulostemme myötä he voivat motivoida alan opiskelijoita valmistumaan ja jatkamaan uralla eteenpäin.Recession that began in 2008, together with structural changes in optical field has contributed to decreasing number of optical stores. Due to these changes the trade and health care field have boosted performance by extending unit sizes and focusing on generalizing chain stores. This has led to a decline in vacant positions of opticians and at the same time the number of unemployed applicants has increased. The purpose of our study was to find out the state of transition of optometrists from school to post-graduation life and issues related to it. Our aim was to gain useful information with which the means of the employment of newly graduated optometrists could be promoted. Furthermore our aim was to clarify the current work situation of opticians and conditions or phenomenons that impact it to students, schools, optical organisations and working life. Our study was quantitative and it was implemented as an electronic survey to the optometrists graduated between years 2010 and 2013 from Oulu University of Applied Sciences and Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. Survey data was collected and analyzed using Webropol. The number of graduates responding to the survey was 122 out of 254 graduated. From our research it can be concluded that nearly every newly graduated optometrist is employed in a job that corresponds their degree and that the employment takes place relatively soon after graduation. On another positive note there were only few of those who have changed their field after graduation. When applying for a job the graduate has to be initiative as according to our study the biggest contributor to ones employment was asking for a job straight from an employer. Results of this study could be used to promote employment of newly graduated optometrists. Optical organisations and schools can answer better to questions regarding employment of newly graduated optometrists. In addition to this they can further motivate students of the field to graduate and continue on their career

Firm Strategies in Open Internet of Things Business Ecosystems: Framework and Case Study

We present a typology of strategies employed by firms using the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT is a distributed network of connected physical objects. As these devices exchange data with each other instead of through an intermediary, the IoT increases complexity of business ecosystems, and opens up new business opportunities. When the platform owner does not own the data and technology is mostly open source, other actors can use and build on them. In addition to platform owner’s strategy, we propose a framework with three additional strategies, based on whether the firms’ offering integrates into the specific industrial value chain or contributes to the IoT ecosystem, and whether the firm offering is by nature stand-alone or systemic. With a multiple case study design, we explore this framework in the setting of 23 firms in a large research project context. The descriptions of the identified IoT strategies support our framework

"Juustohöylä kasvaa viikatteeksi": Mediayhtiöiden yt-neuvotteluiden merkityksellistyminen verkkouutisissa

Tutkimuksen tavoite oli selvittää, millaiseksi mediayhtiöiden yt-neuvottelut merkityksellistyvät verkkouutisissa. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu vuoden 2012 alun ja vuoden 2014 kevään välillä verkossa julkaistuista media-alan yt-neuvotteluiden uutisista, joita kertyi yhteensä 144. Analyysi alkoi mediayhtiöiden yt-neuvotteluista kertovan verkkouutisen rakenteen selvittämisellä, jossa käytettiin Ruqaiya Hasanin geneerisen rakennepotentiaalin mallia. Seuraavaksi selvitettiin diskurssianalyysin avulla, miten mediayhtiöiden yt-neuvotteluja merkityksellistetään. Analyysin työkaluina käytettiin M.A.K. Hallidayn systeemis-funktionaalista teoriaa. Lisäksi diskurssien ilmenemistä aineistossa tutkittiin määrällisesti. Rakenteen analysointi tuotti kaksi rakennemallia: yt-neuvotteluiden alkamista ja loppumista koskevan uutisen mallit. Rakennemallit koostuvat erilaisista jaksoista, jotka antavat lisätietoa uutisten sisällöistä. Diskurssianalyysin tuloksena muodostui viisi diskurssia, jotka ovat journalismin laatu, jaksaminen koetuksella, median muutos, toiminnan kannattavuus ja sisältöjen painotus. Määrällinen tarkastelu osoitti, että toiminnan kannattavuus -diskurssi on aineiston käytetyin (65/144). Toiseksi yleisin on median muutos (54/144), kolmanneksi sisältöjen painotus (31/144), neljänneksi jaksaminen koetuksella (27/144) ja viidenneksi journalismin laatu (23/144). Lisäksi määrällisellä tarkastelulla saatiin organisaatiokohtaista tietoa diskurssien käyttämisestä. Mediayhtiöiden yt-neuvottelut merkityksellistyvät verkkouutisissa journalismin laatuun vaikuttavaksi asiaksi, mutta myös henkilöstöön ja sen jaksamiseen negatiivisesti vaikuttavaksi asiaksi. Lisäksi mediayhtiöiden yt-neuvottelut merkityksellityvät median muutoksen seuraukseksi ja toiminnan kannattavuuteen liittyväksi asiaksi. Yt-neuvottelut merkityksellistyvät myös asiaksi, joka aiheuttaa muutoksia lehtien sisältöihin ja kanavapainotuksiin. Tutkimus paljasti myös sen, että medioiden sisällöt ovat toisteisia, eikä juttuja laadittaessa ole juurikaan tehty niin sanottua journalistista selvitystyötä.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Increased size and cellularity of advanced atherosclerotic lesions in mice with endothelial overexpression of the human TRPC3 channel

