Dose management in CT is an increasingly important issue as the number of CT scans per capita continues to rise. One proposed approach for enhanced dose management is to allow the spatial pattern of x-ray fluence delivered to the patient to change dynamically as the x-ray tube rotates about the patient. The changes in incident fluence could be guided using a patient model and optimization method in order to deliver user-defined image quality criteria while minimizing dose. This approach is referred to as fluence field modulated CT (FFMCT). In this work, a framework and optimization method was developed for evaluating the dose and image quality benefits of FFMCT, both in simulated and experimental data. Modulated fluence profiles were optimized for different objects and image quality criteria using a simulated annealing algorithm. Analysis involved comparing predicted image quality maps and dose outcomes to those using conventional methods. Results indicated that image quality distributions using FFMCT agreed better with prescribed image qualities than conventional techniques allow. Dose reductions ranged depending on the task and object of interest. Simulation studies using a simulated anthropomorphic phantom of the chest suggest an average dose reduction of at least 20% compared to conventional techniques is possible, where local dose reductions may be greater than 60%. Across different imaging tasks and objects, integral dose reductions ranged from 20-50% when compared to a conventional bowtie filter. The results of this study suggest that given a suitable collimator approach, FFMCT could reap significant benefits in terms of reducing dose and optimizing image quality. Though the tradeoff between image quality and imaging dose may not be eliminated, it may be better managed using an FFMCT approach.

Baigiamajame darbe buvo atlikta mokslinių darbų analizė darbo zonų tematika. Pateikiamos pagrindinės darbo zonos atsiradimo priežastys. Kelio darbo vietos suklasifikuotos pagal keletą kriterijų ir aprašomos darbo zonų valdymo galimybės. Darbe išskiriamos dvi pagrindinės darbo zonų problemos: eismo saugumo ir transporto priemonių intensyvumo. Analizuojamos darbo zonų spūsčių automobilių keliuose sukeliamos problemos. Darbe pateikiami transporto priemonių intensyvumo pagrindiniai parametrai ir veiksniai, turintys jiems įtakos. Atlikti eksperimentiniai tyrimai pasirinktose darbo zonose ir gauti rezultatai apibendrinami. Darbo apimtis – 72 psl. teksto be priedų, 39 iliustr., 12 lent., 26 bibliografinių šaltinių. / The final work was carried out research work analyzes the work zone topics. Contains the main work area causes. Multiple jobs are grouped according to several criteria and a description of the work zone management capabilities. The paper distinguishes between two areas of work problems: traffic safety and transport intensity. Analyzed areas of work on the roads caused congestion problems. The paper presents the vehicle parameters and the intensity of the main factors influencing them. Tests were performed in selected areas of work and the results obtained are summarized. Thesis consists of: 72 p. texts without appendixes, 39 pictures, 12 tables, 26 bibliographical entries.

Intensity modulated arc therapy is a novel treatment technique that has shown great potential to be superior to conventional intensity modulated radiotherapy, both in terms of treatment plan quality as well as treatment delivery. Based on previous literature, a simplified technique called two-step intensity modulated arc therapy (2-step IMAT) was implemented into a treatment planning system. In order to automatically generate treatment plans for this technique, a beam portal shaping method was developed to generate beam segments. A sensitivity analysis was carried out on a geometric phantom to determine optimal parameters for the 2-step IMAT implementation for that particular phantom. The segment weights were optimized using the dose-based and dose-volume-based objective functions. The optimal solution search was based on the gradient-descend algorithm. The dose-based objective function was implemented using a so-called lambda-value-dose-based objective function developed in this work in order to increase both speed and flexibility of the optimization. The successful implementation demonstrated the feasibility of automatic 2-step IMAT treatment planning. A comparison of conventional arc therapy and 2-step IMAT showed improvements in the target dose uniformity by about 50% for both geometric phantom and clinical paraspinal tumor case, whilst also improving the organ sparing. The comparisons between the lambda-value-dose-based and dose-volume-based optimizations showed a speed advantage of the former by a factor of over five in the phantom study. The current beam portal shaping approach can be improved by optimizing the segment width and including multiple organs-at-risk in the segment generation algorithm. Future work will also include the implementation of a stochastic optimization to minimize the chance of getting trapped in local minima during the segment weight optimization. In summary, the work of this research showed that the automatic 2-step IMAT planning is a viable technique that can result in highly conformal plans while keeping the treatment planning and delivery simple and straightforward.

An experimental investigation into fully developed high aspect ratio channels was undertaken. A review of the literature reveals that there is a need for accurate measurement of the inner peak value of streamwise turbulence intensity despite the large number of studies already completed. The scattered data on this subject could be attributed either to insufficient channel size (aspect ratio or length) or to hot-wire spatial filtering. A new, high quality, channel flow facility was designed and constructed, considering the most recent geometric limitation provided in the literature. To obtain accurate results, data were acquired using hot-wire probes with constant viscous-scale sensing length and were corrected using the most recent correction formula proposed by Smits et al. (2011). The results show dependence of inner peak value on Reynolds number in channels flow - its magnitude increasing with increasing Reynolds number.

