Les robots vont être de plus en plus utilisés dans les domaines civils, comme dans le domaine militaire. Ces robots, opérant en flottes, peuvent accompagner des soldats au combat, ou accomplir une mission en étant supervisés par un poste de contrôle. Du fait des exigences d'une opération militaire, il est difficile de laisser les robots décider de leurs actions sans accord d'un opérateur ou surveillance, en fonction de la situation. Dans cette thèse, nous nous attardons sur deux problématiques:D'une part, nous cherchons à exploiter l'autonomie ajustable de sorte à ce qu'un robot puisse accomplir sa mission de la manière la plus efficace possible, tout en respectant des restrictions assignées par un opérateur sur son niveau d'autonomie. Pour cela, celui-ci est en mesure de définir pour un ensemble d'états et d'actions donné un niveau de restriction. Ce niveau peut par exemple imposer au robot la télé-opération pour accéder à une zone à risque.D'autre part, comme nous envisageons la possibilité que plusieurs robots soient déployés en même temps, ces robots doivent se coordonner pour accomplir leurs objectifs. Seulement, comme les opérateurs peuvent prendre le contrôle de certains d'entre eux, la question de la coordination se pose. En effet, l'opérateur ayant ses propres préférences, perception de l'environnement, connaissances et étant sujet aux stress, hésitations, il est difficile de prévoir les actions que celui-ci va effectuer, et donc de s'y coordonner. Nous proposerons dans cette thèse une approche visant à estimer la politique exécutée par un robot télé-opéré à partir d'apprentissage basé sur les actions observés de ce robot.La notion de planification est très présente dans ces travaux. Ceux-ci se baseront sur des modèles de planifications comme les Processus Décisionnels de Markov. / Robots will be more and more used in both civil and military fields. These robots, operating in fleet, can accompany soldiers in fight, or accomplish a mission while being supervised by a control center. Considering the requirement of a military operation, it is complicated to let robots decide their action without an operator agreement or watch, in function of the situation.In this thesis, we focus on two problematics:First, we try to exploit adjustable autonomy to make a robot accomplishes is mission as efficiency as possible, while he respects restrictions, assigned by an operator, on his autonomy level. For this, it is able to define for given sets of states and actions a restriction level. This restriction can force, for example, the need of being tele-operated to access a dangerous zone.Secondly, we consider that several robots can be deployed at the same time. These robots have to coordinate to accomplish their objectives. However, since operators can take the control of some robots, the coordination is harder. In fact, the operator has preferences, perception, hesitation, stress that are not modeled by the agent. It is then hard to estimate his next actions, so to coordinate with him. We propose in this thesis an approach to estimate the policy executed by a tele-operated robot from learning methods, based on observed actions from this robot.The notion of planning his important in these works. These are based on planning models, such as Markov Decision Processes.

Arbetet handlar om utveckling av dagens cykelbarnstolar där det insåg bristande på komfort och anpassningsförmåga för barn mellan 5 och 9 år. Målet med detta arbete var att utveckla en cykelbarnstol som tar hänsyn till barnets motoriska förmåga vid denna ålder och erbjuder förbättrad komfort. För att uppnå målen gjordes en analys av cykelbarnstolar och cyklar generellt som finns i marknaden i dagsläget samtidigt identifierades kundens behov. Då påbörjades idégenerering genom en iterativ skissprocess på papper, följt av skapandet av 3D-modeller i CAD-programmet Creo Parametric för att visualisera koncepten. Beslutmatrisen och Puhg-matriser användes för att analysera, utvärdera och välja det bästa konceptet baserat på olika kriterier. Programmet Granta EduPack användes för att välja rätt och lämpligt material som tar hänsyn till mekaniska och miljömässiga faktorer. Resultatet av arbetet är en cykelbarnstol som uppfyller kraven och målen genom att den främjar barnets motoriska förmåga och utveckling. Detta genom en stabil bas som är fastmonterad i pakethållaren och ergonomiskt ryggstöd och fotstöd. Produkt ger barnet möjlighet att ensam sitta i den. Tillslut användes Keyshot programmet för att rendera en bild av den slutgiltiga modellen för att se hur den ska se ut i verkligheten. Arbetet inkluderar inga feedback från föräldrar eller barn eftersom ingen prototyp skapades, vilket kan vara en begränsning. Därför rekommenderas att dessa aspekter inkluderas i framtida forskning för att förbättra arbetet. / The work focuses on the development of current bicycle child seats, where a lack of