A portable device for intensive care brain function monitoring with event-related potentials

Monitoring level of consciousness or depth of sedation is essential in modern intensive care units and emergency rooms. Current methods are based on spontaneous EEG providing only indirect information on the reactivity of the brain. Measurement of auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) has been shown to have additional potential for evaluation of the level of consciousness. Unfortunately, compact and easy-to-use devices are not commercially available. In this study a portable battery-powered device for clinical auditory ERP measurements was designed, constructed and validated. The device consists of a five-channel data logger and a 16-bit stereo audio stimulator. The signals are digitized with a 22-bit sigma-delta analogue-to-digital converter and stored to a PC Card hard disk. Prior to the in vivo application, the device was validated with extensive technical tests. Importantly, the RMS noise amplitude of the EEG channels was found to be less than 1 mivroV and the delivered auditory stimulus intensity corresponded accurately the settings (mean difference 0.2+/-0.5 dB). In addition to technical tests the device was successfully validated in vivo. To summarize, a novel portable instrument for measurement of auditory event-related potentials in intensive care environment is introduced.     

Data Refinement of Remote Procedures

Recently the action systems formalism for parallel and distributed systems has been extended with the procedure mechanism. This gives us a very general framework for describing different communication paradigms for action systems, e.g. remote procedure calls. Action systems come with a design methodology based on the refinement calculus. Data refinement is a powerful technique for refining action systems. In this paper we will develop a theory and proof rules for the refinement of action systems that communicate via remote procedures based on the data refinement approach. The proof rules we develop are compositional so that modular refinement of action systems is supported. As an example we will especially study the atomicity refinement of actions. This is an important refinement strategy, as it potentially increases the degree of parallelism in an action system. Received February 1999 / Accepted in revised form July 2000     

The Strategic Incrementalism of Lahti Master Planning: Three Lessons

ABSTRACT

The city of Lahti, Finland, has developed a unique policy of combining city strategy work with strategic master planning in an iterative process. It thereby offers insights to research on strategic spatial planning, exemplifying how institutional frameworks of statutory planning can be utilized as resources in strategic planning. Three lessons from the Lahti case are drawn: (1) utilize the moments of opportunity in the institutional environment of statutory planning, (2) shift the focus from the level of ‘strategic plans’ to the policy level of strategy work, (3) develop strategic planning as a platform for diverse ‘languages’.     

Molecular Weight Characterization and Gelling Properties of Acid-Modified Maize Starches

The reduction in the molecular weight distribution during acid hydrolysis of ordinary and waxy maize starch occured in two stages: first amylopectin degraded to intermediate high molecular weight polysac-charides, secondly, these were further hydrolyzed. The amylose moiety of ordinary and high-amylose starch was not affected very much by the hydrolysis conditions used (0.1–1 M HCI, 40°C, 0.3–4 h), but the gelling properties of starch weakened. The amylopectin degradation products, probably branched dextrins, were shown to hinder the gel formation of amylose in the starch pastes.     

Issues related to the computer realization of a multidisciplinary and multiobjective optimization system

Issues and novel ideas to be considered when developing computer realizations of complex multidisciplinary and multiobjective optimization systems are introduced. The aim is to discuss computer realizations that make possible both computationally efficient multidisciplinary analysis and multiobjective optimization of real world problems. We introduce software tools that make typically very time-consuming simulation processes more effective and, thus, enable even interactive multiobjective optimization with a real decision maker. In this paper, we first define a multidisciplinary and multiobjective optimization system and after that present an implementation overview of such problems including basic components participating in the solution process. Furthermore, interfaces and data flows between the components are described. A couple of important features related to the implementation are discussed in detail, for example, the usage of automatic differentiation. Finally, the ideas presented are illustrated with an industrial multiobjective optimization problem, when we describe numerical experiments related to quality properties in paper making.     

Neural networks and genetic algorithms for bankruptcy predictions

We are focusing on three alternative techniques-linear discriminant analysis, logit analysis and genetic algorithms-that can be used to empirically select predictors for neural networks in failure prediction. The selected techniques all have different assumptions about the relationships between the independent variables. Linear discriminant analysis is based on linear combination of independent variables, logit analysis uses the logistical cumulative function and genetic algorithms is a global search procedure based on the mechanics of natural selection and natural genetics. In an empirical test all three selection methods chose different bankruptcy prediction variables. The best prediction results were achieved when using genetic algorithms.     

Influence of Zn on the oxide layer on AISI 316L(NG) stainless steel in simulated pressurised water reactor coolant

The oxidation of AISI 316L(NG) stainless steel in simulated pressurised water reactor (PWR) coolant with or without addition of 1 ppm Zn at 280 °C for up to 96 h has been characterised in situ by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), both at the corrosion potential and under anodic polarisation up to 0.5 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Additional tests were performed in simulated PWR coolant with the addition of 0.01 M Na₂B₄O₇ to exclude the effect of pH excursions probably due to Zn hydrolysis reactions. The thickness and in-depth composition of the oxide films formed at open circuit and at 0.5 V vs. RHE in the investigated electrolytes have been estimated from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiles. The kinetic and transport parameters characterising the oxide layer growth have been estimated using a calculational procedure based on the mixed conduction model for oxide films. Successful simulations of both the EIS and XPS data have been obtained. The parameter estimates are discussed in terms of the effect of Zn on the oxide layers on stainless steel in PWR conditions.     

Catalytic Oxidation of Dichloromethane and Perchloroethylene: Laboratory and Industrial Scale Studies

Development of a reliable laboratory scale test for the design of industrial catalysts is crucial. In this article, different laboratory-scale tests were compared with an industrial scale CVOCs treatment. With dichloromethane (DCM) the laboratory scale test results corresponded well to the industrial scale oxidation results. However, the perchloroethylene (PCE) conversions measured in industry were always higher than what was achieved in the laboratory scale indicating that the industrial scale catalytic incinerator operating in transient conditions is highly beneficial in PCE oxidation. It was clearly shown that in order to design high-quality laboratory scale experiments, information on complete composition and total concentration of the emission is needed but also different types of catalytic tests need to be used depending on the industrial reactor. In addition, the catalysts’ performance in an industrial VOC abatement unit was examined as the oxidation efficiencies of DCM, PCE and other hydrocarbons (OHC) were compared after 3, 10 and 23 months of operation. After 23 months and 13,065 operating hours, no significant decrease in the activity of the catalysts was observed showing that the used noble metal catalysts are highly resistant towards these demanding conditions.     

What goes down must come up? Trends of industrial electricity use in the North-West of Russia

This article uses decomposition method to analyse industrial electricity consumption in North-Western Russia, namely in Archangelsk oblast, the Republic of Karelia and Murmansk oblast. The case sectors, forestry and electricity, have in most cases developed similarly in the chosen regions during 1990–2001. The decomposition analysis shows that the reduction of economic activity has reduced electricity consumption in all three regions but that it is not always the main factor reducing consumption. The changes in energy efficiency increased consumption in the forestry sector in all regions while in the electricity sector it led to a reduction. The changes in the structures of the regional economies increased electricity consumption in electricity industry which gained importance due to developments in the manufacturing industry. In Murmansk, forestry sector has almost disappeared during the observation period. This was the main observed electricity consumption reduction caused by structural changes. Many of the developments can be better understood against the general knowledge of transition factors.