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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivators behind Organic Food Consumption
No full textThis thesis explores the motivators behind organic food consumption. The aim of this work is to understand what motivates consumers to buy organic food and the roles that intrinsic and extrinsic motivators play in organic food consumption. The research method used is a literature review. The findings reveal that health and safety concerns, environmental concerns, taste and quality perceptions, and social influence are the primary motivators that explain organic food purchases. The roles of these motivators vary across countries, cultures, and market conditions. The motivators do not conflict with one another, as they often interact. The findings provide valuable implications for practitioners, highlighting the need for contextually tailored marketing strategies that align with and enhance consumer motivations towards organic food consumption.Tämä opinnäytetyö tutkii luomuruoan kulutuksen taustalla olevia motivaattoreita. Tämän työn tavoitteena on ymmärtää, mikä motivoi kuluttajia ostamaan luomuruokaa ja millaisia rooleja sisäiset sekä ulkoiset motivaattorit näyttelevät luomuruoan kulutuksessa. Tutkimusmenetelmänä on kirjallisuuskatsaus. Löydökset osoittavat, että terveys- ja turvallisuustekijät, ympäristökysymykset, makuun ja laatuun liittyvät käsitykset sekä sosiaalinen vaikutusvalta ovat keskeisimmät motivaattorit, jotka selittävät luomuruoan ostamista. Näiden motivaattorien merkitys vaihtelee eri maiden, kulttuurien ja markkinaolosuhteiden mukaan. Motivaattorit eivät ole keskenään ristiriidassa, vaan ne usein toimivat yhdessä. Löydökset tarjoavat arvokkaita käytännön näkökulmia, korostaen tarvetta räätälöidyille markkinointistrategioille, jotka tukevat ja vahvistavat kuluttajien motivaatiota kohti luomuruoan kulutusta
Bioenergy and Waste
No full textPublisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.A significant proportion of the decarbonization occurring in energy production is based on solar and wind energy. However, biomass also retains its place in the energy palette. This chapter presents an analysis of the technologies and sustainable levels of using biomass and waste for energy, as well as bioenergy carbon capture and storage applications. Furthermore, the chapter addresses the production of materials and chemicals in a manner that is supportive of the achievement of both climate and nature conservation goals. The chapter ultimately concludes that the sustainable utilization of biomass is constrained by its substantial land area requirements and subsequent adverse impacts on the natural environment. The growing population (forecast to stabilize at approximately 10–11 billion by 2030, from 8 billion in 2024) presents a challenge to current systems of production for food, energy, and materials. Given that most of the terrestrial world has already been impacted by human activities, there is a limited opportunity for further expansion. This necessitates the identification of more cost-effective land uses to meet our needs and the implementation of circular economy solutions to reduce the demand for virgin materials. Biomass represents a natural chemical storage of solar energy, and biomass and derived biofuels can be employed, for instance, to balance the variability in wind and solar power generation. It is imperative to guarantee that the utilization of biofuels does not exceed the rate at which plants are capable of binding the CO₂ released throughout the harvesting, production, and combustion processes. It is of additional significance that the growth and maintenance of biomass represents a natural carbon capture and storage mechanism with considerable potential. The principles of sustainability must be applied to the utilization of Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). The sustainable potential for BECCS should be fully exploited, while ensuring that any adverse impacts on the natural environment, such as the loss of habitats and species, water pollution or fluxes of greenhouse gas emissions from soil or water, are avoided.Peer reviewe
Monitoring and restricting real property ownership on national security grounds : The case of Northern European countries
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2025 The AuthorsRapid changes in global geopolitics have prompted debate about the need to monitor and restrict ownership of real property on national security grounds. Research of foreign ownership on real property has focused on the economic effects of infrastructure purchases, whereas the range of land administration tools to monitor or restrict ownership rights has not received much detailed examination. The aim of this research is to map and compare the current regulatory landscape for monitoring and restricting real estate ownership in the Northern European context. We root our study into land administration literature and particularly to the Legal Cadastral Domain Model that separates the subject and object of the restriction. We collect data from five case countries, namely Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway, through email interviews and analyse the repertory of tools currently in place. The results show that various land administration tools are used for monitoring and restricting ownership rights, of which most typical example is expropriation. Although the application of monitoring and restricting tools is often justified with other reasons such as protecting agriculture or food production, their use may still support national security means indirectly. Also, while there exist several different tools, most of them are used because of the characteristics of the object of the restriction, not the subject.Peer reviewe
