Tools for Real-Time Control Systems Co-Design : A Survey

This report presents a survey of current simulation tools in the area of integrated control and real-time systems design. Each tool is presented with a quick overview followed by a more detailed section describing comparative aspects of the tool. These aspects describe the context and purpose of the tool (scenarios, development stages, activities, and qualities/constraints being addressed) and the actual tool technology (tool architecture, inputs, outputs, modeling content, extensibility and availability). The tools presented in the survey are the following; Jitterbug and TrueTime from the Department of Automatic Control at Lund University, Sweden, AIDA and XILO from the Department of Machine Design at the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, Ptolemy II from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at Berkeley, California, RTSIM from the RETIS Laboratory, Pisa, Italy, and Syndex and Orccad from INRIA, France. The survey also briefly describes some existing commercial tools related to the area of real-time control systems

Hållbar avfallshantering: utvärdering av styrmedel från ett psykologiskt och etnologiskt perspektiv

Inom psykologi och etnologi studeras företeelser ur perspektiv som återfinns hos den enskilda individen samt i det lokala eller sociala sammanhanget. I studien har olika styrmedel bedömts från ett etnologiskt och psykologiskt perspektiv. Studien har därvid inneburit nya arbetsmetoder – i varken psykologi eller etnologi brukar man arbeta med att förutsäga hur olika medel (t.ex. styrmedel) påverkar människan, normalt arbetar man efter att beskriva hur människan upplever ett befintligt styrmedel. Nytt i arbetssättet är också att utvärdera styrmedlen i olika framtidsscenarier. De viktigaste slutsatserna om de studerade styrmedlen är enligt följande. Information är ett viktigt styrmedel, men bör främst ses i kombination med andra styrmedel. Information bör utformas så att den är anpassad för olika grupper, hellre än massutskick och glättiga kampanjer. Informationen bör vara både deklarativ (ge information om effekter och konsekvenser) och procedurell (beskriva hur man ska göra). Information är viktigast som styrmedel i de hållbara scenarierna, men är av betydelse i samtliga scenarier. Vad gäller verksamheter kan man skilja på information till företagsledningen och information till anställda. Styrmedlet ”Reklam ja tack” förväntas leda till minskad mängd pappersavfall och är lätt att förstå för hushållen. Styrmedlet är mest effektivt i de hållbara scenarierna. Styrmedlet bedöms verksamt även i scenariot regional marknad eftersom det då är större tryck på verksamheterna att föra ut sitt budskap. Negativ kemikaliemärkning bedöms vara ett effektivt styrmedel, och framför allt effektivare än positiv märkning. Negativ kemikaliemärkning bedöms också vara effektivt i alla scenarier. I styrmedlet viktbaserad avfallstaxa kan storleken på den rörliga delen av avfallstaxan påverka styrmedlets genomslagskraft. Viktbaserad avfallstaxa bedöms fungera bäst i de marknadsdrivna scenarierna där individen tar ett stort ansvar själv. I de hållbara scenarierna kan styrmedlet komma att upplevas negativ eftersom ansvaret för miljöfrågorna är mer överflyttade till staten från medborgarna. Miljödifferentierad avfallstaxa bedöms ge ytterst små styreffekter eftersom det med den givna utformningen kan vara svår att kommunicera med människorna. Med vissa ändringar skulle det däremot kunna bli kraftfullt. Utvecklade insamlingssystem bedöms leda till ökad källsortering i alla scenarier. Detta gäller både ökad fastighetsnära insamling och insamling i materialströmmar

Human cerebrovascular contractile receptors are upregulated via a B-Raf/MEK/ERK-sensitive signaling pathway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cerebral ischemia results in a rapid increase in contractile cerebrovascular receptors, such as the 5-hydroxytryptamine type 1B (5-HT_1B), angiotensin II type 1 (AT₁), and endothelin type B (ET_B) receptors, in the vessel walls within the ischemic region, which further impairs local blood flow and aggravates tissue damage. This receptor upregulation occurs via activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. We therefore hypothesized an important role for B-Raf, the first signaling molecule in the pathway. To test our hypothesis, human cerebral arteries were incubated at 37°C for 48 h in the absence or presence of a B-Raf inhibitor: SB-386023 or SB-590885. Contractile properties were evaluated in a myograph and protein expression of the individual receptors and activated phosphorylated B-Raf (p-B-Raf) was evaluated immunohistochemically.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>5-HT_1B, AT₁, and ET_Breceptor-mediated contractions were significantly reduced by application of SB-590885, and to a smaller extent by SB-386023. A marked reduction in AT₁receptor immunoreactivity was observed after treatment with SB-590885. Treatment with SB-590885 and SB-386023 diminished the culture-induced increase of p-B-Raf immunoreactivity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>B-Raf signaling has a key function in the altered expression of vascular contractile receptors observed after organ culture. Therefore, specific targeting of B-Raf might be a novel approach to reduce tissue damage after cerebral ischemia by preventing the previously observed upregulation of contractile receptors in smooth muscle cells.</p

