Jälkilaskennan kehittäminen

Tämän opinnäytetyön toimeksiantajana on eräs Pohjanmaalainen metallialan yritys, joka valmistaa alihankintana tuotteita eri alan yrityksille. Yrityksessä ei ole tällä hetkellä toimivaa menetelmää tuotekohtaisen jälkilaskennan toteuttamiseksi. Tuotteet hinnoitellaan jo tarjousvaiheessa, jolloin ei aina ole selvää miten tuote lopuksi valmistetaan, kun se on lopullisessa tuotantokierrossa. Tästä syystä yrityksessä todettiin tarpeelliseksi tuotteiden kannattavuuden selvittäminen jälkilaskennan avulla. Yrityksessä on tärkeää tuntea tuotteet mahdollisimman tarkasti, koska suurin osa tuotteista sisältää useita työvaiheita ja tuotteissa käytetään eri materiaaleja. Tässä työssä selvitetään missä ovat suurimmat ongelmat ja virheet jälkilaskennassa ja tar-kastellaan myös alihankkijoiden hinnoittelu ja sen oikeellisuus. Tämä siksi, että tiedetään tarkasti, mitä kustannuksia kulloinkin tuotteet sisältävät. Työn tavoitteena on tuottaa ratkaisuehdotukset yritykselle; kuinka saadaan jälkilaskenta toimimaan yrityksessä oikein, sekä etsiä suurimmat ongelmat ja tehdä ehdotukset korjauksiin tarvittavista toimenpiteistä

