<p>The GSM network technology has been developed and improved during several years which have led to an increased complexity. The complexity results in more network parameters and together with different scenarios and situations they form a complex set of configurations. The definition of the network parameters is generally a manual process using static values during test execution. This practice can be costly, difficult and laborious and as the network complexity continues to increase, this problem will continue to grow.This thesis presents an implementation of an automated performance optimization algorithm that utilizes genetic algorithms for optimizing the network parameters. The implementation has been used for proving that the concept of automated optimization is working and most of the work has been carried out in order to use it in practice. The implementation has been applied to the Link Quality Control algorithm and the Improved ACK/NACK feature, which is an apart of GSM EDGE Evolution.</p> / <p>GSM-nätsteknologin har utvecklats och förbättrats under lång tid, vilket har lett till en ökad komplexitet. Denna ökade komplexitet har resulterat i fler nätverksparameterar, tillstånd och standarder. Tillsammans utgör de en komplex uppsättning av olika konfigurationer. Dessa nätverksparameterar har hittills huvudsakligen bestämts med hjälp av en manuell optimeringsprocess. Detta tillvägagångssätt är både dyrt, svårt och tidskrävande och allt eftersom komplexiteten av GSM-näten ökar kommer problemet att bli större.Detta examensarbete presenterar en implementering av en algoritm för automatiserad optimering av prestanda som huvudsakligen använder sig av genetiska algoritmer för att optimera värdet av nätverksparametrarna. Implementeringen har använts för att påvisa att konceptet med en automatiserad optimering fungerar och det mesta av arbetet har utförts för att kunna använda detta i praktiken. Implementeringen har tillämpats på Link Quality Control-algoritmen och Improved ACK/NACK-funktionaliteten, vilket är en del av GSM EDGE Evolution.</p>

<p>Audit is a service of society that takes place in the public interest. To guarantee the quality of auditing a quality control is done with predetermined time intervals. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze the concept quality and the procedure of the quality control and further to tie concepts like trust and ethics to the audit profession. To make the picture complete the paper also provides an insight regarding what deficiencies in quality, in other words failures, means to the audit profession. By performing semi-structured interviews with seven qualified auditors, active on different auditing firms in Skåne, substantial information was collected. The main purpose of the interviews was to find out what auditors perceive as good quality in the auditing profession and to clarify the performed procedure concerning internal quality control. The respondents’ experiences and reflections are compiled in an empirical analysis where similarities and differences are described. To simplify the picture the auditing profession is put in relation to everyday situations where Lisa makes everyday purchases where quality, trust and control have a great significance for the choice she is about to make. The result is based on the respondents’ perceptions and the theory we used. The paper result in a position that quality is hard to define and that the easiest way to define it is to conform to current regulations. Another result is that the quality control is necessary to demonstrate confidence to stakeholders and that an audit failure is when the auditor fails to comply with his/her planning.</p> / <p>Revision är en samhällsnyttig funktion som sker i allmänhetens intresse. För att säkerställa kvalitén på revideringen utförs kvalitetskontroller med bestämda tidsintervall. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka samt analysera kvalité och förfarandet vid kvalitetskontrollen samt att knyta an större begrepp som förtroende och etik till revisionsbranschen. För att ge en komplett bild ger uppsatsen även en inblick över vad brister i kvalitén, genom misslyckanden, innebär för revisionsbranschen.</p><p>Genom att utföra semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju kvalificerade revisorer, verksamma på olika revisionsbyråer i Skåneregionen, samlades väsentlig information in. Intervjuerna syftade till att få en uppfattning om vad revisorn anser vara god kvalité inom revisionsbranschen samt klargöra hur en intern kvalitetskontroll går till. Respondenternas erfarenheter och reflektioner sammanställs i en empirisk analys där likheter och skillnader utgör analysen.</p><p>För att ge en förenklad bild av revisionsbranschen ställs den i relation till vardagliga situationer i en slutanalys där Lisa har huvudrollen. Lisa gör vardagliga inköp där kvalité, förtroende och kontroll har stor betydelse för vilket val hon kan tänkas göra. Resultatet utgör respondenternas uppfattningar i relation till den teori vi har använt. Uppsatsen resulterar i ett ställningstagande om att kvalité är svårdefinierat och att det lättaste är att definiera kvalité genom att följa gällande regelverk, att kvalitetskontrollen behövs för att visa tillit till intressenterna samt att ett misslyckande är när revisorn misslyckas med att följa sin planering. </p>

