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Analysis of Short-Term Zero-Emission Operation of Cruise Ships
No full textThe maritime industry, like most industries, is in a period in which it is required to adopt quickly to new legislations and reduce its emissions. The emission reduction targets set for the maritime industry are quite strict, and thus, the involved parties need to react and come up with novel solutions fast. Especially, when considering the long lifetime of ships, it is vital to implement systems that have a significant impact on the ship emissions in the upcoming years. Many alternative fuels and energy systems are researched today to find suitable ones for the maritime industry, one of which is large-scale energy storage systems, which is the main focus of this work.
This work includes simulations for both fully electric operation of a cruise ship in the Norwegian Fjords and battery supported normal operation with fuel combustion in the ship’s main engines. Especially in the fully electric operation, the ship’s heat production is also studied to find a suitable solution to produce heat without emissions. For the heat production, heat pumps and an electric boiler are implemented.
As of now, there are some fully electric ferries and cruise ships equipped with battery packs in operation, but no large cruise ship exists that could be operated for a period completely emission-freely. In this work a very large cruise ship is used as reference, based on which both a literature review and a case study including energy model simulations are conducted.
The objective of this thesis was to research the feasibility, the required dimensions of the novel systems and the potential benefit of converting the reference ship to a hybrid ship. The four research questions presented in the introduction were answered based on the results of both the literature study and the simulations. To implement the changes discussed in this work, substantial further work and more detailed study of a number of additional scenarios would be required due to the extensive complexity and novelty of implementing the proposed systems in a cruise ship
Spatio-temporal analysis of large scale AIS data
No full textAutomatic Identification Systems (AIS), situational awareness systems (SAS), and other sensory equipment on vessels have generated vast amounts of data on maritime traffic and navigational patterns. The availability of this spatio-temporal data has attracted significant interest from both the research community and the maritime industry, leading to the development of solutions aimed at improving maritime safety and operational efficiency. As maritime traffic increases, so do collision risks, necessitating data-driven safety measures.
This thesis proposes a scalable approach for storing and processing maritime spatio-temporal (ST) data using BigQuery (BQ), with a focus on cost efficiency and optimal query execution. To demonstrate BQ’s effectiveness in supporting ST analysis for maritime safety, we developed a visualization requirements framework incorporating dimensions and metrics designed to extract valuable insights for fleet safety. We also compared two established visualization tools, Metabase and Holistics, to assess their capabilities in meeting these analytical requirements. Additionally, we explored the use of autoencoder (AE) and XGBoost for predicting closest point of approach (CPA) alarms five minutes in advance, thereby enhancing navigational safety.
Our results indicate that BQ provides robust support for ST analysis, capable of processing large datasets at high speeds. For example, 30 GB of data was ingested in under three minutes. Holistics, with its advanced mapping and scalability features, proved particularly effective for maritime data analysis. Furthermore, our evaluation of AE for dimensionality reduction and XGBoost for CPA alarm prediction, achieving nearly 80% recall, underscores the potential of machine learning in maritime safety applications
Suorien yritystukien kohdentuminen vientiyrityksille
No full textTässä raportissa tarkastellaan tukiohjelmatasolla sitä, miten Suomen valtion myöntämät suorat yritystuet kohdentuvat vientiyrityksille. Lisäksi raportissa kuvaillaan tuensaajien ominaisuuksia yleisesti. Tarkastelussa on 58 yritystukiohjelmaa, joista myönnettiin vuonna 2022 suoraa yritystukea lähes 20 000 saajalle yhteensä 1,37 miljardin euron arvosta.
Vain harva yritystukiohjelma kohdentuu suoraan vientiyrityksille, eikä useimpien ohjelmien tarkoitus olekaan viennin tai kansainvälisen kilpailukyvyn edistäminen. Vientiyritykset saivat kuitenkin noin 40 prosenttia tässä selvityksessä mukana olleista, vuonna 2022 myönnetyistä suorista yritystuista, koska muutaman niiden kannalta olennaisen tukiohjelman kautta jaettiin paljon rahaa. Suurimmalla osalla vientiyrityksiä saadun tuen määrä suhteessa liikevaihtoon ja viennin arvoon oli kuitenkin hyvin pieni, eli tuilla ei liene suurta vaikutusta niiden toimintaedellytyksiin.