Koivun glukuronoksylaanin ja maitoproteiinin väliset vuorovaikutukset

Tutkielman kirjallisuusosassa käsitellään hemiselluloosien sekä maitotuotteissa käytettävien stabilointiaineiden ominaisuuksia ja käyttökohteita. Lisäksi perehdytään proteiinien ja polysakkaridien välisten vuorovaikutusten syntyyn ja niiden vaikutuksiin elintarvikkeiden rakenteeseen. Kokeellisessa osassa vertailtiin koivun glukuronoksylaanin ja arabikumin vaikutuksia maitoproteiinia sisältävän järjestelmän ominaisuuksiin. Kokeellinen osa jakautui kahteen vaiheeseen: vuorovaikutustesteihin ja jogurttimallikokeeseen. Vuorovaikutustestien tavoitteena oli löytää olosuhteet, joissa polysakkaridien ja maitoproteiinin välillä olisi vuorovaikutuksia. Vuorovaikutusten karakterisointiin käytettiin valonsirontaan perustuvaa Turbiscan-analyysia, jonka avulla tutkittiin näytteiden rakenteen pysyvyyttä. Vuorovaikutusten olemassa oloa tutkittiin myös fluoresenssiin perustuvalla menetelmällä sekä zeta-potentiaalin ja sähkönjohtavuuden avulla. Jogurttimallikokeiden näytteistä tutkittiin näytteiden viskositeettia, näytteessä tapahtuvaa heran erottumista sekä näytteiden aistinvaraisia ominaisuuksia. Tutkimuksen tuloksista havaittiin koivun glukuronoksylaanin ja arabikumin vaikuttavan eri lailla maitoproteiinia sisältävän näytteen ominaisuuksiin. Turbiscan-analyyseissä havaittiin koivun glukuronoksylaania sisältävän näytteen rakenteen olevan pysyvämpi kuin arabikumia sisältävän näytteen niiden pitoisuuksien ollessa yhtä suuret. Fluoresenssispektroskopialla tehdyssä analyysissä glukuronoksylaanin havaittiin vaikuttavan arabikumia voimakkaammin näytteen emittoiman säteilyn voimakkuuteen. Tämä voi olla seurausta glukuronoksylaanin ja maitoproteiinin välisistä voimakkaammista vuorovaikutuksista verrattuna arabikumiin. Myös mittaukset näytteiden sähkönjohtavuudesta osoittivat glukuronoksylaanilla olevan mahdollisesti voimakkaampia vuorovaikutuksia maitoproteiinin kanssa kuin arabikumilla. Jogurttimallikokeissa glukuronoksylaania sisältävän näytteen ja vertailunäytteen välillä ei havaittu eroja viskositeetissa. Arabikumia sisältävän näytteen viskositeetti määritettiin matalimmaksi. Kussakin näytteessä tapahtui heran erottumista. Näytteiden aistinvaraisessa arvioinnissa havaittiin samansuuntaisia eroja rakenteen paksuudessa kuin viskositeetin mittauksessa. Jogurttinäytteiden mauissa ei havaittu eroja. Tutkimuksen tulokset antoivat tietoa vuorovaikutusten olemassaolosta. Lisätutkimuksia kuitenkin tarvitaan tarkempien vuorovaikutusmekanismien selvittämiseksi.Literature review of this thesis deals with properties and applications of hemicelluloses and stabilizers used in milk products. In addition, the literature review discusses interactions between proteins and polysaccharides and how they affect properties of food products. In the experimental section, interactions between birch glucuronoxylan and milk protein were compared to interactions between gum Arabic and milk protein. Experimental research included interaction tests between polysaccharides and milk protein and preparation of yoghurt. The aim of interaction tests was to find sample compositions where interactions were present. Protein-polysaccharide interactions were investigated with methods based on light scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, zeta-potential, and electric conductivity. Viscosities, whey separation and sensory properties of yogurt samples were also studied. This study showed that birch glucuronoxylan and gum Arabic have different effect on samples containing milk proteins. When concentrations of glucuronoxylan and gum Arabic were equal, structure of sample with glucuronoxylan was more stable than structure of sample with gum Arabic. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that glucuronoxylan affected the emission intensity more than gum Arabic. This may be due to stronger interactions between glucuronoxylan and milk proteins compared to gum Arabic. Electric conductivity measurements also showed similar results. Viscosities of reference yoghurt sample and yoghurt sample with glucuronoxylan did not differ. Viscosity of yoghurt sample with gum Arabic was lower than viscosities of other two samples. Whey separation took place in all samples. In sensory evaluation of yoghurt samples, the thicknesses of reference sample and sample with glucuronoxylan were evaluated similar. Sample with gum Arabic was evaluated the thinnest. There were not observable differences in taste of yoghurt samples

Motoric training alters speech sound perception and production – active listening does not lead into learning outcomes

Accurate speech-sound perception and production are prerequisites for communication in a non-native language. Earlier research has shown that new categorization and pronunciation patterns evolve in different learning settings and that these skills can be trained with various methods. We tested the effects of two types of training protocols on the production and identification of L2 vowels embedded in a pseudo-word context. Group 1 (Producers) participated in a listen and repeat training, where they produced the target stimulus /tᵾ:ti/ and the non-target stimulus /ty:ti/ after the example in a pseudo-randomized order; Group 2 (Listeners) was instructed to count the number of targets /tᵾ:ti/ in the same stimulus train without any motoric production movements. The results showed clearly that listen and repeat training led to plastic changes both in production and in identification, while no learning effects were obtained with the listening paradigm. This suggests a significant role of motoric experience in the acquisition of speech.Peer reviewe

