Second-order parameter estimation

This work provides a general framework for the design of second-order blind estimators without adopting anyapproximation about the observation statistics or the a prioridistribution of the parameters. The proposed solution is obtainedminimizing the estimator variance subject to some constraints onthe estimator bias. The resulting optimal estimator is found todepend on the observation fourth-order moments that can be calculatedanalytically from the known signal model. Unfortunately,in most cases, the performance of this estimator is severely limitedby the residual bias inherent to nonlinear estimation problems.To overcome this limitation, the second-order minimum varianceunbiased estimator is deduced from the general solution by assumingaccurate prior information on the vector of parameters.This small-error approximation is adopted to design iterativeestimators or trackers. It is shown that the associated varianceconstitutes the lower bound for the variance of any unbiasedestimator based on the sample covariance matrix.The paper formulation is then applied to track the angle-of-arrival(AoA) of multiple digitally-modulated sources by means ofa uniform linear array. The optimal second-order tracker is comparedwith the classical maximum likelihood (ML) blind methodsthat are shown to be quadratic in the observed data as well. Simulationshave confirmed that the discrete nature of the transmittedsymbols can be exploited to improve considerably the discriminationof near sources in medium-to-high SNR scenarios.

Predicting chick body mass by artificial intelligence-based models

The objective of this work was to develop, validate, and compare 190 artificial intelligence-based models for predicting the body mass of chicks from 2 to 21 days of age subjected to different duration and intensities of thermal challenge. The experiment was conducted inside four climate-controlled wind tunnels using 210 chicks. A database containing 840 datasets (from 2 to 21-day-old chicks) - with the variables dry-bulb air temperature, duration of thermal stress (days), chick age (days), and the daily body mass of chicks - was used for network training, validation, and tests of models based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) and neuro-fuzzy networks (NFNs). The ANNs were most accurate in predicting the body mass of chicks from 2 to 21 days of age after they were subjected to the input variables, and they showed an R² of 0.9993 and a standard error of 4.62 g. The ANNs enable the simulation of different scenarios, which can assist in managerial decision-making, and they can be embedded in the heating control systems.

Managing Configurable Products in Mass Customization

Massaräätälöinti on tärkeä osa nykyaikaista tuotestrategiaa. Massaräätälöinti mahdollistaa asiakaskohtaisesti muokattujen tuotteiden valmistuksen massatuotannon tehokkuudella. Massaräätälöinti edellyttää laajamittaista tietojärjestelmien hyväksikäyttöä, niin räätälöityjen tuotteiden mallinnuksessa, tuotteistuksessa kuin ylläpidossakin. Diplomityössä käsittelen taustatekijöitä jotka ovat johtaneet massaräätälöinnin syntyyn ja yleistymiseen. Käsittelyssä ovat myös erilaiset tavat toteuttaa massaräätälöintiä ja tietojärjestelmät jota tukevat massaräätälöintiä. Diplomityön empiirisessä osassa tarkastellaan Nokia Networksin tapaa toteuttaa massaräätälöintiä sekä esitellään tärkeimmät tätä tukevat järjestelmät. Empiirisen osan painopiste on kuitenkin hyvin vahvasti keskittynyt yhteen tuoterakenteiden osaan, joka on aiheuttanut haasteita Nokia Networksin massaräätälöintikonseptille. Tämä tuoterakenteen osa on valjastettu moneen erilaiseen käyttöön, mikä aiheuttaa ongelmia tietojärjestelmissä ja prosesseissa joihin se on vaikuttamassa. Työn tarkoituksena on kartoittaa kaikki ne ongelmat joita tämä tuoterakenteen osa aiheuttaa sulavalle massaräätälöinnin toteuttamiselle, niin yleisesti kuin järjestelmä- ja prosessimielessäkin. Työ on tehty osana laajamittaista projektia. Projektin tarkoituksena on kehittää uusi ja joustavampi ratkaisu tuoterakenteisiin, mandollistaen asiakaskohtaisten räätälöityjen tuotteiden valmistamisen, niin että se sopii Nokia Networksin järjestelmä sekä prosessi ympäristöön.

