MUVOT - Establishing an International Vocational Training Program on the Topic of Measurement Uncertainty

Measurement results represent important information, which are necessary for evaluating and improving the quality of manufactured products and to control manufacturing processes. Furthermore, they build the basis for numerous decisions in the field of quality management, process and production automation or product development and design. Knowledge about the acquisition, evaluation and interpretation of measurement data as well as an understanding of the relevant influences on those measurement results are essential for employees working in the field of manufacturing metrology. Measurement results are always afflicted with deviations, due to a variety of causes. It follows that in order to assign a value to the reliability and quality of a measurement result its uncertainty must be determined and considered. However, employees in the field of quality management or metrology are often not familiar with methods for determination and interpretation of measurement uncertainty, because appropriate opportunities for training are missing in current vocational education. This need has led to the creation of the European project MUVoT, which will create a course for advanced vocational training in determining measurement uncertainty. The training course is based on a blended learning concept, combining self-dependent learning via a web-based platform and face-to-face workshops. This allows the adaption of individual knowledge and skills by self-controlled learning of abstract contents whilst the exercises enable the practical application of typical methods, which are generally considered as quite complex by many employees, and thus assure correct understanding. The featured Blended Learning concept facilitates the integration of the training into a workplace setting, thus the idea of Lifelong Learning is promoted in new fields of application. The curriculum and training concept for this newly developed training program have been designed such that the course can be applied internationally. To facilitate this, a harmonized scheme for course structure and contents has been defined albeit with inherent flexibility, allowing the adaptation to specific constraints

Fundamentals in selecting input and output variables for composting process automatic controllers

El títol del pre-print és Review of fundamentals in selecting input and output variables for composting process automatic controllersThis paper provides a critical analysis of the fundamental principles involved in the selection of input and output variables for automatic controllers of composting processes. Research results and technological advancements make available a number of parameters which may be used by a composting process controller. Parameters based on ventilation have been identified as the most appropriate controller output variables. On-line monitoring of odour generation potential and pathogen destruction has not become feasible, although recent advances indicate potential for electronic noses and biosensors. On-line measurement of reaction rate heavily depends on the suitability of microbial respirometric methods. Water content of the material being composted may be useful in on-line evaluation of reaction rate if relationships between water loss rate and respiration rate are adequately described. Developments in artificial intelligence offer, however, new avenues regarding real-time estimation of reaction rates. In general, the first experiences from application of artificial intelligence on composting process control indicate potential for substantial utility

Use of hand diagrams in screening for ulnar neuropathy: Comparison with electrodiagnostic studies

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine whether a hand diagram could be used to predict ulnar mononeuropathy. Methods: This was a prospective study of 117 consecutive patients referred for hand symptoms. Each subject filled out a hand diagram of symptoms and had median and ulnar sensory and motor nerve conduction studies, including ulnar conduction across the elbow. Results: The best model for predicting an ulnar mononeuropathy included hand diagram scores of definite or possible. The model had a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 93% with an ROC area of 0.90. Conclusions: The ulnar hand diagram scoring system can be useful as a screening tool in the electrodiagnostic laboratory or for epidemiologic studies. Muscle Nerve, 2012Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94454/1/23452_ftp.pd

Trusting versus monitoring: an experiment of endogenous institutional choices

We investigate the problem of deciding between trusting and monitoring, and how this decision affects subsequent behavior, using a laboratory experiment where subjects choose between the Ultimatum and the Yes-No Game. Despite the similarity of the two games in Ultimatum Games responders monitor the allocation proposal, while in Yes-No games responders react without monitoring, i.e. have to rely on trust. We permit either the proposer or responder to make the game choice and analyze how both roles choose between trusting and monitoring, what the ensuing effects of their choices are, and how they vary depending on who has chosen the game. We, also, experimentally vary the cost of monitoring and the responder’s conflict payoff. Since monitoring is usually costly, the amount to share in Yes-No Games (YNG) can exceed that in Ultimatum Games (UG). Regarding the conflict payoff, it can be positive or negative with the former rendering Yes-No interaction a social dilemma. According to our results, proposers (responders) opt for trusting significantly more (less) often than for monitoring. Average offers are higher in Ultimatum than in Yes-No games, but neither UG nor YNG offers depend on who has chosen between games

Who cares when Value (Mis)reporting May Be Found Out? An Acquiring-a-Company Experiment with Value Messages and Information Leaks

