Minimum requirements for application of ink dating methods based on solvent analysis in casework

Several ink dating methods based on solvents analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were proposed in the last decades. These methods follow the drying of solvents from ballpoint pen inks on paper and seem very promising. However, several questions arose over the last few years among questioned documents examiners regarding the transparency and reproducibility of the proposed techniques. These questions should be carefully studied for accurate and ethical application of this methodology in casework. Inspired by a real investigation involving ink dating, the present paper discusses this particular issue throughout four main topics: aging processes, dating methods, validation procedures and data interpretation. This work presents a wide picture of the ink dating field, warns about potential shortcomings and also proposes some solutions to avoid reporting errors in court.

Sedimentos superficiales y morfología de la plataforma y talud continental superior entre 3°30’S y 15°30’S, Perú

Basados en la compilación de resultados de análisis sedimentológicos (granulometría, contenido orgánico) de 1191 estaciones realizadas por IMARPE, de 1975 a 2001, la compilación de información sobre el tema entre los 3°30’S y los 15°30’S y con el conocimiento de la morfología del fondo marino de esta región, se definen tres grandes áreas: al norte de los 6°15’S, de 6°15’S a 9°30’S y entre 9°30’ y 15°30’S. Entre los 3°30’ y los 6°15’S los contenidos de materia orgánica son mayores a 5% y menores a 10%, el carbono orgánico predomina con valores <1% a 2%. Los sedimentos corresponden a facies de fango y arenas, de origen terrígeno. El ancho de la plataforma es variable aproximadamente de 3 a 30 mn (14 mn promedio), la pendiente del talud superior es bastante pronunciada, presenta caídas bruscas. El relieve es disparejo, con fuertes desmembramientos en el borde exterior de la plataforma y el talud superior debido a que se encuentra surcado por cañones submarinos. En el extremo noroccidental de esta zona, se halla el Banco de Máncora cuyo fondo es rocoso e irregular. Entre los 6°30’S y los 9°30’S los contenidos de materia orgánica se incrementan de 5% a 15%, los contenidos de carbono orgánico son >2% y llegan a 5%, en algunos casos localmente superan este valor casi en tres puntos más. En los sedimentos del sector norte de esta zona predominan facies texturales de arenas y fango de origen terrígeno y también biógenos (foraminíferos), hacia el sur de esta zona predominan sedimentos de origen biogénico y autigénico (principalmente fosforita). El ancho de la plataforma se incrementa hasta alcanzar su máxima magnitud, esta es variable, aproximadamente de 22 a 70 mn. El talud superior tiene un declive moderado. El relieve del fondo marino en el borde exterior de la plataforma y talud superior se hallan surcados por cañones submarinos (7° - 9°S). Frente a Punta Chao aproximadamente a 65 mn se encuentra el Banco de Chimbote cuyo fondo es rocoso e irregular. La granulometría de los sedimentos y sus estadígrafos muestran un cambio definido desde los 10°30’S. Desde los 9°30’ a los 15°45’S los valores de materia orgánica por lo general sobrepasan el 15% y pueden alcanzar hasta 32,12%, los contenidos de carbono orgánico varían de 5% a 11,14%. En esta zona se encuentra presente, principalmente fango limoso y fango arcilloso terrígeno y biógeno (diatoméico). El ancho de la plataforma varía de modo general entre 10 y 50 mn (24 mn promedio aproximadamente). La pendiente del talud superior es suave en casi toda su extensión, el relieve del fondo marino es bastante uniforme, surcado por algunos pequeños cañones submarinos que no afectan la regularidad del relieve. De la interpretación de la data, análisis de parámetros estadísticos generados y condiciones de los sedimentos, se encontró coincidencia en la zona de la plataforma y talud superior de más de uno de los factores medio ambiente deposicional que permiten la preservación del contenido de materia orgánica tales como: Tipo y condiciones geoquímicas del sedimento y fondo marino, morfología del fondo marino, hidrodinámica, fuente de suministro, tasa de sedimentación, bioturbación.

