<p>The company Kiviks Musteri AB produces a pear base wine that forms stable foam, which is problematic from a production perspective. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the factors underlying foam stability in the pear base wine and to find means for its reduction. This was done by foam testing wines and varying several variables, such as the fining agents normally used in the wine production (bentonite, gelatin, siliceous earth and activated carbon), enzyme treatment, and by changing the fermenting yeast species.</p><p>Results: The wine started to form stable foam during fermentation, and foam stability could be reduced by using more bentonite and carbon during the fining process. The other fining agents appeared to have only limited impact on foaming characteristics. No pectin was present according to the pectin test, but protein bands were evident from SDS PAGE analysis, though absent in samples treated with increased doses of bentonite.</p><p>In conclusion, pectin is not a major foaming agent in the wine, the yeast is most likely the producer of the foaming agents, carbon and bentonite have a reducing effect on foam stability, bentonite also reduces protein content. Proteins are likely to be involved in the foam stabilization but are not the sole contributors to stable foam.</p>

No description available.

Angiogenesis is a fundamental driver of tumor biology and many other important aspect of human health. Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) has been shown to be a valuable biomarker for the indirect assessment of angiogenesis. However, DCE-MRI is very specialized technique that has limitations. In this dissertation new models and contrast agents to address some of these limitations are presented. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to DCE-MRI, the rationale to asses tumor biology with this technique, the MRI pulses sequences and the standard pharmacokinetic modeling used for the analysis of DCE- MRI data. Chapter 2 describes the application of DCE-MRI to asses the response to the hypoxia-activated drug TH-302. It is shown that DCE-MRI can detect a response after only 24 hours of initiating therapy. In Chapter 3, a new model for the analysis of DCE-MRI is presented, the so-called Linear Reference Region Model (LRRM). This new model improves upon existing models and it was demonstrated that it is ~620 faster than current algorithms and 5 times less sensitive to noise, and more importantly less sensitive to temporal resolution which enables the analysis of DCE-MRI data obtained in the clinical setting, which opens a new area of study in clinical MRI. Chapter 4 describes the extension of the LRRM to estimate the absolute permeability of two fluorinated contrast agents; we call this approach the Reference Agent Model (RAM). In order to make this new model an experimental reality, a novel pulse sequence and contrast agents (CA) for ¹⁹F MRI were developed. Two contributions to the field of DCE-MRI are presented in this chapter, the first simultaneous ¹⁹F-DCE-MRI detection of two fluorinated CA in a mouse model of breast cancer, and the estimation of their relative permeability. RAM eliminates some of the physiological variables that affect DCE-MRI, which may improve its sensitivity and specificity. Finally, new potential applications of LRRM and RAM are discussed in Chapter 5.

No description available.

No description available.

In the recent years, the concept of “port community” has been adopted by the maritime transport industry in order to achieve a higher degree of coordination and cooperation amongst organizations involved in the transfer of goods through the port area. The business processes of the port community supply chain form a complicated process which involves several process steps, multiple actors, and numerous information exchanges. One of the widely used applications of ICT in ports is the Port Community System (PCS) which is implemented in ports in order to reduce paperwork and to facilitate the information flow related to port operations and cargo clearance. However, existing PCSs are limited in functionalities that facilitate the management and coordination of material, financial, and information flows within the port community supply chain. This research programme addresses the use of agent technology to introduce business process management functionalities, which are vital for port communities, aiming to the enhancement of the performance of the port community supply chain. The investigation begins with an examination of the current state in view of the business perspective and the technical perspective. The business perspective focuses on understanding the nature of the port community, its main characteristics, and its problems. Accordingly, a number of requirements are identified as essential amendments to information systems in seaports. On the other hand, the technical perspective focuses on technologies that are convenient for solving problems in business process management within port communities. The research focuses on three technologies; the workflow technology, agent technology, and service orientation. An analysis of information systems across port communities enables an examination of the current PCSs with regard to their coordination and workflow management capabilities. The most important finding of this analysis is that the performance of the business processes, and in particular the performance of the port community supply chain, is not in the scope of the examined PCSs. Accordingly, the Agent-Based Middleware for Port Community Management (ABMPCM) is proposed as an approach for providing essential functionalities that would facilitate collaborative planning and business process management. As a core component of the ABMPCM, the Collaborative Planning Facility (CPF) is described in further details. A CPF prototype has been developed as an agent-based system for the domain of inland transport of containers to demonstrate its practical effectiveness. To evaluate the practical application of the CPF, a simulation environment is introduced in order to facilitate the evaluation process. The research started with the definition of a multi-agent simulation framework for port community supply chain. Then, a prototype has been implemented and employed for the evaluation of the CPF. The results of the simulation experiments demonstrate that our agent-based approach effectively enhances the performance of business process in the port community.