The goal of the present study was to examine changes in the speech and language performance of patients with chronic, non-fluent aphasia over the course of a three-hour group speech and language treatment session, a time allotment comparable to intensive therapy practices. Nine participants, (three groups of three), with chronic, non-fluent aphasia were seen for a single group therapy session three hours in length. Therapeutic activities were designed to be as similar as possible for each group of participants. Each participant was individually assessed before (time 1), during (time 2), and after (time 3) the group treatment session. Assessments included four verbal tests: function, naming, sentence completion, and repetition, similar to those used with the Porch Index of Communicative Ability (PICA; Porch, 1981). Results indicated that participants performed significantly poorer on two of the four verbal tests (naming and repetition), and on an overall measure of verbal communication on the Time 2 assessment as compared to the Time 1 assessment. Findings have clinical implications for selecting candidates for intensive language therapy regimes.

Using an extensive cross-section of US corporate CDS this paper offers an economic understanding of implied loss given default (LGD) and jumps in default risk. We formulate and underpin empirical stylized facts about CDS spreads, which are then reproduced in our affine intensity-based jump-diffusion model. Implied LGD is well identified, with obligors possessing substantial tangible assets expected to recover more. Sudden increases in the default risk of investment-grade obligors are higher relative to speculative grade. The probability of structural migration to default is low for investment-grade and heavily regulated obligors because investors fear distress rather through rare but devastating events. (authors' abstract)

The European power sector is facing significant challenges related to investments in grid infrastructure and generation capacity. The continued deployment of intermittent renewables also puts pressure on current grid conditions. Smart grids is seen as a cost-efficient way to overcome these challenges through a more efficient use of current capacity. Demand response is a corner-stone in smart grid development,  and is implemented to introduce flexibility on the demand side. Most demand response programs have used dynamic pricing to incentivize consumers to shift consumption from peak to off-peak hours. In Stockholm Royal Seaport, where a sustainable energy system is envisioned, it has been proposed that dynamic pricing should be complemented with an indicator depicting carbon intensity of purchased electricity. This indicator is based on average emissions, which is one of two fundamental perspectives on assessing environmental impacts of electricity consumption.  The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the approach used to quantify carbon intensity in Stockholm Royal Seaport is appropriate in the context of demand response. To achieve this, a literature review has been conducted regarding potential benefits of demand response, power system dynamics and carbon dioxide allocation methods. A quantitative analysis has also been conducted, where the signal proposed for Stockholm Royal Seaport has been modeled under different timeframes. The results show that the CO2-signal in Stockholm Royal Seaport is constructed in such a way that it is largely affected by hydro generation, which in turn makes it correlate negatively with price. As a result, the CO2-signal would counteract many of the predicted long-term benefits of demand response. Furthermore it seems unlikely that the signal would result in significant short-term emission reductions, since hydro generally is used to balance supply and demand in the Swedish and Nordic systems.  Based on the literature review, it was concluded that marginal emissions would be a more appropriate environmental indicator than average emissions. However, it remains a difficulty to construct a day-ahead control signal based on this perspective because of system complexity and lack of data. Historical marginal carbon intensity was nevertheless modeled in this study using a linear regression model. The results indicate that price itself might be a sufficient indicator of marginal emissions. Finally, a model for a signal based on prognoses of intermittent renewable generation is proposed, where the rationale is that consumers should decrease consumption during hours of low renewable generation. This signal was modeled using data on renewable generation from Denmark since corresponding data in Sweden is not yet available. Results show that it would be possible to construct a rather accurate control signal in this way. There are also reasons to believe that demand response based on this type of signal would result in long-term environmental benefits. / Den europeiska energisektorn står inför stora utmaningar, bland annat i form av investeringsbehov i nätinfrastruktur och produktionskapacitet för att säkra framtida leveranssäkerhet. Den fortsatta utbyggnaden av intermittent förnybar kraftproduktion ställer också nya krav på nätet och på aktörernas flexibilitet. Smarta nät ses som ett kostnadseffektivt sätt för att övervinna dessa utmaningar genom en mer effektiv användning av nuvarande kapacitet. En viktig del i detta är efterfrågerespons, som syftar till att minska belastningen på nätet under höglasttimmar genom att i högre grad än tidigare involvera konsumenten. De flesta initiativ inom efterfrågerespons har använt dynamisk prissättning för att uppmuntra konsumenter att flytta konsumtion från höglast- till låglasttimmar. I Norra Djurgårdsstaden, där visionen är att bygga ett hållbart och mer flexibelt energisystem, har det föreslagits att dynamisk prissättning bör kompletteras med en indikator som visar den inköpta elens koldioxidintensitet. Denna indikator är baserad på medelel, vilket är ett av två fundamentala sätt att miljövärdera el. Syftet med denna studie var att utvärdera om den metod som används för att kvantifiera koldioxidintensiteten i Norra Djurgårdsstaden är lämplig i samband med efterfrågerespons. För att uppnå detta har en litteraturstudie genomförts gällande potentiella fördelar med efterfrågerespons, hur kraftsystemet fungerar samt olika metoder för att miljövärdera el. En kvantitativ analys har också genomförts, där CO2-signalen i Norra Djurgårdsstaden har modellerats utifrån olika tidsperspektiv. Resultaten visar att CO2-signalen i Norra Djurgårdsstaden är konstruerad på ett sådant sätt att den till stor del påverkas av vattenkraftens produktionsvariationer, vilket i sin tur gör att signalen generellt rör sig i motsatt riktning mot prissignalen. Resultatet av detta är att CO2-signalen motverkar många av de långsiktiga fördelarna med efterfrågestyrning. Dessutom ter det sig osannolikt att signalen skulle leda till signifikanta utsläppsminskningar på kort sikt, eftersom lasten i Sverige främst balanseras av variationer i vattenkraft. Utifrån litteraturstudien kan man dra slutsatsen att marginalelens koldioxidintensitet skulle vara en lämpligare miljöindikator än genomsnittliga utsläpp i samband med efterfrågestyrning. Det är dock svårt att i praktiken konstruera en styrsignal baserat på detta perspektiv på grund av systemets komplexitet och brist på data. Historiska marginella utsläpp modellerades emellertid med hjälp av linjär regression. Resultaten från detta indikerade att priset kan vara en tillräcklig indikator även för variationerna i koldioxidintensitet utifrån ett marginalperspektiv. Slutligen föreslås en modell för en signal baserad på dagenföreprognoser om intermittent förnybar produktion, där budskapet skulle vara att användaren minskar sin konsumtion under timmar med låg förnybar produktion. Denna signal modellerades med hjälp av uppgifter om förnybar produktion från Danmark eftersom motsvarande uppgifter om Svensk produktion inte finns tillgängliga ännu. Resultaten visar att det skulle vara möjligt att konstruera en relativt träffsäker styrsignal på detta sätt. Det finns också skäl att tro att efterfrågerespons baserat på denna typ av signal skulle leda till miljömässiga fördelar på längre sikt.

