Frequency response analysis (FRA) is a method which is used to detect mechanical faults in transformers. The FRA response of a transformer is determined by its geometry and material properties, and it can be considered as the transformer’s fingerprint. If there are any mechanical changes in the transformer, for example if the windings are moved or distorted, its fingerprint will also be changed so, theoretically, mechanical changes in the transformer can be detected with FRA. The purpose of this thesis is to partly create a simple model for the ferromagnetic material in the transformer core, and partly to investigate the high frequency part of the FRA response of the transformer winding. To be able to realize these goals, two different models are developed separately from each other. The first one is a time- and frequency domain complex permeability model for the ferromagnetic core material, and the second one is a time- and frequency domain winding model based on lumped circuits, in which the discretization is made finer and finer in three steps. Capacitances and inductances in the circuit are calculated with use of analytical expressions derived from approximated geometrical parameters. The developed core material model and winding model are then implemented in MATLAB separately, using state space analysis for the winding model, to simulate the time- and frequency response. The simulations are then compared to measurements to verify the correctness of the models. Measurements were performed on a magnetic material and on a winding, and were compared with obtained results from the models. It was found that the model developed for the core material predicts the behavior of the magnetic field for frequencies higher than 100 Hz, and that the model for the winding predicts the FRA response of the winding for frequencies up to 20 MHz.

Da die dielektrischen Eigenschaften eines jeden Materials, also auch von Fleisch, charakteristisch sind und von Faktoren wie beispielsweise dem Feuchtigkeitsgehalt und der chemischen Zusammensetzung sowie der physikalischen Struktur abhängig sind, gibt es bereits seit einigen Jahren verschiedene Forschungsansätze im Bereich der dielektrischen Messmethoden. Ein neu entwickeltes Messverfahren für die Be-stimmung der Qualitätsparameter Lagerdauer und eventuell erfolgter Gefrierprozesse bei Fisch basiert auf der dielektrischen Zeitbereichsreflektometrie. Die Klärung der Frage, in wie weit dieses Verfahren auch bei Frischfleisch angewendet werden kann, ist das Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertation. In Vorversuchen wurde zunächst die generelle Anwendbarkeit des Verfahrens im Fleischbereich anhand verschiedener Lager- und Gefrierversuche geprüft. Basierend auf diesen Ergebnissen gliederten sich die experimentellen Untersuchungen in fol-gende Abschnitte: Ermittlung der Lagerdauer von SB-verpackten Minutensteaks vom Schweinelachs (MAP) sowie von Hähnchenbrustfilets, Erkennung von Gefrierprozes-sen bei Hähnchenbrustfilets und Schweinelachsen, Gefrierlagerdauerbestimmung verschiedener Fleischsorten (Schweinelachs, Schweinebauch und Rinderbugstück) bei drei unterschiedlichen Gefriertemperaturen und Erkennung von Fremdwasserzu-sätzen bei Hähnchenbrustfilets. Die Vorversuche zeigten eine generelle Eignung des Verfahrens zur Untersuchung von Lagerzeiten und Gefrierprozessen bei Fleisch. Im Bereich der Lagerdauererkennung ist eine Anwendung, auch für SB-verpackte Produkte (in Schutzatmosphäre), denkbar, das Verfahren muss hier allerdings bezüg-lich der zu Grunde liegenden linearen Auswertungsmodelle noch optimiert werden (Kurvenanpassung notwendig). Ebenso konnten gute Ergebnisse in der Gefrierlager-dauerbestimmung erzielt werden, auffällig waren die Fleischsorten-übergreifend bes-seren Ergebnisse der Messungen an vor dem Einfrieren einige Tage gelagerten Pro-ben. Gute Ergebnisse erbrachten auch die Messungen bezüglich der Gefrierprozess-erkennung (Proben frisch, einmal-gefroren und doppelt-gefroren). Ein Einsatz des Verfahrens ist besonders im Geflügelfleischbereich denkbar und angesichts der ge-setzlichen Bestimmungen für Geflügelfleisch (keine Fleischzubereitungen aus gefro-rener und aufgetauter Ware) auch überaus wünschenswert. Die besten Ergebnisse lieferte das Verfahren bei der Fremdwassererkennung an Hähnchenbrustfilets, was auf Grund des starken Dipolcharakters von Wasser bei einem auf Dielektrizität beru-henden Messverfahren auch erklärbar ist. Selbst die zusätzlich mit