The Norwegian Network Code FIKS from the Norwegian Transmission System Operator (TSO) Statnett, states that synchronous generators ≥ 25 MVA must have a static excitation system. It also includes requirements on the step time response and the available field winding ceiling voltage of the excitation system. An improved brushless excitation system is in operation in some pilot power plants. A rotating thyristor bridge is controlled via Bluetooth. The step time response is as fast as conventional static excitation systems. However, a ceiling voltage factor of 2 requires the thyristor bridge to operate at firing angles about 60 degrees. High torque pulsations, low power factor and low utilization of the exciter is the end result. New power electronic interfaces on the shaft results in a betterutilization of the designed exciter and improves the mechanical performance as well as the controllability of the generator field winding. Permanent magnet rotating exciters increase the field forcing strength of the synchronous generator, yielding improved transient stability (Fault Ride-Through req.). Brushless exciters also reduces regular maintenance of the generator. The thesis includes experiments on a state of the art synchronous generator test setup including constructed PM exciter and different power electronic solutions. Some investigations has been done on industrial power plants as well.

This thesis focuses on modelling visual attention in tasks in which vision interacts with language and other sources of contextual information. The work is based on insights provided by experimental studies in visual cognition and psycholinguistics, particularly cross-modal processing. We present a series of models of eye-movements in situated language comprehension capable of generating human-like scan-paths. Moreover we investigate the existence of high level structure of the scan-paths and applicability of tools used in Natural Language Processing in the analysis of this structure. We show that scan paths carry interesting information that is currently neglected in both experimental and modelling studies. This information, studied at a level beyond simple statistical measures such as proportion of looks, can be used to extract knowledge of more complicated patterns of behaviour, and to build models capable of simulating human behaviour in the presence of linguistic material. We also revisit classical model saliency and its extensions, in particular the Contextual Guidance Model of Torralba et al. (2006), and extend it with memory of target positions in visual search. We show that models of contextual guidance should contain components responsible for short term learning and memorisation. We also investigate the applicability of this type of model to prediction of human behaviour in tasks with incremental stimuli as in situated language comprehension. Finally we investigate the issue of objectness and object saliency, including their effects on eye-movements and human responses to experimental tasks. In a simple experiment we show that when using an object-based notion of saliency it is possible to predict fixation locations better than using pixel-based saliency as formulated by Itti et al. (1998). In addition we show that object based saliency fits into current theories such as cognitive relevance and can be used to build unified models of cross-referential visual and linguistic processing. This thesis forms a foundation towards a more detailed study of scan-paths within an object-based framework such as Cognitive Relevance Framework (Henderson et al., 2007, 2009) by providing models capable of explaining human behaviour, and the delivery of tools and methodologies to predict which objects would be attended to during synchronous visual and linguistic processing.

This work presents an automatic cost-analysis system for an implicitly parallel skeletal programming language. Although deducing interesting dynamic characteristics of parallel programs (and in particular, run time) is well known to be an intractable problem in the general case, it can be alleviated by placing restrictions upon the programs which can be expressed. By combining two research threads, the “skeletal” and “shapely” paradigms which take this route, we produce a completely automated, computation and communication sensitive cost analysis system. This builds on earlier work in the area by quantifying communication as well as computation costs, with the former being derived for the Bulk Synchronous Parallel (BSP) model. We present details of our shapely skeletal language and its BSP implementation strategy together with an account of the analysis mechanism by which program behaviour information (such as shape and cost) is statically deduced. This information can be used at compile-time to optimise a BSP implementation and to analyse computation and communication costs. The analysis has been implemented in Haskell. We consider different algorithms expressed in our language for some example problems and illustrate each BSP implementation, contrasting the analysis of their efficiency by traditional, intuitive methods with that achieved by our cost calculator. The accuracy of cost predictions by our cost calculator against the run time of real parallel programs is tested experimentally. Previous shape-based cost analysis required all elements of a vector (our nestable bulk data structure) to have the same shape. We partially relax this strict requirement on data structure regularity by introducing new shape expressions in our analysis framework. We demonstrate that this allows us to achieve the first automated analysis of a complete derivation, the well known maximum segment sum algorithm of Skillicorn and Cai.

Ultra high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) systems suffer from issues that limit their widespread deployment and limit the number of applications where they can be used. These limitations are: lack of a well defined read zone, interference, and environment sensitivity. To overcome these limitations a novel receiver device is introduced into the system. The use of such device or devices mitigates the issues by enabling more "anchor points" in the system. Two such devices exist in industry and academia: the Astraion Sensatag and the Gen2 Listener. The drawbacks of the Sensatag is that it offers poor performance in capturing tag signals. The Gen2 Listener is based on the expensive software defined radio hardware. The purpose of the thesis was to develop a receiver that will enable several new RFID applications that are not available with current RFID systems. The receiver, named ARR (Augmented RFID Receiver), receives tag and reader signals, which are decoded by an FPGA and the results are reported through Ethernet. This device is central to the augmented RFID system. To show the suitability of such an approach, the performance of the implementation was compared to the other two outlined solutions. A comparison of the read rate and range of the implementations were the defining factors. The analysis showed that the ARR is capable of receiving tag signals with a read rate of 50% for passive and 66% for semi-passive tags at a one meter distance and is capable of receiving tag signals at a maximum of 3.25 meters for passive and 5.5 meters for semi- passive tags, with the reader being within 8 meters of the ARR. Two applications were implemented to showcase the ARR: an RFID portal and protocol analyzer.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / A study of SONET network management applications and the load they impart to the network is conducted to provide a better understanding of the capability of various management approaches. In this study, a SONET network is set up in the Advanced Networking Laboratory of the Naval Postgraduate School using four Cisco ONS 15454s. Next, two Element Management Systems, the Cisco Transport Controller and the Cisco Transport Manager, are deployed onto the SONET network. Subsequently, the network traffic of the Element Management Systems is captured and analyzed using a packet analyzer. Link utilization of the two tools is computed using the first-order statistics of the captured traffic distributions. In addition, the Hurst parameter is estimated using the variance-index plot technique (which uses higher-orders statistics of the modeled distributions) to determine the captured traffic's degree of self-similarity. Finally, the calculated utilization is extrapolated to obtain the link utilization for 2500 network elements (the maximum number supported by the Cisco Transport Manager). The result obtained is useful in determining the maximum number of network elements (Cisco ONS 15454s) that the Cisco Transport Manager can support from a network loading point of view. / Civilian, Ministry of Defense, Singapore

Permanent magnets are today widely used in electrical machines of all sorts. With their increase in popularity, the amount of research has increased as well. In the wind power project at Uppsala University permanent magnet synchronous generators have been studied for over a decade. However, a tool for studying demagnetization has not been available. This Ph.D. thesis covers the development of a simulation model in a commercial finite element method software capable of studying demagnetization. Further, the model is also capable of simulating the connected electrical circuit of the generator. The simulation model has continuously been developed throughout the project. The simulation model showed good agreement compared to experiment, see paper IV, and has in paper III and V successfully been utilized in case studies. The main focus of these case studies has been different types of short-circuit faults in the electrical system of the generator, at normal or at an elevated temperature. Paper I includes a case study with the latest version of the model capable of handling multiple short-circuits events, which was not possible in earlier versions of the simulation model. The influence of the electrical system on the working point ripple of the permanent magnets was evaluated in paper II. In paper III and VI, an evaluation study of the possibility of creating a generator with an interchangeable rotor is presented.  A Neodymium-Iron-Boron (Nd-Fe-B) rotor was exchanged for a ferrite rotor with the electrical properties almost maintained.

The online course delivery at university settings causes students anxiety and frustration. Students are experiencing apprehension and anxiety in online classes for a variety of reasons. This tension is caused by test taking, miscommunication with instructor, confusion, and a lack of interaction between peers. Students indicated a lack of knowledge of course expectations and not receiving immediate feedback on their activities caused them anxiety in online classes. This study investigated online students' anxiety and frustration in a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. The study examined to what extent the use of a synchronous engagement system (SES) as an eLearning tool assisted graduate students with alleviating frustration and stress when attending online classes. The SES was incorporated into the Management (MGT) 608 course for the quasi-experimental design to examine and compare anxiety of students after using the SES as an intervention. The study findings revealed that SES was favorable in alleviating students' frustration and anxiety. Based on the results, the SES helped students with communication and interaction in online learning. Therefore, the students' level of comfort was increased as they participated with their peers and instructor using the appropriate tools that they learned through participation in the current study. The results of the study conveyed changes in student anxiety from the experimental group who used the SES as an intervention. They believed that the SES helped them significantly decrease their frustration and anxiety. The qualitative results of the study revealed that overall students found the SES was beneficial to their learning. They were pleased with receiving the guidance from the videos in order to maintain their focus on learning the content and not be overwhelmed with technology. The implication of the study involved the importance of the SES whereby students overcame their anxiety while able to communicate more effectively. The result of the study conveyed changes in students' anxiety based on their use of SES. This study filled the gap in the literature by introducing the SES as an intervention to alleviate students' anxiety. It is evident that tools similar to SES should be incorporated into online synchronous chat.

Student Number :0008015M - MSc Dissertation - School of Electrical and Information Engineering - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / Shaft voltages and currents are an unavoidable characteristic of rotating machines, though they are typically a nuisance this work shows that shaft signals can be used for fault diagnosis. This work focussed on shaft voltages present on synchronous generators. Measurements on a 4-pole generator found that the angular position of the shaft could be determined from the shaft voltage. An experimental 20 kVA 2-pole synchronous generator was designed and built which resembled a full-size 600 MVA turbo-generator. The effects of a static eccentricity on the shaft voltage were successfully determined firstly through FEM simulation and then verified with physical measurements. Shaft voltages can be used to diagnose static eccentricity, future work should investigate other faults. In addition, computer simulation was found to be effective and simulation and measurements of operating machines (such as turbo-generators) should be considered.

Many high performance drive applications require wide Constant Power Speed Range (CPSR) for efficient use of energy. The examples of such applications are the starter alternator system of automobiles proposed for the 42V PowerNet, traction in the hybrid/electric vehicle, wind power generator etc. The Permanent Magnet (PM) machine is the natural choice of such niche applications because of their higher efficiency and compact size. However, the Surface Permanent Magnet (SPM) machine with sine distributed winding and radially-laminated Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) machine with conventional structure has very limited or zero flux-weakening capability. The flux-weakening capability of the SPM machine can be improved by using concentrated, fractional-slot stator but here well-known advantages of the sine distributed winding are needed to be compromised. In the IPM machine, fluxweakening was improved using axial lamination and more than two magnet layers per pole. However, the construction of such IPM machine is complicated and expensive. This thesis presents design and analysis of a new type of the Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) machine that have a very wide Constant Power Speed Range (CPSR) without compromising simplicity of construction and advantages of the distribution winding. In the new IPM machine, the magnet poles were segmented in the radially direction and the iron bridges between magnet segments provide for additional paths of flux-canalization to give the rotor an inherent capability of fluxweakening. Consequently, a very wide constant power speed range can be achieved in such machines. The proposed IPM machine of this work was referred as the Segmented IPM machine. The thesis focuses on the optimization of the Segmented IPM machine in a 42V environment of the automobile. First, for the conceptual evaluation a 4 pole, 550W Segmented Magnet IPM machine was optimized using finite element analysis. The parameters were calculated for prediction of the steady-state and transient performances. The torque- and power-speed capability were estimated using time-step, circuit-coupled finite element analysis. The cogging torque and variation of iron loss with frequency were also investigated during the design process. A prototype machine was constructed on the basis of the optimized design. The steady-state and transient performances of the prototype machine were measured and compared with the predicted results for experimental verification. The measured performance analysis was found to match very well with the predicted results. The measured torque- and power-speed capability of the Segmented IPM machine was also compared to those of a conventional, non-segmented IPM machine of similar rating and size. The thesis also presents the optimized design of a 6kW, 12 pole Segmented Magnet IPM machine for application in the Integrated Starter Alternator (ISA) of the electric/hybrid vehicle. It can be concluded from the predicted steady-state analysis of the 6 kW, 12 pole Segmented Magnet IPM machine that it should be able to satisfy most of the required criteria of an ISA with appropriate design optimization.

This thesis explores the treatment of temporal information in Automated Speech Recognition. It reviews the study of time in speech perception and concludes that while some temporal information in the speech signal is of crucial value in the speech decoding process not all temporal information is relevant to decoding. We then review the representation of temporal information in the main automated recognition techniques: Hidden Markov Models and Artificial Neural Networks. We find that both techniques have difficulty representing the type of temporal information that is phonetically or phonologically significant in the speech signal. In an attempt to improve this situation we explore the problem of representation of temporal information in the acoustic vectors commonly used to encode the speech acoustic signal in the front-ends of speech recognition systems. We attempt, where possible, to let the signal provide the temporal structure rather than imposing a fixed, clock-based timing framework. We develop a novel acoustic temporal parameter (the Parameter Similarity Length), a measure of temporal stability, that is tested against the time derivatives of acoustic parameters conventionally used in acoustic vectors.