Context: It has been suggested that muscle fatigue can lead to injury, however, research investigating this phenomenon in functional ankle instability (FAI) subjects is lacking. Aim: The purpose of this thesis was to research postural sway and muscular latency in FAI subjects and healthy controls, both before and immediately after localised and globalised fatigue protocols. Subjects: All subjects used in this project were males, between the ages of 18 and 25 years, and participated in regular (>2 x week) aerobic exercise. Subjects were categorised into healthy subjects, or subjects with a history of FAI using the FAI questionnaire. Methods: Neuromuscular control was analysed in FAI subjects and healthy controls through measures of muscular latency and postural sway. These measures were repeated both before and immediately after localised and globalised fatigue protocols. Results: The induction of localised and globalised fatigue had no effect on muscle latency in the FAI or healthy subjects. However, postural sway was significantly increased in the FAI subjects, following localised and globalised fatigue, with globalised fatigue also significantly increasing postural sway in the healthy subjects. The globalised football-specific fatigue protocol caused the greatest deficits in the FAI subjects, but also the healthy controls. Conclusions: In terms of muscle latency individuals that participate in sports, as well as sports clinicians and coaches, should not be concerned about the theorised relationship between the onset of fatigue and an increased injury risk at the ankle. However, in terms of postural sway the globalised football-specific fatigue protocol caused the greatest deficits. This highlights that the fatigued individual may be at greater risk of musculoskeletal injury during prolonged exercise that involves multiple joints, such as a football match.

"Health monitoring of structures by experimental modal analysis is typically performed with piezoelectric based transducers. These transducers are usually heavy, large in size, and require high power to operate, all of which reduce their versatility and applicability to small components and structures. The advanced developments of microfabrication and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have lead to progressive designs of small footprint, low dynamic mass and actuation power, and high-resolution inertial sensors. Because of their small dimensions and masses, MEMS inertial sensors could potentially replace the piezoelectric transducers for experimental modal analysis of small components and structures. To transfer data from MEMS inertial sensors to signal analyzers, traditional wiring methods may be utilized. Such methods provide reliable data transfer and are simple to integrate. However, in order to study complex structures, multiple inertial sensors, attached to different locations on a structure, are required. In such cases, using wires increases complexity and eliminates possibility of achieving long distance monitoring. Therefore, there is a need to implement wireless communications capabilities to MEMS sensors. In this thesis, two different wireless communication systems have been developed to achieve wireless health monitoring of structures using MEMS inertial sensors. One of the systems is designed to transmit analog signals, while the other transmits digital signals. The analog wireless system is characterized by a linear frequency response function in the range of 400 Hz to 16 kHz, which covers the frequency bandwidth of the MEMS inertial sensors. This system is used to perform modal analysis of a test structure by applying multiple sensors to the structure. To verify the results obtained with MEMS inertial sensors, noninvasive, laser optoelectronic holography (OEH) methodology is utilized to determine modal characteristics of the structure. The structure is also modeled with analytical and computational methods for correlation of and verification with the experimental measurements. Results indicate that attachment of MEMS inertial sensors, in spite of their small mass, has measurable effects on the modal characteristics of the structure being considered, verifying their applicability in health monitoring of structures. The digital wireless system is used to perform high resolution tilt and rotation measurements of an object subjected to angular and linear accelerations. Since the system has been developed based on a microcontroller, programs have been developed to interface the output signals of the sensors to the microcontroller and RF components. The system is calibrated using the actual driving electronics of the MEMS sensors, and it has achieved an angular resolution of 1.8 mrad. The results show viability of the wireless MEMS inertial sensors in applications requiring accurate tilt and rotation measurements. Additional results presented included application of a MEMS gyroscope and microcontroller to perform angular rate measurements. Since the MEMS gyroscope only generates analog output signals, an analog to digital conversion circuit was developed. Also, a program has been developed to perform analog to digital conversion with two decimal places of accuracy. The experimental results demonstrate feasibility of using the microcontroller and the gyroscope to perform wireless angular rate measurements."