Geflügelfleisch-Proteinhydrolysatpulver versetzten Proben konnten (bedingt durch die Strukturverän-derungen im Probenmaterial) eindeutig von den unbehandelten Proben abgegrenzt werden, was mittels laborchemischer Analyse über das Wasser-Protein-Verhältnis nicht möglich gewesen wäre. Ein Einsatz des Verfahrens für diese Anwendung erscheint besonders sinnvoll, um der Überwachung und Qualitätssicherung ein ge-eignetes Instrument für die schnelle Feststellung von Wasserzusätzen (bei unverän-dertem Wasser-Eiweiß-Verhältnis) geben zu können. Vor dem praktischen Einsatz dieser Messmethode müssen größere Validierungsver-suche durchgeführt werden, um geeignete Kalibrationssätze für die Anwendung an unbekannten Proben, besonders im Geflügelfleischbereich, zur Verfügung zu haben. Ein Einsatz des Verfahrens zur Qualitätsbestimmung im Fleischbereich ist generell möglich und wäre auf Grund der schnellen Ergebnislieferung und einfachen Handha-bung der (mobilen) Messeinrichtung für Überwachung und Qualitätskontrolle wünschenswert. / As the dielectric properties of each material, thus also for meat, are characteristically and depend on factors as for instance humidity and the chemical composite as well as physical structure there are existing different research approaches in the array of dielectric measurement methods already for many years. A new developed meas-urement method for the estimation of the quality parameters storage time and option-ally occurred freezing processes on fish is basing on the dielectric time domain reflec-tometry. The clarification of the question how far this method can also be used for fresh meat is the intention of the present graduate thesis. In preliminary tests initially the general applicability of the method in the meat sector by means of different storage and freezing examinations was reviewed. Basing on these results the experimental examinations were divided into the following parts: evaluation of the storage time of packaged minute steaks from the pork chop (MAP) as also of chicken breast filets, estimation of freezing processes of chicken breast filets and pork chops, freezing storage time recognition of different meat varieties (pork chop, pork belly and beef bow pieces) with three different freezing temperatures and evaluation of added water in chicken breast filets. The preliminary tests indicated a general ability of the method for the recognition of storage times and freezing processes on meat. In the array of storage time evaluation an appliance, also for MAP-packaged products (in controlled atmosphere), is thinkable, however the method has to be optimized concerning the underlying linear evaluation models (curve fitting is necessary). As well there could be aimed good results for the freezing storage time recognition, the meat variety comprehensive better results for measurements on pattern which were stored some days previously were flashy. Good results were also adduced by the measurements concerning the freezing process recognition (pattern fresh, once- and double-frozen). An application of the technology is notably thinkable for the poultry meat sector and, in the face of the legal requirements for poultry meat (no preparation of frozen and thawed material allowed) also exceedingly desirable. The best results were carried out using the method for the recognition of added water in chicken breast filets, what is explainable by reason of the strong dipole character of water within a measurement method based on dielectricity. Even the pattern additionally glazed with poultry hydrolyzed protein powder could definitely be differentiated from the untreated pattern, what could not be realized with the water protein percentage using a laboratory chemical analysis. After all an appliance of the method for this application seems particularly reasonable, as a suitable instrument for the fast recognition of added water (with an unmodified water-protein-ratio) could be given to the monitoring and quality assurance. Before starting the practically application of this measurement method there have to be accomplished larger validation examinations, to have suitable calibration kits for the application on unknown pattern at one´s disposal, especially in the poultry meat sector. The assignment of the method for quality evaluation in the meat sector is generally possible and would be desirable for the monitoring and quality control by the reason of its fast result delivery and easy handling of the (mobile) measurement arrangement.