Étude des mécanismes de transfert des fibres en sciences forensiques

RESUME Les fibres textiles sont des produits de masse utilisés dans la fabrication de nombreux objets de notre quotidien. Le transfert de fibres lors d'une action délictueuse est dès lors extrêmement courant. Du fait de leur omniprésence dans notre environnement, il est capital que l'expert forensique évalue la valeur de l'indice fibres. L'interprétation de l'indice fibres passe par la connaissance d'un certain nombre de paramètres, comme la rareté des fibres, la probabilité de leur présence par hasard sur un certain support, ainsi que les mécanismes de transfert et de persistance des fibres. Les lacunes les plus importantes concernent les mécanismes de transfert des fibres. A ce jour, les nombreux auteurs qui se sont penchés sur le transfert de fibres ne sont pas parvenus à créer un modèle permettant de prédire le nombre de fibres que l'on s'attend à retrouver dans des circonstances de contact données, en fonction des différents paramètres caractérisant ce contact et les textiles mis en jeu. Le but principal de cette recherche est de démontrer que la création d'un modèle prédictif du nombre de fibres transférées lors d'un contact donné est possible. Dans le cadre de ce travail, le cas particulier du transfert de fibres d'un tricot en laine ou en acrylique d'un conducteur vers le dossier du siège de son véhicule a été étudié. Plusieurs caractéristiques des textiles mis en jeu lors de ces expériences ont été mesurées. Des outils statistiques (régression linéaire multiple) ont ensuite été utilisés sur ces données afin d'évaluer l'influence des caractéristiques des textiles donneurs sur le nombre de fibres transférées et d'élaborer un modèle permettant de prédire le nombre de fibres qui vont être transférées à l'aide des caractéristiques influençant significativement le transfert. Afin de faciliter la recherche et le comptage des fibres transférées lors des expériences de transfert, un appareil de recherche automatique des fibres (liber finder) a été utilisé dans le cadre de cette recherche. Les tests d'évaluation de l'efficacité de cet appareil pour la recherche de fibres montrent que la recherche automatique est globalement aussi efficace qu'une recherche visuelle pour les fibres fortement colorées. Par contre la recherche automatique perd de son efficacité pour les fibres très pâles ou très foncées. Une des caractéristiques des textiles donneurs à étudier est la longueur des fibres. Afin de pouvoir évaluer ce paramètre, une séquence d'algorithmes de traitement d'image a été implémentée. Cet outil permet la mesure de la longueur d'une fibre à partir de son image numérique à haute résolution (2'540 dpi). Les tests effectués montrent que les mesures ainsi obtenues présentent une erreur de l'ordre du dixième de millimètre, ce qui est largement suffisant pour son utilisation dans le cadre de cette recherche. Les résultats obtenus suite au traitement statistique des résultats des expériences de transfert ont permis d'aboutir à une modélisation du phénomène du transfert. Deux paramètres sont retenus dans le modèle: l'état de la surface du tissu donneur et la longueur des fibres composant le tissu donneur. L'état de la surface du tissu est un paramètre tenant compte de la quantité de fibres qui se sont détachées de la structure du tissu ou qui sont encore faiblement rattachées à celle-ci. En effet, ces fibres sont les premières à se transférer lors d'un contact, et plus la quantité de ces fibres par unité de surface est importante, plus le nombre de fibres transférées sera élevé. La longueur des fibres du tissu donneur est également un paramètre important : plus les fibres sont longues, mieux elles sont retenues dans la structure du tissu et moins elles se transféreront. SUMMARY Fibres are mass products used to produce numerous objects encountered everyday. The transfer of fibres during a criminal action is then very common. Because fibres are omnipresent in our environment, the forensic expert has to evaluate the value of the fibre evidence. To interpret fibre evidence, the expert has to know some parameters as frequency of fibres,' probability of finding extraneous fibres by chance on a given support, and transfer and persistence mechanisms. Fibre transfer is one of the most complex parameter. Many authors studied fibre transfer mechanisms but no model has been created to predict the number of fibres transferred expected in a given type of contact according to parameters as characteristics of the contact and characteristics of textiles. The main purpose of this research is to demonstrate that it is possible to create a model to predict the number of fibres transferred during a contact. In this work, the particular case of the transfer of fibres from a knitted textile in wool or in acrylic of a driver to the back of a carseat has been studied. Several characteristics of the textiles used for the experiments were measured. The data obtained were then treated with statistical tools (multiple linear regression) to evaluate the influence of the donor textile characteristics on the number of úbers transferred, and to create a model to predict this number of fibres transferred by an equation containing the characteristics having a significant influence on the transfer. To make easier the searching and the counting of fibres, an apparatus of automatic search. of fibers (fiber finder) was used. The tests realised to evaluate the efficiency of the fiber finder shows that the results obtained are generally as efficient as for visual search for well-coloured fibres. However, the efficiency of automatic search decreases for pales and dark fibres. One characteristic of the donor textile studied was the length of the fibres. To measure this parameter, a sequence of image processing algorithms was implemented. This tool allows to measure the length of a fibre from it high-resolution (2'540 dpi) numerical image. The tests done shows that the error of the measures obtained are about some tenths of millimetres. This precision is sufficient for this research. The statistical methods applied on the transfer experiment data allow to create a model of the transfer phenomenon. Two parameters are included in the model: the shedding capacity of the donor textile surface and the length of donor textile fibres. The shedding capacity of the donor textile surface is a parameter estimating the quantity of fibres that are not or slightly attached to the structure of the textile. These fibres are easily transferred during a contact, and the more this quantity of fibres is high, the more the number of fibres transferred during the contact is important. The length of fibres is also an important parameter: the more the fibres are long, the more they are attached in the structure of the textile and the less they are transferred during the contact.