Orthostatic hypotension is a common problem for individuals with spinal cord lesions, especially in the acute period after spinal cord injury. The first part of this study deals with the theoretical analysis of the pathophysiology of cardiovascular control after spinal cord injury, the definition of orthostatic hypotension and its inclusion within the classification of the syncopal conditions. An important part of the theoretical part is the management of orthostatic hypotension, which brings non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches, and marginally pharmacology, to decrease the severity of this condition. The experimental part focuses on testing of a group of probands with spinal cord injury (11 quadriplegics) on two different types of tilt tables according to the same protocol. The first tilt table is a standard; the second one is Erigo, tilt table with integrated robotic mechanism, which moves the legs to simulate walking. The parameters, such as blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and the occurrence and severity of pre-synkopal symptoms, were compared. The study is based on the assumption that passive leg movement, which is mediated by the Erigo, will maintain venous return, cardiac output, and a significant drop in blood pressure and development of orthostatic hypotension,...

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo primário abordar os atuais conhecimentos sobre o transporte ferroviário interurbano e regional de passageiros, com foco na tecnologia dos trens de caixa móvel, também conhecidos como trens pendulares. Como objetivo secundário busca-se analisar a influência dos trens de caixa móvel ou pendulares na implantação e operação de novas ferrovias, com ênfase na adequação em fase de projeto, mostrando-se o potencial dessa tecnologia para o aumento da velocidade média e a redução dos tempos de viagem. São tratados os tópicos relevantes para o transporte ferroviário de passageiros, como o conforto do usuário, as especificações técnicas do material rodante e referências dos custos de implantação e operação envolvidos, mostrando-se também dentro de cada aspecto as diferenças dos trens pendulares em relação aos trens convencionais. Três estudos de caso elaborados terão como objetivo explicitar as interveniências da operação dos trens pendulares com o projeto ferroviário, em especial com o projeto geométrico, e através de simulações de marcha e comparações, mostrar de maneira prática o potencial do uso dos trens pendulares. Através do embasamento teórico e dos estudos de caso, é feita uma análise crítica de modo a possibilitar tanto um entendimento do transporte ferroviário de passageiros, quanto do material rodante de caixa móvel e suas possibilidades. Os resultados dos estudos de caso e a análise crítica mostram uma redução significativa dos tempos de viagem, entre 8,1 e 20,0%, mediante a operação de trens pendulares em substituição ao material rodante convencional. / As a primary objective, the present work aims to summarize the current knowledge on intercity and regional passenger railway transportation, focusing on tilting train technology, also known as car body tilt. As a secondary objective, the present work seeks to analyze the influence of tilting train technology on the design, implementation and operation of new railway corridors, with emphasis on design phase, showing the potential of this technology to increase speeds and reduce travel times. Railway passenger transportation issues, such as passenger comfort, rolling stock technical specifications and implementation and operational costs are addressed. Additionally, different aspects between conventional and tilting trains are also discussed. Three case studies help clarify the correlation between tilting train operation and railway design, especially the geometric design; further, with the help of speed simulations and comparisons, the potential use of tilting train operations are demonstrated. With the theoretical basis and the case studies, a critical analysis is made, allowing as a better understanding of railway passenger transportation with regards to the use of tilting rolling stock and its possibilities. The results of the case studies and the critical analysis present a considerable reduction in travel times, between 8,1 and 20,0%, with the operation of tilting trains in the place of the conventional rolling stock.

