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Microservice architecture style has become one of the most popular software development ar- chitectural styles in the recent years. Microservice architecure is not defining an entirely new independent software architecture, but it is a specific way to implement service oriented archi- tecture. Together with the automated software deployment processes it enables organisations to publish new features and fixes to their applications in a rapid and lean way. Microservice architecture style is usually seen as an alternative way to implement applications compared to the more traditional way where an application, often called a monolith, is a single executable piece of software. Monoliths are thought to be more difficult to develop and maintain, limited in scalability, causing more downtime in production and causing technology lock-ins. Although microservices can resolve some problems with monolithic application, microservices are introducing new different kinds of problems that must be addressed. For example, the amount of deployable components and the complexity of the whole system are increasing. Many organisations are planning to migrate their existing monolithic applications to a set of microservices. However, it is not clear when this kind of migration is cost-efficient. This thesis is a case study of an organisation which is trying to find alternative for their monolithical style and which has already migrated some applications to microservices. Using the organisation as a case study, we will reflect how some theories from some selected literature are working in practise.

The 2015 World Summit Outcome Document underlined the fundamental role of sovereign states as protectors of their citizens from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, but it further stressed that should a state fail to protect its citizens from such atrocities, the international community would have a responsibility to intervene. As the first UN document to explicitly declare that states would no longer be safe from foreign interference solely on the principle of sovereignty, the Outcome Document’s formulation of the emerging concept of 'responsibility to protect' was unprecedented. In seeking to study the implementation of the responsibility to protect principle in the context of the African Union, this study analyses how the Union has conceptualized sovereignty vis-à-vis humanitarian interventions. The theoretical framework of study is built on two opposing notions of sovereignty a pluralist, state-centered sovereignty akin to traditional Westphalian sovereignty, which considers all states equal in their protection from foreign intervention, and a solidarist notion of sovereignty that prioritizes the protection of civilians against mass atrocities over the protection of states against foreign interference. The discussion of the study’s main findings draws on theories of political realism. The research analyses 346 communiqués issued by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union between 2004 and 2014 to ascertain whether the Union maintains a pluralist or a solidarist understanding of sovereignty. The method of analysis builds on content analysis and combines both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The analysis suggests a twofold argument. On the one hand, the AU PSC maintains a state-centered, pluralist understanding of sovereignty. The Peace and Security council categorically links sovereignty to the territorial integrity of member states, thereby conceptualizing sovereignty in the context of bordered nation-states. It also strongly rejects foreign humanitarian interventions and issues sanctions to primarily to protect states, not civilians. On the other hand, the findings suggest that the African Union is slowly moving towards a more solidarist notion of sovereignty that prioritizes civilian protection. Although most calls for sanctions relate sanctions to the protection of the state, since 2012 the AU PSC has increasingly called for sanctions on humanitarian grounds. The Peace and Security Council has also opened up its traditionally closed deliberations for engagement with civil society actors in open sessions on themes closely related to the protection of civilians. An analysis of the findings suggests that the African Union suffers from severe lack of financial self-sufficiency, which undermines its neutrality but also its ability to react rapidly to emerging crises. Moreover, the notion of subsidiarity and seeking African solutions to African problems are prevalent in the Union’s policy discussions, which contribute to rendering it more likely to oppose non-African interventions in its member states. A theoretical discussion of these findings from the perspective of political realism further points to growing economic interdependence and transnationalization of African crises as factors that might explain the African Union’s shift towards solidarist sovereignty.

When multilateral development banks (MDBs) finance projects that result in significant harm to individuals, there are limited avenues to seek recourse. With the ability to rely on national juridical systems restricted due to international organization immunity, individuals may seek recourse by lodging their complaints with the Accountability Mechanisms (AMs) of banks. The proliferation of accountability mechanisms and environmental and social safeguard policies across MDBs denotes a shift in approach compared to early development finance institutions. By reviewing policies and procedures of the New Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank, this thesis illustrates how accountability manifests within these institutions. In the absence of an international legal framework, this thesis traces the internal and external influences that contour accountability, highlighting how AMs and protection policies are developed within a community of practice. This thesis also considers the implications of the widespread practice of AMs on international law. Some arguments suggest that IOs should recognize customary obligations to provide a right to remedy, and thereby allowing these actors to contribute to customary international law. While this could enhance the ability of individuals to seek recourse against IOs, this thesis asserts that linking these practices to customary international law is premature. As this thesis observes, accountability does not materialize uniformly within the MDB community of practice. Accountability has developed parallel to any international legal developments regarding individual recourse, and banks have varied motivations for institutionalizing accountability. While international law may offer a solution for providing individuals with a right to remedy, its efficacy remains uncertain. In the meantime, developing effective AMs is the viable alternative.

