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Inducing Lorentz Force in the Eye Using Magnetic Fields
No full textGlaucoma is an eye condition where optical nerves are damaged and the information transmission is either partially or completely impaired. To prevent Glaucoma medical devices known as tonometers are available on the market, and they usually operate with the Imbert-Fick law, which is a relationship between the applied force and the applanation surface. This work aims to provide an analysis for an alternative magnetic field based non-contact tonometer idea. For this, first, the theory part was established that aims to describes the electromagnetic theory behind the force induction on the eye. Second, coil geometries were parameterized and build in COMSOL Multiphysics.
Finally, these geometries were simulated, results were recorded, and analyzed, and then optimizations for the geometries were made. The force distributions obtained within the eye were recorded along with the total forces calculated, then those values were compared to some reference values obtained through research. The final force value for the first coil geometry is calculated as 0.19 μN, and the force distribution resembles a ring type distribution around the edges of the due to symmetry. The second geometry yields maximum force of 74 nN, and the force distribution is maximum at the center surface of the cornea. Ultimately, this work has given a theoretical and simulation results for idea of such devices as well as highlighting the further necessary research required
Following the Director’s Vision, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Think Through the Lens
No full textThis theoretical master’s thesis examines the concept of director’s vision and its realisation in conventional film production processes, with a particular emphasis on the visual execution of director’s vision and the factors affecting it. The research is based on cinema and visual arts literature, interviews with film directors, sociological studies and the author's learning diaries. The core of the study has been built on film directors' accounts that illustrate the artistic processes of the director, with supplementary research on social aspects of teamwork and leadership. I heavily intertwine the theory with my personal history, filmography and journey as an artist, investigating the experience of directing my master's thesis film Special Kinda Bad Feeling (2024) with distinct attention and in-depth detail.
The director is the artistic leader of the film, therefore responsible for the overall creative endeavour, setting the qualitative tone for the work and carrying the overarching thread of the film alone. Every detail that is significant to the film’s comprehensive integrity has been scrutinised by the director at some point in the production process. Director’s vision is a concept that encapsulates something fundamental about the director’s role as a visual storyteller. The objective of this research is to clarify this concept and to find out how the director can keep their vision fresh and alive when faced with opposing views and disputes by their collaborators. My primary research question is: How does the director navigate their way to authentically realise their vision, and a way of seeing, on screen?
The outcome of the thesis provided a deep understanding of the director’s creative processes: The Layer Theory (the theoretical definition of director’s vision) and A Director’s Manifesto (the practical execution of director’s vision) were established. Based on uncommercial measures of artistic success, A Director’s Manifesto outlines the steps that the film director may take in order to realise their vision as truthfully as possible: adopt the identity of a conscious auteur director, carefully select creative collaborators, (co-)produce and inventively match vision to the resources available, as well as continuing to practice their craft despite lack of funding.
The research could be further developed into practical tools to support the realisation of director's vision. Instinctive and arational subjective decision-making emerged as a key theme in the research and its importance to artistic processes could also be further studied. Moreover, a follow-up study based on an active practise of A Director’s Manifesto and the resulting films could be an advantageous addition in further theoretical research relating to the aforementioned topics.Tässä teoreettisessa maisterityössä käsitellään ohjaajan visiota ja sen toteutumista tavanomaisissa elokuvatuotannollisissa prosesseissa. Tutkimuksen pääpaino on erityisesti ohjaajan vision visuaalisessa toteutuksessa ja siihen vaikuttavissa tekijöissä. Tutkimus perustuu elokuva- ja kuvataidekirjallisuuteen, elokuvaohjaajien haastatteluihin, sosiologiatutkimuksiin sekä tekijän työpäiväkirjoihin. Tutkimuksen keskiössä on elokuvaohjaajien puheenvuorot, joilla tehdään näkyväksi elokuvaohjaajan taiteellista prosessia, sekä täydentävä tutkimus ryhmätyön ja johtajuuden sosiaalisista aspekteista. Sidon teoriapohjan vahvasti henkilökohtaiseen historiaani, filmografiaani ja matkaani taiteilijana. Perusteellisen huomion ja kriittisen arvioinnin kohteena ovat kokemukseni ohjaajana maisterielokuvassani Erityisen Ikävä Paikka (2024).