Modulation of pancreatic β-cell mass and insulin secretion by PPARβ/δ

SUMMARY : Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ß/δ protects against obesity by reducing dyslipidemia and insulin resistance via effects in various organs, including muscle, adipose tissue and liver. However, nothing is known about the function of PPARß in pancreas, a prime organ in the control of glucose homeostasis. To gain insight into so far hypothetical functions of this PPAR isotype in ß-cell function, we specifically ablated Pparß in the whole epithelial compartment of the pancreas. The mutated mice presented expanded ß-cell mass, possibly, this is due to increased burst of ß-cell proliferation at 2 weeks of age. These PPARß null pancreas mice exhibit hyperinsulinemia-hypoglycaemia starting at 4 weeks of age, due to hyperfunctionality of ß-cell. Gene expression profiling indicated a broad repressive function of PPARß impacting the vesicular and granular compartment, actin cytoskeleton, and metabolism of glucose and fatty acids. Analyses of insulin release from isolated islets revealed accelerated second-phase of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Higher levels of PKD and PKCS in mutated animals, in concert with F-actin disassembly, lead to an increased insulin secretion and its associated systemic effects. Enhanced palmitate potentiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in PPARß mutant islets, suggests an important role of this receptor in lipid/glucose metabolism in ß-cell. Taken together, these results provide evidence for PPARß playing a repressive role on ß-cell growth and insulin exocytosis, and shed new light on its metabolic .action. RESUME : Le récepteur nucléaire PPARß (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ß/δ) protège contre l'obésité en réduisant la dyslipidémie et la résistance à l'insuline dans différents organes, comme le muscle, le tissue adipeux et le foie. Cependant, il y a, à ce jour, très peu de connaissance par rapport au rôle de PPARß dans le pancréas, qui est un organe très important dans le contrôle homéostatique du glucose. Afin de comprendre le rôle de cet isotype de PPAR dans le fonctionnement des cellules beta du pancréas, nous avons invalidé le gène Pparß dans tout le compartiment pancréatique de la souris. Ces souris mutantes présentent une augmentation de la masse totale de cellules beta; Cela serait dû à une intense prolifération des cellules beta à 2 semaines après la naissance. Également, ces souris présentent une hyperinsulinémie et une hypoglycémie qui commencent à l'âge de 4 semaines; la raison de ce phénotype serait une hyperactivité des cellules beta. Le profil d'expression génique indique une fonction répressive globale de PPARß en se référant aux compartiments vésiculaire et granulaire, au cytosquelette d'actine, et au métabolisme du glucose et des acides gras. L'analyse de la sécrétion d'insuline par les cellules beta a démontré que la deuxième phase de sécrétion d'insuline après stimulation au glucose est augmentée. Les niveaux élevés de PKD et PKCS dans les îlots pancréatiques de souris mutantes, ainsi qu'une augmentation de la dépolymérisation des filaments d'active génèrent un surplus de sécrétion d'insuline après stimulation au glucose. Les îlots pancréatiques des souris mutantes secrètent plus d'insuline après stimulation au glucose et au palmitate que les îlots de souris contrôles. Ceci suggère un rôle important de PPARß dans le métabolisme des lipides et du glucose des cellules beta. En résumé, ces résultats mettent en évidence un rôle répressif de PPARß dans la croissance des cellules beta et dans l'exocytose d'insuline.

