There exists considerable motivation to reduce vehicle weight through the adoption of lightweight materials, such as aluminum alloys, while maintaining energy absorption and component integrity under crash conditions. To this end, it is of particular interest to study the crash behaviour of lightweight tubular hydroformed structures to determine how the forming behaviour affects the axial crush response. Thus, the current research has studied the dynamic crush response of both non-hydroformed and hydroformed EN-AW 5018 and AA5754 aluminum alloy tubes using both experimental and numerical methods. Experiments were performed in which hydroforming process parameters were varied in a parametric fashion after which the crash response was measured. Experimental parameters included the tube thickness and the hydroformed corner radii of the tubes. Explicit dynamic finite element simulations of the hydroforming and crash events were carried out with particular attention to the transfer of forming history from the hydroforming simulations to the crash models. The results showed that increases in the strength of the material due to work hardening during hydroforming were beneficial in increasing energy absorption during crash. However, it was shown that thinning in the corners of the tube during hydroforming decreased the energy absorption capabilities during axial crush. Residual stresses resulting from hydroforming had little effect on the energy absorption characteristics during axial crush. The current research has shown that, in addition to capturing the forming history in the crash models, it is also important to account for effects of material non-linearity such as kinematic hardening, anisotropy, and strain-rate effects in the finite element models. A model combining a non-linear kinematic hardening model, the Johnson-Cook rate sensitive model, and the Yld2000-2d anisotropic model was developed and implemented in the finite element simulations. This combined model did not account for the effect of rotational hardening (plastic spin) due to plastic deformation. It is recommended that a combined constitutive model, such as the one described in this research, be utilized for the finite element study of materials that show sensitivity to the Bauschinger effect, strain-rate effects, and anisotropy.

There exists considerable motivation to reduce vehicle weight through the adoption of lightweight materials, such as aluminum alloys, while maintaining energy absorption and component integrity under crash conditions. To this end, it is of particular interest to study the crash behaviour of lightweight tubular hydroformed structures to determine how the forming behaviour affects the axial crush response. Thus, the current research has studied the dynamic crush response of both non-hydroformed and hydroformed EN-AW 5018 and AA5754 aluminum alloy tubes using both experimental and numerical methods. Experiments were performed in which hydroforming process parameters were varied in a parametric fashion after which the crash response was measured. Experimental parameters included the tube thickness and the hydroformed corner radii of the tubes. Explicit dynamic finite element simulations of the hydroforming and crash events were carried out with particular attention to the transfer of forming history from the hydroforming simulations to the crash models. The results showed that increases in the strength of the material due to work hardening during hydroforming were beneficial in increasing energy absorption during crash. However, it was shown that thinning in the corners of the tube during hydroforming decreased the energy absorption capabilities during axial crush. Residual stresses resulting from hydroforming had little effect on the energy absorption characteristics during axial crush. The current research has shown that, in addition to capturing the forming history in the crash models, it is also important to account for effects of material non-linearity such as kinematic hardening, anisotropy, and strain-rate effects in the finite element models. A model combining a non-linear kinematic hardening model, the Johnson-Cook rate sensitive model, and the Yld2000-2d anisotropic model was developed and implemented in the finite element simulations. This combined model did not account for the effect of rotational hardening (plastic spin) due to plastic deformation. It is recommended that a combined constitutive model, such as the one described in this research, be utilized for the finite element study of materials that show sensitivity to the Bauschinger effect, strain-rate effects, and anisotropy.

