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CBM, une des expériences majeures du nouvel accélérateur FAIR en cours de construction au GSI (Darmstadt), a pour objectif d'explorer le diagramme des phases de la matière nucléaire dans la région des hautes densités baryoniques nettes. Un de ses principaux thèmes de physique est l'étude de la production des particules à charme ouvert dans les collisions d'ions lourds. La mesure directe de ces particules nécessite l’utilisation d’un détecteur de vertex très précis. La présente thèse est une contribution à la conception et au développement de ce détecteur, appelé MVD. Une première partie de la thèse concerne l’évaluation, à l’aide de simulations réalistes, des flots de données à transmettre par les capteurs qui équiperont la première génération du MVD. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les performances attendues des capteurs permettront de mener à bien le programme de physique de CBM. Une deuxième partie porte sur les performances attendues pour la reconstruction des particules à charme ouvert, à travers leur désintégration hadronique, dans les collisions Au+Au. Des simulations détaillées ont permis de démontrer que la reconstruction du méson D+ → π+ π+ K-, par exemple, est faisable avec une efficacité de reconstruction de 2% et un rapport signal/bruit de 1.5. La statistique attendue en deux mois de prises de données a été évaluée à environ 6.9 x 104 mésons D. Dans la dernière partie, il a été montré que cette statistique permettrait d’effectuer des études détaillées du flot elliptique intégré des mésons D. La mesure du flot elliptique différentiel de ces particules requerrait, cependant, des statistiques plus élevées, et donc l’utilisation de capteurs plus performants. / CBM, one of the main experiments of the new FAIR accelerator under construction at GSI (Darmstadt), aims at exploring the phase diagram of nuclear matter in the region of high net baryonic densities. The study of the production of open charm particles in heavy ion collisions is one of its main physics topics. The direct measurement of these particles requires the use of a very precise vertex detector. The present thesis is a contribution to the design and development of this detector called MVD (Micro Vertex Detector). A first part of the thesis concerns the assessment, by means of realistic simulations, of the data rate requirements for the sensors which will equip the first MVD generation. The results demonstrate that the expected performance of the sensors will allow CBM carrying out its physics program. A second part deals with the expected performance for the reconstruction of open charm particles, through their hadronic decay, in Au+Au collisions. Detailed simulations allowed demonstrating that the reconstruction of the D+ meson decaying into π+ π+ K-, for instance, is feasible with a reconstruction efficiency of 2% and a signal/background ratio of 1.5. The statistics expected after two months of data taking has been evaluated to about 6.9 x 104 D-mesons. In the last part, it has been established that this statistics would enable to carry out detailed studies of the integrated elliptic flow of D-mesons. The measurement of the differential elliptic flow of these particles would require, however, higher statistics, and hence the use of more performing sensors.

