Paineilmajärjestelmän ja -hankinnan kehittäminen sementtitehtaalla

Työn tavoitteena oli kartoittaa Lappeenrannan sementtitehtaan paineilmajärjestelmä, tehdä järjestelmän kehittämissuunnitelma ja arvioida suunnitelman mukaisen investoinnin kannattavuus investointilaskelmilla. Kartoituksesta selviää paineilman hankinnan toteutus, järjestelmään kuuluvien laitteiden selvitys ja energiankulutus sekä jakeluverkon ja paineilman käytön kartoitus. Kartoituksen ja aineiston pohjalta laadittiin suunnitelma järjestelmän kehittämiseksi. Aineistoa kerättiin haastattelemalla laitetoimittajia sekä muiden sementtitehtaiden johtoa. Paineilman käyttöä tehostettiin ja tehtaan matalapaine- eli kuumailmaverkon osalta tehtiin suunnitelmat sen täydellisestä uusimisesta. Tehtaan korkeapaine- eli yleisilmaverkkoon päätettiin olla investoimatta työssä esiteltävien käytännön syiden vuoksi. Investoinnin taloudellinen kannattavuus arvioitiin työhön rakennetulla investointilaskentamallilla. Sen avulla laskettiin investoinnin kannattavuus annuiteettimenetelmällä. Laskelmien tulokseen liittyvä epävarmuus arvioitiin myös malliin rakennetulla herkkyysanalyysillä. Lisäksi mallilla vertailtiin investoinnin eri hankintavaihtoehtojen kannattavuutta. Investointi osoittautui kannattavaksi.

Puutavaranosturin teleskooppipuomin kehittäminen ultralujilla teräksillä toteutettavaksi

Diplomityössä on tutkittu ultralujien terästen käyttömahdollisuuksia puutavaranosturin puomirakenteissa. Työn tavoitteena on ollut suunnitella uusi puomikonstruktio, joka on kevyempi kuin aiemmat ratkaisut, mutta täyttää kuitenkin sovellettavien standardien asettamat vaatimukset väsymisen, staattisen kestävyyden ja stabiliteetin suhteen. Työ on tehty vertailemalla erilaisten uusien profiilien ja rakenneyksityiskohtien ominaisuuksia toisiinsa ja vanhaan rakenteeseen. Vertailukriteereinä on käytetty elastista taivutuskapasiteettia, kriittistä lommahduskuormaa, väsymislujuutta sekä hitsaus- ja materiaalikustannuksia. Työn lopputuloksena saatiin ehdotus uudeksi teleskooppipuomiksi, joka on noin 8 % kevyempi kuin nykyinen ratkaisu.

New TTCN interfaces for WCDMA base station testing

WCDMA tukiasema (Node B) on osa UMTS-järjestelmän radioverkkoa. Node B on tärkeä verkkoelementti, jonka tarkoituksena on yhdistää mobiilikäyttäjät verkkoon. Telecom –ohjelmisto (TCOM SW) on vastuussa suuresta osasta Node B:n toiminnallisuutta. TCOM SW:n testaukseen käytetään paljon resursseja, jotta ohjelmiston oikeasta toiminnasta ja laadusta voidaan varmistua. System component testing on testausvaihe, jossa järjestelmän (Node B) osa (system component, tässä diplomityössä TCOM SW) testataan ennen sen integroimista muuhun järjestelmään. Tähän tarvitaan testityökalu ja testitapausten toteutus. Node B TTCN Tester (testeri) on työkalu, jota käytetään Node B:n ohjelmiston testauksessa. Testitapaukset toteutetaan TTCN-testinotaatiota käyttäen ja testataan testerin avulla. TCOM SW:n system component –testausvaihetta varten testeriin lisättiin uudet rajapinnat, joiden avulla voidaan simuloita Node B:n ATM-ohjelmistoa sekä WPA- ja WTR-yksiköitä. Tässä diplomityössä toteuttiin TTCN testitapaukset uusille rajapinnoille. Testitapaukset tekivät TCOM SW system component –testausvaiheen riippumattomaksi Node B:n ATM-ohjelmistosta sekä WPA- ja WTR-yksiköistä. Lisäksi TCOM SW:n toiminnan testaus näissä rajapinnoissa voidaan tästä lähtien tehdä automaattisesti. Testitapauksien toiminta varmistettiin testeriä käyttäen. Tulokset olivat hyviä, uudet testitapaukset ja TTCN rajapinnat toimivat oikein lisäten testauksen tehokkuutta.