Ohjaaja on elokuvan taiteellinen johtaja ja kokonaisuudesta vastuussa; hän luo raamit tekemisen laadulle ja pitelee näpeissään teoksen punaista lankaa. Elokuvan jokainen kokonaisuuden kannalta merkittävä yksityiskohta on ollut jossain tuotannon vaiheessa ohjaajan huomion kohteena. Ohjaajan visio on termi, joka kiteyttää jotakin hyvin keskeistä ohjaajan roolista visuaalisena tarinankertojana. Tutkimuksen tavoite on selkeyttää tätä termiä ja tutkia miten ohjaajan visio pysyy tuoreena ja elävänä ohjaajan kohdatessa vastakkaisia näkemyksiä ja kiistoja yhteistyökumppaneidensa kanssa. Ensisijainen tutkimuskysymykseni on: Kuinka elokuvaohjaaja navigoi tiensä autenttisen visionsa toteutukseen?
Opinnäytetyön tuloksena saavutettiin syvällinen ymmärrys ohjaajan luovista prosesseista. Tutkimuksen tuloksena luotiin Kermakakkuteoria (eng. The Layer Theory: ohjaajan vision teoreettinen määritelmä) ja Ohjaajan manifesti (eng. A Director’s Manifesto: ohjaajan vision käytännön toteutus). Ohjaajan manifesti perustuu taiteellisen menestyksen epäkaupallisiin mittareihin. Se on hahmotelma niistä mahdollisuuksista, joita elokuvaohjaaja voi hyödyntää pyrkiessään toteuttamaan autenttisen visionsa tinkimättä: valveutuneen auteur-tekijäidentiteetin omaksuminen, taiteellisen työryhmän huolellinen valikoiminen, teostensa (osa)tuottaminen, visionsa kekseliäs sovittaminen käytettävissä oleviin resursseihin, sekä ammattinsa luova harjoittaminen rahoituksen puutteesta huolimatta.
Tutkimusta voisi jatkaa käytännön työkaluihin, joilla edelleen tukea ohjaajan vision toteutumista. Intuitiivinen ja tunteeseen pohjaava subjektiivinen päätöksenteko nousi tutkimuksen myötä tärkeäksi teemaksi, ja sen merkitystä ja merkityksellisyyttä taiteellisessa työskentelyssä voitaisiin myös tutkia tarkemmin. Lisäksi Ohjaajan manifestiin perustuvan aktiivisen taiteellisen työskentelyn dokumentointi ja sen tuloksena syntyneiden elokuvien tutkimus voisi olla hyödyllinen lisä edellä mainittuihin aiheisiin liittyvässä teoreettisessa jatkotutkimuksessa
Nonexistence results for quasilinear elliptic problems with singular lower order terms
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2025 American Institute of Mathematical Sciences. All rights reserved.We establish a general Hardy-type inequality and apply it to investigate the nonexistence of positive solutions to the nonlinear elliptic problem (Formula presented) in bounded domains in RN, N ≥ 2, and unbounded exterior domains in RN, N ≥ 3. We also discuss the corresponding results for the related systems of partial differential equations.Peer reviewe
Do private equity funds overvaluate unrealized assets? – Evidence from RVPI’s explaining power towards PME
No full textIn this thesis I study do private equity funds with higher amounts of unrealized assets outperform those with low amounts. I do this by analysing fund value weighted PME time series’ and by doing multi-linear regression analysis with percentage of unrealized assets as explanatory variable and various control variables as support. my findings provide mild evidence that venture capital funds tend to report relatively higher asset valuations than buyout funds and reveal that percentage of unrealized assets has high explanatory power even with long timeseries including mature funds
Microwave hardening of solid inorganic foundry binder
No full text| openaire: EC/HE/101159771/EU//NetCastPL4.0The drive for sustainable manufacturing worldwide has caused a renewed interest in inorganic sodium silicate binders. A solid variant of this, the solid hydrous silicate is also seen to further enable sustainable sand casting. Numerous studies have already shown very good results obtained with furnace hardened solid silicates. However, furnace heating is slow and heating large mold evenly is a challenge on its own. One potential solution to this challenge is the microwave hardening of solid silicates. In this study, the performance of microwave hardened solid foundry binder is investigated that encompasses different stages of sand casting starting from the pattern material, molding and the final cast. A range of mold aggregates and two different patterns were used for the microwave absorption test, and mold quality analysis was carried out using a microwave hardened solid inorganic foundry binder. Very promising mold strength results were obtained, and the relationship between microwave heating power and time on mold strength was also determined. Molding trial was conducted using different sands and in the end a casting trial was also conducted in these molds using ductile iron EN-GJS-600-3 and aluminum alloy AlSi10Mg.Peer reviewe
Suurten roottoripurjeiden skaalaus
No full textMaritime industry is undergoing a change due to increasing fuel prices and sanctions from emissions. The traditionally conservative maritime industry demands increasingly cost-effective solutions with short payback times from new technologies in order to justify their adoption. Shipowners are seeking alternative methods to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and one viable option is wind-assisted propulsion systems, such as Flettner rotors.