<p>Platelets are the smallest cells in the blood. They are formed in the bone-marrow and are important for the blood coagulation. Platelet tranfusions are given to patients propyhlactically before an operation but also in therapeutical purpose in connection with bleeding. It’s importent that the quality controls of the platelet concentrates are reliable.</p><p>ADVIA®60 (Bayer HealthCare) is a fully automated cell counter which uses impedance principle to count platelets in blood samples. The purpose of the study was to evaluate this new instrument for use in the blood bank of Akademiska Sjukhuset in Uppsala. The instrument was bought to be used for quality control of platelet concentrates. 30 samples from platelet concentrates, from both apheresis and from buffy coats, were analyzed 10 times each on ADVIA®60 and the coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated for each sample. CV variated from 0,8 % to 2,9 % which is good considering that according to Bayer HealthCare the CV should be < 5 % for thrombocytes on ADVIA®60. The instrument was newly calibrated when the study was performed. Platelet count can also be performed by immunological or optical principles.</p>

<p>Mortality statistics are much used although their accuracy is often questioned. Producers of mortality statistics check for errors in death certification but current methods only capture obvious mistakes. This thesis investigates whether non-obvious errors can be found by linking death certificates to hospital discharge data.</p><p>Data: 69,818 deaths in Sweden 1995. Paper I: Analysing differences between the underlying cause of death from the death certificate (UC) and the main discharge condition from the patient’s last hospitalization (MDC). Paper II: Testing whether differences can be explained by ICD definitions of UC and MDC. Paper III: Surveying methods in 44 current studies on the accuracy of death certificates. Paper IV: Checking death certificates against case summaries for: i) 573 deaths where UC and MDC were the same or the difference could be explained; ii) 562 deaths where the difference could not be explained.</p><p>Results: In 54% of deaths the MDC differed from the UC. Almost two-thirds of the differences were medically compatible since the MDC might have developed as a complication of the UC. Of 44 recent evaluation studies, only 8 describe the methods in such detail that the study could be replicated. Incompatibility between MDC and UC indicates a four-fold risk that the death certificate is inaccurate. For some diagnostic groups, however, death certificates are often inaccurate even when the UC and MDC are compatible.</p><p>Conclusion: Producers of official mortality statistics could reduce the number of non-obvious errors in the statistics by collecting additional information on incompatible deaths and on deaths in high-risk diagnostic groups. ICD conventions contribute to the quality problem since they presuppose that all deaths are due to a single underlying cause. However, in an ageing population an increasing number of deaths are due to an accumulation of etiologically unrelated conditions.</p>

With the increased attention on high efficiency and controllability of industrial processes, as well as reduced weight, volume and cost of consumer products, the applications of nonlinear power electronic converters such as adjustable speed drives (ASDs) are showing a rapid rise. Power Quality (PQ) is becoming an increasing concern with the growth of both sensitive and disturbing nonlinear loads in the residential, commercial and industrial levels of the power system, where PQ related disruptions can cause system malfunction, product loss, and hardware damage resulting in costly data loss and downtime. Investigating and mitigating PQ issues pertaining to the input supply of ASDs and other sensitive power electronic equipment is extremely important in maintaining a high level of productivity. In response to these concerns, this research focuses on the development of a power quality test platform (PQTP) that has been implemented at Oregon State University (OSU), in the Motor Systems Resource Facility (MSRF). The central component of the PQTP is a 120kVA programmable ac power source with an integrated arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) which creates realistic voltage disturbance conditions that can be used to characterize ride-through capabilities of industrial processes in a controlled environment. Also presented is a command driver database that has been created and tested, using Lab VIEW, which contains the functionality necessary to conduct a wide range of power quality research and testing projects by remotely configuring and controlling the AWG. The power quality research and testing capabilities of the PQTP are demonstrated with ASD diode-bridge rectifier operation analysis and ride-through characterization. This research shows the transition of an ASD's three-phase diode rectifier into single-phase diode rectifier operation when relatively small single-phase voltage sags are applied to the input. Also shown are ride-through characterizations of varying sizes and configurations of ASDs when subjected to single, two, and three-phase voltage sags as well as capacitor switching transients. In addition, ASD topologies providing improved ride-through capabilities are determined. / Graduation date: 2002