美國最高法院於2014 年6 月對Alice v. CLS Bank 案作出判決，對於商業方法專利與軟體專利之專利適格性產生巨大之衝擊。最高法院在Alice v. CLS Bank案專利適格性的判斷上援用了Mayo 案的二步驟測試法則，首先判斷系爭專利是否使用了司法判定不予專利適格標的之類別，再者就專利請求項「個別」及「整體」綜合觀察判斷請求項是否存在發明概念，使其顯著不同於司法判定不予專利適格的類別。而最高法院認為，以消除交割風險為目的之系爭專利與Bilski 案的避險概念相似，屬於商業運作中的基礎經濟實施行為，而為抽象概念。且不論是系爭方法、系統或是媒介專利請求項，皆只是使用了一般電腦功能來完成習知的商業步驟，並未加入了實質的發明概念使其顯著不同於抽象概念，因此系爭專利應不具適格性。然而最高法院除了並未在判決中對於「抽象概念」進行定義外，在發明概念的判斷上，最高法院提出了不能僅是利用普通運算功能之電腦設備來完成抽象概念，而是需與「特定機器」加以結合才能符合專利適格性的要件，但仍未說明「特定機器」之定義，以及方法與「特定機器」間應達到何種程度的結合，才能具備顯著不同於抽象概念的發明概念。 根據實證研究結果之建議，「當下級法院能有機會探索並發展見解時，最高法院將得以在重新審視議題時從下級法院的經驗中得到啟發」。因此在最高法院尚未明確解釋專利適格性判斷的細部分析要件時，下級法院之判決經驗與見解不僅將得以協助最高法院對於「專利適格性」的議題做出更適切的詮釋，更是在短期內瞭解司法判決趨勢之方法。因此，本論文蒐集聯邦法院在「2014 年6 月19日最高法院判決日後至2015 年12 月31 日」間引用Alice. v. CLS Bank 案所作成之判決案件主文中判決結果為「系爭專利具備專利適格性」者，以及針對美國發明法案中對於專利適格性此一議題較切為相關之「涵蓋商業方法專利複審程序」(CBM)為實證研究範圍，藉由判決實證分析方法瞭解下級法院與專利審判暨訴願委員會(PTAB)如何在個案中詮釋與適用二步驟測試法則中的「抽象概念」與「發明概念」，並著重於通過適格性判斷之判決，試以對於軟體專利及商業方法專利權人及發明人未來的專利申請方向提出建議。 針對判決分析之結果，本論文認為通過二步驟測試法則的請求項要件包含：應在請求項限制中對於機器設備作更進一步的功能描述、對於電腦或機器加入「足夠且有意義」的限制條件(例如限定於特定的產業、使用對象或是機器設備)、並盡可能限縮於抽象概念中的一項特定應用方法。此外，企業在考慮申請軟體專利或商業方法專利時，更應將電腦或網路技術層面之功能提升做為主要的專利申請方向。

This project used Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) in the area of Written Expression to establish district norms for Bowling Green City Schools. CBM uses brief fluency measures as indicators of students' academic performance. With the use of CBM, it is possible to identify students who are considered to be at-risk for educational performance. AIMSweb probes were used to assess 1,565 first through fifth grade students from five elementary schools within the Bowling Green Independent School District. Performance was scored using the three most common scoring indices: Total Words Written (TWW), Words Spelled Correctly (WSC), and Correct Word Sequence (CWS). Data collected from this study are presented as norms at the building and district-wide levels. Each table (see Tables 2 -16) indicates student performance from each school on TWW, WSC, or CWS for a specific grade level. The tables illustrate what raw score corresponds to percentile ranks at the 10th,16th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 84th, and 90th percentiles. The 50th percentile would be considered typical performance for an "average" student at that particular time of year and grade level. Findings from this study will be beneficial in making educational decisions regarding students potentially at risk for difficulties in the area of written expression.

Coal Seam Gas (CSG) is a form of natural gas (mainly methane) sorbed in underground coal deposits. Mining this gas involves drilling a well directly into an underground coal seam, and pumping out the water (CSG water) flowing through it. Presently, CSG is under exploration in New Zealand (NZ); however, there is concern about CSG water disposal in NZ mainly because of the controversy that this activity has generated in some basins in the United States (US). The first part of this thesis studies CSG water from a well in Maramarua (NZ) and compares it to water from US basins. The NZ CSG water from this well had high pH (7.8), alkalinity in the order of 360 mg/l as CaCO₃, high sodium (334 mg/l), bicarbonate (435 mg/l), and chloride (146 mg/l). These ions also occur in US CSG waters, and their concentrations follow the same trend - high sodium, bicarbonate, and chloride with low calcium, magnesium, and sulphate concentrations. Prior to this work, little detailed analyses of CSG water quality variability from a well had been carried out. A Factor Analysis of 33 Maramarua samples was conducted and revealed that about one third of the variations were due to sample degassing, which induced calcium carbonate precipitation - this was supported by experimental work (sample sparging) and geochemical modelling (MINTEQA2). This finding is important for CSG water management because, as calcium concentrations decrease, higher SAR values are generated, and this can cause problems if CSG waters are disposed on land. In the second part, this thesis assesses the potential environmental effects of disposing CSG waters in NZ by