The trend of electrification in transportation applications has led to the fast development of high-power-density power electronics converters. High-switching-frequency and high-temperature operations are the two key factors towards this target. Both requirements, however, are challenging the fundamental limit of silicon (Si) based devices. The emerging wide-bandgap, silicon carbide (SiC) power devices have become the promising solution to meet these requirements. With these advanced devices, the technology barrier has now moved to the compatible integration technology that can make the best of device capabilities in high-power-density converters. Many challenges are present, and some of the most important issues are explored in this dissertation. First of all, the high-temperature performances of the commercial SiC MOSFET are evaluated extensively up to 200 degree C. The static and switching characterizations show that the device has superior electrical performances under elevated temperatures. Meanwhile, the gate oxide stability of the device - a known issue to SiC MOSFETs in general - is also evaluated through both high-temperature gate biasing and gate switching tests. Device degradations are observed from these tests, and a design trade-off between the performance and reliability of the SiC MOSFET is concluded. To understand the interactions between devices and circuit parasitics, an experimental parametric study is performed to investigate the influences of stray inductances on the MOSFETs switching waveforms. A small-signal model is then developed to explain the parasitic ringing in the frequency domain. From this angle, the ringing mechanism can be understood more easily and deeply. With the use of this model, the effects of DC decoupling capacitors in suppressing the ringing can be further explained in a more straightforward way than the traditional time-domain analysis. A rule of thumb regarding the capacitance selection is also derived. A Power Electronics Building Block (PEBB) module is then developed with discrete SiC MOSFETs. Integrating the power stage together with the peripheral functions such as gate drive and protection, the PEBB concept allows the converter to be built quickly and reliably by simply connecting several PEBB modules. The high-speed gate drive and power stage layout designs are presented to enable fast and safe switching of the SiC MOSFET. Based on the PEBB platform, the state-of-the-art Si and SiC power MOSFETs are also compared in the device characteristics, temperature influences, and loss distributions in a high-frequency converter, so that special design considerations can be concluded for the SiC MOSFET. Towards high-temperature, high-frequency and high-power operations, integrated wire-bond phase-leg modules are also developed with SiC MOSFET bare dice. High-temperature packaging materials are carefully selected based on an extensive literature survey. The design considerations of improved substrate layout, laminated bus bars, and embedded decoupling capacitors are all discussed in detail, and are verified through a modeling and simulation approach in the design stage. The 200 degree C, 100 kHz continuous operation is demonstrated on the fabricated module. Through the comparison with a commercial SiC phase-leg module designed in the traditional way, it is also shown that the design considerations proposed in this work allow the SiC devices in the wire-bond structure to be switched twice as fast with only one-third of the parasitic ringing. To further push the performance of SiC power modules, a novel hybrid packaging technology is developed which combines the small parasitics and footprint of a planar module with the easy fabrication of a wire-bond module. The original concept is demonstrated on a high-temperature rectifier module with SiC JFET. A modified structure is then proposed to further improve design flexibility and simplify module fabrication. The SiC MOSFET phase-leg module built in this structure successfully reaches the switching speed limit of the device almost without any parasitic ringing. Finally, a new switching loop snubber circuit is proposed to damp the parasitic ringing through magnetic coupling without affecting either conduction or switching losses of the device. The concept is analyzed theoretically and verified experimentally. The initial integration of such a circuit into the power module is presented, and possible improvements are proposed. / Ph. D.

