Browsing by Title

Bifidobacteria confer various health benefits to the host. Bifidobacterial growth can be promoted by caseinomacropeptide (CMP), which is the potential oligosaccharides-bearing portion of the κ-casein (κ-CN) in milk. This project was carried out to study the utilization of bovine glycosylated CMP by Bifidobacterium infantis ATCC 15697, B. bifidum ATCC 29521, and B. longum ATCC 15707 as well as to investigate the growth-promoting effect of CMP on these strains. Two types of media, namely the basal chemically-defined medium (bCDM) and the nutrient-rich medium known as de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS), were employed to achieve respective research objectives. The formula of the bCDM was developed by addition technique. It was found that L-cysteine, magnesium and manganese were needed by all the strains, and additionally, thiamin and nicotinic acid were essential for the growth of B. bifidum ATCC 29521. Since more than 70% of the glycosylated chains attached to a CMP are terminated with sialic acid residues, the cell counts and bound sialic acid contents in the media after incubation were analysed. Higher cell counts and lower bound sialic acid contents were found in the inoculated media supplemented with CMP as compared to unsupplemented group. Unexpectedly, slower microbial death, instead of growth, was observed in all inoculated bCDM+CMP in comparison to bCDM. It was also surprising to discover that B. bifidum ATCC 29521 and B. longum ATCC 15707 can utilize the glycosylated chains despite that no sialidase has ever been isolated from them. As a conclusion, B. infantis ATCC 15697 can cleave and utilize sialic acids, but not other glycans, that are attached to the glycosylated CMPs; while both B. bifidum ATCC 29521 and B. longum ATCC 15707 can cleave terminal sialic acid residues, followed by the utilization of the glycans attached to the glycosylated CMPs other than sialic acids. It was also found that bovine CMP can exert a similar growth-promoting effect on all three strains. From an industrial point of view, it is feasible to add the bovine CMP into the bifidobacterial growth medium to enhance their growth. Further study is warranted to characterize the sialidases present in B. bifidum ATCC 29521 and B. longum ATCC 15707.

Plant production in soilless systems is attracting increased interest day by day. The major reason for these interest is the fact that soilless medium can help to eliminate soil-borne diseases and give an understanding of plant nutritional requirements. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the suitability of chemically and physically modified wood shavings as growing media for horticultural crop production. Five different wood shavings derived from Scots pine trees, namely untreated wood, heat treated wood, organic acid treated wood, Q-Treat, Q-Treat and organic acid treated wood, along with mixtures of peat and Q-Treat as 50/50 v/v (P50Q50), 25/75 (v/v) (P25Q75) and peat (control ) were used. In order to assess the characteristics of the growing media phytotoxicity, pH, water holding capacity, N immobilization, EC, water content of the substrates were analysed. Plant performances on the substrates was evaluated by observing the vegetative and generative growth of Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ and strawberry ‘Elsanta’ plants. Q-Treat, organic acid treated wood and P50Q50 showed a high water holding capacity. No nitrogen immobilization was observed in Q-Treat. At the same time, EC and water content of the substrates were favourable for both Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ and strawberry production. Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ plants grew satisfactorily on all the substrates but the visual quality of the plants was unacceptable on untreated wood. For strawberry, vegetative growth was strong on peat and P50Q50. Least runners were formed on P25Q75 and all of the wood substrates. However, the yield from strawberries was highest on peat and P25Q75. The quality of strawberry fruits on wood substrates was equal to that on peat. In conclusion, based on the results obtained in this experiment, 50% of peat may be replaced by 50% Q-Treat in soilless cultivation for Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ and 75% of peat may be replaced by Q-Treat in soilless strawberry production.