formulating management options and a simple wastewater treatment system. This was carried out by studying the ecological response (soils, plant, and aquatic life) resulting from CSG water disposal operations in the US, and by applying relevant salinity and sodicity guidelines to the interaction between soils and CSG waters from Maramarua. This work showed that similar problems are likely to occur in NZ if CSG water disposal takes place without proper controls. Such a study has never been carried out in a region before actual CSG development has taken place, so this work shows how to quantify the effects arising from CSG water disposal prior to full scale production. This can be particularly useful for CSG stakeholders wanting to develop this resource in other regions around the world. A simple treatment system using Ngakuru zeolites has proven effective in reducing the SAR of Maramarua CSG water. Laboratory results indicate that these zeolites work by exchanging sodium cations in the water by other cations contained within the zeolite structure but with slow ion exchange kinetics. The calculated sodium absorption capacity for these natural zeolites ranged from 11.3 meq/100g to 16.7 meq/100g (flow-through conditions without previous regeneration). In addition, these experiments showed that the ion exchange process is accompanied by some dissolution (sulphate, boron, TOC, sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium and reactive silica), but mainly at the beginning of the treatment process. Nevertheless, using this system, 180 grams of zeolite material were used to treat an initial 1.83 litres of Maramarua CSG water thus reducing potential soil infiltration problems to nil. As more CSG water was treated, the zeolites kept reducing SAR values but at a lesser rate until 4.53 litres of CSG water had been treated. A step-by-step methodology to assess treatment design options for these materials has been developed and will aid future researchers and engineers. This thesis presents the first comprehensive study of CSG water management in NZ. It also presents an ion exchange treatment system using natural zeolites already available in NZ. In conclusion, the research finds that, whether through adequate management or active treatment, CSG waters can be safely disposed without creating major environmental problems, and can even be used in beneficial applications.

CBM, une des expériences majeures du nouvel accélérateur FAIR en cours de construction au GSI (Darmstadt), a pour objectif d'explorer le diagramme des phases de la matière nucléaire dans la région des hautes densités baryoniques nettes. Un de ses principaux thèmes de physique est l'étude de la production des particules à charme ouvert dans les collisions d'ions lourds. La mesure directe de ces particules nécessite l'utilisation d'un détecteur de vertex très précis. La présente thèse est une contribution à la conception et au développement de ce détecteur, appelé MVD. Une première partie de la thèse concerne l'évaluation, à l'aide de simulations réalistes, des flots de données à transmettre par les capteurs qui équiperont la première génération du MVD. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les performances attendues des capteurs permettront de mener à bien le programme de physique de CBM. Une deuxième partie porte sur les performances attendues pour la reconstruction des particules à charme ouvert, à travers leur désintégration hadronique, dans les collisions Au+Au. Des simulations détaillées ont permis de démontrer que la reconstruction du méson D+ → π+ π+ K-, par exemple, est faisable avec une efficacité de reconstruction de 2% et un rapport signal/bruit de 1.5. La statistique attendue en deux mois de prises de données a été évaluée à environ 6.9 x 104 mésons D. Dans la dernière partie, il a été montré que cette statistique permettrait d'effectuer des études détaillées du flot elliptique intégré des mésons D. La mesure du flot elliptique différentiel de ces particules requerrait, cependant, des statistiques plus élevées, et donc l'utilisation de capteurs plus performants.