Pedotransfer functions related to spatial variability of water retention attributes for lowland soils

The estimation of non available soil variables through the knowledge of other related measured variables can be achieved through pedotransfer functions (PTF) mainly saving time and reducing cost. Great differences among soils, however, can yield non desirable results when applying this method. This study discusses the application of developed PTFs by several authors using a variety of soils of different characteristics, to evaluate soil water contents of two Brazilian lowland soils. Comparisons are made between PTF evaluated data and field measured data, using statistical and geostatistical tools, like mean error, root mean square error, semivariogram, cross-validation, and regression coefficient. The eight tested PTFs to evaluate gravimetric soil water contents (Ug) at the tensions of 33 kPa and 1,500 kPa presented a tendency to overestimate Ug 33 kPa and underestimate Ug1,500 kPa. The PTFs were ranked according to their performance and also with respect to their potential in describing the structure of the spatial variability of the set of measured values. Although none of the PTFs have changed the distribution pattern of the data, all resulted in mean and variance statistically different from those observed for all measured values. The PTFs that presented the best predictive values of Ug33 kPa and Ug1,500 kPa were not the same that had the best performance to reproduce the structure of spatial variability of these variables.

A Laboratory Investigation into the Effects of the Aggregated Related Facts of Critical VMA in Asphalt Paving Mixtures, June 2000

This report summarizes research conducted at Iowa State University on behalf of the Iowa Department of Transportation, focusing on the volumetric state of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures as they transition from stable to unstable configurations. This has raditionally been addressed during mix design by meeting a minimum voids in the mineral aggregate (VMA) requirement, based solely upon the nominal maximum aggregate size without regard to other significant aggregate-related properties. The goal was to expand the current specification to include additional aggregate properties, e.g., fineness modulus, percent crushed fine and coarse aggregate, and their interactions. The work was accomplished in three phases: a literature review, extensive laboratory testing, and statistical analysis of test results. The literature review focused on the history and development of the current specification, laboratory methods of identifying critical mixtures, and the effects of other aggregate-related factors on critical mixtures. The laboratory testing involved three maximum aggregate sizes (19.0, 12.5, and 9.5 millimeters), three gradations (coarse, fine, and dense), and combinations of natural and manufactured coarse and fine aggregates. Specimens were compacted using the Superpave Gyratory Compactor (SGC), conventionally tested for bulk and maximum theoretical specific gravities and physically tested using the Nottingham Asphalt Tester (NAT) under a repeated load confined configuration to identify the transition state from sound to unsound. The statistical analysis involved using ANOVA and linear regression to examine the effects of identified aggregate factors on critical state transitions in asphalt paving mixtures and to develop predictive equations. The results clearly demonstrate that the volumetric conditions of an HMA mixture at the stable unstable threshold are influenced by a composite measure of the maximum aggregate size and gradation and by aggregate shape and texture. The currently defined VMA criterion, while significant, is seen to be insufficient by itself to correctly differentiate sound from unsound mixtures. Under current specifications, many otherwise sound mixtures are subject to rejection solely on the basis of failing to meet the VMA requirement. Based on the laboratory data and statistical analysis, a new paradigm to volumetric mix design is proposed that explicitly accounts for aggregate factors (gradation, shape, and texture).

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines as an option for preventing cervical malignancies: (how) effective and safe?

We carried out a systematic review of HPV vaccine pre- and post-licensure trials to assess the evidence of their effectiveness and safety. We find that HPV vaccine clinical trials design, and data interpretation of both efficacy and safety outcomes, were largely inadequate. Additionally, we note evidence of selective reporting of results from clinical trials (i.e., exclusion of vaccine efficacy figures related to study subgroups in which efficacy might be lower or even negative from peer-reviewed publications). Given this, the widespread optimism regarding HPV vaccines long-term benefits appears to rest on a number of unproven assumptions (or such which are at odd with factual evidence) and significant misinterpretation of available data. For example, the claim that HPV vaccination will result in approximately 70% reduction of cervical cancers is made despite the fact that the clinical trials data have not demonstrated to date that the vaccines have actually prevented a single case of cervical cancer (let alone cervical cancer death), nor that the current overly optimistic surrogate marker-based extrapolations are justified. Likewise, the notion that HPV vaccines have an impressive safety profile is only supported by highly flawed design of safety trials and is contrary to accumulating evidence from vaccine safety surveillance databases and case reports which continue to link HPV vaccination to serious adverse outcomes (including death and permanent disabilities). We thus conclude that further reduction of cervical cancers might be best achieved by optimizing cervical screening (which carries no such risks) and targeting other factors of the disease rather than by the reliance on vaccines with questionable efficacy and safety profiles.

