We have designed and constructed a novel Raman near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) and evaluated its performance characteristics with the goal of characterizing the strain in nanoscopic silicon structures. The Raman NSOM was built around a commercial Raman microscope to which a custom built stage was added to provide precise control over the tip position above the sample (z) using shear-force microscopy feedback as well as sample scanning in the x-y plane. The motion control axes were calibrated to better than 1 nm in z and approximately 20 nm in x and y. The NSOM provides both topographical images and Raman mapping with a lateral spectral resolution of 150-300 nm. The experiments described herein were enabled by gold-coated chemically etched NSOM tips with aperture diameters ranging between 60 and 150 nm. The sensitivity of the instrument was demonstrated by the high signal-to-noise ratios observed for Raman scattering by diamond and silicon in reflection mode. Spatial resolution and spectral sensitivity were demonstrated by obtaining well-resolved tip-sample separation curves that provide an accurate estimate of tip aperture size during an experiment. / text

The wide range of applications for single input single output controllers have encouraged interest in monitoring their performance. Over the past two decades researchers in the area have found many performance enhancement opportunities by applying these techniques. These are most evident in large operational plants with hundreds of controllers being monitored at the same time. Early performance measures were based on minimum variance control as a benchmark for controller performance. Many other procedures have since emerged that have improved the level of accuracy in these performance measures. In addition, these improvements made it easier to implement control loop performance monitoring in large industrial settings. This thesis looks at the performance measures in use for single input single output controllers. The work here looks at incorporating these different measures for a specific manufacturing plant. Ways of identifying the goals and objectives of controllers in a system are presented. Furthermore, measures are proposed that most accurately indicate if these goals and objectives are being met. The concept is demonstrated on a distillation system in a gas plant. It is shown how using these objective driven techniques can provide the user with sound results. These results do not require much user analysis to identify sources of problems and areas of improvement.

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Agir de façon optimale dans un environnement incertain nécessite d'évaluer et de comparer les coûts et bénéfices des différentes alternatives. Cela implique aussi de réguler et de contrôler le comportement de façon flexible pour optimiser les périodes de recherche de gains ou de ressources et les périodes d'exploitation des acquis. Une des hypothèses actuelles sur les mécanismes neurobiologiques impliqués, propose que cortex cingulaire antérieur (CCA), associé à l’évaluation de l’action, et cortex préfrontal dorsolatéral (CPFdl), associé au contrôle cognitif, interagiraient pour réguler le comportement. Les travaux réalisés au cours de cette thèse ont permis de préciser le rôle joué par le CCA dans la détection et l’évaluation des performances ainsi que ses interactions avec le CPFdl au sein d'une boucle du contrôle cognitif. Menés grâce à des enregistrements électrophysiologiques chez le singe en comportement, ils apportent des précisions sur la séquence d’activation du CCA et du CPFdl dans la bande de fréquences gamma lors de l'adaptation du comportement. L’étude des potentiels de champs locaux de ces deux régions amènent à poser des hypothèses sur les mécanismes oscillatoires sous-jacents et notamment sur le rôle des communications basses fréquences entre le CCA et le CPFdl et leur implication différentielle entre recherche et exploitation. / Acting optimally in uncertain environments requires evaluating costs and benefits of choosing each alternative. It also requires to flexibly regulate between exploration for and exploitation of resources. One current hypothesis is that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), involved in action valuation, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), involved in cognitive control, interact to elaborate an optimal regulation of behaviour. Studies achieved during this thesis allowed to precise the role of ACC in the detection and valuation of action outcomes as well as to describe the interactions with dlPFC in a cognitive control loop. Thanks to neurophysiological recordings in behaving monkey our work give new clues on the sequential activation of ACC and dlPFC during adaptation. The analyses of local field potentials allowed us to suggest hypotheses on the underlying oscillatory mechanisms, in particular on low frequency communications between ACC and dlPFC, and their modulation during exploration and exploitation.

Mittelständische Industrieunternehmen setzen für ihre betrieblichen Abläufe Planungs- und Ausführungssysteme ein. Aufgrund der Turbulenzen auf Absatz- und Beschaffungsmärkten kann die Wirtschaftlichkeit und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit dieser Unternehmen nur durch permanente Anpassungen der Organisationsstrukturen und -abläufe erfolgen. In der Praxis zeigt sich eine unzureichende technologische Anpassungsfähigkeit der heute eingesetzten Standardsoftwaresysteme. Diese lassen zwar während der Einführungsphase vielfältige Konfigurationsmöglichkeiten zu, Veränderungen im laufenden Betrieb sind aber meist nur mit großem Aufwand möglich. Hier sind die Softwarehersteller in Zukunft zunehmend gefordert, wandlungsfähige Auftragsabwicklungssysteme zu entwickeln. Über die Entwicklungsphase (Build-Time) hinaus muss auch parallel zur Betriebsphase (Run-Time) der technische Fortschritt aufgrund von geänderten Anforderungen durch entsprechende Softwarereleases synchronisiert werden. / Development and application of adaptive enterprise resource planning systems: <br><br> Medium-sized industrial enterprises apply resource planning systems for their business processes. Changing markets require permanent adaptation of these enterprises’ organisational structures and processes to ensure their efficiency and their competitiveness. However, currently applied standard software systems have proven to be insufficiently adaptable. They allow multiple configuration options during implementation and setup, but it is hardly possible to perform configuration changes during the application phase. Therefore software developers will have to focus on adaptable enterprise resource planning systems in future. Beyond the development phase (build time) technological progress caused by changing requirements also has to be synchronised simultaneously by current software releases during the application phase (run time).<br> --------<br> © GITO mbH Berlin