In this thesis we investigate advanced techniques for the readout and control of various interferometers. In particular, we present experimental investigations of interferometer configurations and control techniques to be used in second generation interferometric gravitational wave detectors. We also present a new technique, tilt locking, for the readout and control of optical interferometers. ¶ We report the first experimental demonstration of a Sagnac interferometer with resonant sideband extraction (RSE). We measure the frequency response to modulation of the length of the arms and demonstrate an increase in signal bandwidth of by a factor of 6.5 compared to the Sagnac with arm cavities only. We compare Sagnac interferometers based on optical cavities with cavity-based Michelson interferometers and find that the Sagnac configuration has little overall advantage in a cavity-based system. ¶ A system for the control and signal extraction of a power recycled Michelson interferometer with RSE is presented. This control system employs a frontal modulation scheme requiring a phase modulated carrier field and a phase modulated subcarrier field. The system is capable of locking all 5 length degrees of freedom and allows the signal cavity to be detuned over the entire range of possibilities, in principle, whilst maintaining lock. We analytically investigate the modulation/demodulation techniques used to obtain these error signals, presenting an introductory explanation of single sideband modulation/demodulation and double demodulation. ¶ This control system is implemented on a benchtop prototype interferometer. We discuss technical problems associated with production of the input beam modulation components and present several solutions. Operation of the interferometer is demonstrated for a wide range of detunings. The frequency response of the interferometer is measured for various detuned points and we observe good agreement with theoretical predictions. The ability of the control system to maintain lock as the interferometer is detuned is experimentally demonstrated. ¶ Tilt locking, a new technique to obtain an error signal to lock a laser to an optical cavity, is presented. This technique produces an error signal by efficient measurement of the interference between the TEM00 and TEM10 modes. We perform experimental and theoretical comparisons with the widely used Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) technique. We derive the quantum noise limit to the sensitivity of a measurement of the beam position, and using this result calculate the shot noise limited sensitivity of tilt locking. We show that tilt locking has a quantum efficiency of 80%, compared to 82% for the PDH technique. We present experimental demonstrations of tilt locking in several applications including frequency stabilisation, continuous-wave second harmonic generation, and injection locking of a Nd:YAG slab laser. In each of these cases, we demonstrate that the performance of tilt locking is not the limiting factor of the lock stability, and show that it achieves similar performance to the PDH based system. ¶ Finally, we discuss how tilt locking can be effectively applied to two beam interferometers. We show experimentally how a two beam interferometer typically gives excellent isolation against errors arising from changes in the photodetector position, and experimentally demonstrate the use of tilt locking as a signal readout system for a Sagnac interferometer.

<p>Pictorial cues, together with motion and stereoscopic depth fields, can be used for perception and constitute ‘three kinds’ of vision. Edges in images are important features and can be created in either of these attributes. Are local edge and global shape detection processes attribute-specific? Three visual phenomena, believed to be due to low-level visual processes, were used as probes to address these issues. (1) Tilt illusions (misperceived orientation of a bar caused by an inducing grating) were used to investigate possible binding of edges across attributes. Double dissociation of tilt repulsion illusions (obtained with small orientation differences between inducer and bar) and attraction illusions (obtained with large orientation differences) suggest different mechanisms for their origins. Repulsion effects are believed to be due to processes in striate cortex and attraction because of higher level processing. The double dissociation was reproduced irrespective of the attributes used to create the inducing grating and the test-bar, suggesting that the detection and binding of edges across attributes take place in striate cortex. (2) Luminance-based illusory contour perception is another phenomenon believed to be mediated by processes in early visual cortical areas. Illusory contours can be cued by other attributes as well. Detection facilitation of a near-threshold luminous line occurred when it was superimposed on illusory contours irrespective of the attributes used as inducers. The result suggests attribute-independent activation of edge detectors, responding to real as well as illusory contours. (3) The performance in detecting snake-like shapes composed of aligned oriented elements embedded in randomly oriented noise elements was similar irrespective of the attributes used to create the elements. Performance when the attributes alternated along the path was superior to that predicted with an independent channel model. These results are discussed in terms of binding across attributes by feed-forward activation of orientation selective attribute-invariant cells (conjunction cells) in early stages of processing and contextual modulation and binding across visual space mediated by lateral and/or feedback signals from higher areas (dynamic binding).</p>

