Improving users’ product acceptability: an approach based on Bayesian networks and a simulated annealing algorithm

Developing products that are properly suited to users’ needs and preferences in order to be accepted is one of the main challenges designers and engineers face constantly. Evaluating and improving users’ product acceptability has become an important research question. Many approaches leave the acceptability evaluation question for the last phases of the New Product Development process (NPD), when an almost finished prototype is available and when there is no time left for important modifications. In the early phase of the NPD process, the project managers need models and methods to evaluate the potential acceptability of the new concept and if required, to define actions to improve this concept. In this paper, a method with two main goals is proposed to tackle this problem. Its first goal consists in evaluating an index of users’ product acceptability. When this index is too low, the second goal concerns the optimal selection of the most appropriate actions (improvement scenario) to increase this previously assessed index and to optimise the supplementary cost. As information collected from users in the early phase is subject to uncertainty, the proposed method exploits the inference properties of Bayesian networks making it possible to make useful estimations of the acceptability index. Furthermore, the improvement scenarios are composed of actions that make it possible to improve different criteria composing the users’ acceptability index. The improvement problem is formulated as an optimisation problem to be solved by a simulated annealing algorithm. In order to illustrate its interest, the proposed method is applied to a real case concerning the design of a medical-stocking threading device.     

-1800 ps/(nm.km) chromatic dispersion at 1.55 μm in dualconcentric core fibre

A single-mode optical fibre exhibiting a very high negative chromatic dispersion (1800 ps/(nm.km)) at 1.5 μm is realised and characterised for dispersion compensation applications     

Flattening filter based on cascaded dual concentric core fibres

The use of dual concentric core fibres to realise a flattening filter is reported. The power spectrum of an ASE source has been flattened in the C-band from 5.8 to 1.4 dB.     

Assessment of the bacteriological quality and nitrate pollution risk of Quaternary groundwater in the southern part of Abidjan District (Côte d’Ivoire)

In this study, total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli and groundwater nitrate concentration were monitored at 127 groundwater sampling points (only 62 water points for bacteriological parameters) located in the southern part of Abidjan District. Each water sampling location was sampled in March and July 2007, representing respectively the long dry season and the long wet season. Geostatistical methods were used to analyze the spatial variability of nitrates and the groundwater nitrate pollution risk. The maximum seasonal content of total coliforms and thermotolerant coliforms ranged from 400 to 1000 CFU/100 mL and from 200 to 500 CFU/100 mL respectively. Moreover, 94% of these locations presented traces of bacteriological contamination. This contamination was mainly recorded during the rainy period. The degree of correlation between bacterial abundance and chemical parameters is variable. Nitrites, ammonium and potassium favoured coliform abundance. In the 127 water points, groundwater nitrate concentrations ranged from 4 to 198 mg L^?1 and were log-normally distributed in the study area. The groundwater contamination risk map indicated that the strongly urbanized west side of the site presented a high probability of exceeding the WHO drinking water standard (50 mg L^?1NO₃^?).     

Proteomics analysis of liver pathological calcification suggests a role for the IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein 1 in myofibroblast function

To date the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which liver pathological calcifications occur and are regulated are poorly investigated. To study the mechanisms linked to their appearance, we performed a proteomics analysis of calcified liver samples. To this end, human liver biopsies collected in noncalcified (N), precalcified (P), and calcified (C) areas of the liver were subjected to weak ion exchange chromatography, SDS‐PAGE, and LC‐ESI MS/MS analyses. As we previously demonstrated that alpha‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) expressing myofibroblasts were involved in liver pathological calcification, we performed a targeted analysis of actin cytoskeleton remodeling‐related proteins. This revealed dramatic changes in protein expression patterns in the periphery of the calcified areas. More particularly, we found that IQGAP1 and IQGAP2 proteins were subjected to major expression changes. We show that IQGAP1 expression within P and C areas of the liver correlates with the high abundance of myofibroblasts and that IQGAP1 is specifically expressed in these cells. In addition, we find that IQGAP1 is part of a protein complex including β‐catenin and Rac1 mainly in P and C regions of the liver. These results suggest that IQGAP1 may play a critical role in the regulation of cytoskeleton remodeling in liver myofibroblasts in response to liver injury and consequently impact on their function.     

Monolayers and mixed-layers on copper towards corrosion protection

In order to improve the protection abilities of (3-mercaptopropy)trimethoxysilane (MPTS) self-assembled monolayers on copper surfaces, mixed monolayers have been formed successfully by successive immersions in MPTS and in n-dodecanethiol (DT). A newly synthesised molecule, (11-mercaptoundecyl)trimethoxysilane (MUTS), has also been employed to form a thicker organic film on copper surfaces and, thereby, enhance the inhibitory action of the coating. The grafting has been confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), polarization modulation infrared reflection adsorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and water contact angle. The protective efficiency of each protective organic film has been evidenced by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and polarization curve measurements (CP). It was shown that the MUTS and unhydrolyzed MPTS/DT films exhibited significant corrosion protection properties.     

Methodological approaches for histamine quantification using derivatization by chloroethylnitrosourea and ELISA measurement: Part I. Optimization of derivated histamine detection with coated-plates using optimal design

Using derivatization by chloroethylnitrosourea (CENU) a new strategy was used for raising antibodies directed against hapten (< 300 Da) and the quantification of these haptens by ELISA. After raising antibodies directed against histamine, they were characterized and used for ELISA measurements. The development of a quantitative method needs an optimization of both detection and derivatization step. Experimental design methodology has been applied to optimize the conditions of the detection of the derivatized histamine. Methods and results were closely related.