comfort and adaptability for children between 5 and 9 years old was identified. The goal of this project was to develop a bicycle child seat that takes into account the child's motor skills at this age and offers improved comfort. To achieve these goals, an analysis of current bicycle child seats and bicycles in the market was conducted, while also identifying the customer's needs. This was followed by an iterative sketching process on paper to generate ideas, followed by the creation of 3D models in the CAD software Creo Parametric to visualize the concepts. Decision matrices and Pugh matrices were used to analyze, evaluate, and select the best concept based on different criteria. The program Granta EduPack was used to choose the right and suitable material, taking into account mechanical and environmental factors. The result of the work is a bicycle child seat that meets the requirements and goals by promoting the child's motor skills and development. This is achieved through a stable base that is securely attached to the luggage carrier and ergonomic backrest and footrest. The product allows the child to sit in it independently. Finally, the Keyshot program was used to render an image of the final model to visualize its real-life appearance. The work does not include any feedback from parents or children since no prototype was created, which can be a limitation. Therefore, it is recommended that these aspects be included in future research to improve the work.

Searching for lost people in a Wilderness Search and Rescue (WiSAR) scenario is a task that can benefit from large numbers of agents, some of whom may be robotic. These agents may have differing levels of autonomy, determined by the set of tasks they are performing. In addition, the level of autonomy that results in the best performance may change due to varying workload or other factors. Allowing a supervisor and a searcher to jointly decide the correct level of autonomy for a given situation (“mixed initiative”) results in better overall performance than giving an agent absolute control over their level of autonomy (“adaptive autonomy”) or giving a supervisor absolute control over the agent's level of autonomy (“adjustable autonomy”).

Platinautvinning är antagligen en av the farligaste gruvindustrierna. På följd av det har gruvmaskiner som Slotborer utvecklats för att göra utvinningsprocessen säkrare. Slotborern är ett ganska nytt koncept och har problem med vibrationer i borrsträngen när den blir längre.Den här rapporten föreslår fyra koncept för att dämpa/stabilisera dessa vibrationer och ett av dessa koncept var sedan vidare utvecklat efter en evaluering. Det koncept som vidareutvecklats använder sig av massdämpare för att dämpa/stabilisera borrsträngen. Massdämparna är justerbara vilket gör dem effektiva över ett större frekvensområde. Några mätvärden från riktiga borrningar var analyserade och analytiska och matematiska modeller var utvecklade att ha ett liknande beteende som det från mätningarna. Modellerna var sedan utvidgade och massdämparna var implementerade in i modellerna för att analysera deras effekt på systemet. När de analytiska modellerna för massdämparna vara klara nog, började konstruktions- och dimensioneringsarbetet av projektet. Dämparen/stabilisatorn var från början konstruerad för att direkt dämpa vibrationer på 2 – 5 Hz, men på grund av väldigt höga spänningar i massdämparna var frekvensspannet ändrat till 3,5 – 6-7 Hz. Ingen verifiering genom empiriska studier var gjorda men några bra analytiska resultat åstadkoms. / Platinum excavation is probably one of the most dangerous mining businesses. Because of that machines like the Slotborer has been developed to make the excavation process much safer. The Slotborer is a pretty new concept and has problems with oscillations in the drill string when it gets extended.This paper suggests four concepts for dampening/stabilizing these oscillations and one of these concepts was then further developed after an evaluation. The further developed concept uses mass dampers to dampen/stabilize the drill string. The mass dampers are adjustable making them effective for a wider range of frequencies. Some measurements from actual drilling operations was analyzed and analytical and mathematical models were developed to have a similar behavior of that from the measurements. The models was then extended and the mass dampers was applied into the models to analyze their impact of the system. When the analytical models for the mass dampers where done enough, the construction and dimensioning of the project took place. The damper/stabilizer was initially design to directly dampen oscillations between 2 – 5 Hz, but due to very high stresses in the mass dampers the dampening frequency span was changed to 3,5 – 6,7 Hz. No verification through empirical studies was made but some good analytical results of damping was achieved.