The production of voicing in Namibian English stops by speakers of Khoekhoegowab

This study examines whether Namibian English spoken by L1 Khoekhoegowab speakers has word-initial stop voicing contrasts, and how they might be realized in freely produced speech. The data consists of English interviews collected from nine speakers of Namibian English. For analysis, a total of 365 words beginning with a stop-vowel sequence were extracted from the interviews, and analyzed for voice onset time (VOT). To examine the realization of voicing, the extracted words are divided into voiced and voiceless categories based on their phonological voicing in other varieties of English and their VOTs are compared statistically. The VOTs of voiceless stops are significantly longer than those of voiced stops. The results suggest a short-lag vs. aspiration contrast in word-initial stops in Namibian English and provide new information about the phonetic features of Namibian English consonants.This study examines whether Namibian English spoken by L1 Khoekhoegowab speakers has word-initial stop voicing contrasts, and how they might be realized in freely produced speech. The data consists of English interviews collected from nine speakers of Namibian English. For analysis, a total of 365 words beginning with a stop-vowel sequence were extracted from the interviews, and analyzed for voice onset time (VOT). To examine the realization of voicing, the extracted words are divided into voiced and voiceless categories based on their phonological voicing in other varieties of English and their VOTs are compared statistically. The VOTs of voiceless stops are significantly longer than those of voiced stops. The results suggest a short-lag vs. aspiration contrast in word-initial stops in Namibian English and provide new information about the phonetic features of Namibian English consonants

NON-NATIVE SPEECH SOUND PRODUCTION CHANGES EVEN WITH PASSIVE LISTENING TRAINING

The difficulty of non-native speech sound acquisition depends on several factors in addition to the central role of the mother tongue sound system. Age of exposure, amount of exposure as well as the type of training provided have been shown to have an effect on learning outcomes. In addition, theories of speech perception suggest that perception and production may either be strongly dependent upon each other as to the degree that perception triggers motoric patterns as well, or that activation of the auditory system is enough for perception so that the production system remains inactivated. In order to study whether mere exposure to auditory stimulation would result in production changes, we selected two groups of Finnish learners in a two-day listen-and-repeat training protocol. Both groups were auditively exposed to a non-native speech sound contrast embedded in a semi-synthetically produced pseudo-word context /ty:ti/ - /tʉ:ti/.  While the passive listening group merely listened to the stimulus pairs without any motoric actions, the production group actively produced the stimulus words according to the provided model. We performed acoustic analyses and extracted the values of the two lowest resonance frequencies, formant 1 (F1) and formant 2 (F2) from the productions. The results indicated no statistically significant differences between the groups, neither in the formant values nor in their standard deviations. However, as a function of training, both groups showed clear changes in the standard deviation values thus indicating changes in production performances. This suggests that both training protocols have an effect on production learning, and more importantly, that the motoric commands seem to alter on the basis of mere auditory stimulation. This further suggests that the motoric system is activated even in perceptual tasks.</p

Motoric Training Alters Speech Sound Perception and Production — Active Listening Training Does Not Lead into Learning Outcomes

Abstract—Accurate speech-sound perception and production are prerequisites for communication in a nonnative language. Earlier research has shown that new categorization and pronunciation patterns evolve in different learning settings and that these skills can be trained with various methods. We tested the effects of two types of training protocols on the production and identification of L2 vowels embedded in a pseudo-word context. Group 1 (Producers) participated in a listen and repeat training, where they produced the target stimulus /tᵾ:ti/ and the non-target stimulus /ty:ti/ after the example in a pseudo-randomized order; Group 2 (Listeners) was instructed to count the number of targets /tᵾ:ti/ in the same stimulus train without any motoric production movements. The results showed clearly that listen and repeat training led to plastic changes both in production and in identification, while no learning effects were obtained with the listening paradigm. This suggests a significant role of motoric experience in the acquisition of speech. Index Terms—non-native vowel production, vowel identification, active auditory and motoric training</p

Antiepileptic drugs and prostate cancer risk in the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor properties decrease prostate cancer (PCa) cell proliferation in vitro. A population-based cohort of 78 615 men was used to evaluate the risk of PCa among users of AEDs. Study population was linked to the Finnish national prescription database to obtain information on individual medication reimbursements in 1996 to 2015. Cox regression with antiepileptic medication use as a time-dependent variable was used to analyze PCa risk overall, and low, medium and high-risk PCa separately. The analysis was adjusted for age, screening trial arm, and other drugs in use, including statins, antidiabetic drugs, antihypertensive drugs, aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Compared to the nonusers of AEDs, overall PCa risk was decreased among AED users (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76-0.96). A similar PCa risk decrease was observed among users of HDACi AEDs (HR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.76-1.01), but no risk difference was found when comparing HDACi AED users to users of other AEDs (HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.76-1.27). Our study showed a decrease in overall PCa risk among men using AEDs compared to nonusers. The risk associations were similar for HDAC inhibitors as for AEDs in general.Peer reviewe