We modify the Acquiring-a-Company game to study how information leaks affect lying and market outcomes in an ultimatum bargaining setting with asymmetric information. Privately informed sellers send messages about the alleged value of their company to potential buyers. Via random leaks buyers, however, can learn the true value before proposing a price which the seller finally accepts or not. Only 14.5% of the messages are truthful, whereas two-thirds of all sellers exaggerate the company’s value to persuade buyers to offer more, especially when the true value is small. Although a higher leak probability does not reduce the frequency of misreporting, it weakens overreporting and strengthens underreporting. Buyers who found out value misreporting anchor their price proposals on the true value but do not explicitly discriminate against liars. Sellers are mainly opportunistic and make their acceptances dependent on the resulting positive payoff. Even if ethical concerns do not seem to matter much, probabilistic leaks are welfare enhancing

Inhibin B and FSH as markers of Sertoli cell function in impaired spermatogenesis

Introduction: The relationships between inhibin B, FSH and sperm count have never been fully elucidated. Our aim was to search for associations between serum concentrations of inhibin B/FSH and the impairment of spermatogenesis. Material and methods: In an observational study, we compared sperm count, serum levels of inhibin B and FSH in men with oligozoospermia (n = 46) and in normozoospermic, fertile controls (n = 38). Results: Concentration of FSH was 10.27 &#177; 11.24 IU/L in the oligozoospermic and 3.84 &#177; 2.76 IU/L in the normospermic group (p < 0.01). Although the concentration of inhibin B was higher in the oligozoospermic group (424 &#177; 443 v. 297 &#177; 219 pg/mL), the difference was statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Our results suggest that there is a tendency toward increased serum inhibin B levels in subjects with altered sperm count and increased serum FSH. (Pol J Endocrinol 2010; 61 (6): 695-698)Wstęp: Związki między inhibiną B, FSH i obrazem nasienia nie zostały dotąd w pełni wyjaśnione. Celem pracy było poszukiwanie zależności między stężeniem inhibiny B i FSH a zaburzeniami spermatogenezy. Materiał i metody: W badaniu o charakterze obserwacyjnym oceniano spermiogramy, osoczowe stężenie inhibny B i FSH u pacjentów z oligozoospermią (n = 46) i w grupie mężczyzn normospermicznych, płodnych (n = 38). Wyniki: Stężenie FSH wynosiło 10,27 &#177; 11,24 jm./l w grupie oligozoospermii i 3,84 &#177; 2,76 jm./l w grupie normospermii (p < 0,01). Nie stwierdzono istotnej statystycznie różnicy pomiędzy stężeniem inhibiny B, które wyniosło w grupie normospermii i oligozoospermii odpowiednio: 297 &#177; 219 i 424 &#177; 443 pg/ml (ns). Wnioski: Uzyskane wyniki sugerują, że stężenie inhibiny B może być podwyższone u pacjentów z zaburzeniami spermatogenezy i podwyższonym stężeniem FSH. (Endokrynol Pol 2010; 61 (6): 695-698

Partitioning carbon fluxes in a Mediterranean oak forest to disentangle changes in ecosystem sink strenght during drought

Net carbon flux partitioning was used to disentangle abiotic and biotic drivers of all important component fluxes influencing the overall sink strength of a Mediterranean ecosystem during a rapid spring to summer transition. Between May and June 2006 we analyzed how seasonal drought affected ecosystem assimilation and respiration fluxes in an evergreen oak woodland and attributed variations in the component fluxes (trees, understory, soil microorganisms and roots) to observations at the ecosystem scale. We observed a two thirds decrease in both ecosystem carbon assimilation and respiration (Reco) within only 15 days time. The impact of decreasing Reco on the ecosystem carbon balance was smaller than the impact of decreasing primary productivity. Flux partitioning of GPP and Reco into their component fluxes from trees, understory, soil microorganisms and roots showed that declining ecosystem sink strength was due to a large drought and temperatureinduced decrease in understory carbon uptake (from 56% to 21%). Hence, the shallow-rooted annuals mainly composing the understory have a surprisingly large impact on the source/ sink behavior of this open evergreen oak woodland during spring to summer transition and the timing of the onset of drought might have a large effect on the annual carbon budget. In response to seasonal drought Reco was increasingly dominated by respiration of heterotrophic soil microorganisms, while the root flux was found to be of minor importance. Soil respiration flux decreased with drought but its contribution to total daily CO2-exchange increased by 11.5%. This partitioning approach disentangled changes in respiratory and photosynthetic ecosystem fluxes that were not apparent from the eddy-covariance or the soil respiration data alone. By the novel combination of understory vs. overstory carbon flux partitioning with soil respiration data fromtrenched and control plots, we gained a detailed understanding of factors controlling net carbon exchange of Mediterranean ecosystem