Single Photon LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a novel and promising technology that can make laser scanning faster and cheaper. Compared to typical linear mode LiDARs (LML), SPL (Single Photon LiDAR) can be operated from higher altitude which means wider bandwidth on ground and a larger scanning area at once. Due to capability of SPL systems to create denser point clouds than current typical LML systems, the flight altitude can be higher in SPL which means quick remote sensing data collations abilities over large areas. Additionally, SPL can penetrate thin clouds and fog which gives airborne ALS better time frame as flight can be operated earlier in the morning than with LML. To the best of authors knowledge, this is pioneering research in Finland to analyse the applicability of SPL in Finnish forests and compare it with LML dataset. This thesis focuses on applying and comparing two LiDAR systems (SPL and LML) for extracting individual tree level (ITD) forest inventorying attributes and generating canopy height models in mature forests. Results were validated over 49 field measured plots, located in southern boreal forest. Additionally, the suitability of two crown segmentation methods (local maxima and watershed) were tested in both datasets. Watershed segmentation method yielded more accurate results for tree density and height estimation in both LML and SPL datasets. Tree density was underestimated by 4.7% (rRMSE: 32.3%) for all species. Comparing tree density estimation in different species, it was most accurate in deciduous plots (rRMSE: 17.0%, rBias: -9.5). Tree height estimation with SPL was highly correlated (R 2=0.93) with field-measured height and reliability accurate with underestimation of 3.4% (rRMSE of 7.0%). Comparing the tree height estimation in different species, it was most accurate between pine plots (rRMSE: 1.1%, rBias: 4.9%). In this research, SPL represented reliable and usable point cloud data for forest remote sensing and quality similar to LML. As expected, SPL had more deviation and higher bias compared to LML in tree density but yielded more accurate results for height estimations. Further studies with more accurate geolocated plots and individual tree maps are required. The hypothesis, the applicability of SPL data for forest inventorying and extracting tree density and tree height in mature forests, is valid.

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää, millaisia haasteita yrityksen tulisi ottaa huomioon ERP-implementoinnissa ja miten näiden haasteiden huomioimisella voidaan vaikuttaa ERP-implementoinnin onnistumiseen. Tutkimuksen teoriaosuudessa käydään läpi aikaisempia tieteellisiä tutkimuksia koskien ERP-projekteja. Tieteellisissä tutkimuksissa viitataan ERP-implementointien erittäin korkeaan epäonnistumisprosenttiin. ERP-implementointien korkea epäonnistumisprosentti kuvastaa tutkimuksen ajankohtaisuutta ja tärkeyttä. Teoriaosuudessa käsitellään myös muutosjohtamista sekä liiketoiminnan uudelleensuunnittelua, jotka ovat keskeisessä roolissa ERP-projekteissa. Tämä tutkimus tehtiin laadullisena tutkimuksena ja haastattelut toteutettiin puolistrukturoidulla menetelmällä. Tutkimuksen tuloksissa nousee esille selkeästi se, että ERP-projektit osoittautuvat lopulta kuviteltua haasteellisemmiksi. Tutkimustuloksissa erityiseen asemaan nousivat implementointiin varatut liian niukat henkilöstöresurssit, ennalta suunnitellun aikataulun venyminen sekä muutoksen tuoman työkuorman epätasainen jakautuminen henkilöstön yksittäisille jäsenille. Erityisen suuria haasteita ERP-implementoinnille loivat projektipäällikön puuttuminen, henkilöstön ylikuormittuminen sekä liiketoimintaprosessien selkeiden kuvausten puuttuminen. Tutkimuksen tuloksien perusteella voidaan sanoa, että kaikki ERP-projektit olivat epäonnistuneita. Tulokset tukevat aikaisempia tutkimuksia, koska myös aikaisemmissa tutkimustuloksissa ERP-projektit on todettu usein epäonnistuneiksi.

The literature review of this master’s thesis dealt with polysaccharide based hydro- and aerogels and their preparation methods and characterization. TEMPO/laccase-catalyzed oxidation was also included in the literature review. The aim of the experimental part of this thesis was to prepare hydrogels by TEMPO/laccase-catalyzed oxidation and study how the oxidation changed the rheological and chemical characteristics of the polysaccharides. The hydrogels were also dried to produce hydrogels via lyophilization and their characteristics were determined. The degree of oxidation of the hydrogels was analyzed by the GC-MS method. The viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels were studied by oscillation measurements. The compressive modulus of the aerogels was determined by means of a compression test. The morphology of the aerogels was studied with the help of a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The studied polysaccharides were arabinoxylan, glucomannan, galactomannan and xyloglucan. Due to the oxidation, a change in the viscoelastic behaviour could be seen between the native and oxidised polysaccharides. The rheological test revealed that the native polysaccharides were viscous liquids (G' > G'') and oxidized polysaccharides formed elastic hydrogels (G' > G''). The degree of oxidation of the hydrogels varied 3,3–11,7 %. The hydrogels were dried using two different freezing methods, unidirectional and conventional, and they were freeze-dried into aerogels without significant shrinkage. The density of the aerogels varied 0,017–0,030 g/mm3. The compressive modulus of the aerogels was 108‒1184 kPa depending on the polysaccharide. The SEM images revealed that unidirectional freezing resulted in pores that were parallelly oriented with the freezing direction. Unidirectionally frozen aerogels were stronger than conventionally frozen aerogels when the compression was oriented against the freezing direction. This was the first time that TEMPO/laccase catalyzed oxidation was used to prepare arabinoxylan and glucomannan hydro- and aerogels. The arabinoxylan and glucomannan aerogels were mechanically stronger than previously studied aerogels that have been prepared by enzymatic oxidation.