In previous in vitro studies, we showed that Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 3 (TRPC3), a calcium-permeable, nonselective cation channel endowed with high constitutive function, is an obligatory component of the inflammatory signaling that controls expression of the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and monocyte adhesion to coronary artery endothelial cells. Also, TRPC3 expression in these cells was found to be up-regulated by proatherogenic factors, which enhanced inflammation and VCAM-1 expression. However, it remained to be determined whether these in vitro findings were of relevance to atherosclerotic lesion development in vivo. To answer this important question in the present work, we generated mice with endothelial-specific overexpression of human TRPC3 in an Apoe knockout background (TgEST3ApoeKO) and examined lesions in the aortic sinus following 10 and 16 wk on a high-fat diet. No significant differences were found in size or complexity of early stage lesions (10 wk). However, advanced plaques (16 wk) from TgEST3ApoeKO mice exhibited a significant increase in size and macrophage content compared with nontransgenic littermate controls. Remarkably, this change was correlated with increased VCAM-1 and phospho-IkBα immunoreactivity along the endothelial lining of lesions from transgenic animals compared with controls. These findings validate the in vivo relevance of previous in vitro findings and represent, to our knowledge, the first in vivo evidence for a proatherogenic role of endothelial TRPC3.Fil: Smedlund, Kathryn B.. University of Toledo College of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Birnbaumer, Lutz. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Estados Unidos. Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica; ChileFil: Vazquez, Guillermo. University of Toledo College of Medicine; Estados Unido

New knowledge networks of small-scale farmers in Europe’s periphery

Funding for this research was provided by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 311994, and the Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Programme (2011–2016).In this paper we assess the types of knowledge networks utilised by small-scale farmers in four case studies (located in Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom). We focus on knowledge acquired to inform three new activities being undertaken by study participants: agricultural production, subsidy access and regulatory compliance, and farm diversification (specifically agritourism). Findings demonstrate that the new knowledge networks are dominated by different forms of expertise: formal ‘agricultural advisors’ identified in the case studies primarily offer codified managerial knowledge through centralised networks, suggesting that state-funded services for small-scale farmers are largely embedded in traditional, linear models of knowledge transfer. Production and diversification knowledge is exchanged through ‘distributed’ and ‘decentralised’ networks, where a range of actors are involved across varying geographical distances. Findings highlight issues associated with the quality and independence of both ‘free’ and paid advice, as well as the importance of combining tacit and codified knowledge for credibility. In all four cases, we found that small-scale farmers utilise formal advisory services primarily for accessing subsidies (e.g. completing application forms), rather than acquiring production knowledge. The authors argue that by utilising the state funding allocated to advisory services for small-scale farmers primarily to enable these farmers to access subsidies, important opportunities for innovation by both advisors or farmers can be lost.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe