Physically-based rendering in Computer Graphics requires the knowledge of material properties other than 3D shapes, textures and colors, in order to solve the rendering equation. A number of material models have been developed, since no model is currently able to reproduce the full range of available materials. Although only few material models have been widely adopted in current rendering systems, the lack of standardisation causes several issues in the 3D modelling workflow, leading to a heavy tool dependency of material appearance. In industry, final decisions about products are often based on a virtual prototype, a crucial step for the production pipeline, usually developed by a collaborations among several departments, which exchange data. Unfortunately, exchanged data often tends to differ from the original, when imported into a different application. As a result, delivering consistent visual results requires time, labour and computational cost. This thesis begins with an examination of the current state of the art in material appearance representation and capture, in order to identify a suitable strategy to tackle material appearance consistency. Automatic solutions to this problem are suggested in this work, accounting for the constraints of real-world scenarios, where the only available information is a reference rendering and the renderer used to obtain it, with no access to the implementation of the shaders. In particular, two image-based frameworks are proposed, working under these constraints. The first one, validated by means of perceptual studies, is aimed to the remapping of BRDF parameters and useful when the parameters used for the reference rendering are available. The second one provides consistent material appearance across different renderers, even when the parameters used for the reference are unknown. It allows the selection of an arbitrary reference rendering tool, and manipulates the output of other renderers in order to be consistent with the reference.

This research developed novel methodologies to achieve cost effective solutions to overcome many of the difficulties associated with unsteady state material recovery network synthesis. The work focuses on the development of three different methodologies: the first is a hierarchical multi-step methodology developed for the design and scheduling of batch water (material of interest) recycle networks. A new source- double tank-sink arrangement is introduced to overcome the limitation of samecycle assignment by permitting sources to be optimally recycled within the same batch cycle and/or storing and recycling sources to sinks in the following batch cycle. The problem is solved in interconnected stages. First, network targets such as minimum fresh water consumption and minimum waste water discharge are identified ahead of network design. Once design targets have been identified, an iterative procedure is followed to tradeoff fixed and operating cost to achieve a network design which has the minimum total annualized cost (TAC). The second developed methodology is a one-step simultaneous approach to design and schedule cost-effective batch water recycle networks. A new source-tank-sink representation is developed to embed potential configurations of interest for design and scheduling. As a result, water may be assigned from sources to sinks within the same cycle (with or without a storage tank) and in two subsequent cycles using a double tank arrangement. A mathematical formulation is developed to determine the network design and sufficient information on the scheduling of the network with the minimum TAC in one step. The third methodolgy this research developed is a systematic procedure to schedule the operation of an unsteady state material recovery network. The network has a set design and receives a number of feedstocks (sources) that are to be processed into higher value/quality products. The sources may be stored in tanks, mixed, and/or intercepted in separation devices to produce the desired products while maximizing profits and meeting all process constraints. The developed systematic procedure includes mathematical formulations that allow available sources to be stored, mixed, intercepted and determine the optimal scheduling scheme over time period ??with the objective of maximizing total annualized profit of the network.

A novel material characterization method for magneto-dielectric composite material was proposed. MD materials have been reported as providing new opportunities for effective antenna size reduction in many studies. Since MD materials have to be realized through material synthesis, an accurate measurement method is required to extract them. The proposed method, cavity perturbation technique using substrate integrated waveguide cavity resonator, has been demonstrated through theories, simulations and measurement that it can be used to extract both electric and magnetic properties of the MD composite material effectively. MD materials using cobalt-fluoropolymer have been synthesized and material design guidelines for antenna applications are also provided. The benefits of using MD materials on antenna miniaturization was also demonstrated by comparing the performance of an antenna on MD material to other antennae on high dielectric constant materials and FR-4 material. Through simulations and measurements, the MD material is a promising solution for next generation smartphone or wearable type applications.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate how the material flow, of a high-frequent component family, to an assembly line with volume and product mix variations, can be streamlined. In order to examine this, the aim has been divided into two defined queries. Which factors affect the efficiency of the material flow, for a high-frequent component family, to an assembly line?    How can an effective material flow, for a high-frequent component family, be designed? Methodology: Both a case study and a literature study has been performed, in order to answer the queries. Literature in the areas of material and inventory control, transportation and material handling has been studied. The case study, which was carried out at a company, was based on process mapping combined with interviews and observations. Collected data from the case study have been analysed with support of literature. Findings: Different factors that are restricting the efficiency of the material flow for an assembly line has been identified. Unnecessary operations and inefficient material handling resulted in high cycle times for the material flow. Furthermore, the layout and control of the inventory resulted in long lead time and unnecessary inefficient transportations. Inadequate design and integration of the logistic subsystems has shown to be a significant cause, resulting in limited effectiveness of the studied material flow. On this basis, a new design of the material flow has been proposed, where the holistic perspective and integration are central. A new inventory design and a tugger-train transportation solution along a timed route, reduce the material handling and the number of deliveries. In addition, a pull flow system where consumption controls material replenishment, reduces both inventory levels and the number of inventory buffers. Implications: The purpose of the study has been achieved by solving the defined queries. By identifying factors that reduce the effectiveness of the material flow, a more efficient solution can be designed. The study shows that there are several possible improvement opportunities for the studied material flow. However, only one case study was performed, therefore its ability to create scientific value, can be regarded as limited. Recommendations: For further studies, it may be of interest to study several companies with similar problems to be able to draw general conclusions with scientific depth. / Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur materialflödet för en högfrekvent komponentfamilj till en volym- och produktmässigt varierad monteringslina kan effektiviseras. För att kunna besvara denna frågeställning har syftet delats in i två problemfrågor: Vilka faktorer påverkar materialflödets effektivitet för en högfrekvent komponentfamilj fram till monteringslina? Hur kan ett effektivt materialflöde för en högfrekvent komponentfamilj utformas? Metod och genomförande: För att kunna besvara studiens syfte har en fallstudie genomförts parallellt med en litteraturstudie. Litteratur inom områdena material- och lagerstyrning, transporter och materialhantering har studerats. Fallstudien, som har genomförts på ett fallföretag, baseras på en processkartläggning i kombination med intervjuer och observationer. Insamlad data från fallstudien har analyserats med stöd från studerad litteratur. Studiens resultat: Faktorer som begränsar ett materialflödes effektivitet fram till monteringslina har identifierats. En stor andel av materialflödets totala cykeltid kunde kopplas till onödiga arbetsmoment och ineffektiv materialhantering. Ytterligare bidrog lagrets utformning och styrning till långa ledtider samt onödiga och ineffektiva transporter. Bristande utformning och integration av materialflödets delar visade sig vara en betydande orsak till begränsningen av dess effektivitet. Med detta som utgångspunkt har en ny utformning föreslagits där helhetsperspektiv och integrering har varit centralt. En ny lagerutformning, i form av materialtorg, samt en transportlösning med trucktåg utefter tidsbestämd rutt, reducerar materialhantering och antalet transporter. Tillämpningen av ett dragande flöde där monteringslinornas efterfrågan styr materialpåfyllnad, reducerar lagernivåer samt antalet buffertlager i materialflödet. Implikationer: Studiens syfte har uppnåtts genom att båda problemfrågorna har besvarats. Genom att identifiera negativa påverkansfaktorer kan förutsättningar skapas för utformningen av ett effektivt materialflöde. Studien visar att det på fallföretaget finns förbättringsmöjligheter för effektivisering av materialflödet fram till monteringslina. Då enbart ett företag studerats kan resultatet av studien och dess förmåga att skapa vetenskapligt värde, ur ett större perspektiv, anses begränsad. Rekommendationer: För vidare studier kan det vara av intresse att studera flera företag med liknande problematik för att öka studiens generaliserbarhet och förmåga att kunna presentera slutsatser med vetenskapligt djup.

Understanding the environmental implications of consumption and production depends on appropriate monitoring tools. Material flow accounting (MFA) is a method to monitor natural resource use by countries and has been widely used in research and policy. However, the increasing globalization requires the consideration of "embodied" material use of traded products. The indicator raw material consumption (RMC) represents the material use - no matter where in the world it occurs - associated with domestic final demand. It provides a consumption-based perspective complementary to the MFA indicators that have a territorial focus. Several studies on RMC have been presented recently but with diverging results; hence, a better understanding of the underlying differences is needed. This article presents a comparison of Austrian RMC for the year 2007 calculated by six different approaches (3 multi-regional input-output (MRIO) and 3 hybrid life-cycle analysis-IO approaches). Five approaches result in an RMC higher than the domestic material consumption (DMC). One hybrid LCA-IO approach calculates RMC to be lower than DMC. For specific material categories, results diverge by 50% or more. Due to the policy relevance of the RMC and DMC indicators it is paramount that their robustness is enhanced, which needs both data and method harmonization.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:20:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Katia_Ferreira_Oliveira_Dissertacao.pdf: 58896955 bytes, checksum: 43b189c89ff233528cb77d8ec74cea52 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-11-20 / In the south of the American continent, there are thousands of years, the people of the Tropical forest cultivate the brave manioc and, starting from her, produce the flour and other derivates, essential foods of your diet. In Nova Hartz, valley of the Sinos river region, before the footwear industry take great part in the economy, the production of manioc flour was the main economic activity. What was known as the atafonas produced flour to be commercialized in and outside Brazil. They contributed to the economical development of the German Colony of São Leopoldo and also of Rio Grande do Sul. Nowadays, these familiar agro-industries are in their way of disappearing in Nova Hartz, as well as in the region. It s inside this context that the Henkel family s atafona and mill are. This atafona, apart from the others, got to the 21st century producing manioc flour, the main income source of the family. The mill, on the other hand, had its activities finished by the second half of the 20th century. At first, the mill produced corn flour for the family s own consumption, and they also sold the milling service to neighbors. Later, in the period that the atafona produced manioc scrapings to be incorporated to wheat flour, it was used to grind it and it finished its activities peeling rice. These work places, both residences of the family, the kitchen and dining room, the system of energy generation constituted of dam, canal and water wheels, the manioc culture techniques, the way and the machinery used to make the flour are material and non-material testimonies of part of the local and regional history. This research has as goal, through the study of this patrimony, to attribute to the Henkel s Atafona and Mill historic site values that can contribute with his recognition and preservation. These values can also serve as basis to the historic site's reutilization projects that contribute to his maintenance. From the classification of all these goods and industrial heritage, drawing on the Charter of Nizhny Tagil, prepared by the International Commission for the Conservation of Industrial Heritage - TICCIH this study was structured to be able to clarify their core values. Through various authors with varied backgrounds, work documentation, writing and iconographic and field surveys with photographic records were combined history and memory, art, architecture, archeology, anthropology, agronomy, economy, among other disciplines. / No sul do continente americano, há milhares de anos, os povos da floresta Tropical cultivam a mandioca brava e, a partir dela, produzem a farinha e outros derivados, alimentos essenciais da sua dieta. Em Nova Hartz, na região do vale do rio dos Sinos, antes da indústria calçadista assumir papel de destaque na economia, a produção de farinha de mandioca era a principal atividade econômica. As chamadas atafonas produziam farinha para ser comercializada