The distortions of input voltage and current waveforms generated by switch mode power supply (SMPS) operation are a major cause of concern in the power quality performance of commercial office buildings. These distortions are usually evaluated by performing a site survey of the building. In this thesis, a power quality simulator is proposed as an alternative method to site surveys in evaluating the power quality characteristics of such nonlinear loads in a commercial environment. The power quality simulator is built around the assumption that the total load kVA on each phase of the three-phase four-wire distribution system can be approximated. The proposed simulator is tested on two commercial office buildings, namely the Owen Hall and Dearborn Hall buildings of Oregon State University. Experimental time-domain and frequency-domain waveforms are presented. These are compared with the simulation results to prove the viability of the power quality simulator in determining the power quality characteristics of the building. Finally, a passive filtering technique was simulated to reduce the harmonic distortions in voltages and currents to further demonstrate the potential uses of the power quality simulator. / Graduation date: 2000

Pacific whiting, with a maximum sustainable yield between 150,000 and 250,000 metric tons, is the largest stock of fish found off Oregon. The majority of the fish are processed into surimi. Hundreds of variables could potentially affect surimi quality (gel strength). Alternative harvesting and processing input combinations, as well as product quality attributes and their influences, were collected for the 1992-94 Pacific whiting seasons. This data was combined with other research on Pacific whiting quality to develop a comprehensive model of the Pacific whiting fishery. Neural network and induction modeling methods were used to isolate the importance of each input variable and document its interactive effects on other variables. Neural network modeling does not have the limitations of standard modeling techniques. A neural network model can "learn" and adjust weights among inputs and interactions as situations change. This allows for development of models which assign weights to all inputs, yet is easily maintained and updated. Another modeling method, known as induction, divides the information into smaller, more defined, subgroups which are analyzed separately using regression. This strategy reduces complications due to discontinuities in the data. A hybrid model was developed by combining results of the two modeling methods. These methods were compared to multiple regression for their effectiveness in prediction. The hybrid model provided the most accurate predictions (96% of predictions within 10% of actual value), followed by neural networks (92%), induction (84%), and regression (74%). Of the 88 variables examined, only ten and their interactions were significantly related to final product quality. These variables include the time it takes to process the fish from capture, the temperature the fish are stored until processing, the salinity, moisture content, and pH of the fish, the length and weight of the fish, the date and place where the fish were captured, and the water:meat wash ratio of the various surimi washes during processing. Most of the variables were highly interactive and nonlinear. The information derived from these models can be used to optimize production decisions and maximize profit. Quality influences of Pacific whiting are crucial for long term production and can be used to benefit the entire industry. / Graduation date: 1996

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-194).

Mitochondria are dynamic; they alter their shape through fission, fusion and budding of vesicles. Mitochondrial vesicles serve as a quality control mechanism enabling these organelles to rid themselves of damaged lipids and proteins. Dysregulation in mitochondrial dynamics and quality control have been linked to Parkinson’s Disease, making the identification of molecules requisite for these processes a priority. We identified the endocytic protein, Sorting nexin 9 (Snx9) through a genome wide siRNA screen for genes which substantially alter mitochondrial morphology and therefore are important for its maintenance. In this work, the role of Snx9 in mitochondrial morphology is examined. Ultrastructural imaging of mitochondria within cells silenced for Snx9 revealed unbudded vesicles along a hyperfused mitochondrial reticulum suggesting a role for Snx9 in the release of these vesicles. The vesicular profiles contained concentric membranous whorls enriched for neutral lipids. Localization studies suggest the Parkinson’s disease genes, Parkin and Vps35 localize to the unbudded profiles.

Platelets are the smallest cells in the blood. They are formed in the bone-marrow and are important for the blood coagulation. Platelet tranfusions are given to patients propyhlactically before an operation but also in therapeutical purpose in connection with bleeding. It’s importent that the quality controls of the platelet concentrates are reliable. ADVIA®60 (Bayer HealthCare) is a fully automated cell counter which uses impedance principle to count platelets in blood samples. The purpose of the study was to evaluate this new instrument for use in the blood bank of Akademiska Sjukhuset in Uppsala. The instrument was bought to be used for quality control of platelet concentrates. 30 samples from platelet concentrates, from both apheresis and from buffy coats, were analyzed 10 times each on ADVIA®60 and the coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated for each sample. CV variated from 0,8 % to 2,9 % which is good considering that according to Bayer HealthCare the CV should be &lt; 5 % for thrombocytes on ADVIA®60. The instrument was newly calibrated when the study was performed. Platelet count can also be performed by immunological or optical principles.