Anti-epileptic drugs and prostate cancer-specific mortality compared to non-users of anti-epileptic drugs in the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer

Background Drugs with histone deacetylase inhibitory (HDACi) properties have shown to decrease prostate cancer (PCa) cell growth in vitro. Methods A cohort of 9261 PCa cases from the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (FinRSPC) was used to evaluate prostate cancer-specific mortality in men using anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). A national subscription database was used to obtain information on medication use. Cox regression with AED use as a time-dependent variable was used to analyse prostate cancer mortality in men using AEDs compared to non-users, and in men using HDACi AEDs compared to users of other AEDs. The analysis was adjusted for age, screening trial arm, PCa risk group, primary treatment of PCa, Charlson co-morbidity score and concomitant use of other drugs. Results The use of AEDs, in general, was associated with an increased risk of PCa death. The use of HDACi AEDs was not significantly associated with decreased PCa mortality compared to use of other AEDs (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.31-1.23). Conclusions AED usage is associated with elevated PCa mortality compared to non-users, likely reflecting the differences between men with epilepsy and those without. No benefit was observed from HDACi drugs compared to other AEDs.Peer reviewe

A randomized controlled proof-of-concept trial of early sedation management using Responsiveness Index monitoring in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients

INTRODUCTION: Deep sedation is associated with adverse patient outcomes. We recently described a novel sedation-monitoring technology, the Responsiveness Index (RI), which quantifies patient arousal using processed frontal facial EMG data. We explored the potential effectiveness and safety of continuous RI monitoring during early intensive care unit (ICU) care as a nurse decision-support tool. METHODS: In a parallel-group controlled single centre proof of concept trial, patients requiring mechanical ventilation and sedation were randomized via sequential sealed envelopes following ICU admission. Control group patients received hourly clinical sedation assessment and daily sedation holds; the RI monitor was connected but data were concealed from clinical staff. The intervention group received control group care, but RI monitoring was visible and nurses were asked to adjust sedation to maintain patients with an RI>20 whenever possible. Traffic-light colour coding (RI<20, Red; 20–40, Amber; >40, Green) simplified decision-making. The intervention lasted up to 48 hours. Sixteen nurses were interviewed to explore their views of the novel technology. RESULTS: We analysed 74 patients treated per protocol (36 intervention; 38 control). The proportion of patients with RI<20 was identical at the start of monitoring (54 % both groups). Overall, the proportion of time with RI<20 trended to lower values for the intervention group (median 16 % (1–3rd quartile 8–30 %) versus 33 % (10–54 %); P = 0.08); sedation and analgesic use was similar. A post hoc analysis restricted to patients with RI<20 when monitoring started, found intervention patients spent less time with low RI value (16 % (11–45 %) versus 51 % (33–72 %); P = 0.02), cumulative propofol use trended to lower values (median 1090 mg versus 2390 mg; P = 0.14), and cumulative alfentanil use was lower (21.2 mg versus 32.3 mg; P = 0.01). RASS scores were similar for both groups. Sedation related adverse event rates were similar (7/36 versus 5/38). Similar proportions of patients had sedation holds (83 % versus 87 %) and were extubated (47 % versus 44 %) during the intervention period. Nurses valued the objective visible data trends and simple colour prompts, and found RI monitoring a useful adjunct to existing practice. CONCLUSIONS: RI monitoring was safe and acceptable. Data suggested potential to modify sedation decision-making. Larger trials are justified to explore effects on patient-centred outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01361230 (registered April 19, 2010) ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-015-1043-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users