1C.06: Ambulatory pulse pressure is negatively associated with excretions of urinary caffeine and its metabolites

OBJECTIVE: Systolic blood pressure (BP) has been associated with urinary caffeine and its metabolites such as paraxanthine and theophylline. Caffeine and caffeine metabolites could influence arterial pulse pressure (PP) via sympathomimetic effects, smooth muscle relaxation, and phosphodiesterase inhibition. The purpose of this analysis was to explore the association of ambulatory PP with urinary caffeine and its related metabolites in a large population-based sample. DESIGN AND METHOD: Families were randomly selected from the general population of three Swiss cities (2009-2013). Ambulatory BP monitoring was conducted using validated Diasys Integra devices. PP was defined as the difference between the systolic and diastolic ambulatory BP. Urinary caffeine, paraxanthine, theophylline, and theobromine excretions were measured in 24 h urine using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Urinary excretions were log-transformed to satisfy regression assumptions. We used linear mixed models to explore the associations of urinary caffeine and caffeine metabolite excretions with 24-hour, day- and night-time PP while adjusting for major confounders. RESULTS: The 836 participants (48.9% men) included in this analysis had mean (±SD) age of 47.8 (±17.5), and mean 24-hour systolic and diastolic BP of 120.1 mmHg (±13.9) and 78.0 (±8.6). Except theobromine, log transformed urinary caffeine and caffeine metabolite excretions were associated negatively with 24-hour, daytime and night-time ambulatory PP. 24-hour, daytime, and night-time ambulatory PP decreased by -0.804 mmHg (SE, 0.209), -0.749 (0.215), and -0.968 (0.243) (all P values <0.005), for each doubling excretion of caffeine. Strong negative associations with night-time ambulatory PP were observed for paraxanthine and theophylline.(Figure is included in full-text article.) CONCLUSIONS: : The negative associations of PP with caffeine, paraxanthine, and theophylline excretions suggest that caffeine and its metabolites do lower BP, possibly by modifying arterial stiffness.

Stroking or Buzzing? A Comparison of Somatosensory Touch Stimuli Using 7 Tesla fMRI.

Studying body representations in the brain helps us to understand how we humans relate to our own bodies. The in vivo mapping of the somatosensory cortex, where these representations are found, is greatly facilitated by the high spatial resolution and high sensitivity to brain activation available at ultra-high field. In this study, the use of different stimulus types for somatotopic mapping of the digits at ultra-high field, specifically manual stroking and mechanical stimulation, was compared in terms of sensitivity and specificity of the brain responses. Larger positive responses in digit regions of interest were found for manual stroking than for mechanical stimulation, both in terms of average and maximum t-value and in terms of number of voxels with significant responses to the tactile stimulation. Responses to manual stroking were higher throughout the entire post-central sulcus, but the difference was especially large on its posterior wall, i.e. in Brodmann area 2. During mechanical stimulation, cross-digit responses were more negative than during manual stroking, possibly caused by a faster habituation to the stimulus. These differences indicate that manual stroking is a highly suitable stimulus for fast somatotopic mapping procedures, especially if Brodmann area 2 is of interest.

A Population-Based Model to Consider the Effect of Seasonal Variation on Serum 25(OH)D and Vitamin D Status.

Background. We elaborated a model that predicts the centiles of the 25(OH)D distribution taking into account seasonal variation. Methods. Data from two Swiss population-based studies were used to generate (CoLaus) and validate (Bus Santé) the model. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by ultra high pressure LC-MS/MS and immunoassay. Linear regression models on square-root transformed 25(OH)D values were used to predict centiles of the 25(OH)D distribution. Distribution functions of the observations from the replication set predicted with the model were inspected to assess replication. Results. Overall, 4,912 and 2,537 Caucasians were included in original and replication sets, respectively. Mean (SD) 25(OH)D, age, BMI, and % of men were 47.5 (22.1) nmol/L, 49.8 (8.5) years, 25.6 (4.1) kg/m(2), and 49.3% in the original study. The best model included gender, BMI, and sin-cos functions of measurement day. Sex- and BMI-specific 25(OH)D centile curves as a function of measurement date were generated. The model estimates any centile of the 25(OH)D distribution for given values of sex, BMI, and date and the quantile corresponding to a 25(OH)D measurement. Conclusions. We generated and validated centile curves of 25(OH)D in the general adult Caucasian population. These curves can help rank vitamin D centile independently of when 25(OH)D is measured.