The study presents a numerical investigation about the hydrodynamic characteristics of a transom mounted interceptor on the Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate (FFG-7), in order to assess the potential of propulsion power reduction in a wide range of speeds. This study is aimed to design a stern interceptor with optimal efficiency not only at top speed, but also cruising/transfer speeds, by a simple regulation of its variable geometrical characteristics (from a construction and operational standpoint). A high fidelity numerical model is developed in the open source CFD suite OpenFOAM for the prediction of the longitudinal dynamic equilibrium at speed and the total resistance characteristics of the bare hull. The Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations are solved using interDyMFoam, a multiphase volume of fluid solver which allows for a dynamic mesh. The numerical model is validated using the results of the experimental model tests conducted on a 1/80th scale model at the United States Naval Academy Hydromechanics Laboratory (NAHL). The validated numerical model is used to predict the hydrodynamic characteristics of the transom mounted interceptor at different interceptor settings and speeds. The results show that the interceptor reduces the amount of resistance, the running trim, and the sinkage of the ship at high speeds. For a speed of 0.392 Froude number (Fr), a drag reduction of 3.76% was observed, as well as a significant reduction in trim. / Master of Science / The drag acting on the hull is an important component that has to be considered during the process of designing the ship. An interceptor is a device that has been developed to improve the performance of hulls by reducing the drag. This research studies the influence of the interceptor on the resistance and motion of the ship across a range of speeds. The geometrical characteristics of the interceptor are varied in order to identify the geometry that would provide optimal performance across the speed range tested. This study is conducted using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM as well as model tests that were conducted on a 1/80th scale model.

Este estudo avaliou a habilidade de duas técnicas, uma convencional e uma de transferência direta do molde, para a montagem do modelo de gesso maxilar no articulador. Um único paciente do sexo feminino, 39 anos, portador de arcada superior de Classe I de Kennedy (desdentado posterior bilateral) foi usado para esta investigação. Foram obtidos 20 modelos de gesso em cada técnica, totalizando 40 montagens nos articuladores. Com o modelo maxilar montado, cada articulador foi fotografado do mesmo lado direito da radiografia em norma lateral da paciente, obtida com o arco facial montado em sua face. As medidas analisadas nos traçados realizados sobre as fotografias e na radiografia, foram obtidas calculando-se o ângulo entre a interseção do plano oclusal da maxila e o plano de referência horizontal (plano de Frankfurt), representado pelo arco facial na radiografia da paciente, comparando-o com o ângulo entre o plano oclusal do modelo de gesso e o ramo superior do articulador em ambas as técnicas, por meio do software UTHSCSA Image Tool. O dados foram submetidos à análise estatística. Os resultados deste estudo demonstraram uma capacidade maior de reprodução daquele ângulo quando uma técnica de transferência direta do molde é usada. Da mesma maneira, foi verificado uma distorção significante na reprodutibilidade dos modelos montados pela técnica convencional. / This study assessed the ability of two techniques to mount the maxillary cast in the articulator, a conventional technique and one of direct transfer of the maxillary arch impression from the patient\'s mouth to the articulator. A single female subject, 39 years old, with a partially edentulous arch, Kennedy´s Class I, was used in this investigation. It was obtained 20 casts in each technique, totaling 40 cast mountings in the articulators. With the maxillary cast mounted, each articulator was photographed in the same right side of the lateral skull cephalometric radiograph of the patient with the face-bow mounted in her face. The measures obtained by the photographic and cephalometric tracings were evaluated by calculating the angle made by the intersection of the maxillary occlusal plane with craniofacial horizontal reference plane (Frankfort´s plane) on the patient´s cephalogram and comparing it with the angle between the occlusal plane of the cast with the upper member of the articulators in both techniques using the UTHSCSA Image Tool computerized program. The measuring data was submitted to the statistical analysis. The results of this study demonstrated a better capacity of reproduction of that angle when a direct transfer technique is used. In the same way, it was found a significant low level of reproducibility in mounting the maxillary cast when a conventional technique is used.