dentro e fora do Brasil. Contribuíram com o desenvolvimento econômico da Colônia Alemã de São Leopoldo e também do Rio Grande do Sul. Hoje, estas agroindústrias familiares estão em vias de desaparecimento tanto em Nova Hartz como na região. É nesse contexto que se inserem a atafona e o moinho da família Henkel. Esta atafona, diferentemente das demais, chegou ao século XXI produzindo farinha de mandioca, principal fonte de renda da família. O moinho, por sua vez, teve suas atividades encerradas na segunda metade do século XX. Inicialmente, no moinho era produzida a farinha de milho para o consumo da família que também vendia o serviço de moagem do milho aos agricultores vizinhos. Posteriormente, no período em que a atafona produziu raspa de mandioca para ser misturada à farinha de trigo, ele foi utilizado para moê-la e encerrou suas atividades descascando arroz. Esses espaços de trabalho, as duas residências da família, a cozinha e sala de refeições, o sistema de geração de energia formado por barragem, canal e rodas d água, as técnicas de cultivo da mandioca, o modo e o maquinário para produzir a farinha são os testemunhos materiais e imateriais de parte da história local e regional. Esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de, através do estudo deste patrimônio, atribuir ao sítio histórico da Atafona e Moinho Henkel valores que contribuam com o seu reconhecimento e preservação. Estes valores também poderão servir de base para projetos de reutilização do sítio histórico que colaborem na sua manutenção. A partir da classificação do conjunto destes bens como patrimônio industrial, realizada com base na Carta de Nizhny Tagil, elaborada pela Comissão Internacional para a Conservação do Patrimônio Industrial TICCIH este trabalho foi estruturado de forma a poder explicitar os seus principais valores. Através de vários autores com formações variadas, do trabalho com documentação oral, escrita e iconográfica e dos levantamentos de campo com registros fotográficos, foram reunidas a história e a memória, a arte, a arquitetura, a arqueologia, a antropologia, a agronomia, a economia dentre outras disciplinas.

As transfusões sanguíneas constituem-se uma ferramenta indispensável na prática médica atual, sendo a captação e retenção de doadores uma preocupação de todo serviço hemoterápico, assim como a segurança dos doadores e receptores. Neste sentido, a educação prévia à doação de sangue exerce papel fundamental, sendo etapa obrigatória no processo de doação. Um doador bem orientado significa menor risco transfusional e maior probabilidade de retorno. Este trabalho descreve a elaboração e aplicação de um vídeo contendo informações necessárias à conscientização prévia à doação de sangue. Após o levantamento das necessidades de conteúdo, através da legislação, literatura e de grupo focal com doadores, produziu-se um vídeo que foi apresentado previamente à doação. Foram incluídos 500 doadores no grupo conscientizado com o vídeo e 500 no grupo controle, conscientizados com palestras, conforme rotina do serviço, sendo 25% de primeira vez e 75% de retorno. Após a doação, os doadores responderam a um questionário para avaliação dos conhecimentos adquiridos e os grupos foram comparados entre si. Responderam ao questionário 118 e 121 doadores de primeira vez e 375 e 345 de retorno, nos grupo do vídeo e controle, respectivamente. A distribuição dos doadores entre os grupos foi homogênea, não variando em relação a faixas etárias, gênero, escolaridade, número de comparecimentos e motivação para a doação. Quanto à nota obtida no questionário, foi significativamente superior para o grupo do vídeo em relação ao controle, marcadamente ente os doadores de primeira vez. Dentre as faixas etárias analisadas, foi inferior para a faixa etária maior de 50 anos. Os doadores de primeira vez tiveram notas inferiores em relação aos de retorno. A apresentação do vídeo não interferiu nas taxas de inaptidão clínica à doação, de situação de risco para doenças transmissíveis, de reações vasovagais, nem nos resultados sorológicos, sendo semelhantes ao grupo controle. A satisfação geral com o atendimento, medida através de instrumento padrão do serviço, foi superior no grupo do vídeo em relação ao grupo controle. Conclui-se que a ferramenta audiovisual é adequada à informação e educação dos doadores de sangue antes da efetivação da mesma, sendo de especial interesse para os doadores de primeira vez, gerando maior satisfação com o atendimento. / Blood Transfusions are an essential tool in