Streptavidin - A Versatile Binding Protein for Solid-Phase Immunoassays

Streptavidin, a tetrameric protein secreted by Streptomyces avidinii, binds tightly to a small growth factor biotin. One of the numerous applications of this high-affinity system comprises the streptavidin-coated surfaces of bioanalytical assays which serve as universal binders for straightforward immobilization of any biotinylated molecule. Proteins can be immobilized with a lower risk of denaturation using streptavidin-biotin technology in contrast to direct passive adsorption. The purpose of this study was to characterize the properties and effects of streptavidin-coated binding surfaces on the performance of solid-phase immunoassays and to investigate the contributions of surface modifications. Various characterization tools and methods established in the study enabled the convenient monitoring and binding capacity determination of streptavidin-coated surfaces. The schematic modeling of the monolayer surface and the quantification of adsorbed streptavidin disclosed the possibilities and the limits of passive adsorption. The defined yield of 250 ng/cm² represented approximately 65 % coverage compared with a modelled complete monolayer, which is consistent with theoretical surface models. Modifications such as polymerization and chemical activation of streptavidin resulted in a close to 10-fold increase in the biotin-binding densities of the surface compared with the regular streptavidin coating. In addition, the stability of the surface against leaching was improved by chemical modification. The increased binding densities and capacities enabled wider high-end dynamic ranges in the solid-phase immunoassays, especially when using the fragments of the capture antibodies instead of intact antibodies for the binding of the antigen. The binding capacity of the streptavidin surface was not, by definition, predictive of the low-end performance of the immunoassays nor the assay sensitivity. Other features such as non-specific binding, variation and leaching turned out to be more relevant. The immunoassays that use a direct surface readout measurement of time-resolved fluorescence from a washed surface are dependent on the density of the labeled antibodies in a defined area on the surface. The binding surface was condensed into a spot by coating streptavidin in liquid droplets into special microtiter wells holding a small circular indentation at the bottom. The condensed binding area enabled a denser packing of the labeled antibodies on the surface. This resulted in a 5 - 6-fold increase in the signal-to-background ratios and an equivalent improvement in the detection limits of the solid-phase immunoassays. This work proved that the properties of the streptavidin-coated surfaces can be modified and that the defined properties of the streptavidin-based immunocapture surfaces contribute to the performance of heterogeneous immunoassays.

Distinct contributions of Brodmann areas 1 and 2 to body ownership.

Although body ownership-i.e. the feeling that our bodies belong to us-modulates activity within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), it is still unknown whether this modulation occurs within a somatotopically defined portion of S1. We induced an illusory feeling of ownership for another person's finger by asking participants to hold their palm against another person's palm and to stroke the two joined index fingers with the index and thumb of their other hand. This illusion (numbness illusion) does not occur if the stroking is performed asynchronously or by the other person. We combined this somatosensory paradigm with ultra-high field functional magnetic resonance imaging finger mapping to study whether illusory body ownership modulates activity within different finger-specific areas of S1. The results revealed that the numbness illusion is associated with activity in Brodmann area (BA) 1 within the representation of the finger stroking the other person's finger and in BA 2 contralateral to the stroked finger. These results show that changes in bodily experience modulate the activity within certain subregions of S1, with a different finger-topographical selectivity between the representations of the stroking and of the stroked hand, and reveal that the high degree of somatosensory specialization in S1 extends to bodily self-consciousness.

Diagnostic methods and treatment options for focal cortical dysplasia.