Cómo aplicar árboles de decisión en SPSS

Un árbol de decisión es una forma gráfica y analítica de representar todos los eventos (sucesos) que pueden surgir a partir de una decisión asumida en cierto momento. Nos ayudan a tomar la decisión más"acertada", desde un punto de vista probabilístico, ante un abanico de posibles decisiones. Estos árboles permiten examinar los resultados y determinar visualmente cómo fluye el modelo. Los resultados visuales ayudan a buscar subgrupos específicos y relaciones que tal vez no encontraríamos con estadísticos más tradicionales. Los árboles de decisión son una técnica estadística para la segmentación, la estratificación, la predicción, la reducción de datos y el filtrado de variables, la identificación de interacciones, la fusión de categorías y la discretización de variables continuas. La función árboles de decisión (Tree) en SPSS crea árboles de clasificación y de decisión para identificar grupos, descubrir las relaciones entre grupos y predecir eventos futuros. Existen diferentes tipos de árbol: CHAID, CHAID exhaustivo, CRT y QUEST, según el que mejor se ajuste a nuestros datos.

Especiação química de arsênio inorgânico no estuário da Laguna dos Patos (RS, Brasil)

This study optimized and validated a method to perform chemical speciation of inorganic arsenic in water samples collected under the Monitoring Program of the Port of Rio Grande-RS in July and October 2010 from the Laguna dos Patos Estuary (RS, Brazil). The flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry technique was employed, allowing quantification of As3+ and As5+ present in estuarine water samples. Data interpretation for results generated using the improved method for analyzing water samples collected from Laguna dos Patos Estuary was done by main components analysis.

PROPOSTA EXPERIMENTAL DIDÁTICA PARA O ENSINO DE ANÁLISE DE COMPONENTES PRINCIPAIS

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a chemometric method that allows for the extraction of chemical information that would otherwise be impossible to determine. Teaching chemometrics to undergraduates can contribute to the overall professional development and training of new teachers, whose profiles have been gaining attention due to the current demand for data interpretation. In this study, a didactic experiment involving PCA is proposed. Spectrophotometry was used in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) region to assess the behavior of anthocyanins extracted from red cabbage at different pH values. The results suggest the possible separation of anthocyanin structures into three distinct groups, according to their chemical characteristics displayed in acid, neutral, and basic media. The objective is to develop educational materials targeted to undergraduate courses, which encompass a larger number of concepts and introduce instrumental techniques currently being employed in both academic research and the industrial sector. Specifically, the proposed experiment introduces concepts related to spectrophotometry in the UV-Vis range and the PCA chemometric method. The materials used are easily accessible, and UV-Vis spectroscopy equipment is less expensive in comparison with other spectroscopy methods.