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:40:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Flavia de Souza Scavone.pdf: 1468651 bytes, checksum: d5ee7e1fa5a0a6c904942e4c28be2c3a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study aims to observe the differences in the feedback of the patients who had good and poor outcomes following adjustable gastric banding (AGB). In-depth interviews were conducted with thirty patients (22 women), from 20 to 73 years old, who had AGB within the past 24 to 92 months. Patients were split into two groups of 15: good outcomes were considered percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) > 40% and, poor outcomes %EWL £40%. The answers were divided into categories. Statistical analysis was performed (Fischer s Exact Test and X² Test) to test the statistical differences between categories and groups (p £ 0,05). The significant results were qualitatively analyzed based on the theoretical guidelines of analytical psychology and the Jungian approach to psychosomatic illness. Analyzing differences among patients feedback, a relationship between psychological aspects and the outcomes of the AGB was observed. The decision to have AGB based on heath-related issues, psychological treatment, a better understanding of the use of food as a defense mechanism and the development of others strategies to deal with stress was related to good outcomes. Unrealistic expectations to the AGB outcomes, leaving treatment, conflictive relationship with medical team, stressful situations and high intake of sweets were related to poor outcomes. It was understood that the patients from the group with poor results had more difficulty elaborating on the many psychological aspects that are directly related to their eating behavior. This understanding suggests how important is to have psychological guidance after bariatric surgery to achieving good outcomes / Este estudo visa observar diferenças no discurso dos pacientes com bons e maus resultados após colocação da banda gástrica ajustável (BGA). Para isso, foi realizada entrevista semidirigida com trinta pacientes (22 mulheres), entre 20 e 73 anos e com tempo de pós-operatório entre 24 e 92 meses. Os entrevistados foram divididos em dois grupos de quinze, de acordo com critério de divisão em que bons resultados foram considerados porcentagem de perda do excesso de peso (%PEP) > 40% e maus resultados, %PEP £ 40%. As respostas das questões abertas foram transformadas em categorias e realizou-se análise estatística (Teste Exato de Fischer e Teste do x²) buscando diferenças significativas entre as categorias e os grupos (p £ 0,05). As diferenças foram analisadas por meio do referencial teórico da Psicologia Analítica e do modelo da psicossomática junguiana. Foram observadas diferenças no discurso dos pacientes, sugerindo relação entre aspectos psicológicos e resultados pós-cirúrgicos. Escolher o tratamento por preocupações com a saúde, fazer acompanhamento psicológico, compreender o comer demais como mecanismo de defesa e desenvolver outras estratégias para lidar com o estresse foram relacionados a bons resultados. Expectativas irreais sobre os resultados, passar por situações de estresse, abandono precoce do tratamento, não ter bom relacionamento com a equipe e alto consumo de doces foram relacionados a maus resultados. Compreende-se que o grupo dos maus resultados apresentou dificuldade em elaborar os aspectos psicológicos relacionados ao comportamento alimentar, sugerindo a importância do acompanhamento psicológico na busca de melhores resultados após cirurgia bariátrica

<p>”Gastromax Duo” är ett examensarbete som genomförts inom ramarna för Innovations- och designingenjörsutbildningen vid Karlstads universitet. Projektet har självständigt fullföljts av Joakim Ahlgren och Joakim Lidström under vårterminen 2010. Examensarbetets omfattning är 22,5 hp.</p><p>Uppdragsgivare för projektet är Peter Ottosson och Jonas Eriksson på Sveico AB i Gnosjö. Handledare för projektet hos uppdragsgivaren har varit Peter Johansson. Monica Jakobsson har varit handledare på Karlstads universitet. Lennart Wihk, industridesigner och universitetsadjunkt vid Karlstads universitet, är examinator och har fungerat som handledare och bollplank i designprocessen.</p><p>Sveico AB ligger i Gnosjö och tillverkar köksredskap och andra tillbehör till köksmiljön. I Sveicos produktportfölj återfinns produktserien Gastromax, som riktar sig specifikt till hemmakocken. Gastromax-serien saknar emellertid ett kompakt sönderdelningsredskap för matvaror, vilket föranledde detta produktutvecklingsprojekt.