I Sverige är 93% av alla existerande företag i mikrostorlek. Trots det finns det väldigt lite forskning på hur de ska gå tillväga för att implementera en cirkulär affärsmodell. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka förutsättningarna ett modeföretag i mikrostorlek kan ha för att implementera cirkulära affärsmodeller.   Dagens ekonomiska system bygger på linjära affärsmodeller. Det betyder att människor köper, använder och sedan slänger produkter som fortfarande har ett potentiellt ekonomiskt värde. Cirkulära affärsmodeller utgör ett alternativ till dagens ekonomiska system. Det bygger på att produkter efter brukningsperiod återanvänds eller återvinns för att bibehålla det ekonomiska värdet och sparar på resurser som är skadliga för miljö och människor.   I teorin presenteras tidigare forskning som gjorts kring cirkulär ekonomi, innovativa affärsmodeller och ramverk samt mikroföretagets roll i en cirkulär ekonomi. Ostrukturerade intervjuer med verksamma inom återvinning, återanvändning och ekodesign samt semistrukturerade intervjuer med produktionschef och produktutvecklare på fallföretaget har utförts. Detta har givit en bred och djup kunskap kring vilka förutsättningar som finns och vilka tillvägagångssätt mikroföretag kan tillämpa för att fortsätta resan mot en mer cirkulär affärsmodell. Resultatet av studien visar att fallföretaget idag på många sätt agerar cirkulärt, men att kompletterande aktiviteter och tekniker gällande återtagningssystem och externa införningfaktorer saknas. / In Sweden 93% of the existing companies are microbusinesses. Despite this, there is a lack of research on how they can implement circular business models. The purpose of this study is to investigate what prerequisites a micro business within the fashion industry can have to implement a circular business model.   Today’s economic system is supported by linear business models. This means that people buy, use and dispose of goods that may have a potential continuous economic value. Circular business models offer an alternative to the current economic system. They are based on reuse and recycling to upkeep economic value and cut down on byproducts that are harmful to the environment and people.   Earlier research regarding circular economy, innovative business models and framework are presented in this study. Unstructured interviews with people working actively within fields such as reuse, recycle and eco-design have been held, as well as semi-structured interviews with the production manager and product developer at the case business of this study. The interviews have provided a wide knowledge around what prerequisites and course of action a micro business within the fashion industry can apply, to continue working against a more circular business model. The result of the study show that the micro business can operate in a circular manner, but require complementing activities and technologies regarding take back systems and external adoption factors.

The phenomenon of digitization is transforming industries worldwide by introducing new valueproducing opportunities. In the railway industry, market liberalization has resulted in increased competition. To remain profitable in this new market environment, rail operators need to transform and acquire new digital capabilities and tools. By digitizing information-intensive processes with an information system, railway companies can reduce loss of operation time and reduce total maintenance costs. At the same time, the limited research exploring information systems in maintenance management has made it challenging for companies wanting to digitize. Significant attention has been devoted to the separate topics, however research overlapping the two areas of study has been inadequate. The thesis aims to contribute with knowledge to bridge this gap in literature by investigating the opportunities a maintenance organization potentially can capture with an information system and the success factors needed to succeed. By conducting the thesis in collaboration with the Swedish railway maintenance company MTR Tech AB the potential uses of an information system have been identified and assessed. Findings indicate that there are three main business opportunities to obtain from an information system: support of the troubleshooting process, better planning of reactive maintenance and enabling the performance of condition-based maintenance. At the same time, the profitability of an information system was found to be directly linked to its degree of utilization. Our findings have therefore allowed us to conclude that the business opportunity to pursue is the one that is most likely to be carried out fully and successfully in the prevailing circumstances. Lastly, the findings conclude that the success factors needed to capture the desired business opportunities are a dedicated project group, clear communication and information sharing, as well as adequate personnel. / Digitalisering