Managing Customer Issues through a Support Channel Network

The importance of after-sales service or service in general can be seen and experienced by customers every day with industrial as well as other non-industrial services or products. This dissertation, drawing on theory and experience, focuses on practical engineering implications, specifically the management of customer issues in the after-sales phase in the mobile phone arena. The main objective of this doctoral dissertation is to investigate customer after-sales issue management, specifically regarding mobile phones. The case studies focus on issue resolution time and the issue of corrective actions. This dissertation consists of a main body and four peer-reviewed journal articles and one manuscript currently under review by a peer-reviewed journal. The main body of this dissertation examines the elements of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention with respect to corrective actions to address customer issues and issue resolution time through literature and empirical studies. The five independent works are case studies supporting the thesis research questions. This study examines four questions: 1) What are the factors affecting corrective actions for customers? 2) How can customer issue resolution time be controlled? 3) What are the factors affecting processes in the service chain? and 4) How can communication be measured in a service chain? In this work, both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods are used. The main body of the thesis reviews the literature regarding the elements that bridge the five case studies. The case studies of the articles and surveys lean more toward the methodology of critical positivism and then apply the interpretive approach in interpreting the results. The case study articles employ various statistical methods to analyze and to interpret the empirical and survey data. The statistical methods were used to create a model that is useful for significantly optimizing issue resolution time. Moreover, it was found that samples for verifying issues provided by the customer neither improve the perceived quality of corrective actions nor the perceived quality of issue resolution time. The term “service” in this work is limited to the technical services that are provided by product manufacturers and after-sales authorized service vendors. On the basis of this research work, it has been observed that corrective actions and issue resolution time are associated with customer satisfaction and hence, according to induction theory, to customer loyalty and retention. This thesis utilizes knowledge of marketing and customer relationships to contribute to the existing body of knowledge concerning information and communication technology for after-sales service recovery of mobile terminals. The established models in the thesis contribute to the existing knowledge of the after-sales process of dealing with customer issues in the field of mobile phones. The findings suggest that process managers could focus more on communication and training provided to the staff as new technology evolves rapidly. The study also suggest the managers formulate strategies for how customers can be kept informed on a regular basis of the status of issues that have been escalated for corrective action. The findings also lay the foundation for the comprehensive objective to control the entire product development process, starting with conceptualization. This implies that robust design should be applied to the new products so that problems affecting customer service quality are not repeated. The objective will be achieved when the entire service chain from product development to the final user can be modeled and this model can be used to support the organization at all levels.

Novel virtual environment and real-time simulation based methods for improving life-cycle efficiency of non-road mobile machinery

Virtual environments and real-time simulators (VERS) are becoming more and more important tools in research and development (R&D) process of non-road mobile machinery (NRMM). The virtual prototyping techniques enable faster and more cost-efficient development of machines compared to use of real life prototypes. High energy efficiency has become an important topic in the world of NRMM because of environmental and economic demands. The objective of this thesis is to develop VERS based methods for research and development of NRMM. A process using VERS for assessing effects of human operators on the life-cycle efficiency of NRMM was developed. Human in the loop simulations are ran using an underground mining loader to study the developed process. The simulations were ran in the virtual environment of the Laboratory of Intelligent Machines of Lappeenranta University of Technology. A physically adequate real-time simulation model of NRMM was shown to be reliable and cost effective in testing of hardware components by the means of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations. A control interface connecting integrated electro-hydraulic energy converter (IEHEC) with virtual simulation model of log crane was developed. IEHEC consists of a hydraulic pump-motor and an integrated electrical permanent magnet synchronous motorgenerator. The results show that state of the art real-time NRMM simulators are capable to solve factors related to energy consumption and productivity of the NRMM. A significant variation between the test drivers is found. The results show that VERS can be used for assessing human effects on the life-cycle efficiency of NRMM. HIL simulation responses compared to that achieved with conventional simulation method demonstrate the advances and drawbacks of various possible interfaces between the simulator and hardware part of the system under study. Novel ideas for arranging the interface are successfully tested and compared with the more traditional one. The proposed process for assessing the effects of operators on the life-cycle efficiency will be applied for wider group of operators in the future. Driving styles of the operators can be analysed statistically from sufficient large result data. The statistical analysis can find the most life-cycle efficient driving style for the specific environment and machinery. The proposed control interface for HIL simulation need to be further studied. The robustness and the adaptation of the interface in different situations must be verified. The future work will also include studying the suitability of the IEHEC for different working machines using the proposed HIL simulation method.

Development and Effect Analysis of the Asteri Consultative Auditing Process - Safety and Security Management in Educational Institutions