Matrix product states provide an efficient parametrisation of low-entanglement many-body quantum states. In this thesis, the underlying theory is developed from scratch, requiring only basic notions of quantum mechanics and quantum information theory. A full introduction to matrix product state algebra and matrix product operators is given, culminating in the derivation of the density matrix renormalisation group algorithm. The latter provides a simple variational scheme to determine the ground state of arbitrary one-dimensional many-body quantum systems with supreme precision. As an application of matrix-product state technology, the kernel polynomial method is introduced in detail as a state-of-the art numerical tool to find the spectral function or the dynamical correlator of a given quantum system. This in turn gives access to the elementary excitations of the system, such that the locations of the low-energy eigenstates can be studied directly in real space. To illustrate those theoretical tools concretely, the ground state energy, the entanglement entropy and the elementary excitations of a simple interface model of a Heisenberg ferromagnet and a Heisenberg antiferromagnet are studied. By changing the location of the model in parameter space, the dependence of the above-mentioned quantities on the transverse field and the coupling strength is investigated. Most notably, we find that the entanglement entropy characteristic to the antiferromagnetic ground state stretches across the interface into the ferromagnetic half-chain. The dependence of the physics on the value of the coupling strength is, overall, small, with exception of the appearance of a boundary mode whose eigenenergy grows with the coupling. A comparison with a localised edge field shows however that the boundary mode is a true interaction effect of the two half-chains. Various algorithmic and physics extensions of the present project are discussed, such that the code written as part of this thesis could be turned into a state-of-the-art MPS library with managable effort. In particular, an application of the kernel polynomial method to calculate finite-temperature correlators is derived in detail.

The Finnish TV-series Downshiftaajat is a story of couple whose company goes bankrupt and they need to start a new life. The couple moves to a suburb and tries to hide their money troubles by telling everyone that they are downshifting. The story then follows the couple’s balancing act in between their old and new lives: keeping up appearances and while working to find new work. In this thesis, I examine class constructs in Downshiftaajat. Social hierarchies and classes are not always very visible in societies. According to contemporary class research, class is made up of multiple elements, such as job, taste, wages, and hobbies. Skeggs writes of how when certain symbols are inscribed onto different groups of things, characters or physical object, these symbols then became markers of the group to which that object belongs. Bourdieu and Wright gives additional insights into classes, first from the perspective of style and the latter from a more economical way. Alain De Botton explains how and why humans behave in groups. This research was conducted using thematic analysis as a method. Thematic analysis is a method for finding repetitive patterns in data and then organising these patterns in hierarchical order. After watching the series closely, I made memos about the events and dialogue in the show. These memos I then turned into more detailed sections I call descriptions. These descriptions I organised under five main headings: infrastructure, morality, money, style, and behaviour. The results of the analysis showed that Downshiftaajat constructs class by representing things in the suburb, such as buildings, trains, and neighbours as distant form the main characters. Class also informs the morals of characters: the morality of the main characters are usually depicted as having higher standards than other characters’ morality. Money contributes to the construction of class in the dialogues between the main characters concerning the lack of it. Style is also used to construct class by giving examples of brands that the main characters prefer over other brands. Class is also depicted by means of behaviour: people from different classes behave differently and have different eating habits. The series does not explicitly criticise how Finnish society treats its unemployed. It does, however, reflect contemporary Finnish unemployment policies, where the sole responsibility for finding work and managing one’s life is placed on individuals.

Modern China has entered an era of risk society. The emerging public crises are challenging the government's reactions including the openness and speed of information, the reconstruction of credibility and reputation. On the other hand, the media environment has changed enormously. Despite the tight censorship of China's traditional media, social media provide both opportunities and challenges for government crisis communication in terms of its fast speed of transmitting and instantaneous sharing of information, reliance on user-generated content, and openness of public opinions and easiness to access. Since social media are empowered to reshape the public opinion field, media manipulation from the government changes accordingly. Therefore, this study focuses on the way social media was used actively in the crisis communication in the 2013 Ya'an earthquake by the Chinese government and respond from the public. Mixed research methods are used in the study, including content analysis as quantitative method, and frame analysis as qualitative method. This research first identifies how did the state-owned media presented the crisis. Subsequently, it explores what crisis communication strategies the state-owned media applies on social media during the earthquake, and how effective those strategies are based on attitudes of the public. As an authoritarian country, the Chinese government used to cover crisis and suppress discussions to maintain stability of the society, which caused distrust among the public. However, different from the stereotype, the Chinese government tends to guide public opinion to the positive direction rather than hiding the truth nowadays. Based on the analysis, the conclusion can be drawn clearly how the Chinese government managed and responded to the crisis through the state-owned media.