The aim of this master’s thesis was to find new and more effective production methods for quarg in Valio as consumption of quarg has increased significantly over the last years. The aim was to produce quarg without the separation of whey so that the raw-materials could be utilised better than with the current methods. The suitability of different milk protein concentrates for quarg production and the effect of different enzymes for the structure of quarg were also examined as was chemical and microbiological fermentation. The utilisation of milk was to be kept low, while the protein content of the quarg was to be maintained at a high level. The aim of the literature review was to become acquainted with the composition of milk, the chemistry of the fermentation of quarg, different production methods for quarg and the functions of different enzymes that modify the structure of milk proteins. The quargs were produced from protein concentrates A, B and C, and were fermented with a microbiological starter, gluconodeltalactone and lactic acid. Enzymes that modify the structure of proteins were added in some of the quargs. Additionally, the effect of rennet on the structure of quarg was examined. Both smooth and grainy quargs were produced in this study. Some of the samples were made in a production plant. The functionality of the quargs in baking was examined in the test kitchen in Valio. The sensory quality and consistency of the quargs were compared with the current Valio fat-free quargs. Acidic whey was not formed when the quargs were produced from protein concentrates, because the dry matter content of the concentrates was as high as the dry matter content in the quargs. The dry matter content of the quargs produced in this study was 15 % and protein content 9 %, on average. The quargs made of protein concentrates had to be homogenised in order to soften their grainy structure. Protein concentrate B was best suited for quarg production because of the mild aroma and the whitest appearance and firmest structure of the quargs. The aromatic quargs made of protein concentrate A and protein concentrate C had a strong off-flavour. The enzyme treatments had no effect on the protein content or the flavor of the quargs but they made the quargs considerably firmer. However, at the same time the graininess of the quargs increased. Microbiological fermentation was preferred over chemical fermentation in order to produce quargs with better sensory features. Without rennet the richness of the quargs decreased. The production of quarg was possible in the production plant. The dry matter content of the quargs was too low for baking applications.

The profit made through clear-cutting can be estimated easily, when keeping one s eye on the stumpage-price. However, problems arise if the consumer is to estimate the stumpage-price, making their own calculations with the interest-rate. Thus, the time used in-waiting becomes the reason for the price, whilst sales during the high-season no longer guarantee the maximum income for clear-cutting. Through this research, aim is to find out what are the financial profits and losses made by the forest owner through the clear-cutting. Calculations have been made on the assumption that the land-owner is able to transfer his or her forestry market-gains on to the Stora Enso s Tähtitili , which offers 5% interest to it s customers. This research also recognises what political and economical factors have affected stumpage prices during the research s time window, between the years 2006 and 2010. This particular research was made by analyzing the trade completed between a customer and Stora Enso, in the region of Savonian Carelia. In this analysis a proposal was put forward by Stora Enso, whereby the forest owner would put his money from the ongoing trade to their Tähtitili . Through this it became possible to find out, how much profit Tähtitili had returned. There was also another option. It was that the forest owner wouldn t have sold his forest for clear-cutting, but would have waited on the stock-market stumpage-price to offer it s best price. This way, it was to be seen what was the value of the forest whilst it still stood. By comparing these two options, it would be pos-sible to say, which of these two alternatives was more profitable. According to the findings of this research, the land-owner should not hesitate in accepting clear-cutting, on the basis that the forest is ready and capable of re-rowth. However, if the forest is not ready for regeneration, then it s not worth for regeneration. This type-of-forest holds more value whilst standing. Should the land-owner choose to follow the stumpage-price if their forest is clearly clear-cuttable, then they are at a financial loss.