Se, että yritystuki kohdentuu vientiyrityksille, ei välttämättä tarkoita sitä, että se edistäisi vientiä, koska tuki voi olla suunnattu muuhun tarkoitukseen, tai sen vaikutus yritysten liiketoimintaan voi olla pieni. Toisaalta vientiyrityksille kohdentumaton tuki voi edistää vientiä talouden rakenteiden kautta, tai jos se suuntautuu potentiaalisille vientiyrityksille.
Suoria yritystukia saaneiden yritysten työn tuottavuus oli heikompi kuin kaikilla saman toimialan yrityksillä. Jaetun tuen rahamäärä sen sijaan kohdentui merkittävissä määrin suhteellisen korkean tuottavuuden yrityksille.
Suoraa yritystukea saavia yrityksiä on paljon, ja yrityskohtaiset tukisummat ovat pääsääntöisesti hyvin pieniä. Tukiohjelmia on runsaasti, ja useimmat ohjelmat ovat tuen kokonaismäärältään pieniä. Lisäksi tukea myöntäviä tahoja on useita. Sirpaleisen tukijärjestelmän hallinnolliset kustannukset suhteessa mahdollisiin yhteiskunnallisiin hyötyihin voivat olla suuret. Samalla monimutkaisen tukijärjestelmän arvioiminen kokonaisuutena on vaikeaa.nonPeerReviewe
The Reach of the Principle of Non-Refoulement in Extraterritorial Asylum Processes : an International Law and Human Rights Perspective on the Proposal to Locate Asylum Processes Outside the EU
No full textThe territorial limitations of a state’s human rights obligations are being increasingly challenged. This is since globalisation has given rise to state action that reach well beyond a state’s borders and impact human rights of persons located outside the state’s own territory. In the European context border control measures that reach beyond the state’s territory, such as carrier sanctions and overseas visa controls have been implemented for a while now. The most recent proposal in line is extraterritorial processing of asylum applications.
Such a proposal is not new, although this time around it has been given more serious consideration than the previous times it was proposed. The proposal was first introduced to the European Union by former member state the United Kingdom in 2003 and at the time of writing 15 member states, has in a joint letter urged the Commission to explore solutions of extraterritorial asylum processes in “safe third countries”. The member states behind the proposal have claimed that the protection of persons subject to extraterritorial refugee status determination and assessment would be transferred from the member state to a “safe third country” in accordance with international law standards. A concern arising is that persons subject to these measures will be left in a legal vacuum as there is uncertainty to how the sending state’s obligation of non-refoulement apply to such situations.
That EU member states cannot evade their obligation of non-refoulment by outsourcing the processing of asylum applications outside the EU will be demonstrated in this thesis. It is argued that in the same way as a state can no longer refer to the matter being of “domestic nature” to get away with human rights violations towards its own population, a state should not get away with actions committed in another state’s territory that they would not be able to lawfully commit in their own territory, especially when they are aware of the risk of a human rights violation to occur before entering into the agreement. The research question examined is: If the EU were to externalize asylum processes to third countries, to what extent is the EU member states' non-refoulment obligation towards asylum seekers applicable extraterritorially?
It has been shown throughout the ECtHR jurisprudence that there exist grey areas of situations in which refoulement may be triggered within extraterritorial border control, for example on the high seas. This thesis aims at exploring to what extent a state’s non-refoulement obligation is applicable extraterritorially in relation to extraterritorial asylum processes. A complicating factor is that the EU member state and the third country may exercise jurisdiction simultaneously. What follows is a question on how the obligations are shared between the sending and receiving state when state sovereignties might overlap and to what level of obligations the sending state can reasonably be considered obliged extraterritorially.