Comparison of cisplatin sensitivity and the 18F fluoro-2-deoxy 2 glucose uptake with proliferation parameters and gene expression in squamous cell carcinoma cell lines of the head and neck

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The survival of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer is still poor, with 5-year survival rates of 24–35%. The identification of prognostic and predictive markers at the molecular and cellular level could make it possible to find new therapeutic targets and provide "taylor made" treatments. Established cell lines of human squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are valuable models for identifying such markers.</p> <p>The aim of this study was to establish and characterize a series of cell lines and to compare the cisplatin sensitivity and 18F fluoro-2 deoxy 2 glucose (18F-FDG) uptake of these cell lines with other cellular characteristics, such as proliferation parameters and TP53 and CCND1 status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Explant cultures of fresh tumour tissue were cultivated, and six new permanent cell lines were established from 18 HNSCC cases. Successfully grown cell lines were analysed regarding clinical parameters, histological grade, karyotype, DNA ploidy, and index and S-phase fraction (Spf). The cell lines were further characterized with regard to their uptake of 18F-FDG, their sensitivity to cisplatin, as measured by a viability test (crystal violet), and their TP53 and CCND1 status, by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) with DNA sequencing and, for cyclin D1, by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients with tumours that could be cultured in vitro had shorter disease-free periods and overall survival time than those whose tumours did not grow in vitro, when analysed with the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Their tumours also showed more complex karyotypes than tumours from which cell lines could not be established. No correlation was found between TP53 or CCND1 status and 18F-FDG uptake or cisplatin sensitivity. However, there was an inverse correlation between tumour cell doubling time and 18F-FDG uptake.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In vitro growth of HNSCC cells seem to be an independent prognostic factor, with cell lines being more readily established from aggressive tumours, a phenomenon more dependent on the molecular genetic characteristics of the tumour cells than on tumour location or TNM status.</p

WRAP53 Is Essential for Cajal Body Formation and for Targeting the Survival of Motor Neuron Complex to Cajal Bodies

The WRAP53 protein regulates the formation and maintenance of Cajal bodies (nuclear sub-organelles), as well as directs the recruitment of nuclear factors to Cajal bodies

Processing unit resources in a distributed computing systems

The described program is designed for collecting, storing and processing data of distributed file system

Algoritm i OpenGL för att rendera realtids 3D grafik med fokus

The company where this thesis was formulated constructs VR applications for the medical environment. The hardware used is ordinary dektops with consumer level graphics cards and haptic devices. In medicin some operations require microscopes or cameras. In order to simulate these in a virtual reality environment for educational purposes, the effect of depth of field or focus have to be considered. A working algorithm that generates this optical occurence in realtime, stereo rendered computer graphics is presented in this thesis. The algorithm is implemented in OpenGL and C++ to later be combined with a VR application simulating eye-surgery which is built with OpenGL Optimizer. Several different approaches are described in this report. The call for realtime stereo rendering (~60 fps) means taking advantage of the graphics hardware to a great extent. In OpenGL this means using the extensions to a specific graphic chip for better performance, in this case the algorithm is implemented for a GeForce3 card. To increase the speed of the algorithm much of the workload is moved from the CPU to the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). By re-defining parts of the ordinary OpenGL pipeline via vertex programs, a distance-from-focus map can be stored in the alpha channel of the final image with little time loss. This can effectively be used to blend a previously blurred version of the scene with a normal render. Different techniques to quickly blur a renderedimage is discussed, to keep the speed up solutions that require moving data from the graphics card is not an option

Can money be made on Mondays? : An empirical investigation of the efficiency on the OMXS30