Communication network technologies have been evolving exponentially in the late decades. These innovations increase the network capabilities and open new horizons to creating novel and original services. The heterogeneity in equipment qualifications increases the level of complexity in the technological advancement. In such environment, service management has become an everyday challenge to service providers. Important efforts have been deployed to innovate in the exploitation of intelligent devices in the home and other private locations. In this Thesis, we propose a framework for self-configuration of devices within Hone Area Networks. We propose a device self-configuration architecture based on IBM Monitor-Analyze-Plan-Execute using Knowledge autonomic control loop. To prove the validity of our system architecture and support its applicability, we developed a prototype system that gives a general control loop implementation for device self-configuration using the CPE WAN Management Protocol. A video streaming scenario is implemented and used to evaluate validity our framework.

Communication network technologies have been evolving exponentially in the late decades. These innovations increase the network capabilities and open new horizons to creating novel and original services. The heterogeneity in equipment qualifications increases the level of complexity in the technological advancement. In such environment, service management has become an everyday challenge to service providers. Important efforts have been deployed to innovate in the exploitation of intelligent devices in the home and other private locations. In this Thesis, we propose a framework for self-configuration of devices within Hone Area Networks. We propose a device self-configuration architecture based on IBM Monitor-Analyze-Plan-Execute using Knowledge autonomic control loop. To prove the validity of our system architecture and support its applicability, we developed a prototype system that gives a general control loop implementation for device self-configuration using the CPE WAN Management Protocol. A video streaming scenario is implemented and used to evaluate validity our framework.

In this thesis, an automatic control performance monitoring tool is analyzed and evaluated. The tool is called Control Loop Asset Monitor (CLAM) and is a part of the Asset Optimization extension to the ABB platform System 800xA. CLAM calculates and combines a number of performance indices into diagnoses. The functionality, choice of configuration parameters and the quality of the result from CLAM have been analyzed using data from the pulp mill Södra Cell Mörrum. In order to get reliable diagnoses from CLAM, it is important that it is correctly configured. It was found that some of the default parameters should be modified and the recommendations in the user guidelines should be updated. Using the current default parameters, there are some combinations of indices that never can exceed defined alarm severity thresholds. The conclusions in this thesis have been documented in an online help that also includes simple user instructions for how the results from CLAM should be interpreted. The results have been analyzed together with the staff at Södra Cell Mörrum in order to validate that they are correct and relevant from a user perspective. It was found that the results are correct, but there are some things that can be improved in order to make CLAM more user friendly.

Communication network technologies have been evolving exponentially in the late decades. These innovations increase the network capabilities and open new horizons to creating novel and original services. The heterogeneity in equipment qualifications increases the level of complexity in the technological advancement. In such environment, service management has become an everyday challenge to service providers. Important efforts have been deployed to innovate in the exploitation of intelligent devices in the home and other private locations. In this Thesis, we propose a framework for self-configuration of devices within Hone Area Networks. We propose a device self-configuration architecture based on IBM Monitor-Analyze-Plan-Execute using Knowledge autonomic control loop. To prove the validity of our system architecture and support its applicability, we developed a prototype system that gives a general control loop implementation for device self-configuration using the CPE WAN Management Protocol. A video streaming scenario is implemented and used to evaluate validity our framework.

Communication network technologies have been evolving exponentially in the late decades. These innovations increase the network capabilities and open new horizons to creating novel and original services. The heterogeneity in equipment qualifications increases the level of complexity in the technological advancement. In such environment, service management has become an everyday challenge to service providers. Important efforts have been deployed to innovate in the exploitation of intelligent devices in the home and other private locations. In this Thesis, we propose a framework for self-configuration of devices within Hone Area Networks. We propose a device self-configuration architecture based on IBM Monitor-Analyze-Plan-Execute using Knowledge autonomic control loop. To prove the validity of our system architecture and support its applicability, we developed a prototype system that gives a general control loop implementation for device self-configuration using the CPE WAN Management Protocol. A video streaming scenario is implemented and used to evaluate validity our framework.