Moreover, there is an interplay between state practice and interest that inevitably will affect the interpretation of a state’s international obligations, by themselves and by international bodies, such as courts. This is a result of international law’s lack of enforcement mechanisms, which is a built-in feature of the system. Recent judgements from the ECtHR have gained criticism and raised concern for being too lenient towards wrongdoings by states and seen as a sharp turn in the practice on refugee protection. The Refugee Convention is also enshrined in EU law, but it will be argued in this thesis that the CJEU, whose mandate differs from the ECtHR’s, has been slow on taking a leading role in setting high standards on refugee protection within the EU and that its full potential has not been utilized. This, in addition to structural deficits of the Common European Asylum System, has contributed to refugee protection within the union to remain incoherent.
Although extraterritorial asylum processes remain a proposal so far, the changing dynamics of the international community in recent years and the more welcoming approach towards the proposal by EU member states, especially in comparison to reactions when such a proposal was first laid out in 2003, gives a well-founded reason to believe that the EU may be willing to enter into agreements with third countries on the matter. The ultimate result would be shifting the burden further to developing countries that does not have capacity for it as they already host the largest share of asylum-seekers in the world. Hence, what the proposal would entail for the EU member states’ non-refoulement obligation is of great policy relevance and this thesis is a contribution to the ongoing discussion
ISBN, ISMN, ISSN
No full textEsitelmä Tunnisteista kustantajille ja julkaisijoille -webinaarissa 21.11.2024
Tutkimusaineistojen kuvailusta
No full textEsitelmä Ohje tutkimusaineistojen kuvailuun -webinaarissa 28.11.2024
Localization of Rab24 using light and electron microsccopy
No full textSmall GTPases of the Rab family are involved in the formation, movement, and fusion of intracellular vesicles with their intended target compartments. Each Rab protein carries out a set of specific functions at different stages of vesicular transport processes by interacting with a variety of activators, inactivators, and targets. One of the Rab proteins, Rab24, plays a role at the final stage of the macroautophagic process, i.e., maturation and/or clearance of autolysosomes. In addition, Rab24 is required for the survival of Purkinje neurons and is involved in fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. This thesis investigated the intracellular localization of wildtype and mutant forms of Rab24, and the localization of endogenous Rab24 in mouse tissues. The former was performed using epitope-tagged Rab24 expressed in the neuroblastoma cell line Neuro2a. The localization was done using bright field light, fluorescence and electron microscopy. The main purpose was to establish protocols for the localization of Rab24 at the electron microscopy level. Results indicated that APEX2-Rab24 successfully localized to the perinuclear region in light microscopy; however, electron microscopy showed non-specific DAB staining, suggesting further optimization is required. Immuno-electron microscopy demonstrated minimal Rab24 localization, likely due to low sensitivity under current conditions. Immunohistochemistry identified high Rab24 expression in neuronal and epithelial tissues, notably in Purkinje cells, motor neurons, and epithelial cells in the lungs, kidney, and uterus, suggesting tissue-specific roles. This research provides insights into Rab24’s cellular and subcellular localization, with implications for its involvement in autophagy and potential disease associations
The Impact of User-Generated Content on Information Seeking in E-Commerce
No full textE-commerce is a growing business, and it has become instrumental in the modern consumers’ purchasing behavior. The purchasing experience in e-commerce requires information seeking online, whereas in physical stores, a sales assistant can advise the customer to find the best suited product. E-commerce stores often collect user-generated content (UGC), such as ratings and reviews on their product pages, for the benefit of gathering opinions and testimonials from other customers. E-commerce stores can follow on utilizing electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) to support customers’ purchase decisions by letting customers share views between peers on the product page.
The aim of this thesis is to review the impact of user-generated content on the consumer’s information seeking behavior when purchasing products online. This thesis focuses on studying the perceived reliability of user-generated content, furthermore, exploring the correlation between user-generated content and motivation for purchase. The empirical part of this thesis consists of quantitative research, surveying the opinions of e-commerce consumers regarding ratings and reviews. The research utilizes Kuhalthu’s Information Search Process (ISP) model and Blackshaw’s framework addressing the drivers of credibility to investigate correlations and unveil the most important aspects of user-generated content from the perspective of a consumer.