Monte Carlo Methods in Parameter Estimation of Nonlinear Models

Yksi keskeisimmistä tehtävistä matemaattisten mallien tilastollisessa analyysissä on mallien tuntemattomien parametrien estimointi. Tässä diplomityössä ollaan kiinnostuneita tuntemattomien parametrien jakaumista ja niiden muodostamiseen sopivista numeerisista menetelmistä, etenkin tapauksissa, joissa malli on epälineaarinen parametrien suhteen. Erilaisten numeeristen menetelmien osalta pääpaino on Markovin ketju Monte Carlo -menetelmissä (MCMC). Nämä laskentaintensiiviset menetelmät ovat viime aikoina kasvattaneet suosiotaan lähinnä kasvaneen laskentatehon vuoksi. Sekä Markovin ketjujen että Monte Carlo -simuloinnin teoriaa on esitelty työssä siinä määrin, että menetelmien toimivuus saadaan perusteltua. Viime aikoina kehitetyistä menetelmistä tarkastellaan etenkin adaptiivisia MCMC menetelmiä. Työn lähestymistapa on käytännönläheinen ja erilaisia MCMC -menetelmien toteutukseen liittyviä asioita korostetaan. Työn empiirisessä osuudessa tarkastellaan viiden esimerkkimallin tuntemattomien parametrien jakaumaa käyttäen hyväksi teoriaosassa esitettyjä menetelmiä. Mallit kuvaavat kemiallisia reaktioita ja kuvataan tavallisina differentiaaliyhtälöryhminä. Mallit on kerätty kemisteiltä Lappeenrannan teknillisestä yliopistosta ja Åbo Akademista, Turusta.

Buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine quantification in human plasma by simple protein precipitation and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

A highly sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the quantification of buprenorphine and its major metabolite norbuprenorphine in human plasma. In order to speed up the process and decrease costs, sample preparation was performed by simple protein precipitation with acetonitrile. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of this extraction technique for the quantification of buprenorphine in plasma. Matrix effects were strongly reduced and selectivity increased by using an efficient chromatographic separation on a sub-2μm column (Acquity UPLC BEH C18 1.7μm, 2.1×50mm) in 5min with a gradient of ammonium formate 20mM pH 3.05 and acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.4ml/min. Detection was made using a tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in positive electrospray ionization mode, using multiple reaction monitoring. The procedure was fully validated according to the latest Food and Drug Administration guidelines and the Société Française des Sciences et Techniques Pharmaceutiques. Very good results were obtained by using a stable isotope-labeled internal standard for each analyte, to compensate for the variability due to the extraction and ionization steps. The method was very sensitive with lower limits of quantification of 0.1ng/ml for buprenorphine and 0.25ng/ml for norbuprenorphine. The upper limit of quantification was 250ng/ml for both drugs. Trueness (98.4-113.7%), repeatability (1.9-7.7%), intermediate precision (2.6-7.9%) and internal standard-normalized matrix effects (94-101%) were in accordance with international recommendations. The procedure was successfully used to quantify plasma samples from patients included in a clinical pharmacogenetic study and can be transferred for routine therapeutic drug monitoring in clinical laboratories without further development.