Accessing a New Population of Supermassive Black Holes with Extensions to the Event Horizon Telescope
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has produced resolved images of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) Sgr A* and M87*, which present the largest shadows on the sky. In the next decade, technological improvements and extensions to the array will enable access to a greater number of sources, unlocking studies of a larger population of SMBHs through direct imaging. In this paper, we identify 12 of the most promising sources beyond Sgr A* and M87* based on their angular size and millimeter flux density. For each of these sources, we make theoretical predictions for their observable properties by ray tracing general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic models appropriately scaled to each target’s mass, distance, and flux density. We predict that these sources would have somewhat higher Eddington ratios than M87*, which may result in larger optical and Faraday depths than previous EHT targets. Despite this, we find that visibility amplitude size constraints can plausibly recover masses within a factor of 2, although the unknown jet contribution remains a significant uncertainty. We find that the linearly polarized structure evolves substantially with the Eddington ratio, with greater evolution at larger inclinations, complicating potential spin inferences for inclined sources. We discuss the importance of 345 GHz observations, milli-Jansky baseline sensitivity, and independent inclination constraints for future observations with upgrades to the EHT through ground updates with the next-generation EHT program and extensions to space through the black hole Explorer.Peer reviewe
Time-Varying Characteristic Analysis of Vehicle-Bridge Interaction System Frequencies: A Literature Review
No full textBridges deteriorate due to aging, environment factors and traffic loads, thereby requiring continuous and effective monitoring methods. Vibration-based bridge health monitoring (BHM) identifies potential structural damage using natural frequencies. Direct methods involve sensors on the bridge and indirect methods
utilize sensors on passing vehicles. However, extracting bridge frequencies in vehicle-bridge interaction (VBI) systems is challenging due to time-varying characteristics. Conventional time–frequency analysis (TFA) methods have limitations in handling non-stationary signals. Therefore, more advanced methods such as S-Transform (ST), Synchrosqueezing Transform (SST) and Synchroextracting
Transform (SET) have been proposed to improve time–frequency resolution. This thesis reviews these advanced TFA methods in VBI systems and suggests future research directions
Data center waste heat for district heating networks : A review
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2025 The AuthorsThis paper investigates the integration of data center waste heat into district heating networks, evaluating its potential from technical, energy, economic, and environmental perspectives. It offers a comprehensive review of global efforts to recover waste heat from data centers, focusing on existing research, practical applications, and the effectiveness of current technologies. Key challenges are identified, including complex technical issues, economic constraints, policy limitations, and gaps in infrastructure. The study proposes solutions to address these challenges, aiming to improve the efficiency and feasibility of waste heat recovery systems. Additionally, the paper examines future trends in advancing data center waste heat recovery, with an emphasis on sustainable development and technological innovations such as smart energy systems and thermal energy storage solutions. The goal is to provide a detailed overview of the current landscape and offer actionable recommendations for enhancing the integration of waste heat into district heating networks. By doing so, the paper aims to promote greener energy solutions, reduce carbon emissions, and contribute to a more sustainable energy future worldwide.Peer reviewe
LLM-pohjainen palaute ohjelmoinnin oppimisen tukena: Palautetyypit ja laadunhallinta
No full textOhjelmoinnin alkeiskursseilla opiskelijamäärät ovat kasvaneet vuosi vuodelta kurssikohtaisen opiskelijamäärän ylittäessä jopa tuhat. Suuren opiskelijamäärän kursseilla hyödynnetään automaattisia arviointityökaluja, jotka mahdollistavat opiskelijoille välittömät pisteet tehtävistä. Näillä työkaluilla on usein haasteita muodostaa henkilökohtaista sanallista palautetta opiskelijoille. Laadukas palaute vaatii yleensä kurssihenkilökunnan manuaalista työtä.
Tämä kandidaatintyö on kirjallisuustutkimus, jossa tutustutaan ajankohtaiseen tutkimukseen siitä, miten laajoja kielimalleja voidaan hyödyntää sanallisen palautteen tuottamisessa ja toisaalta miten tällaisen palautteen laatu varmistetaan. Työssä tehdään hakusanoihin perustuva kysely kahteen tieteelliseen tietokantaan. Kriteereihin perustuvan suodatuksen jälkeen tutkimusaineistoon sisältyi 16 tutkimuspaperia. Kirjallisuustutkimuksessa jaetaan tutkimusaineistossa esiintyvät menetelmät ja ratkaisut palautetyyppeihin ja laadunhallinnan metodeihin.