The most essential unit required for all the electronic devices is the Power Supply Unit (PSU). The main objective of power supply designers is to reduce the size, cost and weight, and to increase the power density of the converter. There is also a requirement to have a lower loss in the circuit and hence in the improvement of energy efficiency of the converter circuit. Operating the converter circuits at higher switching frequencies reduces the size of the passive components such as transformers, inductors, and capacitors, which results in a compact size, weight, and increased power density of the converter. At present the switching frequency of the converter circuit is limited due to the increased switching losses in the existing semiconductor devices and in the magnetic area, because of increased hysteresis and eddy current loss in the core based transformer. Based on continuous efforts to improve the new semi conductor materials such as GaN/SiC and with recently developed high frequency multi-layered coreless PCB step down power transformers, it is now feasible to design ultra-low profile, high power density isolated DC/DC and AC/DC power converters. This thesis is focussed on the design, analysis and evaluation of the converters operating in the MHz frequency region with the latest semi conductor devices and multi-layered coreless PCB step-down power and signal transformers. An isolated flyback DC-DC converter operated in the MHz frequency with multi-layered coreless PCB step down 2:1 power transformer has been designed and evaluated. Soft switching techniques have been incorporated in order to reduce the switching loss of the circuit. The flyback converter has been successfully tested up to a power level of 10W, in the switching frequency range of 2.7-4 MHz. The energy efficiency of the quasi resonant flyback converter was found to be in the range of 72-84% under zero voltage switching conditions (ZVS). The output voltage of the converter was regulated by implementing the constant off-time frequency modulation technique. Because of the theoretical limitations of the Si material MOSFETs, new materials such as GaN and SiC are being introduced into the market and these are showing promising results in the converter circuits as described in this thesis. Comparative parameters of the semi conductor materials such as the vi energy band gap, field strengths and figure of merit have been discussed. In this case, the comparison of an existing Si MOSFET with that of a GaN MOSFET has been evaluated using a multi-layered coreless PCB step-down power transformer for the given input/output specifications of the flyback converter circuit. It has been determined that the energy efficiency of the 45 to 15V regulated converter using GaN was improved by 8-10% compared to the converter using the Si MOSFET due to the gate drive power consumption, lower conduction losses and improved rise/fall times of the switch. For some of the AC/DC and DC/DC applications such as laptop adapters, set-top-box, and telecom applications, high voltage power MOSFETs used in converter circuits possess higher gate charges as compared to that of the low voltage rating MOSFETs. In addition, by operating them at higher switching frequencies, the gate drive power consumption, which is a function of frequency, increases. The switching speeds are also reduced due to the increased capacitance. In order to minimize this gate drive power consumption and to increase the frequency of the converter, a cascode flyback converter was built up using a multi-layered coreless PCB transformer and this was then evaluated. Both simulation and experimental results have shown that with the assistance of the cascode flyback converter the switching speeds of the converter were increased including the significant improvement in the energy efficiency compared to that of the single switch flyback converter. In order to further maximize the utilization of the transformer, to reduce the voltage stress on MOSFETs and to obtain the maximum power density from the power converter, double ended topologies were chosen. For this purpose, a gate drive circuitry utilising the multi-layered coreless PCB gate drive transformer was designed and evaluated in both a Half-bridge and a Series resonant converter. It was found that the gate drive power consumption using this transformer was less than 0.8W for the frequency range of 1.5-3.5MHz. In addition, by using this gate drive circuitry, the maximum energy efficiency of the series resonant converter was found to be 86.5% with an output power of 36.5W.

The Power Supply Unit (PSU) plays a vital role in almost all electronic equipment. The continuous efforts applied to the improvement of semiconductor devices such as MOSFETS, diodes, controllers and MOSFET drivers have led to the increased switching speeds of power supplies. By increasing the switching frequency of the converter, the size of passive elements such as inductors, transformers and capacitors can be reduced. Hence, the high frequency transformer has become the backbone in isolated AC/DC and DC/DC converters. The main features of transformers are to provide isolation for safety purpose, multiple outputs such as in telecom applications, to build step down/step up converters and so on. The core based transformers, when operated at higher frequencies, do have limitations such as core losses which are proportional to the operating frequency. Even though the core materials are available in a few MHz frequency regions, because of the copper losses in the windings of the transformers those which are commercially available were limited from a few hundred kHz to 1MHz. The skin and proximity effects because of induced eddy currents act as major drawbacks while operating these transformers at higher frequencies. Therefore, it is necessary to mitigate these core losses, skin and proximity effects while operating the transformers at very high frequencies. This can be achieved by eliminating the magnetic cores of transformers and by introducing a proper winding structure. A new multi-layered coreless printed circuit board (PCB) step down transformer for power transfer applications has been designed and this maintains the advantages offered by existing core based transformers such as, high voltage gain, high coupling coefficient, sufficient input impedance and high energy efficiency with the assistance of a resonant technique. In addition, different winding structures have been studied and analysed for higher step down ratios in order to reduce copper losses in the windings and to achieve a higher coupling coefficient. The advantage of increasing the layer for the given power transfer application in terms of the coupling coefficient, resistance and energy efficiency has been reported. The maximum energy efficiency of the designed three layered transformers was found to be within the range of 90%-97% for power transfer applications operated in a few MHz frequency regions. The designed multi-layered coreless PCB transformers for given power applications of 8, 15 and 30W show that the volume reduction of approximately 40-90% is possible when compared to its existing core based counterparts. The estimation of EMI emissions from the designed transformers proves that the amount of radiated EMI from a three layered transformer is less than that of the two layered transformer because of the decreased radius for the same amount of inductance. Multi-layered coreless PCB gate drive transformers were designed for signal transfer applications and have successfully driven the double ended topologies such as the half bridge, the two switch flyback converter and resonant converters with low gate drive power consumption of about half a watt. The performance characteristics of these transformers have also been evaluated using the high frequency magnetic material made up of NiZn and operated in the 2-4MHz frequency region. These multi-layered coreless PCB power and signal transformers together with the latest semiconductor switching devices such as SiC and GaN MOSFETs and the SiC schottky diode are an excellent choice for the next generation compact SMPS.