Six new loci associated with body mass index highlight a neuronal influence on body weight regulation.

Common variants at only two loci, FTO and MC4R, have been reproducibly associated with body mass index (BMI) in humans. To identify additional loci, we conducted meta-analysis of 15 genome-wide association studies for BMI (n > 32,000) and followed up top signals in 14 additional cohorts (n > 59,000). We strongly confirm FTO and MC4R and identify six additional loci (P < 5 x 10(-8)): TMEM18, KCTD15, GNPDA2, SH2B1, MTCH2 and NEGR1 (where a 45-kb deletion polymorphism is a candidate causal variant). Several of the likely causal genes are highly expressed or known to act in the central nervous system (CNS), emphasizing, as in rare monogenic forms of obesity, the role of the CNS in predisposition to obesity.

Effect of antifoams on oxygen mass transfer in pulp and paper mill effluents

Vaahdonestoaineiden haitallinen vaikutus hapen liukenemisnopeuteen biologisen puhdistamon jätevesissä on yleisesti tunnettua. Aineiden eri vaikutusmekanismien takia on silti vaikea etukäteen arvioida, miten ja kuinka paljon aineensiirto muuttuu. Työn tavoitteena oli saada tietoa vaahdonestoaineiden ja muiden pinta-aktiivisten aineiden vaikutuksesta kuplakokoon, kaasun tilavuusosuuteen ja kaasu-neste aineensiirtoon. Työn teoriaosassa on kuvailtu vaahdon muodostumiseen vaikuttavia tekijöitä sekä eri vaahdonestoaineiden vaikutusmekanismeja sellu- ja paperitehtaan jätevedessä. Edelleen on esitetty useita hapen siirtoa estäviä ja parantavia aineita. Työn kokeellisessa osassa tutkittiin kahdenkymmenenviiden eri pinta-aktiivisen aineen vaikutusta hapen liukenemisnopeuteen yksivaiheisessa kuplakolonnissa. Kokeet tehtiin kahdella pitoisuudella, kahdella eri kaasunjakolaitteella ja kolmella eri kaasun tyhjäputkinopeudella. Aineensiirtokokeiden rinnalla tutkittiin jätevesien laatu- ja fysikaalisiaominaisuuksia, niiden vaikutusta hapen liukenemisnopeuteen sekä testattavien koeaineiden vaikutusta fysikaalisin ominaisuuksiin. Kokeet osoittavat että pinta-aktiivisten aineiden vaikutus hapen aineensiirtoon vaihtelee riippuen kaasunjakolaitteesta ja aineen pitoisuuksista. Testatuista vaahdonestonaineista pienin negatiivinen vaikutus oli aineella AT 35 ja positiivinen vaikutustodettiin olevan vaahdonestoaineiden komponenteilla: P2, S1, F4 ja T9.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and sensitive bioassay methods for quantification of posaconazole plasma concentrations after oral dosing.