the current medical practice, in which the capture and retention of donors is a concern of every hemotherapy service, as well as the safety of both, the donors and the receptors. Therefore, prior education to blood donation has a fundamental role for being a compulsory stage in the donation process. A well-targeted donor means less transfusion risk and more probability of return. This work describes the development and implementation of a video containing information necessary for prior awareness regarding to blood donation. After collecting data about the need of content, through the legislation, literature and focus group with donors, it was produced a video which was presented before the donation. There were 500 donors included in the group aware of the video and 500 in the control group, conscious with speeches, according to the service routine, being 25% of first time and 75% of regular donors. After the donation, the donors answered a questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge gained and the groups compared with each other. Donors from video and control group answered the questionnaire: 118 and 121 of the first time donors, and 375 and 345 regular donors, respectively. The distribution of donors among the groups was homogeneous, not varying according to age, gender, schooling, number of attendances and motivation for donation. Regarding the score of the questionnaire, it was significantly higher in the video group compared to the control group, especially for first time donors. It was lower for people over 50 years old related to the other ages, and for first time donors, related to the regular ones. The video presentation did not interfer in rates such as clinical deferral to donation, the situation of risk for communicable diseases, vasovagal reactions, not even in serological results, being similar to the control group. The general satisfaction with the attendance, which was measured through a service standard instrument, was higher in the video group compared to the control group. In conclusion, the audiovisual tool is suitable to the information and education of the blood donors before the completion of it, being of a special interest to all first time donors, generating greater satisfaction with the attendance.

To support the concept of environmentally friendly materials and sustainable development, the low-carbon cementitious materials have been extensively studied to reduce amount of CO2 emission to the atmosphere. One of the efforts is to promote alternative cementitious binders by utilizing abundant alumina-silicate wastes from the industrial sectors (e.g. fly ash or furnace slag), among which “Geopolymer (GP) cement” has received most attention as it can perform a wide variety of behaviours, in addition to cost reduction and less environmental impacts. The most common geopolymer production, fly ash-based, gained some strength with very slow rate at ambient temperature, while the strength is evidently improved when cured in high (above room) temperature, e.g. over 40°C. The major challenge is to step over the limitation of heat curing process and inconvenience in practice. In this study, the testing schemes of (i) GP manufacturing in various processes, (ii) inclusion of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in GP mixture, called GeoPC and (iii) GeoPC manufactured with dry-mixing method, have been intensively investigated through mechanical testing (Setting time, Compressive strength and Internal heat measurement) and mechanism analysis (XRD, FTIR, SEM and EDXA) in order to develop the geopolymers, achieving reasonable strength without external sources of heat curing. It is found that the proposed (dry) mixing process could have generated intensive heat liberation which was observed as a comparable factor to heat curing from any other external sources, enhancing the curing regime of the mixture. The additional calcium content in the developed GeoPC system not only resulted in an improvement of an early strength by the extra precipitation of calcium compounds (C,N-A-S-H), but also provided a latent heat from the reaction of its high potential energy compounds (e.g. OPC or alkaline activators). The developments from these approaches could lead to geopolymer production to achieve reasonable strength in ambient curing temperature known as “Self-cured geopolymer cement”, without external heat, and hence provide construction industry viable technologies of applying geopolymers in on-site and off-site construction.