Research report: Faculty of Health Sciences / ABSTRACT Labour induction in an underresourced environment poses a tremendous challenge. While labour induction is a common obstetric procedure, it poses potential hazards for mother and fetus. This is largely dependent on method and agent used and can be expensive on limited resources because of high purchase prices, refrigerated storage, monitoring equipment and manpower. Misoprostol is a unique anti-ulcer agent that has good properties as an induction agent, but as yet not fully evaluated. It is relatively cheap, easily available, simple to store and has a long shelf life, and would amount to considerable cost saving in an underresourced setting if it were proven to be effective and safe for induction of labour. A simple reliable method of administration and appropriate dosage regimen of misoprostol for the purposes of induction of labour is needed. This study was undertaken in two phases; Part A. The clinical trial where an oral misoprostol suspension was given in a stepwise manner for the induction of labour alone or in combination with an inexpensive mechanical method (Foley catheter bulb) is compared with the “standard” method of induction i.e. dinoprostone 2 mg gel in a randomized controlled trial. Altogether 750 patients (250 in each arm) were recruited. Part B. (a) In vitro study to verify if misoprostol has a direct stimulatory effect on gut smooth muscle similar to sihlambezo.1 There is an increase in the incidence of meconium stained liquor in women who have taken sihlambezo or castor oil and misoprostol.2 It is postulated that misoprostol crosses the placenta and stimulates foetal bowel activity directly rather than as a result of asphyxia caused by excessive uterine contractions due to misoprostol. Strips of rat uterine and intestinal smooth muscle were mounted on a strain gauge with a chart recorder in a physiological bath as was done in the Pharmacology department for the original sihlambezo studies. The model was perfused with doubling concentrations of each test substance, and the concentration noted at which the first uterine muscle and the first bowel muscle activity was detected. The test substances were: #1; prostaglandin E2 (Dinoprostone) #1; oxytocin (Syntocinon) #1; misoprostol freshly dissolved in water #1; misoprostol freshly dissolved in a weak hydrochloric acid solution to approximate stomach content pH #1; misoprostol dissolved in water and stored for 2 hours, 6 hours, 24 hours and 1 year. For each substance, the ratio between the minimum stimulatory concentration for uterine to bowel smooth muscle was calculated, and these ratios compared between substances. The absolute minimum stimulatory concentrations were compared between the different misoprostol preparations to determine the effects of storage and acidification. (b) In vitro study to find out if misoprostol dissolved in water is stable and over what duration of time. This has practical importance, because if it is unstable, it may imply that a fresh sample has to be prepared each time the induction agent is given, and this may be several times per patient per induction. This would escalate the cost of the drug, especially in an underresourced setting such as ours, and would mean more manpower i.e. nursing staff, would be required for each case of induction. We also wanted to establish if acidification of the preparation would affect misoprostol stability as was implied to happen when misoprostol is given vaginally3. References 1 Mitri F, Hofmeyr GJ, van Gelderen CJ. Meconium during labor, self medication and other associations. S Afr Med J 1987: 71: 431-433. 2 Hofmeyr GJ, Gulmezoglu AM. Vaginal misoprostol for cervical ripening and labor induction in late pregnancy (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 1999. Oxford: Update Software. 3 Gunalp S, Bildirici I. The effect of vaginal pH on the efficacy of vaginal misoprostol for induction of labour. Acta Obstet Gynaecol Scand 2000; 79(4): 283-5.