Our inability to adequately treat many patients with refractory epilepsy caused by focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), surgical inaccessibility and failures are significant clinical drawbacks. The targeting of physiologic features of epileptogenesis in FCD and colocalizing functionality has enhanced completeness of surgical resection, the main determinant of outcome. Electroencephalography (EEG)-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography are helpful in guiding electrode implantation and surgical treatment, and high-frequency oscillations help defining the extent of the epileptogenic dysplasia. Ultra high-field MRI has a role in understanding the laminar organization of the cortex, and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is highly sensitive for detecting FCD in MRI-negative cases. Multimodal imaging is clinically valuable, either by improving the rate of postoperative seizure freedom or by reducing postoperative deficits. However, there is no level 1 evidence that it improves outcomes. Proof for a specific effect of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in FCD is lacking. Pathogenic mutations recently described in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) genes in FCD have yielded important insights into novel treatment options with mTOR inhibitors, which might represent an example of personalized treatment of epilepsy based on the known mechanisms of disease. The ketogenic diet (KD) has been demonstrated to be particularly effective in children with epilepsy caused by structural abnormalities, especially FCD. It attenuates epigenetic chromatin modifications, a master regulator for gene expression and functional adaptation of the cell, thereby modifying disease progression. This could imply lasting benefit of dietary manipulation. Neurostimulation techniques have produced variable clinical outcomes in FCD. In widespread dysplasias, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has achieved responder rates >50%; however, the efficacy of noninvasive cranial nerve stimulation modalities such as transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) and noninvasive (nVNS) requires further study. Although review of current strategies underscores the serious shortcomings of treatment-resistant cases, initial evidence from novel approaches suggests that future success is possible.

Extension of ultrasound Fourier slice Imaging theory to sectorial acquisition

Ultrasound image reconstruction from the echoes received by an ultrasound probe after the transmission of diverging waves is an active area of research because of its capacity to insonify at ultra-high frame rate with large regions of interest using small phased arrays as the ones used in echocardiography. Current state-of-the-art techniques are based on the emission of diverging waves and the use of delay and sum strategies applied on the received signals to reconstruct the desired image (DW/DAS). Recently, we have introduced the concept of Ultrasound Fourier Slice Imaging (UFSI) theory for the reconstruction of ultrafast imaging for linear acquisition. In this study, we extend this theory to sectorial acquisition thanks to the introduction of an explicit and invertible spatial transform. Starting from a diverging wave, we show that the direct use of UFSI theory along with the application of the proposed spatial transform allows reconstructing the insonified medium in the conventional Cartesian space. Simulations and experiments reveal the capacity of this new approach in obtaining competitive quality of ultrafast imaging when compared with the current reference method.

Fast and sensitive supercritical fluid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry multi-class screening method for the determination of doping agents in urine.

This study shows the possibility offered by modern ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry in doping control analysis. A high throughput screening method was developed for 100 substances belonging to the challenging classes of anabolic agents, hormones and metabolic modulators, synthetic cannabinoids and glucocorticoids, which should be detected at low concentrations in urine. To selectively extract these doping agents from urine, a supported liquid extraction procedure was implemented in a 48-well plate format. At the tested concentration levels ranging from 0.5 to 5 ng/mL, the recoveries were better than 70% for 48-68% of the compounds and higher than 50% for 83-87% of the tested substances. Due to the numerous interferences related to isomers of steroids and ions produced by the loss of water in the electrospray source, the choice of SFC separation conditions was very challenging. After careful optimization, a Diol stationary phase was employed. The total analysis time for the screening assay was only 8 min, and interferences as well as susceptibility to matrix effect (ME) were minimized. With the developed method, about 70% of the compounds had relative ME within the range ±20%, at a concentration of 1 and 5 ng/mL. Finally, limits of detection achieved with the above-described strategy including 5-fold preconcentration were below 0.1 ng/mL for the majority of the tested compounds. Therefore, LODs were systematically better than the minimum required performance levels established by the World anti-doping agency, except for very few metabolites.