Pictorial cues, together with motion and stereoscopic depth fields, can be used for perception and constitute ‘three kinds’ of vision. Edges in images are important features and can be created in either of these attributes. Are local edge and global shape detection processes attribute-specific? Three visual phenomena, believed to be due to low-level visual processes, were used as probes to address these issues. (1) Tilt illusions (misperceived orientation of a bar caused by an inducing grating) were used to investigate possible binding of edges across attributes. Double dissociation of tilt repulsion illusions (obtained with small orientation differences between inducer and bar) and attraction illusions (obtained with large orientation differences) suggest different mechanisms for their origins. Repulsion effects are believed to be due to processes in striate cortex and attraction because of higher level processing. The double dissociation was reproduced irrespective of the attributes used to create the inducing grating and the test-bar, suggesting that the detection and binding of edges across attributes take place in striate cortex. (2) Luminance-based illusory contour perception is another phenomenon believed to be mediated by processes in early visual cortical areas. Illusory contours can be cued by other attributes as well. Detection facilitation of a near-threshold luminous line occurred when it was superimposed on illusory contours irrespective of the attributes used as inducers. The result suggests attribute-independent activation of edge detectors, responding to real as well as illusory contours. (3) The performance in detecting snake-like shapes composed of aligned oriented elements embedded in randomly oriented noise elements was similar irrespective of the attributes used to create the elements. Performance when the attributes alternated along the path was superior to that predicted with an independent channel model. These results are discussed in terms of binding across attributes by feed-forward activation of orientation selective attribute-invariant cells (conjunction cells) in early stages of processing and contextual modulation and binding across visual space mediated by lateral and/or feedback signals from higher areas (dynamic binding).

‘Optical Caustics’ represent some of the most visually striking patterns of the light in nature.They occur when light rays from a source, such as the sun, get refracted, or reflected by curved media so as to bend and alter their path. They are ubiquitous and signify the regions of space in which many rays intersect to form bright singularities along a two-or a three-dimensional surface. The associated 2-D patterns (caustic patterns) could be simple or complex in ‘shape and size’ depending upon the optical arrangement used to produce them. Such patterns exhibit either a static or a dynamic behavior which can be controlled sensitively by the medium or the device used to produce them. The present thesis concerns with a few novel contributions in utilization of such optical caustics for the measurement of small angular rotation/tilt of objects. Utilizing a ‘hollow cylinder’ as a novel device for the generation of the optical caustics, the author proposed and demonstrated three new schemes of realizing a position-dependent-behavior of ‘Optical Caustic Patterns’. The said behavior is investigated both analytically as well as experimentally. The results of the investigation are then utilized to propose and demonstrate three methods of magnifying angular displacement of the hollow cylinder. The salient feature of the principle behind each of the said methods is illustrated in the figures below. The patterns in each of the above pictures correspond to two different positions of the hollow cylinder-the pattern in white color corresponds to the initial position while that in red color corresponds to new angular position of the cylinder. Defining S1 = ƒ (LΔΦ), S2= ƒ(TΔΦ) and S3= ƒ(ξ ΔΦ) as new signals from the proposed methods, it has been shown that each of them represent a magnified measure of the change in the angular position of the cylinder ΔΦ. Further, if a plane mirror is used in place of cylinder in the proposed methods, the corresponding signal S for the same change in the angular position ΔΦis represented by ΔD. For a chosen set of the experimental conditions, it is shown that for unit change in ΔΦ, the values of S1, S2 and S3 change 30, 37 and 62 times faster than ΔD. The investigations clearly demonstrate that hollow cylinders can be advantageously used as position-magnifying angle-sensing devices. The results of the investigations also suggest that in application areas such as auto collimation, torsion pendulum and design of motion control stages, this device is expected to bring in new advances.