</p><p>Den största enskilda delen i projektet har varit en grundlig förstudie där projektgruppen kartlagt vilka behov och önskemål som finns hos användarna, samt hur marknaden ser ut för produkten. Förstudien består av intervjuer med konsumenter, professionella användare och representanter för handeln samt användarstudier.</p><p>Under produktutvecklingsprocessen har en rad olika idégenereringsmetoder används, såväl internt i projektgruppen, som externt med utomstående individer. Under den påföljande konceptutvecklingsfasen lades stor vikt vid framtagningen av fysiska modeller för utvärdering av idéer och lösningar.</p><p>Av de nitton koncept som sammanställdes från idégenereringsfasen, sållades sex koncept ut med hjälp av systematiska utvärderingsmetoder. De sex koncepten presenterades för uppdragsgivaren, som i sin tur valde ut två av koncepten, vilka projektgruppen vidareutvecklat till det slutgiltiga produktförslaget.</p><p>Den slutgiltiga detaljlösningen omhuldas av sekretess, men tre nyckelegenskaper hos det hopfällbara sönderdelningsredskapet kan noteras:</p><ul><li>Lång rivyta</li><li>Ställbar arbetsvinkel</li><li>Två rivytor, en fin och en grov</li></ul><p>Projektets slutliga resultat är en produktbeskrivning med förslag på övergripande utformning, mekanisk lösning av ställbarheten och materialval för produktens olika delar.</p> / <p>”Gastromax Duo” is a degree project for the Innovation and Design Engineering program at Karlstad University. Joakim Ahlgren and Joakim Lidström have independently carried out the project during Spring Term 2010. The degree project extends 22,5 ECTS credits.</p><p>The assigners for this project are Peter Ottosson and Jonas Eriksson at Sveico AB in Gnosjö, Sweden. Peter Johansson is the project supervisor at Sveico AB and Monica Jacobsson is the academic supervisor at Karlstad University. The examiner at Karlstad University is Lennart Wihk, who has also supported the project team during the design process.</p><p>Sveico AB is located in Gnosjö, Sweden and manufactures kitchen utensils and other kitchen accessories. In the Sveico AB product portfolio resides the Gastromax series of kitchen tools for the ”home chef”. The lack of a foldable grater within the Gastromax series was noticed by the Sveico AB management, which brought about this project.</p><p>The largest part of this project was a very thorough pre-study phase, where the project team mapped out the needs and wishes of the users, along with research about the market of the product. The pre-study consists of interviews with consumers, professional users and representatives of commerce, along with user studies.</p><p>During the product development process, a number of idea generation methods has been used, both internally in the project team and externally with uninitiated individuals. During the subsequent concept generation phase, emphasis was put on the development of physical models, used to evaluate ideas and solutions.</p><p>Out of the 19 concepts that were developed during the concept generation phase, six was chosen through a set of systematic evaluation routines. These six concepts were presented to the assigners that in turn chose two of the concepts for the project team to develop further. These two concepts was then combined and transformed into the final product proposal.</p><p>The final, detailed solution is surrounded with secrecy, but three key concepts in the final foldable grater can be officially stated:</p><ul><li>A long grating surface</li><li>Adjustable work angle</li><li>Two grating surfaces: one fine and one coarse</li></ul><p>The final result of the project is a product description of the grater, with a proposal of a general design, a mechanical solution of the adjustability aspect and a suggestion of materials for the different product components.</p>

<p>Careers education was first established in Sweden at the beginning of the 1940s. At that time it was mainly the concern of the Swedish Labour Market Board. The Labour Market Board started to develop a model, partly influenced by the activities of other countries in the field, that over the years grew into something exceptional with for instance a lot of activities in schools.</p><p>In the early stages the aim was the development and production of informational texts. The person behind most of the ideas was Einar Neymark. In 1971, responsibility for careers education was handed over to the school authorities except for the part concerning the production of occupational information texts.</p><p>The aim of this study is to improve our understanding of careers education as it is represented in occupational information texts produced by the Swedish Labour Market Board, in the period from 1940 - 1970.