Lighter structural and energy absorbing materials are essential to increase fuel efficiency in transportation systems and have provided a motivation to investigate the use of new joining techniques based on the use of high strength and high tenacity adhesives. Current joining techniques, such as spot-welding, limit the possible weight reduction that can be achieved if lighter sections, dissimilar materials and/or novel geometries were to be used. Adhesive materials can address many limitations of current joining techniques. To take advantage of the available numerical codes for the simulation of bonded structures during dynamic crash events, a constitutive model for structural adhesive material using cohesive elements was assembled from the measured properties of two structural adhesives; DP-460NS and EC-2214 (3M, Canada). To verify that the proposed cohesive model accurately describes the behavior of the materials a two stage approach was used. First, a cohesive element formulation of the adhesive material was implemented to investigate a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) (ASTM test D3433-99). The results of the simulation were compared against available experimental data. Second, using sub-size crush tube structures assembled from steel sections that were adhesively bonded, quasi-static and impact events were performed. The results from the experiment were compared against the numerical simulation of the same structure using cohesive elements to describe the adhesive joint. Later, Tie-Breaks were implemented to reduce computational times. Both types of elements successfully represented the adhesive joint and the numerical model of the crush tube was in good agreement with the overall load-displacement behavior of the experimental crush tubes. The use and testing of sub-size structures not only permitted the validation of the numerical models; it also investigated the feasibility of adhesive-only joints in automotive structures that may be exposed to crash scenarios. Sub-sized tubes were used due to equipment capacity limits, but an analysis was undertaken to demonstrate appropriate structural scaling. Even though the results between the experiments and the simulations were in very good agreement, it is clear that current cohesive material models and Tie-Breaks cannot incorporate strain rate effects, which may be important under dynamic impact conditions. Although testing in the literature has reported that the mechanical properties of the bond are affected by the properties of the joined materials as well as the geometry of the joint, these effects in the case of crush tube structures seem perhaps negligible in view of the simulation results.

This dissertation focuses on developing a predictive method for determining the dynamic densification behavior of thermite powder mixtures consisting of equivolumetric mixtures of Ta + Fe₂O₃ and Ta + Bi₂O₃. Of primary importance to these highly reactive powder mixtures is the ability to characterize the stress at which full compaction occurs, the crush strength, which can significantly influence the stress required to initiate reaction during dynamic or impact loading. Examined specifically are the quasi-static and dynamic compaction responses of these mixtures. Experimentally obtained compaction responses in the quasi-static regime are analyzed using available compaction models, and an analysis technique is developed that allows for a correct measurement of the apparent yield strength of the powder mixtures. The correctly determined apparent yield strength is combined with an equation of state to yield a prediction of the shock densification response, including the dynamic crush strength of the thermite powder mixtures. The validated approach is also extended to the Al + Fe₂O₃ thermite system. It is found that accurate predictions of the crush strength can be obtained through determination of the apparent yield strength of the powder mixture when incorporated into the equation of state. It is observed that the predictive ability in the incomplete compaction region is configurationally dependent for highly heterogeneous thermite powder systems, which is in turn influenced by particle morphology and differences in intrinsic properties of constituents (density, strength, etc.).

Purpose: Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss is a measure of the progression of many visual disorders. It is important to identify RGCs with good specificity, so RGC numbers can be reliably analyzed. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of two current RGC markers: Brn3a immunohistochemistry and the expression of Thy1-CFP in the Thy1-CFP transgenic mouse. Methods: Rhodamine-?-isothiocyanate (RITC) retrograde labeling, immunohistochemistry, wholemount retinal imaging, western blot, cross sectional analysis and cell densities in uninjured control animals and 3, 5, 7 and 14 days post-optic nerve crush (ONC) or transection (ONT) were tabulated. Results: Brn3a positive (Brn3a+) cell density was significantly less than RITC positive (RITC+) cell density in control mice. After ON injury, Brn3a+ cell density did not decrease at the same rate as RITC+ cell density. The density of RGCs that express Brn3a was significantly less than the individual Brn3a+ and RITC+ cell density at all experimental time points. Thy1-CFP positive (Thy1-CFP+) cell density was significantly less than RITC+ in control mice and significantly more than RITC+ cell density 14 days after ON injury. Thy1-CFP co-localized with ChAT positive (ChAT+) cells 7 days after ONT. Conclusion: Brn3a and Thy1-CFP are not reliable markers of RGCs. Retrograde labeling remains one of the most reliable methods of labeling RGCs in mice.

In this project the relation between pore size/porosity and the mechanical properties has been studied in the aerogel-like material Quartzene®. Quartzene® is a patented material produced by Svenska Aerogel AB. Density measurements were made on three different types of Svenska Aerogels ABs Quartzene® in the shape of pellets.These three types of Quartzene® is called CMS, ND and E9. The mechanical properties were studied by doing diametrical crush-tests on the pellets. Afterwards the samples were examined through SEM in order to study the structural properties like porosity and microstructure. By examining the materials in this order the group hoped to find a correlation between the mechanical properties and the pore size/porosity. Other microscopic analyses such as TEM and FIB was considered, but due to time limitation these methods were not used. Rough density measurements resulted in an estimated density of 0.82-0.88 g/cm3 for CMS, 0.28-0.30 g/cm3 for E9 and 0.21-0.22 g/cm3 for ND. The crush-tests resulted in a mean fracture stress of 0.81-0.89 MPa for CMS, 0.30 MPa for E9 and 0.20-0.21 MPa for ND. Studying the materials in SEM resulted in an observed mean pore size of 59-73 nm for CMS, 264-362 nm for E9 and 690-710 nm for ND in the mesoporous domain. A subtle relationship between density/pore size and fracture was obtained, with a higher density and smaller pores leading to a higher fracture stress. Due to the lack of data in this study, it is recommended though that this is something that should be examined further before any conclusions can be made. In general Quartzene® has shown to be a brittle material, but this study indicates that the mechanical properties could be controlled in somehow through the microstructure of the material, focusing on controlling the pore sizes. Further investigations in sintering of Quartzene® are also recommended in this study because of its promising effects on the mechanical properties shown in other studies.

The aim of this thesis was to increase understanding of King company success in the social mobile game industry by asking the question: How does a company manage to organize the innovation work in successful casual games within social mobile gaming industry? In order to answer it, we conducted a case study research with secondary data in which we examined the company to discover the elements that contribute to this success, despite a lack of research in how these kind of companies build their business model and strategies, highlighting the players' behaviour. Our findings conclude it is possible to success in social mobile game industry using incremental innovation in different aspects: games design, implementation of the games, and in the business model.  By applying this innovation, with a good viral strategy and giving the player the decision to play by free or purchasing virtual goods, King has been able to become the largest developer game company on Facebook.