Mobile agents require an appropriate platform that can facilitate their migration and execution. In particular, the design and implementation of such a system must balance several factors that will ensure that its constituent agents are executed without problems. Besides the basic requirements of migration and execution, an agent system must also provide mechanisms to ensure the security and survivability of an agent when it migrates between hosts. In addition, the system should be simple enough to facilitate its widespread use across large scale networks (i.e Internet). To address these issues, this thesis discusses the design and implementation of the Distributed Agent Delivery System (DADS). The DADS provides a de-coupled design that separates agent acceptance from agent execution. Using functional modules, the DADS provides services ranging from language execution and security to fault-tolerance and compression. Modules allow the administrator(s) of hosts to declare, at run-time, the services that they want to provide. Since each administrative domain is different, the DADS provides a platform that can be adapted to exchange heterogeneous blends of agents across large scale networks.

Manufacturers are facing increasing pressure to reduce the development costs and deployment times for automated assembly systems. This is especially true for a variety of precision mechatronic products. To meet new and changing market needs, the difficulties of integrating their systems must be significantly reduced. Since 1994, the Microdynamic Systems Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University has been developing an automation framework, called Agile Assembly Architecture (AAA). Additionally to the concept, a prototype instantiation, in the form of a modular tabletop precision assembly system termed Minifactory, has been developed. The platform, provided by the Minifactory and AAA, is able to support and integrate various precision manufacturing processes. These are needed to assemble a large variety of small mechatronic products. In this thesis various enhancements for a second generation agent-based micro assembly system are designed, implemented, tested and improved. The project includes devising methods for tray feeding of precision high-value parts, micro fastening techniques and additional work on visual- and force-servoing. To help achieving these functions, modular and reconfigurable robot end-effectors for handling millimeter sized parts have been designed and built for the existing robotic agents. New concepts for robot end effectors to grasp and release tiny parts, including image processing and intelligent control software, were required and needed to be implemented in the prototype setup. These concepts need to distinguish themselves largely from traditional handling paradigms, in order to solve problems introduced by electrostatic and surface tension forces, that are dominant in manipulating parts that are millimeter and less in size. In order to have a modular system, the factory the main part of this project was the initialization and auto calibration of the different agents. The main focus, of this research, is on improving the design, deployment and reconfiguration capabilities of automated assembly systems for precision mechatronic products. This helps to shorten the development process as well as the assembly of factory systems.  A strategic application for this approach is the automated assembly of small sensors, actuators, medical devices and chip-scale atomic systems such as atomic clocks, magnetometers and gyroscopes.

Networks of communicating agents require distributed algorithms for a variety of tasks in the field of network analysis and control. For applications such as swarms of autonomous vehicles, ad hoc and wireless sensor networks, and such military and civilian applications as exploring and patrolling a robust autonomous system that uses a distributed algorithm for self-partitioning can be significantly helpful. A single team of autonomous vehicles in a field may need to self-dissemble into multiple teams, conducive to completing multiple control tasks. Moreover, because communicating agents are subject to changes, namely, addition or failure of an agent or link, a distributed or decentralized algorithm is favorable over having a central agent. A framework to help with the study of self-partitioning of such multi agent systems that have most basic mobility model not only saves our time in conception but also gives us a cost effective prototype without negotiating the physical realization of the proposed idea. In this thesis I present my work on the implementation of a flexible and distributed stochastic partitioning algorithm on the Lego® Mindstorms’ NXT on a graphical programming platform using National Instruments’ LabVIEW™ forming a team of communicating agents via NXT-Bee radio module. We single out mobility, communication and self-partition as the core elements of the work. The goal is to randomly explore a precinct for reference sites. Agents who have discovered the reference sites announce their target acquisition to form a network formed based upon the distance of each agent with the other wherein the self-partitioning begins to find an optimal partition. Further, to illustrate the work, an experimental test-bench of five Lego NXT robots is presented.