har påverkat och transformerat företag över hela världen genom att erbjuda nya värdeproducerande möjligheter. För att bibehålla konkurrenskraft i en föränderlig omvärld måste järnvägsoperatörer transformera sina företag och förvärva nya digitala lösningar och verktyg kopplade till järnvägsteknologier. Genom att digitalisera informationsintensiva processer med hjälp av informationssystem, blir det möjligt för järnvägsföretag att minska förlust av drifttid samt minska den totala underhållskostnaden. Samtidigt har den begränsade forskningen gällande användning av informationssystem i underhållsorganisationer försvårat digitaliseringsförsöken. Litteratur och tidigare studier har behandlat de två ämnena separat, dock har överlappande forskning varit otillräcklig. Denna studie syftar till att bidra med kunskap för att överbrygga gapet i litteraturen genom att undersöka de vinningar en underhållsorganisation kan erhålla med hjälp av ett informationssystem och de framgångsfaktorer som krävs för att uppnå dem. Genom att utföra denna studie i samarbete med det svenska underhållsbolaget MTR Tech AB har de potentiella användningsområdena av ett informationssystem identifierats. De tre huvudsakliga affärsmöjligheterna som kan erhållas från ett informationssystem är: stödjande av felsökningsprocessen, bättre planering av avhjälpande underhåll, samt möjliggörandet av tillståndsbaserat underhåll. Samtidigt har det visat sig att lönsamheten av ett informationssystem är direkt kopplat till dess utnyttjandegrad. Vi har således dragit slutsatsen att den affärsmöjlighet som bör eftersträvas är den som med största sannolikhet kommer att genomföras framgångsrikt under rådande omständigheter. Slutligen visar våra resultat att de framgångsfaktorer som krävs för att uppnå affärsmöjligheterna är en dedikerad projektgrupp, tydlig kommunikation och informationsdelning, samt lämplig personal.

- / Criticality-based maintenance (CBM) is a prioritized approach to the maintenance of (industrial) process equipment. CBM requires personnel with a thorough knowledge of the process/equipment under scrutiny. In this paper a criticality assessment system that is implemented by a local company (which represents the expertise and knowledge of the company experts) is reviewed and fuzzy logic theory is applied to improve the system's capability and reliability. The quality of the fuzzy system is evaluated based on several case studies. The results show that the fuzzy logic based system does not only what the conventional system does, but also outperforms in terms of reliability and has a unique ranking capability.

Recent literature has recommended that life cycle assessments (LCA) of forest bioenergy supply chains consider the impact of biomass harvest on ecosystem carbon stocks as well as the net emissions arising from combustion of various forms of biofuels compared with reference fossil fuel systems. The present study evaluated the magnitude and temporal variation of ecosystem C stock changes resulting from harvest of roadside residues and unutilized whole trees for bioenergy. The Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS3) was applied to the Gordon Cosens Forest, in northeastern Ontario, along with the Biomass Opportunity Supply Model (BiOS-Map), for cost analysis of different types of biomass comminution. Natural gas (NG) steam and electricity, grid electricity, and coal electricity reference systems were analyzed for a pulp and paper mill. The findings showed that the forested landscape becomes a net sink for carbon following the 20th year of roadside residue harvest, compared to whole-tree harvest, where the forested landscape remained a net source of carbon over the entire 100 year rotation. The cumulative ecosystem carbon loss from whole-tree harvest was 11 times greater compared to roadside residue harvest. BiOS-Map analysis suggested that due to technical and operational limits, between 55%-59% and 16%-24% of aboveground biomass was not recovered under roadside residue and whole-tree harvest respectively. The cost of delivering roadside residues was estimated at $52.32/odt–$57.45/odt, and for whole trees $92.63/odt–$97.44/odt. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis showed break-even points of 25, 33 and 6 years for roadside residues displacing NG steam, NG electricity, and coal, respectively. No GHG reduction was achieved when forest biomass was used to displace grid electricity that is generated in Ontario. Whole-tree bioenergy resulted in no GHG reduction for NG displacement, and a break-even point of 70-86 years for coal. A net GHG reduction of 67% and 16% was realized when roadside residues and whole trees were used to displace coal, compared to 45% and 38% when roadside residues were used to displace NG steam and NG electricity, respectively. Therefore, it is recommended that bioenergy deployment strategies focus on the utilization of roadside residues, if the main goal is GHG mitigation.