China has captured global attention due to its rapid development of Internet infrastructure owing to the introduction of economic reform and marketization over the recent decades. The Internet regulation in China also has its Chinese characteristics. China has long been an authoritarian country whose censorship tradition is deep seated in its historical background and political entity. It has spawned a prosperous Internet culture to ironize the censorship action itself, netizens willingly use “to harmonize” as a synonym of “to censor”. My thesis aims to investigate the complex view of China’s Internet regulation and its Chinese characteristics, and how the censorship is practiced to secure the harmonious socialist society, from both existing research and news media. By investigating existing literature, I unfold the governmental development of the massive cyberspace surveillance and the ways in which the censorship works. On the basis of the theoretical understanding of China’s Internet regulation, my research continues to explore the specific cases of censorship programmes happened in the 2010s represented by news reporting, i.e. anniversaries of the Tiananmen Protest, Occupy the Central, the 50 Cents Army and the banned Internet spoofs, in order to see how China’s Internet censorship was portrayed in the real cases. The research primarily adopts case study and content analysis methodology, carefully identifies novel censorship phenomena appeared during the recent decade to embody the harmonization censorship processes. This paper serves to encapsulate the intricate Chinese Internet regulation system for both Chinese and western scholars, and most significantly, for the young generation of Chinese Internet consumers, to gain an improved understanding of the status quo of China’s cyberspace landscape.

This thesis examines the Europeanisation of public spheres. According to the deliberative democratic theory, political decisions need to be based on public consideration. Similarly to the decision-making processes in the nation states, in order for democracy to function also in the European Union, there is a need for a joint European public sphere where the peoples of Europe can discuss common issues of relevance and thereby contribute to the EU decision-making. Research conducted on the gradual Europeanisation of public spheres examines how politicisation of EU issues on the national levels contributes to cross-border communication, creation of joint communities of communication and a strengthening of collective European identity. Drawing on previous research in this field, this study highlights communication flows and discursive frames in the selected national media outlets and examines to what extent these discussions point to the emergence of a collective European identity strong enough to sustain mutualisation of debt and fiscal transfers, justifying ”solidarity among strangers” within the community. Through analysis of media coverage on the EU Recovery Fund – the political and politicised face of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic response on the EU level – this thesis examines to what extent the public spheres in Germany, France and Finland are Europeanised in these debates and whether it is possible to identify a joint community of communication pointing to a collective European identity. The theoretical framework of this study draws largely on Jürgen Habermas’s public sphere theory and its later developments (and criticisms) as well as on the growing body of literature on the gradual Europeanisation of national public spheres in the EU Member States. Contrary to the early studies on the European public sphere, later research points towards increasing politicisation of EU affairs in the national public spheres and the related strengthening of Europeanisation. No consensus, however, exists yet among researchers on whether these developments will lead to enhanced European identity and further integration or renationalisation and further rise of Euroscepticism. This thesis contributes to that discussion through a case study on the Europeanisation of national public spheres in relation to the discussion on the EU Recovery Fund in 2020.