Posaconazole (POS) is a new antifungal agent for prevention and therapy of mycoses in immunocompromised patients. Variable POS pharmacokinetics after oral dosing may influence efficacy: a trough threshold of 0.5 ?g/ml has been recently proposed. Measurement of POS plasma concentrations by complex chromatographic techniques may thus contribute to optimize prevention and management of life-threatening infections. No microbiological analytical method is available. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a new simplified ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method and a sensitive bioassay for quantification of POS over the clinical plasma concentration range. The UPLC-MS/MS equipment consisted of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, an electrospray ionization (ESI) source, and a C(18) analytical column. The Candida albicans POS-hypersusceptible mutant (MIC of 0.002 ?g/ml) ?cdr1 ?cdr2 ?flu ?mdr1 ?can constructed by targeted deletion of multidrug efflux transporters and calcineurin genes was used for the bioassay. POS was extracted from plasma by protein precipitation with acetonitrile-methanol (75%/25%, vol/vol). Reproducible standard curves were obtained over the range 0.014 to 12 (UPLC-MS/MS) and 0.028 to 12 ?g/ml (bioassay). Intra- and interrun accuracy levels were 106% ± 2% and 103% ± 4% for UPLC-MS/MS and 102% ± 8% and 104% ± 1% for bioassay, respectively. The intra- and interrun coefficients of variation were 7% ± 4% and 7% ± 3% for UPLC-MS/MS and 5% ± 3% and 4% ± 2% for bioassay, respectively. An excellent correlation between POS plasma concentrations measured by UPLC-MS/MS and bioassay was found (concordance, 0.96). In 26 hemato-oncological patients receiving oral POS, 27/69 (39%) trough plasma concentrations were lower than 0.5 ?g/ml. The UPLC-MS/MS method and sensitive bioassay offer alternative tools for accurate and precise quantification of the plasma concentrations in patients receiving oral posaconazole.

Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations between Body Mass Index and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Adolescents in a Country of the African Region.

We assessed the association between several cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) (blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, and glucose) in 390 young adults aged 19-20 years in Seychelles (Indian Ocean, Africa) and body mass index (BMI) measured either at the same time (cross-sectional analysis) or at the age of 12-15 years (longitudinal analysis). BMI tracked markedly between age of 12-15 and age of 19-20. BMI was strongly associated with all considered CRFs in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, with some exceptions. Comparing overweight participants with those having a BMI below the age-specific median, the odds ratios for high blood pressure were 5.4/4.7 (male/female) cross-sectionally and 2.5/3.9 longitudinally (P < 0.05). Significant associations were also found for most other CRFs, with some exceptions. In linear regression analysis including both BMI at age of 12-15 and BMI at age of 19-20, only BMI at age of 19-20 remained significantly associated with most CRFs. We conclude that CRFs are predicted strongly by either current or past BMI levels in adolescents and young adults in this population. The observation that only current BMI remained associated with CRFs when including past and current levels together suggests that weight control at a later age may be effective in reducing CRFs in overweight children irrespective of past weight status.

Contribution of isotope ratio mass spectrometry to the investigation of improvised explosives: isotopic study of black powders ans ammonium nitrates

The establishment of legislative rules about explosives in the eighties has reduced the illicit use of military and civilian explosives. However, bomb-makers have rapidly taken advantage of substances easily accessible and intended for licit uses to produce their own explosives. This change in strategy has given rise to an increase of improvised explosive charges, which is moreover assisted by the ease of implementation of the recipes, widely available through open sources. While the nature of the explosive charges has evolved, instrumental methods currently used in routine, although more sensitive than before, have a limited power of discrimination and allow mostly the determination of the chemical nature of the substance. Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) has been applied to a wide range of forensic materials. Conclusions drawn from the majority of the studies stress its high power of discrimination. Preliminary studies conducted so far on the isotopic analysis of intact explosives (pre-blast) have shown that samples with the same chemical composition and coming from different sources could be differentiated. The measurement of stable isotope ratios appears therefore as a new and remarkable analytical tool for the discrimination or the identification of a substance with a definite source. However, much research is still needed to assess the validity of the results in order to use them either in an operational prospect or in court. Through the isotopic study of black powders and ammonium nitrates, this research aims at evaluating the contribution of isotope ratio mass spectrometry to the investigation of explosives, both from a pre-blast and from a post-blast approach. More specifically, the goal of the research is to provide additional elements necessary to a valid interpretation of the results, when used in explosives investigation. This work includes a fundamental study on the variability of the isotopic profile of black powder and ammonium nitrate in both space and time. On one hand, the inter-variability between manufacturers and, particularly, the intra-variability within a manufacturer has been studied. On the other hand, the stability of the isotopic profile over time has been evaluated through the aging of these substances exposed to different environmental conditions. The second part of this project considers the applicability of this high-precision technology to traces and residues of explosives, taking account of the characteristics specific to the field, including their sampling, a probable isotopic fractionation during the explosion, and the interferences with the matrix of the site.