This study focused on the feasibility of scaling Flettner rotors larger, improving power cost-effectively, and scalability. The study utilized a literature review, flow simulations, and simplified cost and strength calculations. Based on these calculations, larger rotor sails can increase power cost-effectively. According to the estimated costs and thrust forces obtained from the simulations, the payback period of the investments may be shorter compared to smaller rotor sail sizes, increasing the commercial attractiveness of the technology.
Additionally, the study examined impact of rotor sails on vessel operations, vessel integration, market potential, and maintenance requirements. The results indicated that installing and transporting larger rotor sails is feasible but presents significant challenges. Operational and maintenance generally remain unchanged compared to the smaller sails, but the use of exceptionally tall rotor sails may affect ship routing and port access due to the increased air draft.
In conclusion, large-scale rotor sails generate more power cost-effectively, but the increased air draft may have negative effects on market potential. Based on the study, rotor sails represent a promising development direction in wind-assisted shipping, and the topic is worth further research and development.Merenkulku on murrosvaiheessa nousevien polttoainekustannusten ja päästöistä koituvien sanktioiden myötä. Perinteisesti konservatiivinen merenkulkuala edellyttää uudelta teknologialta kustannustehokkuutta ja lyhyttä takaisinmaksuaikaa. Eräs varteenotettava ratkaisu polttoaineenkulutuksen ja päästöjen vähentämiseksi on tuuliavusteinen propulsiojärjestelmä, kuten Flettner-roottori.
Tässä työssä keskityttiin entistä suurempikokoisten Flettner-roottoripurjeiden toteutettavuuteen ja kustannustehokkaaseen tehon kasvattamiseen. Työssä hyödynnettiin kirjallisuuskatsausta, virtaussimulaatioita sekä yksinkertaistettuja kustannus- ja lujuuslaskelmia. Laskelmien perusteella roottoripurjeen koon kasvattamisella voidaan työntövoimaa kasvattaa edullisimmin. Arvioitujen kustannusten ja simulaatioista saatujen työntövoimien perusteella investointien takaisinmaksuaika on pienempiä roottoripurjekokoja lyhyempi, mikä lisää teknologian kaupallista houkuttelevuutta.
Lisäksi työssä tarkasteltiin käytännön toteutukseen liittyviä tekijöitä, kuten roottoripurjeiden vaikutusta laivan operatiivisiin toimintoihin, kuljetus- ja asennusvaatimuksiin, markkinapotentiaaliin sekä huoltotarpeisiin. Tulokset osoittivat, että suurten roottoripurjeiden asentaminen ja kuljettaminen on mahdollista, mutta haastavaa. Operatiiviset sekä huoltoon liittyvät toiminnot säilyvät pääsääntöisesti pienempien purjeiden kaltaisina, mutta tavanomaista korkeampien roottoripurjeiden käyttö voi vaikuttaa laivojen reititykseen ja pääsyyn satamiin kasvaneen tuulikuorman vuoksi.
Työ osoitti, että entistä suuremmilla roottoripurjeilla saavutetaan lisäteho kaikkein edullisimmin. Kasvaneella tuulikuormalla voi kuitenkin olla myös haitallisia vaikutuksia satamiin pääsyssä. Tutkimus vahvistaa roottoripurjeiden hyötyjä tuuliavusteisessa laivaliikenteessä ja aihetta kannattaa edelleen tutkia ja kehittää
Application of foundation model based methods in magnetically manipulated microrobots
No full textMagnetically manipulated microrobots are traditionally controlled through methods such as open-loop controllers, closed-loop controllers, reinforcement learning (RL), and deep learning (DL). The advent of foundation models (FMs), particularly those based on transformer architectures, has significantly advanced various domains, especially natural language processing (NLP). These models have recently been explored for applications in robotic control and planning, leveraging their generalization capabilities to enhance performance across diverse tasks. However, these techniques have not yet been widely employed in micro robotics.
In this thesis, we investigate the integration of FM-based methodologies into the control of magnetically manipulated microrobots. We focus on a novel approach that employs large language models (LLMs) as automated reward function designers within an RL framework. To facilitate this, we develop a simulator that accurately captures the system's dynamics using DL techniques. Subsequently, we train an RL policy within this simulated environment, utilizing the LLM-generated reward functions. Our results demonstrate that this policy effectively controls microrobots in both simulated scenarios and real-world magnetic manipulation setups.