Au-delà des symptômes moteurs classiques de la maladie de Parkinson, d’autres troubles neuropsychiatriques, émotionnels ou cognitifs sont fréquemment observés chez le patient parkinsonien. L’apathie, définie comme une importante diminution des comportements motivés dirigés vers un but, est l’un des troubles neuropsychiatriques le plus souvent rapporté en clinique. Si ce symptôme est relativement bien maitrisé par les traitements dopaminergiques, l’application de la stimulation haute fréquence du noyau subthalamique (SHF-NST), traitement neurochirurgical de référence, entraîne sa résurgence chez environ 50 % des patients stimulés. De nombreuses données suggèrent que cette résurgence est liée à la diminution du traitement dopaminergique, permise grâce aux effets spectaculaires de la SHF-NST sur les symptômes moteurs. Au contraire, d’autres études proposent un rôle délétère direct de la SHF-NST sur les comportements motivés. Malheureusement, chez le patient, il n’est pas possible de dissocier l’effet des différents traitements. Ainsi, afin de comprendre les bases neurobiologiques de l’apathie dans la maladie de parkinson, notre laboratoire a récemment développé un modèle animal chez le rat, basé sur des approches de lésions sélectives, partielles et bilatérales des neurones dopaminergiques du mésencéphale, reproduisant un déficit motivationnel pouvant s’apparenter à l’apathie parkinsonienne.L’objectif de ce travail doctoral a été d’étudier l’effet de la SHF-NST sur les comportements motivés chez le rat sain et dans ce modèle animal, et d’en comprendre les mécanismes neurobiologiques. Pour cela, nous avons utilisé un nouveau système de stimulation portatif chez le rat, permettant d’appliquer une SHF-NST chronique et ininterrompue chez l’animal libre de ses mouvements. Dans un premier temps, nous avons évalué l’effet motivationnel de la SHF-NST chez le rat sain et parkinsonien à l’aide de tests de référence. Nous avons ainsi pu montrer que la SHF-NST induisait un déficit motivationnel sévère chez le rat sain, ou exacerbait le déficit présent chez le rat lésé. Dans un deuxième temps, compte tenu de l’efficacité chez le patient des agonistes des récepteurs dopaminergiques D2 et D3 (RD2 et RD3) sur l’apathie pré ou post opératoire, nous avons voulu corriger ce trouble induit par la SHF-NST avec un tel traitement. Cette étude pharmacologique nous a amené à montrer que le pramipexole, un agoniste D2 D3, permet de traiter complétement le déficit induit par la SHF-NST. Enfin, compte tenu de ces résultats pharmacologiques, nous avons voulu vérifier si les effets délétères de la SHF-NST ou thérapeutiques du pramipexole, étaient sous-tendus par une modification d’expression des récepteurs D2 et D3. Pour cela nous avons utilisé une nouvelle technique d’hybridation in situ pour quantifier les transcrits D2 et D3. Si la SHF-NST ne semble pas impacter l’expression de ces récepteurs, l’effet thérapeutique du pramipexole pourrait être sous tendu par une baisse d’expression du RD3 au sein du noyau accumbens.Les données obtenues au cours de ce travail doctoral suggèrent donc fortement que la SHF-NST pourrait en elle-même induire de l’apathie post opératoire. De plus, malgré l’apport thérapeutique de l’activation des RD2 et RD3 sur ce symptôme, son origine serait sous tendue par un autre mécanisme qui reste à être élucider. / Apart from the classical motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, neuropsychiatric, emotional or cognitive impairments are also commonly observed in parkinsonian patients. Apathy, defined as a decrease in goal directed motivated behaviours, is one of the most frequently reported neuropsychiatric symptom in PD. This impairment is relatively well alleviated by dopaminergic treatment, but subthalamic