Registruojant (fotografuojant) objektus, dėl netinkamos vaizdo kameros padėties ar nepakankamos judėjimo erdvės gaunami vaizdo iškraipymai. Tokie vaizdų iškraipymai vadinami sukimosi ir perspektyvos iškraipymais. Šio darbo tikslas – ištirti kaip tiksliai, panaudojant vaizdo kameros posvyrio kampų reikšmes ir atstumą iki registruojamo objekto, galima atstatyti iškreiptą vaizdą. Vaizdo kameros posvyrio kampų (krypavimo ir nuolydžio) matavimui, pritaikomas trijų ašių analoginis akcelerometras, o atstumui matuoti – ultragarsinis atstumo jutiklis. Pasuktų vaizdų atstatymui naudojami sukonstruoto vaizdo kameros posvyrio kampų matuoklio duomenys. Kaip alternatyvi priemonė, vaizdo pasukimo kampui nustatyti, naudojama „radon“ transformacija. Tyrimai parodė, kad vaizdų atstatymui geriau naudoti vaizdo kameros posvyrio kampų matuokliu išmatuotus krypavimo kampus, nes „radon“ transformacija negalima nustatyti sudėtingų vaizdų pasukimo kampo. Vaizdo perspektyvos iškraipymų atstatymui, pagal “pinhole” (mažos skylutės) kameros modelį, kuris dažniausiai naudojamas robotų regoje, buvo sudarytas matematinis modelis. Šis modelis, lyginant su vaizdų atstatymo pagal keturis objekto kampus metodu, tinka įvairesnių formų iškreiptiems vaizdams atstatyti. Vaizdų atstatymui pasitelktas MathWorks, Image Processing paketas. Atstatytų vaizdų palyginimui su originaliu, skaičuojamas dvimatis koreliacijos koeficientas tarp dviejų to paties dydžio vaizdo matricų. / Image distortions may appear because of inappropriate position of the camera or because of an insufficient space movement while taking pictures of objects. These kinds of image distortions are called rotation and perspective distortions. The aim of the work is to investigate how the camera tilt meanings and distance to the object could help to restore the image distortions. To measure camera tilt angles (roll and pitch angles) the three axis analogical accelerometer is used, and to measure the distance - ultrasonic range finder. The measurements of designed camera tilt angles device data is used in order to restore rotated images. As an alternative method for setting roll angle, the “radon” transformation is used. The researches have showed that it is more useful to use the measurements of camera roll angles, because “radon” transformation is not capable to identify rotation angles of elaborate images. To set image perspective distortion rectification according to “pinhole” camera model, which is used in robot vision, the mathematical model was made. This model compared with image restoration according to four object corners method is more suitable for various forms of image distortions. To restore image MathWorks, Image Processing batch was used. The comparison between original and restorted image was found computing the two-dimensional correlation coefficient between image matrices of the same size.

Different wave power technologies are in development around the world in different stages of prototype testing. So far only a few devices have been deployed offshore at full scale for extended periods of time. Little data is published about how these different devices perform. This thesis presents results from experiments with the full-scale offshore wave energy converters at the Lysekil research site on the Swedish west coast. The theories, experiments, measurements, performance evaluations and developments of the submerged transmission in the direct driven permanent magnet linear generator are in focus. The reciprocating submerged transmission fulfills the purpose of transmitting the absorbed mechanical wave energy through the capsule wall into the generator, while preventing the seawater from entering the capsule and reducing the life time of the converter. A measuring system with seven laser triangulation sensors has been developed to measure small relative displacements between piston rod and seal housing in the submerged transmission with excellent accuracy for the purpose of evaluating both functional behavior and successive wear in-situ. A method for calculating relative tilt angles, azimuth angles, differential tilt angles, and successive wear in the submerged transmission has been developed. Additional sensors systems have been installed in the converter enabling correlation and a thorough investigation into the operating conditions of the transmission and the converter. The thesis presents unique results from the measurements. A data acquisition system transmits the signals from the converter on the seabed to an onshore measuring station. Results are presented in time-, frequency- and the time-frequency domain. The results have given important information for further development of the submerged transmission, which is important to the survivability of the system. The thesis describes the status of research, and is a step that may influence future designs of wave energy devices for reaching survivability and a cost-effective renewable energy system. / <p>Published is a preprint version of the full text and should be combined by the errata.</p> / The Lysekil Wave Power Project