Kirjallisuustutkimuksen tulokset kertovat nykyisten laajojen kielimallien suoriutuvan hyvin sanallisen palautteen tuottamisesta, niiden omatessa kuitenkin yhä kehittymisvaraa. Tutkitut laadunhallinnan metodit on todettu tutkimusten perusteella toimiviksi, mutta osa niistä saattaa käydä tarpeettomiksi laajojen kielimallien kehityksen myötä. Tutkimuksen aikana julkaistiin useita uusia tehokkaita kielimalleja, joiden hyödyntämiseen sanallisen palautteen tuottamisessa kannattaa kohdistaa lisätutkimusta
Machine vision in embedded systems
No full textTämä opinnäytetyö koostuu kirjallisuuskatsauksesta ja tapaustutkimuksesta. Työn tavoitteena on selvittää, miten konenäköä voidaan hyödyntää matalaresurssisilla sulautetuilla järjestelmillä. Kirjallisuuskatsauksessa käydään läpi konenäön ja sulautettujen järjestelmien peruskäsitteet, toimintaperiaatteet sekä niihin liittyvät haasteet. Eritysesti keskitytään optisen vuon käsitteeseen, laskentamenetelmiin ja sen mahdollisuuksiin kevyenä konenäköratkaisuna. Työn motivaationa on tarve löytää kevyitä ja tehokkaita menetelmiä konenäön toteuttamiseen ympäristöissä, joissa laskentateho ja muistiresurssit ovat rajalliset.
Tapaustutkimuksessa testataan PMW3901 optisen vuo anturin toimintaa Arduino Uno kehitysalustalla ja selvitetään, pystyykö optisia vuo antureita hyödyntämään kevyenä ratkaisuna konenäön osa-alueiden toteuttamisessa. Tapaustutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että optinen vuo anturi voi toimia vaihtoehtoisena tapana toteuttaa liikkeeseen liittyviä konenäön osa-alueita, kuten liikkeentunnistus, -seuranta sekä kuvanvakaus ympäristöissä, joissa resurssit eivät riitä perinteisiin konenäkömenetelmiin. Aihealue vaatii kuitenkin lisätutkimusta erityisesti tarkkuuden, luotettavuuden ja eri sovelluskohteiden osalta.This thesis consists of a literature review and a case study. The aim of the thesis is to explore how machine vision can be utilized on low-resource embedded systems. The literature review covers the basic concepts, operating principles, and challenges related to machine vision and embedded systems. Special focus is placed on the concept of optical flow, its computational methods, and its potential as a lightweight machine vision solution. The motivation behind the work is the need to find efficient and lightweight methods for implementing machine vision in environments where computational power and memory resources are limited.
The case study tests the functionality of the PMW3901 optical flow sensor on the Arduino Uno development platform and examines whether optical flow sensors can be used as a lightweight solution for implementing specific aspects of machine vision. The results of the case study indicate that the optical flow sensor can serve as an alternative method for implementing motion-related machine vision tasks, such as motion detection, tracking, and image stabilization, particularly in environments where traditional machine vision methods are not feasible due to limited resources. However, further research is needed, especially regarding accuracy, reliability, and different application contexts
Jatkuvan parantamisen kehittäminen organisaatiomuutoksen kautta
No full textContinuous improvement is a crucial for the organizations to stay relevant. As new business models, markets, technologies, customer demands, and employee expectations increase, its importance for organizations grows. However, continuous improvement perceptions, culture, leadership and culture, and systems need to be updated to secure the fit to the modern organizations and environments.
This thesis examines continuous improvement in a case company with complex and modern operations. The study is conducted as a qualitative single case study. I assess the current situation through the lenses of continuous improvement understanding, culture & leadership, and systems. I identify aspects that hinder the implementation and success of continuous improvement. These aspects form a basis for a roadmap. Based on further analysis on the aspects, I provide practical suggestions for the development roadmap.
To level up the state of continuous improvement, organization should create and implement a collective understating on it. There should be one narrative, branded attractively. Organization must understand and commit to it. As a next step, the organization should strengthen the continuous improvement leadership and tune in the systems. There should be a sense of responsibility and clear responsibilities around continuous improvement. Systems should be clear, collaborative, pragmatic and fit to the purposes. They require promotion and training. Furthermore, organization must enhance culture around feedback. Cross-functional collaboration needs to be facilitated by improving understanding on other functions and getting people to know each other across the value chains. On the other hand, collaboration should be a process, not personal dependent phenomenon. The organization should also improve project and portfolio planning and management. Projects should be initialized systematically and prioritized on a structured way. Portfolio needs careful management, and personal workloads need to be in control. Finally, the organization should demand similar practices and aligned objectives.