The purpose of this study is to create a comprehensive picture of exorcisms performed on the British Isles between 1550 – 1700. By reading all of the pamphlets from England, Scotland and Ireland that include exorcism narratives, a much more varied picture is formed when compared to older studies. The end of the 16th century saw a growing conflict between the Calvin-leaning Church of England, Luther-leaning Puritans and the Roman Catholics regarding the performance of exorcisms. The Church of England saw exorcisms as an example of 'popish' superstition and denied the possibility of successful exorcisms. The dissenting sect of Puritans wanted to modernize the rite from superstitious influences and the Catholics saw the performance of exorcisms as a way to convert the laity back to the Catholic faith. The pamphlets published during the late 16th century are mostly polemic and contain extensive prefaces detailing the author's stance regarding exorcism. The Church of England was able to solidify its power and effectively disallow the clergy from performing exorcisms and drive out the Catholics at the start of the 17th century and effectively stopped the publication of both witchcraft and exorcism pamphlets as a result. However, the creation of a Protestant unity had not been succesful. The Catholic connections of King Charles I, the following civil war and interregnum around the middle point of the 17th century caused a fragmentation of religious unity and made witchcraft fears increase once again. Witchcraft pamphlet publishing saw a revival first, followed a decade later by new exorcism pamphlets. As the clerical exorcisms were still seen as 'popish' superstition, the exorcists of these new pamphlets came from the laity and medical professions. Superstitious 'white magic' cures performed by the laity, cunning-folk as they were known, made up a large portion of healing during the early modern era, so they also had to deal with demonic possession and witchcraft quite often. The witchcraft trials of England and Scotland were secular affairs due to legislation, and usually involved medical professionals in order to distinguish between natural and supernatural symptoms. Thus medical professionals had a working understanding of possession and made up the majority of the late 17th century exorcists. The fragmentation of the authority on exorcism methods in England, as opposed to the Catholic continent, meant that both the performers and the methodology became mixed; elements of old conjuration magic, superstitious spells and medicine were used side by side. The later pamphlets either told of miraculous events and cures or advertised the accomplishments of various physicians. The very end of the 17th century saw the release of heavily sceptical pamphlets, as the scepticism towards the supernatural in English society was at its highest. The most revealing were the mentions of unsuccessful exorcism attempts that usually preceded the main exorcist’s successful attempt. The pamphlets, whether they told of actual events or were works of fiction, were merely the tip of the iceberg, many attempted exorcisms were either unsuccessful or didn't even end up on print. By going beyond the previous focus on the exorcism controversy of the end of the 16th century, a very different view of the scope and depth of the beliefs in possession and exorcism and how strong they were well into the 17th century is gained.

Sosiolingvistinen pro gradu-tutkielmani käsittelee englanninkielisen terminologian integraatiota suomalaiseen lumilautasanastoon. Tavoitteena on perehtyä tasoihin, joilla suomalaisessa lumilautasanastossa käytettävä englannista peräisin oleva sanasto on sulautunut osaksi suomalaisten lumilauta-lajisanastoa. Tutkielman teoriatausta perustuu kielensekoittamiseen ja anglismeihin, englannin asemaan Suomessa ja käytäntöyhteisöihin. Aineisto kerättiin haastattelulla, johon osallistui kaksi suomalaista lumilautayhteisön aktiivista ja pitkäaikaista jäsentä. Haastateltavat katsoivat lumilauta-aiheista videota ja keskustelivat vapaasti niin videon sisällöstä kuin lumilautailusta yleisemmällä tasolla. Haastattelun nauhoite oli noin tunnin mittainen ja siitä litteroimani kirjallinen versio koostui 6128 sanasta. Analysoin tätä keräämääni aineistoa kvalitatiivisin keinoin. Haastateltavieni käyttämän lumilautasanaston integraatio voidaan jaotella neljään eri tasoon: (1) Muuttumattomana englanninkielisenä säilyneeseen; (2) englanninkieliseen jota on muutettu hieman ääntämisen helpottamiseksi, (3) englanninkieliseen jota on muutettu hieman suomenkieliopin mukaan taipuvaksi sekä (4) englanninkielisiin muokattuihin, joiden englanninkielistä alkuperää saattaa olla jopa vaikea hahmottaa tuntematta sanan etymologiaa. Näillä eri tasoilla suomen kieleen integroituneilla englanninkielisillä sanoilla kuvataan muun muassa temppujen nimiä, pyörimissuuntia ja joitakin esteitä. Lisäksi pieni osa lumilautajargonia on täysin suomenkielistä. Tällaisia tapauksia ovat yleisimmin varusteita koskeva sanasto ja ilmassa pyörimisen määrää ilmaisevat asteluvut. Englanninkielinen lumilautasanasto on lumilautailijoiden käytäntöyhteisön ulkopuolisille suomalaisille usein täysin mahdotonta ymmärtää ja voidaankin ajatella, että heidän kohdallaan tässä ilmiössä on kyse koodinvaihdosta. Lumilautayhteisön jäsenille tilanne on kuitenkin toinen. Heille sama sanasto on arkipäiväinen, täysin ymmärrettävä osa lumilauta-aiheista keskustelua. Voidaankin ajatella, että heille ne ovat anglismeja, englantilaisia lainasanoja jotka ovat integroituneet osaksi kohdekieltä, tässä tapauksessa suomea