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if abnormal patterns concerning the rates of return during specific weekdays and months are observable for the companies in the OMXS30 during the period 2003-2010. A special focus will be put on the Monday effect anomaly. Background: Investors have a tendency to search for investment opportunities. If errors exist in the pricing of stocks it indicates that anomalies are present and that the stock market is inefficient. Investors then have the possibility to utilize the anomalies in order to receive above average returns. Method: This study is using data of stock prices from Nasdaq OMX in the period of 2003-2010. The strength and existence of the Swedish stock market efficiency is measured through autocorrelation-, chi-square- and regression tests. Average monthly stock returns are calculated on daily-, monthly-, and yearly basis. The returns are compared in order to examine if day-of-the-week and turn-of-the-year anomalies exist. Conclusion: No Monday effect is found in 2003-2010. However, positive Thursday- and positive Friday effects are detected. A negative turn-of-the-year effect as well as a positive April effect is found. The investment opportunities that could be utilized in 2003-2010 due to the specific anomalies in the period do not necessarily imply that the same anomalies can be expected on the OMXS30 in the future

Perceived Importance of Project Leaders and Change Managers in IT Projects

IT är ett naturligt hjälpmedel för många företag och organisationer. Det är därför vanligt att företag försöker effektivisera och förbättra sin verksamhet genom att införa nya affärssystem. När ett nytt affärssystem ska införas startas ofta ett IT-projekt med en utsedd projektledare som ansvarig för att nå önskat resultat. IT-projekt är av teknisk karaktär och fokuserat mot själva affärssystemet. Det krävs dock i många fall mer än den nya teknologin för att ett företag ska öka sin lönsamhet och förbättra verksamheten. I dessa fall krävs det även någon typ av förändring eller omstrukturering inom företaget för att nå det önskade målet. I de fall någon typ av förändring utöver införande av ett affärssystem krävs, inträffar det att projektledaren får ta på sig uppgiften att även leda denna förändring. Organisationen kan dock göra valet att låta den förändringen ledas av en förändringsledare. En förändringsledares uppgift är att ansvara för att ett förändringsarbete når sitt mål med önskat resultat. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka och beskriva vilka betydelser rollerna projektledare och förändringsledare har i IT-projekt vars syfte är att införa ett affärssystem. För att skapa klarhet i detta har litteratur inom ämnet studerats. Utöver litteraturen har vi även tagit del av artiklar från olika tidskrifter. För att få en aktuell verklighetsanknytning har ett antal intervjuer genomförts med personer som arbetar i projektmiljö och har kontakt med projekt- och förändringsledarskap dagligen. Denna kombination av informationskällor, anser vi, skapar en aktuell och tydlig bild av området. I förstudien bör målet med projektet analyseras för att säkerställa att rätt åtgärder genomförs. Vi har kommit fram till att rollerna projekt- och förändringsledare har stor betydelse och positiv inverkan för att önskat resultat ska nås i IT-projekt. Projektledaren står för den tekniska kompetensen, medan förändringsledaren arbetar med de mänskliga faktorerna. Det kan därför vara fördelaktigt för projektet om rollerna innehas av separata personer. På detta sätt får de mycket utbyte och hjälp av varandra vilket leder till större möjligheter att IT-projektet når önskat resultat och införandet av affärssystemet lyckas.In the business environment of today IT systems have a significant role in many enterprises and organisations. A focus for many companies is to enhance profitability and efficiency buy improving and developing their enterprise systems. When a decision is made to redesign or implement a new business system it’s common that an IT-project is started and a dedicated project leader is assigned to the project, committed to deliver the requested results. An enterprise system is usually technical in it’s nature and focuses on technical aspects, but to reach desired results in profitability and efficiency, several other aspects than the pure technical ones needs to be taken into consideration to reach the desired results. In these cases, a reorganisation of the business or other structural changes might be needed to reach the goals of the project. When an implementation of a business system reaches beyond the pure technical aspects and demands structural changes to the organisation, it’s not uncommon that the IT-project leader is assigned responsibility for the entire project. The organisation can on the other hand choose to assign a change manager to govern for the structural changes. The change manager is responsible for the whole change process and is assigned responsibility that the process reaches the pre defined targets. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and describe the roles of a project leader and change manager and their importance within an IT project aiming at implementing a new enterprise system. The sources of information to this paper is literature, scientific articles within the area and several interviews with professionals working in project environments, including project management and change management, on a day-to-day basis. We believe that this mix of information sources enables this paper give a clear and up to date view of the area of scope. In the pre study to a project is of sheer importance that the actual targets are analysed to ensure that the right decisions and actions are made. Our conclusion is that the roles of the project leader and the change manager are of significant importance to the outcome of the project. It is desirable that the two positions are assigned to two different persons, which enables them to share experiences and support each other. The project leader possesses the technical know how and the change manager focuses on the human and organisational aspects of the project. By setting the project up with clear areas of responsibility, but working beside each other, they can exchange experiences and help each other. This is beneficial for the project and increases the possibilities that the project reaches desired results and that the implementation of the new enterprise system is successful