nucleus high frequency stimulation (STN-HFS), the gold standard neurosurgical treatment, leads to the resurgence of this symptom in 50% of patients. Clinical evidence suggests that this is due to the reduction of the dopaminergic treatment, made possible by the great effect of STN-HFS on motor symptoms. However, some studies propose a direct deleterious action of STN-HFS on motivated behaviors. Unfortunately, it is impossible to dissociate the effect of the different treatments in patients. Thus, in order to better understand the neurobiological basis of apathy in Parkinson’s disease, our laboratory recently developed a rodent model, based on selective, partial and bilateral lesion of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons, reproducing a motivational deficit reminiscent of parkinsonian apathy.The aim of this thesis project is to assess the effect of STN-HFS on motivated behaviours in normal and parkinsonian rats, and to unravel the essential mechanisms. We have used a new micro-stimulation system, allowing chronic STN-HFS in freely moving animals. First, we evaluated the motivational effect of STN-HFS in healthy and lesioned rats, using appropriate behavioural tests. We showed that STN-HFS induces a motivational impairment in healthy rats, and exacerbates the deficit observed in parkinsonian rats. Then, considering their therapeutic effect on apathy before or after STN-HFS in patients, we used D2 and D3 dopaminergic receptor agonists to try to manage this deficit in rats. It was thus demonstrated that pramipexole, a D2 D3 agonist, completely alleviated this STN-HFS induced deficit. This result prompted to assess whether the deleterious effect of STN-HFS, or the beneficial effect of pramipexole, depended on modulation of D2 and D3 expression. We therefore applied a new in situ hybridization technique to quantify D2 and D3 mRNAs. We found that STN-HFS alone did not modify their expressions, but the therapeutic effect of pramipexole could be liked to down-regulation of D3 receptors within the nucleus accumbens.Our data strongly suggest that STN-HFS itself may induce post-operative apathy. Moreover, despite the beneficial effect of D2 and D3 agonist on this symptom, its origin could depend on other mechanisms that will need to be deciphered.

My master’s thesis deals with methods of measuring the ultrasonic blood flow blood vessel with a detailed focus on Doppler ultrasound systems, which find application in the diagnosis of superficial vascular and obstetrics. The thesis is described a proposal indicating polydirectional Doppler system with a continuous carrier wave frequency of 4 MHz, the intensity of ultrasound 100 mW/cm2 and diameter D-shaped transducers 8 mm. As a result, the indicator will be able to measure blood flow velocity in the range of 5-40 cm/s, which appears to 3.5 digit display. After describing important theoretical assumptions, the work pays block diagram indicator. Furthermore, it examines the various functional blocks on the requirements imposed on them. It looks at the options of each functional block, and finally describes the implementation of the selected option and including peripheral solutions. Great attention is paid to the power of the indicator, where the power supply will be used 9 V battery. Create a symmetric voltage for operate amplifier and other auxiliary voltage will procure DC/DC converters. In conclusion, the work is located around the perimeter solutions indicator. The following draft for the production of double-sided PCB, its installation and a list of elements. The outcome of the thesis is complete documentation for the implementation of an indicator of blood flow, which allows us to obtain information on throughput vessels, especially the lower and upper limbs.

