published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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To get the maximal output of your exercise in gym machines, there are different factors to be considered. For example the strength of the muscle varies dependent on the position of the muscles. To get the best results of the exercise the load has to reduce and increase at specific positions. This study was made in cooperation with Caretaker Scandinavia AB, a company for sales, marketing and development in health care. They are general agent for Nordic Gym who works with manufacturing of equipment and machines for gym and fitness. The aim of this study was to generate a method of measurement to evaluate and control the biomechanics of Nordic Gym´s workout equipment. A protocol for an ergonomic analysis on the equipment has also been elaborated. One of the methods to measure the biomechanics was to measure the torque through the whole movement. The other method was electromyography (EMG). The EMGequipment registers electric signals that are generated in a working muscle, and makes it possible to see when the maximum muscle activity achieves. The results of those measurements will be compared to the muscles strengthprofile which describes how the muscle generates power in different positions throughout the movement. To measure the ergonomics an ergonomic protocol where produced, which was based on ergonomics aspect, adapted to gym machines. The method of measurement where tested on Nordic Gym´s training machine 101SE leg extension and Free Motion´s machine Leg Extension GZF18013 and this machines where controlled and evaluated. Two test persons tried out the machines and the machines where analysed in an ergonomic and a biomechanical perspective. The result shows that the biomechanics of Nordic Gym´s machine where a bit better than the biomechanics of FreeMotion´s machine. But in the both case the difference between the values of torque is marginal, to improve the biomechanics insistence a bigger different should be necessary to use. The ergonomic analyse of the machines showed that the ergonomics where good and well planed. Both machines had some small ergonomic lacks, which can be improved.

Optimal control of general dynamic systems under realistic constraints on input signals and state variables is an important problem area in control theory. Many practical control problems can be formulated as optimization tasks, and this leads toa significant demand for efficient numerical solution algorithms. Several such algorithms have been developed, and they are typically derived from a dynamic programming view point. In this thesis a differentapproach is taken. The discretetime dynamic optimization problem is formulated as a static one, with the inputs as free variables. Newton's approach to solving such a problem with constraints, also known as Wilson's method, is then consistently pursued, anda algorithm is developed that isa true Newton algorithm for the problem, at the same time as the inherent structure is utilized for efficient calculations. An advantage with such an approach is that global and local convergence properties can be studied in a familiar framework. The algorithm is tested on several examples and comparisons to other algorithms are carried out. These show that the Newton algorithm performs well and is competitive with other methods. lt handles state variable constraints in a direct and efficient manner, and its practical convergence properties are robust. A general algorithm for !arge scale static problems is also developed in the thesis, and it is tested on a problem with load distribution in an electrical power network.

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This dissertation argues that edifying dialogue is an appropriate and satisfying component of historically critical biography. It has been a part of biography. The edifying and critical intent is traced through pre-modern biography to demonstrate that this was the case in the Hebrew, Greek, Roman, Early Christian and Medieval eras. Key authors examined include the author(s) of the Pentateuch, the Gospel writers and the authors of the Biblical epistles, Herodotus, Polybius, Livy, Plutarch, Tacitus, Athanasius, Jerome, Sulpicius Severus, and John Capgrave. It can be a part of biography even given the challenges of contemporary theory posed by the extreme positions of positivism and postmodernism (or their chastened re-formulations). Important authors discussed in this section include Arthur Marwick, Keith Jenkins, David Harlan and Peter Novick. It is a part of some biographies meant for a particular audience (such as feminist works). And hopefully it will be increasingly looked upon as the preferred way of writing biography. My dissertation follows these stages. I begin with what biography has been and argue that the Greek and Roman historians believed that the intent of biography was critical and edifying. In fact, critical and edifying intent is notable also in Biblical and medieval biographies. The next section argues that edifying discourse is compatible with both traditional and postmodern theories of history-writing. The third section of the dissertation moves from theoretical considerations to the work of two notable Christian historians, George Marsden and Harry Stout. I note that these two scholars in particular are, in theory, open to my argument but that they can hesitate to engage in edifying discourse in biography. Finally, I briefly examine a few authors who write edifying and critical biography. Toril Moi, Carolyn Heilbrun, and the Bollandists are discussed in this section.