Lighter structural and energy absorbing materials are essential to increase fuel efficiency in transportation systems and have provided a motivation to investigate the use of new joining techniques based on the use of high strength and high tenacity adhesives. Current joining techniques, such as spot-welding, limit the possible weight reduction that can be achieved if lighter sections, dissimilar materials and/or novel geometries were to be used. Adhesive materials can address many limitations of current joining techniques. To take advantage of the available numerical codes for the simulation of bonded structures during dynamic crash events, a constitutive model for structural adhesive material using cohesive elements was assembled from the measured properties of two structural adhesives; DP-460NS and EC-2214 (3M, Canada). To verify that the proposed cohesive model accurately describes the behavior of the materials a two stage approach was used. First, a cohesive element formulation of the adhesive material was implemented to investigate a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) (ASTM test D3433-99). The results of the simulation were compared against available experimental data. Second, using sub-size crush tube structures assembled from steel sections that were adhesively bonded, quasi-static and impact events were performed. The results from the experiment were compared against the numerical simulation of the same structure using cohesive elements to describe the adhesive joint. Later, Tie-Breaks were implemented to reduce computational times. Both types of elements successfully represented the adhesive joint and the numerical model of the crush tube was in good agreement with the overall load-displacement behavior of the experimental crush tubes. The use and testing of sub-size structures not only permitted the validation of the numerical models; it also investigated the feasibility of adhesive-only joints in automotive structures that may be exposed to crash scenarios. Sub-sized tubes were used due to equipment capacity limits, but an analysis was undertaken to demonstrate appropriate structural scaling. Even though the results between the experiments and the simulations were in very good agreement, it is clear that current cohesive material models and Tie-Breaks cannot incorporate strain rate effects, which may be important under dynamic impact conditions. Although testing in the literature has reported that the mechanical properties of the bond are affected by the properties of the joined materials as well as the geometry of the joint, these effects in the case of crush tube structures seem perhaps negligible in view of the simulation results.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar as alterações microvasculares intraneurais agudas em nervo isquiático de rato submetido à esmagamento por diferentes cargas. Foram utilizados sessenta ratos machos da linhagem Wistar, distribuídos em dois grupos experimentais de acordo com o protocolo de injeção de vasos e subdivididos de acordo com a carga de esmagamento. Os nervos isquiáticos direitos de cada grupo experimental foram isolados e submetidos ao esmagamento com diferentes cargas (0,5 Kg, 1 Kg, 5 Kg, 10 kg e 15 kg) por 10 minutos e os nervos isquiáticos esquerdos foram utilizados como controle. Após o esmagamento, 30 animais foram submetidos ao Protocolo I, que constou de: cateterização da aorta abdominal, perfusão manual da solução composta de tinta da China e gelatina 5% em formol 10%, dissecação e retirada dos nervos direitos e esquerdos, desidratação e diafanização para análise longitudinal dos vasos intraneurais. Os outros trinta animais foram submetidos ao Protocolo II, que constou de: cateterização da aorta abdominal e perfundidos com solução composta de tinta da China e gelatina 5% em soro fisiológico e, após, mantidos em freezer -20°C por uma hora. Em seguida os nervos foram dissecados e retirados em toda a sua extensão, cortados em 3 fragmentos, congelados em isopentano em gelo seco e armazenados em freezer -70°C, seccionados em cortes transversais semi-seriados em criostato para análise e contagem dos vasos intraneurais. Os resultados mostraram regiões de hematoma endoneural e epineural nas diferentes cargas utilizadas indicando que as forças de esmagamento foram suficientes para lesar os vasos intraneurais do nervo isquiático, especialmente com cargas elevadas. A análise morfométrica mostrou um comportamento diferente nas três regiões estudadas, constatando menor número de vasos na região do esmagamento e não nas regiões acima e abaixo da mesma. Estes resultados sugerem lesão localizada dos vasos intraneurais que foi proporcional à carga de esmagamento, causando hematoma endoneural e epineural, o que criará um microambiente desfavorável para a regeneração das fibras nervosas que também foram lesadas nesse modelo. / The objective of this work was to study the acute intraneurial microvascular changes in the rat sciatic nerve submitted to a crush injury by different loads. Sixty Wistar male rats were used and distributed into two experimental groups according to vessel injection protocol and subdivided according to the crush load. The right sciatic nerves of each experimental group were isolated and submitted to crush by different loads (0,5 Kg, 1 Kg, 5 Kg, 10 kg and 15 kg) for ten minutes. The left sciatic nerves were used as controls. After the crush, thirty animals were submitted to Protocol I, which consisted of: abdominal aorta catheterization, manual perfusion withf a solution composed of China ink and gelatin 5% in formaldehyde 10%. After that the right and left nerves were collected, fixed in formaldehyde10%, dehydrated and diaphanized for longitudinal analysis of the intraneurial vessels. The other thirty animals were submitted to Protocol II, which consisted of: abdominal aorta catheterization, as described above and perfused with a solution of China ink and gelatin 5% in physiologic saline and then placed in a freezer at -20°C for one hour. After that the nerves were dissected and removed in their entire length, cut into three fragments, frozen in isopentane and dry ice and placed in a freezer at -70°C, cut in semi-serial histological transverse sections for analysis and intraneurial vessel quantification.The results showed endoneurial and epineurial haematoma areas in the different groups, indicating that the crush forces were enough to damage the intraneurial vessels, specially with high loads. The morphometrical analysis showed a different profile in the three fragments, with smaller number of vessels in the crush region then above and below, suggesting that the damage to intraneurial vessels was proportional to the crush load, causing endoneurial and epineurial haematoma, which creates an unfavorable microenvironment for the regeneration of the nerve fibers that were also damaged in that model.

Dark game design patterns are features used by game creators to manipulate the player to make certain choices. These patterns can lead to unintentional player actions causing negative experiences. In this descriptive user experience study, focused on the mobile game Candy Crush Saga, the dark patterns’ effect on desirability (whether something is fun and engaging) and the players’ decision to quit or continue to be a player due to the patterns were investigated. An online survey, where the participants were asked about their feelings towards five different dark patterns identified within Candy Crush Saga, was conducted and distributed by using Google Forms and Facebook. The survey received 60 responses from current and previous players of the game. The sample was not controlled and rather homogeneous, therefore it was not necessarily representative of the entire Candy Crush Saga audience. The analysis of the gathered data indicated correlation between the use of certain types of dark patterns and decreased desirability. Some variation could be detected between the effects of different dark patterns. Similarly, certain patterns had a stronger impact on the players’ decision to quit being a player and other patterns on the choice to continue. Four out of the five patterns studied were indicated as both a reason to quit for some and a reason to continue for others.  The results offer insight to game developers and businesses about the previously insufficiently studied connection between the dark game design patterns and their direct effects to the users’ perceived experience. It is apparent that a decrease in the use of certain dark patterns would contribute to  a more positive playing experience.