Buried pipelines are tubular structures that are used for transportation of important liquid materials and gas in order to provide safety for human life. During an earthquake, imposed loads from soil deformations on concrete pipelines may cause severe damages, possibly causing disturbance in vital systems, such as cooling of nuclear power facilities. The high level of safety has caused a demand for reliable seismic analyses, also for structures built in the regions that have not traditionally been considered as highly seismically active. The focus in this study is on areas with seismic and geological conditions corresponding to those in Sweden and Northern Europe. Earthquakes in Sweden for regions with hard rock dominated by high-frequency ground vibrations, Propagation of such high-frequency waves through the rock mass and soil medium affect underground structures such as pipelines. The aim of this project is investigating parameters that affect response of buried pipelines due to high-frequency seismic excitations. The main focus of the study is on reinforced concrete pipelines. Steel pipelines are also studied for comparison purposes. The effects of water mass, burial depth, soil layer thickness and non-uniform ground thickness caused by inclined bedrock are studied. The results are compared to those obtained for low-frequency earthquakes and the relationship between strong ground motion parameters and pipelines response is investigated. It is shown that, especially for high frequency earthquake excitations, non-uniform ground thickness due to inclined bedrock significantly increase stresses in the pipelines. For the conditions studied, it is clear that high-frequency seismic excitation is less likely to cause damage to buried concrete pipelines. However, the main conclusion is that seismic analysis is motivated also for pipelines in high-frequency earthquake areas since local variation in the ground conditions can have a significant effect on the safety. / Nedgrävda rörledningar (pipelines) är rörformiga strukturer som används för transport av viktiga flytande material och gas för att säkerhetsställa samhälleliga funktioner. Denna typ av infrastruktursystem korsar stora områden med olika geologiska förhållanden. Under en jordbävning kan markdeformationer påverka rörledningar av betong vilka kan få allvarliga skador som i sin tur kan leda till störningar i vitala system, såsom till exempel kylning av kärnkraftsanläggningar. Den höga säkerhetsnivå som eftersträvas ger upphov till ett behov av tillförlitliga seismiska analyser, även för strukturer som byggs i regioner som traditionellt inte har ansetts som seismiskt aktiva. Fokus i denna licentiatuppsats ligger på områden med seismiska och geologiska villkor som motsvarar de i Sverige och norra Europa. Jordbävningar i Sverige klassas som händelser inom en tektonisk platta som för regioner med hårt berg kan resultera i jordbävningar som domineras av högfrekventa markvibrationer. Sådana högfrekventa vågor propagerar genom bergmassa och jordmaterial och kan där påverka underjordiska strukturer såsom rörledningar. Syftet med detta projekt är att undersöka vilka parametrar som har stor påverkan på nedgrävda rörledningar som utsätts för högfrekventa seismiska vibrationer. Tyngdpunkten i studien är på rörledningar av armerad betong men stålledningar studeras också i jämförande syfte. Två-dimensionella finita elementmodeller används, utvecklade för dynamisk analys av rörledningar belastas av seismiska vågor som propagerar från berggrunden genom jorden. Modellerna beskriver båda längsgående och tvärgående snitt av rörledningar. Samspelet mellan rörledningar och omgivande jord beskrivs av en icke-linjär modell. De studerade rörledningarna antas vara omgivna av friktionsjord med stor, medel eller liten styvhet. Effekterna av vattenmassa i rören, grundläggningsdjup, jordlagrens tjocklek och varierande jordtjocklek på grund av lutande berggrund studeras. Det visas hur två-dimensionella modellerbaserade på plan töjning kan användas för seismisk analys av rörledningar med cirkulära tvärsnitt. Resultaten jämförs med de som erhållits för lågfrekventa jordbävningar och förhållandet mellan markrörelseparametrar och responsen hos rörledningar undersöks. Det visas att den naturliga frekvensen för modellerna beror av jordtyp, tjocklek och variation hos jordlagret. Det visas att, särskilt för högfrekventa jordbävningar, olikformigt varierande markdjup på grund av lutande berggrund avsevärt ökar spänningarna i rörledningarna. För de förhållanden som studerats är det klart att det är mindre sannolikt att högfrekvent seismisk belastning ska orsaka skador på nedgrävda rörledningar av betong. Dock är den viktigaste slutsatsen att seismisk analys ändå motiveras, även för rörledningar i områden där jordbävningar med högt frekvensinnehåll förekommer eftersom lokala variationer i markförhållanden kan ha en betydande inverkan på säkerheten. / <p>QC 20161014</p>

No description available.

This paper discusses the possibilities of predicting changes in stock pricing at a high frequency applying a multi-level neural network without the use of recurrent neurons or any other time series analysis, as suggested in a paper byChen et al. [2017]. The paper tries to adapt the model presented in a paper by Chen et al. [2017] by making the network deeper, feeding it data of higher resolution and changing the activation functions. While the resulting accuracy is not as high as other models, this paper might prove useful for those interested in further developing neural networks using data with high resolution and to the fintech business as a whole.