The study contributes to the continuous improvement and change management literatures, linking these themes together. It provides insights on how continuous improvement is perceived, and how it needs to be considered as an organizational transformation, focused on mindset and culture.Jatkuva parantaminen on tärkeää organisaatioille, sillä se auttaa pysymään kilpailukykyisenä muuttuvassa toimintaympäristössä. Uudet toimintamallit, markkinat, teknologiat sekä asiakkaiden ja työntekijöiden odotukset korostavat merkitystä entisestään. Jotta jatkuvasta parantamisesta saadaan jatkossakin irti suurin mahdollinen hyöty, on tärkeää päivittää siihen liittyviä käsityksiä, kulttuuria, johtamista ja järjestelmiä vastaamaan modernien organisaatioiden tarpeita.
Tässä diplomityössä tutkin jatkuvaa parantamista eräässä modernissa ja monitahoisessa yrityksessä. Arvioin jatkuvan parantamisen nykytilaa ja tunnistan tekijöitä, jotka estävät sen toteuttamista ja positiivisia vaikutuksia. Näitä tekijöitä analysoimalla laadin suunnitelman jatkuvan parantamisen kehittämiseksi.
Jatkuvan parantamisen kehittämiseksi organisaation tulee luoda yhteinen ymmärrys konseptista. On tärkeää luoda houkutteleva narratiivi ja varmistaa, että organisaatio ymmärtää ja sitoutuu siihen. Johtamista ja järjestelmiä jatkuvan parantamisen ympärillä tulee vahvistaa. Jatkuvan parantamisen pitäisi olla jokaisen velvollisuus ja siihen liittyvien roolien tulee olla selkeitä. Myös järjestelmien pitää olla helposti lähestyttäviä, käytännönläheisiä ja kannustaa yhteistyöhön. Niiden tulee sopia ympäristöönsä. Lisäksi on tarpeen parantaa palautekulttuuria ja organisaation toimintojen välistä yhteistyötä. Yhteistyötä voidaan tukea lisäämällä ymmärrystä muista toiminnoista ja edistämällä ihmisten välistä tuntemusta yli arvoketjun. Toisaalta yhteistyön pitäisi olla rakenteellista. Organisaation kannattaa myös kehittää projektien ja projektiportfolion hallintaa. Projektien suunnittelun ja priorisoinnin tulisi olla systemaattista ja jäsenneltyä, ja portfoliota sekä yksilöiden työkuormaa on hallittava huolellisesti. Lopuksi organisaation tulee vaatia yhtenäisiä toimintatapoja ja yhteisesti linjattuja tavoitteita.
Tutkimus täydentää jatkuvan parantamisen ja muutosjohtamisen tutkimuskenttää, yhdistäen näitä teemoja. Se lisää ymmärrystä jatkuvan parantamisen kokemuksista ja käsityksistä ja selittää jatkuvaan parantamiseen liittyviä haasteita. Lopputulos korostaa, että jatkuva parantaminen tulisi nähdä organisaation muutoksena, keskittyen ajattelutapaan ja kulttuuriin
Experimental 5G New Radio Transmission Over an LED-Based Optical Wireless Link
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2025 IEEE.5G New Radio (NR) is the de facto global standard for 5G mobile networks. 5G NR was developed by 3GPP and designed to provide new kinds of mobile services across very large geographical areas. One of the main challenges that evolutions of 5G NR must face is the limited radio frequency resources that are available for Beyond-5G mobile connectivity. Optical wireless bands have been already considered for Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies, where they are denoted as Light Fidelity (Li-Fi). However, and in order to make optical wireless an integral part of Beyond 5G mobile standards, it is convenient to first assess the performance that is feasible when an actual 5G NR waveform is transmitted over an optical wireless frequency band. This paper presents the first experimental proof-of-concept for the transmission of a 5G NR frame over an LED-based optical wireless link. The obtained results are very motivating, as the 5G NR data rates that would be feasible over optical wireless links are very similar to the ones observed nowadays over the n78 RF band (centered around 3.5 GHz, with 100 MHz bandwidth). However, the most important difference is that the spectrum of the optical wireless signal will be reusable in very small cells of radius not larger than few meters, with the possibility of deploying many remote optical units for ultra-densification in indoor service areas without notable inter-cell interference.Peer reviewe