The findings indicate that user-generated content has a significant impact on purchasing behavior. Ratings and reviews written by confirmed buyers were perceived as valuable when investigating the credibility of user-generated content. Additionally, ratings paired with reviews enjoyed a greater level of credibility than ratings alone. Finally, consumers identified a high correlation between user-generated content and motivation for purchase when reflecting on their previous purchasing behavior. The research concludes that user-generated content is impactful on the information seeking and purchasing behavior of e-commerce customers and user-generated content can be utilized to help consumers make well-informed purchasing decisions
Suomen Nato-jäsenyyden legitimointi menneisyyttä koskevien käsitysten näkökulmasta
No full textArtikkelissa tarkastellaan Suomen Nato-jäsenyysprosessin legitimiteetin rakentamista parlamentaarisessa keskustelussa ja kansalaisten käsityksissä historiapolitiikan näkökulmasta. Tarkastelu yhdistyy osaksi laajempaa keskustelua militarisaation ilmenemismuodoista suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa ja militarisaation suhteesta demokraattisiin prosesseihin. Artikkeli laajentaa suomalaista militarismitutkimusta turvallisuus- ja puolustuspoliittisen päätöksenteon legitimointiin historiapolitiikan kautta. Artikkelissa vastataan kysymykseen siitä, miten menneisyyskäsityksillä on legitimoitu Suomen Nato-jäsenyyttä ja miten jaettu käsitys poliittisilla päättäjillä ja kansalla on ollut. Kysymykseen vastataan tarkastelemalla kahta toisiaan täydentävää aineistoa, jotka mahdollistavat historiakäsityksen tarkastelun yhtäältä poliittisen puheen ja toisaalta kansalaisten käsitysten tasolla. Aineistojen perusteella Suomen Nato-jäsenyys käsitettiin jatkumona Suomen kylmän sodan jälkeiselle ulko- ja turvallisuuspoliittiselle linjalle sekä jatkumona Venäjän ulkopoliittisen toiminnan historialle. Toisaalta Nato-prosessi nähtiin katkoksena Euroopan turvallisuuspoliittisessa kehityksessä
Ligninbaserad polyolsyntes för polyuretantillämpningar
No full textThe environmental concerns related to the high consumption of petroleum-based polyols in polyurethane manufacturing have resulted in an active search for biobased alternatives. Plant-based biomass could be used as a source for polyol production precursors. Lignin is the second most natural terrestrial biopolymer after cellulose and typically composes 10-25 wt.% of plant biomass. Lignin is a multifunctional oligomer with a high number of aliphatic and phenolic hydroxyl groups and can be perceived as an aromatic building block. These properties make lignin an attractive precursor material for polyols and, subsequently, polyurethane fabrication. Another plant-based product is castor oil, which is widely reported in literature as an alternative to petroleum-based polyols. Lignin was subject to solvent fraction to obtain lignin fractions with higher reactivity. Bio-based polyols using different lignin fractions and castor oil were synthesized for the first time. Characterization of the polyols was conducted using phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR), a modular compact rheometer (MCR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results revealed that the
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hydroxyl number of obtained polyols ranges between 346 and 582 mg/g. The MCR analysis of the polyols showed that they exhibited shear thinning behavior. The DSC analysis demonstrated that glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the polyols produced with 10 wt.% of lignin were between -76 and -79 ºC. However, increasing the lignin content during polyol synthesis to 20 wt.% resulted in Tg pairs of -75 ºC and -65 ºC, and -82 ºC and -74 ºC. This phenomenon could be related to an increase in the heterogeneity of the polyol. Selected polyols were applied in polyurethane adhesive formulations and subjected to “dog-bone” tensile shear and elongation test by Kiilto Oy. Several polyol samples showed values higher or comparable to applied reference. The application of a high-pressure reactor for lignin-based polyol manufacturing was suggested for further development