Fast gas chromatography and negative-ion chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry for forensic analysis of cannabinoids in whole blood.

The present work describes a fast gas chromatography/negative-ion chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometric assay (Fast GC/NICI-MS/MS) for analysis of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-OH) and 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in whole blood. The cannabinoids were extracted from 500 microL of whole blood by a simple liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and then derivatized by using trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) and hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) as fluorinated agents. Mass spectrometric detection of the analytes was performed in the selected reaction-monitoring mode on a triple quadrupole instrument after negative-ion chemical ionization. The assay was found to be linear in the concentration range of 0.5-20 ng/mL for THC and THC-OH, and of 2.5-100 ng/mL for THC-COOH. Repeatability and intermediate precision were found less than 12% for all concentrations tested. Under standard chromatographic conditions, the run cycle time would have been 15 min. By using fast conditions of separation, the assay analysis time has been reduced to 5 min, without compromising the chromatographic resolution. Finally, a simple approach for estimating the uncertainty measurement is presented.

Flow phenomena, heat and mass transfer in microchannel reactors

The studies of flow phenomena, heat and mass transfer in microchannel reactors are beneficial to estimate and evaluate the ability of microchannel reactors to be operated for a given process reaction such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The flow phenomena, for example, the flow regimes and flow patterns in microchannel reactors for both single phase and multiphase flow are affected by the configuration of the flow channel. The reviews of the previous works about the analysis of related parameters that affect the flow phenomena are shown in this report. In order to predict the phenomena of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in microchannel reactors, the 3-dimensional computational fluid dynamic simulation with commercial software package FLUENT was done to study the flow phenomena and heat transfer for gas phase Fischer-Tropsch products flow in rectangular microchannel with hydraulic diameter 500 ¿m and length 15 cm. Numerical solution with slip boundary condition was used in the simulation and the flowphenomena and heat transfer were determined.

Lifecycle Information Management of a Mass Customized Product

Diplomityön tavoitteena on tutkia mitä uusia tiedonhallinnallisia ongelmia ilmenee, kun massaräätälöidyn tuotteen tuotetieto hallitaan läpi tuotteen elinkaaren, sekä miten nämä ongelmat voitaisiin ratkaista. Ongelmat ja haasteet kerätään kirjallisuuslähteistä ja massaräätälöintiprosessi yhdistetään PLM-vaiheisiin. Ratkaisua tutkitaan testaamalla kuinka standardit STEP ja PLCS sekä standardeja tukeva PLM järjestelmä voisivat tukea massaräätälöidyn tuotteen elinkaaren tiedonhallintaa. MC tuotteiden ongelmia ovat tuoterakenteen monimutkaisuus, jäljitettävyys ja muutosten hallinta läpi elinkaaren. STEP ja PLCS pystyvät kummatkin tahollaan tukemaan tiedonhallintaa. MC-tuotteen geneerinen tuoterakenne on kuitenkin manuaalisesti liittettävä elinkaaritiedon tukemiseen. PLM-järjestelmä pystyy tukemaan MC-tuotteiden elinkaarta, mutta koska toiminto ei ole järjestelmään sisäänrakennettuna, MC-tuotteiden tukemisen parantamisessa on edelleen haasteita.