The Finnish legislation requires for a safe and secure learning environment. However, the comprehensive, risk based safety and security management (SSM) and the management commitment in the implementation and development of the SSM are not mentioned in the legislation. Multiple institutions, operators and researchers have studied and developed safety and security in educational institutions over the past decade. Typically the approach has been fragmented and without bringing up the importance of the comprehensive SSM. The development needs of the safety and security operations in universities have been studied. However, in universities of applied sciences (UASs) and in elementary schools (ESs), the performance level, strengths and weaknesses of the comprehensive SSM have not been studied. The objective of this study was to develop the comprehensive, risk based SSM of educational institutions by developing the new Asteri consultative auditing process and study its effects on auditees. Furthermore, the performance level in the comprehensive SSM in UASs and ESs were studied using Asteri and the TUTOR model developed by the Keski-Uusimaa Department for Rescue Services. In addition, strengths, development needs and differences were identified. In total, 76 educational institutions were audited between the years 2011 and 2014. The study is based on logical empiricism, and an observational applied research design was used. Auditing, observation and an electronic survey were used for data collection. Statistical analysis was used to analyze the collected information. In addition, thematic analysis was used to analyze the development areas of the organizations mentioned by the respondents in the survey. As one of the main contributions, this research presents the new Asteri consultative auditing process. Organizations with low performance levels on the audited subject benefit the most from the Asteri consultative auditing process. Asteri may be usable in many different types of audits, not only in SSM audits. As a new result, this study provides new knowledge on attitudes related to auditing. According to the research findings, auditing may generate negative attitudes and the auditor should take them into account when planning and preparing for audits. Negative attitudes can be compensated by producing added value, objectivity and positivity for the audit and, thus, improve the positive effects of auditing on knowledge and skills. Moreover, as the results of this study shows, auditing safety and security issues do not increase feelings of insecurity, but rather increase feelings of safety and security when using the new Asteri consultative auditing process with the TUTOR model. The results showed that the SSM in the audited UASs was statistically significantly more advanced than that in the audited ESs. However, there is still room for improvement in the ESs and the UASs as the approach to the SSM was fragmented. It can be assumed that the majority of Finnish UASs and ESs do not likely meet the basic level of the comprehensive, risk based the SSM.

Framework for Marketing Automation: Case Vaisala

Työ käsittelee Markkinoinnin Automaatiota, viitekehyksen rakentamista Markkinoinnin Automaation käyttöönottoon ja sen hyödyntämiselle markkinoinnin ja myynnin putken hallinnassa. Työ on suoritettu tapaustutkimuksena, jonka primääri datana on käytetty puoli-strukturoituja haastatteluja ja sekundääri datana on käytetty dataa myynnin tietojärjestelmistä. Kirjallisuuskatsaus markkinoinnin automaatioon paljastaa, että aihetta ei ole juurikaan tutkittu akateemisesti. Etenkin selkeitä aukkoja teorioissa on miten markkinoinnin automaatiota kannattaisi aloittaa ja miten siihen tarvittavia kamppanjoita kannattaisi rakentaa. Tapaustutkimuksen tuloksena selvisi selkeät ongelma kohdat nykysessä markkinoinnin ja myynnin putkessa, ja myös kohdat joissa markkinoinnin automaatio voi olla avuksi. Suurin osa ongelma kohdista on markkinoinnin ja myynnin välissä. Toimiakseen markkinoinnin automaatio vaatii selkeät määritykset yrityksessä Liidille ja miten sitä käsitellään. Toimivuuden takaamiseksi se tarvitsee myös jatkuvaa palautetta liideistä ja myynneistä. Alue mikä myös tarvitsee muutosta paremman toimivuuden takaamiseksi on markkinoinnin kamppanjoiden suunnittelu, yhdessä myynnin kanssa ja asiakkaan polku edellä. Tulevaisuuden tavoitteena tulisi olla viestien personointi ja asiakkaiden profilointi. Tulevaisuuden tutkimuskohteet olisivat erittäin avuliaita yrityksille, varsinki jos ne käsittelisivät käyttöönottoa tai personointia.

The person inside the nurse : the professional socialization of baccalaureate nursing students

The goal ofthis research was to gain an understanding ofthe process ofprofessional socialization by accessing role meaning ofstudents engaged in a BScN program. Students from each ofthe four years and faculty members from the school ofnursing volunteered as participants. G. Kelly's (1955) Personal Construct Theory provided the framework to determine awareness and constructed meanings. A reflective tool, called LifeMapping, was adapted and utilized to relate student experiences within education that have attributed to nurse role meaning. Focus group interviews verified data interpretation. Students are informed oftheir choice to study nursing through part-time and volunteer work, secondary school cooperative placements. Descriptions reveal that choices are tested and both positive and negative aspects ofthe role observed. Bipolar images of good and bad nurses seem to be context-related. These images may establish biases in choices related to learning experiences. The person inside ofeach aspiring nurse interprets, revises and understands experiences to incorporate individual meaning into their value and belief structures. Students are aware ofchanges and descnbe them as developments that occur personally up to Year ill and role-image changes that begin in Year II. The major difficulty that students encountered was descnbed as negative attitudes towards their anticipated role. Humanistic-interactionist philosophies are echoed in student accounts of learning experiences. Growth and role development corresponds to process factors of small group, problem-base learning.