Customer acquisition is important for businesses to guarantee their future profitability, as they strive for continuous growth. As customer acquisition takes up considerable resources, it is important to find solutions that are as cost-effective as possible, without compromising the quality. This study examines the cost-effectiveness and productivity of the sponsoring company, by exploring their customer acquisition. As the company carries this out in the form of phone calls, this study will examine the factors that affect these qualities. It will also consider how customer acquisition can be further developed in the future, concentrating on cost-effectiveness and productivity. This thesis has been carried out as a quantitative research. The methods used are traditional for understanding work efficiency and cost calculations, as well as simple key figures for comparison. The material used is the system data provided by the sponsoring company. The costs and work efficiency have been calculated on the basis of the company’s invoicing and monitoring the working hours of the callers. Based on the results, this thesis argues that the choice of call materials used as the basis for customer acquisition, is significant in terms of cost-effectiveness. There are obvious differences between different acquisition areas. However, the largest differences are evident when examining buyer teams within the company, where the differences between separate teams may be substantial. Even buyer areas that are close to one another may be very different from the perspective of customer acquisition. Furthermore, the caller also plays a big role in terms of cost-effectiveness. In the future, customer acquisition should be targeted to areas where it is as cost-effective as possible – effective call materials should be utilised in customer acquisition. Increasing internal cooperation and training the callers in the organization will also lead customer acquisition towards an even more cost-effective direction.