</p><p>The empirical research focuses on careers education and gaining an understanding through the texts within (not about) careers education. The research has a philosophical-hermeneutic orientation and falls into two parts. Starting from an assumption that the intentions behind careers education are met, three “careers education realities” are constructed for the sake of argument. These realities are then analysed using a theoretical framework grounded in educational sociology, or more precisely the thinking of Durkheim and Bernstein. The result shows that careers education plays an important role in making invisible the connection between school and society hierarchies and also in creating a collective conscience in a Durkheimian sense.</p><p>The first constructed “reality” shows that a careers education based on labour market considerations is both normative and deterministic. In this careers education the labour market consists of a variety of working lives depending on who you are and where you come from. For that reason careers education is both limiting and subordinating according to sex and class background.</p><p>A consciousness-raising careers education is moralizing and limiting. A “perfect” working life is presented to which individuals can relate their personal qualities. For that reason careers education also subordinates.</p><p>A study-motivating careers education is principally motivating for those who have already had good experiences of schooling. It limits and subordinates primarely in terms of sex. Possible relations between education and working life are mostly discussed in general terms. For example, education will be a good thing to have in a future working life as an insurance against unemployment.</p><p>The extended analysis, where the above mentioned results are put together, shows that careers education can be described as unjust, limiting and concealing. It is unfair in that it creates images about different and non-questionable working lives for young people to fit into, in that it perpetuates sex and class subordination, and in that it uses present individually related competencies as the grounds for future education and employment. It is limiting through being normative, moralizing and subordinating. It is concealing in that it is being selective concerning the information given in the texts prepared for pupils.</p><p>Careers education is also adjustable. It fits easily into different situations by being pragmatic and flexible, as is shown by the impact of other scientific areas. This adjustability makes it possible to use careers education regardless of the conception you may have of career choices or wherever careers education is carried out. Being adjustable is not something to be avoided in careers education, on the contrary it is a condition for its existence.</p>

In this thesis, new methods that address some current limitations in nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry (nESI-MS) analysis are presented. One of the major objectives is the potential gain in sensitivity that can be obtained when employing the proposed techniques. In the first part of this thesis, a new emitter, based on the generation of electrospray from a spray orifice with variable size, is presented. Electrospray is generated from an open gap between the edges of two individually mounted, pointed tips. The fabrication and evaluation of two different types of such emitters is presented; an ESI emitter fabricated from polyethylene terephtalate (Paper I), and a high-precision silicon device (Paper II). Both emitters were surface-treated in a selective way for an improved wetting of the gap and to confine the sample solution into the gap. In the second part of this thesis, different methods for improved sensitivity of nESI-MS analysis have been developed. In Paper III, a method for nESI-MS analysis from discrete sample volumes down to 1.5 nL is presented, using commercially available nESI needles. When analyzing attomole amounts of analyte in such a small volume of sample, an increased sensitivity was obtained, compared to when analyzing equal amounts in conventional nESI-MS analysis. To be able to analyze smaller sample volumes, needles with a narrower orifice and a higher flow resistance were needed. This triggered the development of a new method for fabrication of fused silica nESI needles (Paper IV). The fabrication is based on melting of a fused silica capillary by means of a rotating plasma, prior to pulling the capillary into a fine tip. Using the described technique, needles with sub-micrometer orifices could be fabricated. Such needles enabled the analysis of sample volumes down to 275 pL, and a further improvement of the sensitivity was obtained. In a final project (Paper V), nESI-MS was used to study the aggregation behavior of Aβ peptides, related to Alzheimer’s disease. An immunoprecipitation followed by nESI-MS was employed. This technique was also utilized to study the selectivity of the antibodies utilized. / QC 20101112