Ultralujasta teräksestä valmistetun henkilönostimen teleskooppipuomin kehittäminen

Tässä työssä kehitettiin palo- ja pelastuskäyttöön tarkoitettuun henkilönostimeen teleskooppipuomin profiilit. Profiilien valmistusmateriaalina oli kuumavalssattu, ultraluja säänkestävä rakenneteräs. Työssä kehitettiin standardien ja ohjeiden pohjalta laskentapohja, jolla voidaan tutkia teleskooppipuomin jaksojen tukireaktioita, taivutus- ja vääntömomentteja ja leikkaus ja normaalivoimia. Laskentapohjassa voidaan varioida eri kuormitusten suuntia, teleskooppipuomin sivusuuntaista ulottumaa ja nostokulmaa. Profiilien alustavassa mitoituksessa hyödynnettiin paikallisen lommahduksen huomioon ottavia standardeja ja suunnitteluohjeita. Eri poikkileikkausten ominaisuuksia verrattiin keskenään ja profiili valittiin yhdessä kohdeyrityksen kanssa. Alustavan mitoituksen yhteydessä muodostettiin apuohjelma valitulle poikkileikkaukselle, jolla voitiin tutkia profiilin eri muuttujien vaikutusta mm. paikalliseen lommahdukseen ja jäykkyyteen. Laskentapohjaan sisällytettiin myös optimointirutiini, jolla voitiin minimoida poikkileikkauksen pinta-ala ja tätä kautta profiilin massa. Lopullinen mitoitus suoritettiin elementtimenetelmällä. Mitoituksessa tutkittiin alustavasti mitoitettujen profiilien paikallista lommahdusta lineaarisen stabiilius- ja epälineaarisen analyysin pohjalta. Profiilien jännityksiä tutkittiin tarkemmin mm. varioimalla kuormituksia ja osittelemalla elementtien normaalijännityksiä. Diplomityössä kehitetyllä ja analysoidulla teleskooppipuomilla voitiin keventää jaksojen painoja 15-30 %. Sivusuuntainen ulottuma parani samalla lähes 20 % ja nimelliskuorma kasvoi 25 %.

Combinación de sistemas de flujo de baja y alta presion para la determinacion de Mg, Ca y Sr en salmueras por espectrofotometria de absorcion atomica con llama

This article describes the combination of low- and high-pressure flow systems for the determination of Magnesium, Calcium and Strontium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). In the low-pressure system a short C-18 RP column (length 0,5 cm) was utilized for the preconcentration/matrix separation step, xylenol orange was used as chelating agent and tetrabutylamonium acetate for ion pair formation. The hydraulic high pressure nebulization (HHPN) was used for sample transport and sample introduction in the high pressure system. The repeatabilities and detection limits for Mg, Ca and Sr were determined and compared with those obtained by pneumatic nebulization (PN). The results show that the detection limits obtained using the HHPN for Mg, Ca and Sr are between 1.5 to 2 times better than those obtained by PN when the signal transient was measured in area. The system presented a sampling frequency of 130 h-1 for direct determination of Mg, Ca or Sr in samples of saturated sodium chloride used in the production of chlorine and sodium hydroxide.

Usando um website para explicar a espectrometria de ressonância ciclotrônica de íons por transformada de Fourier

This article shows the usefulness of a website to explain the concepts, operational events, vacuum system, applications and an experimental sequence of the Fourier Transform Ion Ciclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry technique (http://143.107.46.113/icr/icrj.html).

Non conventional biological treatment based on Trametes versicolor for the elimination of recalcitrant anticancer drugs in hospital wastewater

This work presents a study about the elimination of anticancer drugs, a group of pollutants considered recalcitrant during conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment, using a biological treatment based on the fungus Trametes versicolor. A 10-L fluidized bed bioreactor inoculated with this fungus was set up in order to evaluate the removal of 10 selected anticancer drugs in real hospital wastewater. Almost all the tested anticancer drugs were completely removed from the wastewater at the end of the batch experiment (8 d) with the exception of Ifosfamide and Tamoxifen. These two recalcitrant compounds, together with Cyclophosphamide, were selected for further studies to test their degradability by T. versicolor under optimal growth conditions. Cyclophosphamide and Ifosfamide were inalterable during batch experiments both at high and low concentration, whereas Tamoxifen exhibited a decrease in its concentration along the treatment. Two positional isomers of a hydroxylated form of Tamoxifen were identified during this experiment using a high resolution mass spectrometry based on ultra-high performance chromatography coupled to an Orbitrap detector (LTQ-Velos Orbitrap). Finally the identified transformation products of Tamoxifen were monitored in the bioreactor run with real hospital wastewater