Uusilla jalostusmenetelmillä voidaan nopeuttaa karjan perinnöllistä edistymistä, mutta niiden käyttö myös lisää kustannuksia. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin genomisen valinnan ja sukupuolilajitellun siemenen käytön taloudellista kannattavuutta lypsykar-jatilalla. Tarkastelukulmana oli karjan sisäisen lehmävalinnan tehostaminen. Tutkimuksessa arvioitiin, saadaanko lisäpanostus jalostukseen nettotuottoina takaisin lyhyellä, viiden vuoden tarkasteluperiodilla. Tutkimus toteutettiin yhteistyössä Savonia ammattikorkeakoulun Maili-hankkeen kanssa ja tutkimuksessa oli mukana pohjoissa-volaisia maitotiloja C2-tukialueelta. Tiloja oli yhteensä 15 ja ne olivat noin 30-, 65- ja 130-lehmän karjoja. 30-lehmän karja edus-taa tämän hetken keskivertokokoa ja näillä tiloilla oli parsinavetta. Isommat karjat olivat automaattilypsyllä toimivia pihattoja. Läh-tötietoina käytettiin tilojen vuoden 2012 tuotosseurannan ja kirjanpidon tietoja. Tutkimustilojen keskituotos oli keskimäärin 9834 kg, jalostusarvojen ja odotusarvojen keskiarvo oli 4,2. Poistoprosentti oli tutkimustiloilla keskimäärin 29,8, vasikkakuolleisuus 7,5 prosenttia ja siemennyksiä yhtä poikimista varten tarvittiin keskimäärin 2,0. Tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin nettonykyarvolaskentaa, jossa nettokassavirrat diskontattiin nykyhetkeen, koska tulot ja menot kertyvät eri ajankohtina. Korkokantana käytettiin 5 prosenttia. Tarkastelussa käytettiin osittaisbudjetointia, jossa otetaan huomi-oon kassavirrat, joihin jalostusmenetelmät vaikuttavat. Lypsykarjalle genomisen valinnan käyttö aiheuttaa kustannuksia näyt-teidenoton ja -määritysten muodossa. Hyödyt puolestaan konkretisoituivat arvosteluvarmuuden paranemisena, joka vaikutti suo-raan perinnöllisen edistymisen suuruuteen. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin Illumina Bovine54K- ja Illumina Bovine3K-lastujen arvoste-luvarmuuksia, koska Illumina Bovine10K-lastun arvosteluvarmuus ei ollut tutkimushetkellä saatavilla. Hintoina on käytetty 54K- ja 10K-lastujen hintoja. 54K-lastua kutsutaan MD- eli medium density -lastuksi ja 10K- ja 3K-lastuja LD eli low density -lastuiksi. Sukupuolilajitellun siemenen käytöllä pystyttiin vaikuttamaan valinnan ankaruuteen. Tällöin tarvittiin pienempi määrä lehmiä ja hiehoja tuottamaan uudistukseen tarvittavat eläimet, koska lehmävasikoiden todennäköisyys nousi lajitellun siemenen ansiosta 49 prosentista 90 prosenttiin. Sukupuolilajiteltu siemen lisäsi kuitenkin kuluja, koska siemenannosten hinnat olivat lajittelematonta siemenannosta korkeampia. Kustannuksia lisäsi myös lajitellun siemenen heikompi tiineyttämiskyky perinteiseen verrattuna. X-lajitellun siemenen käyttö lisäsi lehmävasikoiden määrää, jolloin tilalta välitykseen menevien sonnivasikoiden määrä väheni. Laji-tellun siemenen käyttö mahdollisti liharotusiemennysten lisäämisen. Uusien jalostusmenetelmien vaikutusta tutkittiin arvioimalla niiden aikaansaamaa muutosta maitotuotokseen, hedelmällisyyteen, utareterveyteen ja kestävyyteen yhden valintakierroksen aikana. Kustannukset ja tuotot laskettiin valintavuoden lisäksi viidelle seuraavalle vuodelle, jolloin valinnasta syntyvien jälkeläisten oletettiin tuottavan karjassa kolme tuotosvuotta. Maitotuotoksen muutoksessa huomioitiin muuttuva rehuntarve ja työmäärä. Navetan täyttöasteen oletettiin lehmien osalta pysyvän vakiona. Tar-kasteluajanjakso valittiin seuraamaan nopeaa takaisinmaksua, eikä perinnöllisen muutoksen kumulatiivista vaikutusta huomioitu. Myös jalostuseläinkauppa on tästä tarkastelusta rajattu pois. Tämän tutkimuksen mukaan uudet jalostusmenetelmät eivät olleet kannattavia vuoden 2013 hintatason mukaan. Lajitellun sie-menen käyttö ei ollut kannattavaa, koska sitä käytettäessä sonnivasikoiden määrä väheni ja sitä kautta välitysvasikkatulot piene-nivät. Tilojen kannattaisi maksaa lajitellusta siemenannoksesta keskimäärin 5,50 euroa alhaisempaa hintaa kuin lajittelematto-masta siemenannoksesta. Lajiteltua siementä käytettäessä liharoturisteytyssiemennyksiä voitiin lisätä noin 8 prosenttiyksikköä. Ilman lihasonnien käytön lisäämistä lajitellun siemen käyttö oli enemmän kannattamatonta. MD-lastulla genomisen valinnan kannattava enimmäishinta oli 36–43 euroa riippuen siitä, tehtiinkö määritettävissä eläimissä esivalintaa. LD-lastulla vastaavat enimmäishinnat olivat 34–41 euroa. Lajitellun siemenen käyttö yhdessä genomisen valinnan kanssa ei muuttanut MD-lastun enimmäishintoja, mutta LD-lastun kanssa enimmäishinnat putosivat 30–36 euroon.

The agro-environmental subsidy scheme is the most important agricultural environmental policy instrument used in Finland. The principal aim of the agro-environmental subsidy is to reimburse farmer the costs of using environmentally sounder farming practices and the measures that aim for preserving the environment. It also serves as an economic incentive for ensuring the large enough participation. The agro-environmental subsidy scheme is to be reformed in 2007. The main question answered in thesis was that whether farmers in Uusimaa region are ready to participate in the environmental subsidy scheme on the basis of the economical reasons or not. The focus is on farmers' opinions about how difficult it is to carry out measures of new environmental subsidy and do these measures change their ways of farming. The analysis is based on an empirical study of the farmers attitudes towards the new environmental subsidy scheme. The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on principal-agent theory and on the theory of the firm. In principal-agent theory environmental subsidy is interpreted as a deal in which farmers function as agents and government as a principal. Theory of the firm provides a theoretical framework for the analysis, through which we aim to analyse how rationally behaving farmer makes decisions by economical reasons to participate in the environment subsidy scheme. The thesis points out that presumably the participation percentage will stay high during the period of the new environmental subsidy scheme.