Identification de nouveaux substrats des kinases Erk1/2 par une approche bio-informatique, pharmacologique et phosphoprotéomique

La phosphorylation est une modification post-traductionnelle omniprésente des protéines Cette modification est ajoutée et enlevée par l’activité enzymatique respective des protéines kinases et phosphatases. Les kinases Erk1/2 sont au cœur d’une voie de signalisation importante qui régule l’activité de protéines impliquées dans la traduction, le cycle cellulaire, le réarrangement du cytosquelette et la transcription. Ces kinases sont aussi impliquées dans le développement de l’organisme, le métabolisme du glucose, la réponse immunitaire et la mémoire. Différentes pathologies humaines comme le diabète, les maladies cardiovasculaires et principalement le cancer, sont associées à une perturbation de la phosphorylation sur les différents acteurs de cette voie. Considérant l’importance biologique et clinique de ces deux kinases, connaître l’étendue de leur activité enzymatique pourrait mener au développement de nouvelles thérapies pharmacologiques. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif principal de cette thèse était de mesurer l’influence de cette voie sur le phosphoprotéome et de découvrir de nouveaux substrats des kinases Erk1/2. Une étude phosphoprotéomique de cinétique d’inhibition pharmacologique de la voie de signalisation Erk1/2 a alors été entreprise. Le succès de cette étude était basé sur trois technologies clés, soit l’enrichissement des phosphopeptides avec le dioxyde de titane, la spectrométrie de masse haut débit et haute résolution, et le développement d’une plateforme bio-informatique nommée ProteoConnections. Cette plateforme permet d’organiser les données de protéomique, évaluer leur qualité, indiquer les changements d’abondance et accélérer l’interprétation des données. Une fonctionnalité distinctive de ProteoConnections est l’annotation des sites phosphorylés identifiés (kinases, domaines, structures, conservation, interactions protéiques phospho-dépendantes). Ces informations ont été essentielles à l’analyse des 9615 sites phosphorylés sur les 2108 protéines identifiées dans cette étude, soit le plus large ensemble rapporté chez le rat jusqu’à ce jour. L’analyse des domaines protéiques a révélé que les domaines impliqués dans les interactions avec les protéines, les acides nucléiques et les autres molécules sont les plus fréquemment phosphorylés et que les sites sont stratégiquement localisés pour affecter les interactions. Un algorithme a été implémenté pour trouver les substrats potentiels des kinases Erk1/2 à partir des sites identifiés selon leur motif de phosphorylation, leur cinétique de stimulation au sérum et l’inhibition pharmacologique de Mek1/2. Une liste de 157 substrats potentiels des kinases Erk1/2 a ainsi été obtenue. Parmi les substrats identifiés, douze ont déjà été rapportés et plusieurs autres ont des fonctions associées aux substrats déjà connus. Six substrats (Ddx47, Hmg20a, Junb, Map2k2, Numa1, Rras2) ont été confirmés par un essai kinase in vitro avec Erk1. Nos expériences d’immunofluorescence ont démontré que la phosphorylation de Hmg20a sur la sérine 105 par Erk1/2 affecte la localisation nucléocytoplasmique de cette protéine. Finalement, les phosphopeptides isomériques positionnels, soit des peptides avec la même séquence d’acides aminés mais phosphorylés à différentes positions, ont été étudiés avec deux nouveaux algorithmes. Cette étude a permis de déterminer leur fréquence dans un extrait enrichi en phosphopeptides et d’évaluer leur séparation par chromatographie liquide en phase inverse. Une stratégie analytique employant un des algorithmes a été développée pour réaliser une analyse de spectrométrie de masse ciblée afin de découvrir les isomères ayant été manqués par la méthode d’analyse conventionnelle.

Relations entre la mobilité, la condition physique et les fonctions cognitives dans une perspective de vieillissement sain

Thèse effectuée en cotutelle (Université de Poitiers, France)