This research underscores the potential of integrating LLMs into RL frameworks to automate reward function resulting in a manipulation and environment agnostic method. Our findings suggest that FMs can provide highly generalized solutions in micro robotic control and planning tasks
Going crypto-native : enactive ethnography in online settings
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2025, Claire Shaw.Purpose: Digital ethnography is still a growing field within organization studies, with conflicting and still-developing understanding of how it should and can be conducted. This article aims to explore how enactive ethnography, in which the researcher engages in the phenomenon being studied, occurs in online research settings. Design/methodology/approach: This article is based on over two years of digital ethnographic fieldwork in an open-source blockchain community. Confessional tales were produced after reviewing field notes to identify the challenges and benefits of such immersive fieldwork. Findings: The article provides empirical examples of two challenges and three benefits of enactive ethnography in a digital setting. The challenges included issues of consent and privacy and financial complications due to the central role of tokens in blockchain communities. Benefits included a first-hand understanding of technical practices, experiences of asynchronous environments and the ability to take on multiple community roles. While many additional challenges arose, this article focuses on those unique to the context. Research limitations/implications: Due to the confessional nature of the article, it may not be generalizable to all forms of digital ethnography. The article intends to serve instead as a starting point, from which researchers should carefully consider their own research aims and context. Originality/value: This article fulfills the need for a greater understanding of the researcher’s positionality in ethnography while providing empirical examples of how practices can be studied in online settings.Peer reviewe
Sensing otherwise: From Multispecies Empathy to Entanglement through Art
No full textCan we ever truly empathise with another? Is it genuinely possible to step into another being’s shoes without reducing their lives to a projection of our own?
Taking these questions as a point of departure, this thesis challenges the conventional concept of empathy as solely a human ability. Instead, it reframes empathy as an entangled and relational, co-constitutive mode of being that includes both humans and non-humans.
The junction of art, ecology and education is establishing itself as a fertile ground for reimagining human-nonhuman relationships, in the face of ecological collapse driven by extractivist worldviews. The damage to this web of life continues to accelerate, like an endless cascade of falling dominoes. Education as a site for future making holds transformative potential to shift away from an exploitative, profit-driven mindset, to more ethical and responsible modes of co-existence. This thesis offers a modest contribution to this evolving field by using art and empathy as a compass to navigate multispecies entanglements.
Building on the Multispecies postcard project, developed during the third semester internship at an innovation agency, this research critiques the initial design’s tendency to reimpose anthropocentric hierarchies. The initial design invited participants to write from a non-human species’ perspective to humans, but the responses often remained superficial and guilt driven. This prompted a deeper inquiry: can empathy, conventionally understood as stepping into another’s shoes: truly enable meaningful multispecies connection? Or should the meaning of empathy be redefined?
Using a design based research (DBR) approach, this study uses iterative cycles of design, testing, analysis and reflection. It builds on interviews and feedback from art educators of grades 4-6 in Denmark and Pakistan and stands on the theoretical frameworks integrating posthumanism, critiques of anthropocene and affective multimodal approaches in art education.
The findings suggest that while the redesigned tool has potential to ignite multisensory awareness, relational thinking and multispecies awareness, its effectiveness depends on further testing with both teachers and students, and be more attuned to ethical, cultural and logistical contexts. Instead of a universally adaptable tool, this research proposes flexible provocative design principles (speculative fabulation, art of noticing, collaboration and multimodality) to guide future multispecies educational interventions.
Ultimately, this thesis does not offer a prescriptive method, but extends an open invitation to compost rigid curricula towards attending to messy, generative work of learning with the more than human, enabling new, situated modes of “worlding”
Packing up the patriarchy: Unlearning traditional notions of gender through the art of drag kinging
No full textThis thesis investigates the way the art of drag kinging empowers performers to deconstruct and unlearn rigid notions of gender and how this influences their personal gender identities. The study applied a post-structuralist approach inspired by participatory action research, emergent design and ethnographic methods including autoethnographic journaling, semi-structured in-depth interviews and participatory observations in Lisbon and Helsinki. Researchers designed a zine; an aesthetic product meant to support current and future drag kings and serve as a valuable resource for the drag king community.
The research findings demonstrate the potential of drag kinging as a tool for identity exploration and self-discovery through tangible experience of gender fluidity. Drag kinging is a subversive practice that challenges the dichotomous constructions of gender and critically engages with stereotypes of masculinity and patriarchal norms. The art form acts as a space for collective unlearning of ingrained gender behaviors, restrictive expressions and prejudice and it encourages critical reflection on gender dynamics and community building, which ultimately results in a stronger affirmation of identity.Attachments:
Thesis_RebekkaHolm&PernilleSchulte_Appendix.pd