Today’s society is increasingly moving towards a digitalized world where society is becoming more connected. In terms of industries, it´s extra important to keep up with this trend to be competitive, but also to be more effective. This work will be done in collaboration with the company Attindas. Attindas is a manufacturer of absorbent incontinence aids and delivers products worldwide. The purpose of this work is to investigate two different material flows at Attindas. These flows are raw materials in the warehouse and waste from production to recycling rooms. A deeper analysis is made of the different flows to investigate which parts can be automated and how to do this. The goal of this work is to develop a solution that can replace today’s manual material handling. The problem statements this work is based on is: • Which material flow of waste and raw material are the most valuable to automate? • How can the chosen material flow be automated? The work is carried out with a Design Thinking method that goes through the following steps. Find users’ needs, define needs and problems, come up with ideas and test the solution. The work is supported by a literature study that examines what has already been done and what is already on the market. The result of this work was that Attinda’s waste management is the material flow that should be automated if financial gain and efficiency are to be achieved. The solution that was constructed is an external lifting device that will be mounted on a platform AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle). Two AGVs will drive in the factory and pick up four waste wagons at a time. This is to cope with the waste flow that comes from the production lines. The conclusion of the work is that waste management is a step that Attindas can automate to go to a more automated factory and get one step closer to Industry 4.0. With the help of the new solution, which is a lifting device adapted to the waste bins. Attindas can replace manual work and automate the flow of waste from production to recycling room. By implementing this solution in the factory, Attindas will over time make a financial gain comparable to the current solution, while maintaining its efficiency. / Dagens samhälle går allt mer mot en digitaliserad värld där samhället blir mer uppkopplat. Vad gäller industrier är det extra viktigt att hänga med i denna trenden för att vara konkurrenskraftiga, men även för att effektivisera verksamheten. Detta arbete kommer att göras i samarbete med företaget Attindas. Attindas är en tillverkare av absorberande inkontinenshjälpmedel och de levererar produkter över hela världen. Problemformuleringen som arbetet utgår ifrån är: • Vilket materialflöde av avfall och råmaterial är det mest värdefulla att automatisera? • Hur kan det valda materialflödet automatiseras? Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka två olika materialflöden hos Attindas. Dessa flöden är råmaterial i lagret och spill från produktion till återvinningsrum. En djupare analys görs på de olika flödena för att undersöka vilka delar som går att automatisera samt hur man kan göra detta. Målet med detta arbete är att ta fram en lösning som kan ersätta dagens manuella materialhantering. Arbetet genomförs med en Design Thinking metod som genomgår följande fem steg. Hitta användarens behov, definiera behov och problem, komma upp med ideer, ta fram ideerna och testa lösningen. Arbetet styrks upp av en litteraturstudie som undersöker vad som redan har gjorts och vad som redan finns på marknaden. Resultatet av detta arbete blev att Attindas spillhantering är det materialflöde som borde automatiseras ifall ekonomisk vinning och effektivitet vill uppnås. Lösningen som konstruerades är en extern lyftanordning som ska monteras på en plattform AGV. Två stycken AGV ska köra i fabriken och hämta upp fyra spillvagnar åt gången. Detta för att klara av det flöde av spill som kommer från produktions linjerna. Slutsatsen av arbete är att spillhantering är ett steg som Attindas kan automatisera för att gå till en mer automatiserad fabrik och komma ett steg närmre Industri 4.0. Med hjälp av den framtagna lösningen som är en lyftanordning anpassad för de spillvagnar som finns i fabriken kan Attindas ersätta manuellt arbete och automatisera flödet av spill från produktion till återvinningsrum. Genom att implementeradenna lösningen i fabriken kommer Attindas både göra en ekonomisk vinning jämfört med dagens lösning, samtidigt som arbetet bibehåller sin effektivitet.

In today’s competitive global market every companies strive to overcome challenges that occur during manufacturing in order to gain profits and stay in competition. Overcoming challenges include elimination or reduction of non-value adding activities that are happening in production. To eliminate non-value adding activities and achieve desired workflow it is important to follow set of successful strategies which suits production system. In this current research framework has been proposed which aids reduction of non-value adding activities and also plays an important role in achieving efficient material flow. Current research is carried out in a single case study at a Swedish manufacturing firm where identification of effects of existing non-value-added activities in major aspects of material flow was carried out. By analysing the findings from case company along with data from literature review effects of NVA on material flow were identified in production facility and solution has been recommended in the form of framework to overcome these problems. In the conclusion a set of strategies were developed into a framework by analysing the effects of existing NVA in production facility has been further recommended for implementation at case company to check for generalisability of developed framework. This framework aids in overcoming common problems associated with material flow along with eliminating effects of NVA activities and also helps improving productivity which enhances proper flow of materials into line.