Filtering is a key step in digital image processing and analysis. It is mainly used for amplification or attenuation of some frequencies depending on the nature of the application. Filtering can either be performed in the spatial domain or in a transformed domain. The selection of the filtering method, filtering domain, and the filter parameters are often driven by the properties of the underlying image. This thesis presents three different kinds of biomedical image filtering applications, where the filter parameters are automatically determined from the underlying images. Filtering can be used for image enhancement. We present a robust image dependent filtering method for intensity inhomogeneity correction of biomedical images. In the presented filtering method, the filter parameters are automatically determined from the grey-weighted distance transform of the magnitude spectrum. An evaluation shows that the filter provides an accurate estimate of intensity inhomogeneity. Filtering can also be used for analysis. The thesis presents a filtering method for heart localization and robust signal detection from video recordings of rat embryos. It presents a strategy to decouple motion artifacts produced by the non-rigid embryonic boundary from the heart. The method also filters out noise and the trend term with the help of empirical mode decomposition. Again, all the filter parameters are determined automatically based on the underlying signal. Transforming the geometry of one image to fit that of another one, so called image registration, can be seen as a filtering operation of the image geometry. To assess the progression of eye disorder, registration between temporal images is often required to determine the movement and development of the blood vessels in the eye. We present a robust method for retinal image registration. The method is based on particle swarm optimization, where the swarm searches for optimal registration parameters based on the direction of its cognitive and social components. An evaluation of the proposed method shows that the method is less susceptible to becoming trapped in local minima than previous methods. With these thesis contributions, we have augmented the filter toolbox for image analysis with methods that adjust to the data at hand.

In the present work, an investigation of the fatigue life benefits emerging from fillet weld geometries optimization has been carried out. At first, an introduction to ageing mechanisms, corrosion and especially fatigue, acting on operating marine structures has been made. Residual stresses at weld toes, stress modes, and types, geometrical factors (weld angle, toe radius, leg length), welding techniques selected, post-welding treatment and plate‟s material are some of the principal factors affecting the fatigue life of a fillet weld joint. Especially, the accuracy of various approaches in fatigue life estimation of specific geometries under pre-set types and levels of stress is studied. It is evident so far that even the notch stress concept is the most accurate method based on S-N curves, the Fracture Mechanics approach can offer more accurate solutions of a crack development through the material. Towards this, a literature review on crack evolution aspects in welded and non-welded plates under bending and tension was performed; substantial parameters were determined and finally implemented in the LEFM model which was used for the simulation purposes of Chapter 6. As far as the crack aspect ratio evolution is concerned, an extensive reference is available in literature since many researchers have investigated its contribution to the determination of geometrical paths, commonly known as “Preferred Propagation Paths”. Their significance is related with our ability to determine accurate SIF solutions leading to precise fatigue life estimations. A typical fillet weld joint 2-D model has been developed in CAE Abaqus software and a Finite Element Analysis of subject T-profile has been carried out. Through this analysis, the fillet weld angle, the weld leg length, the weld toe curvature radio ρ and the carrying load plate thickness are examined for their impacts on the maximum surface stress. Finally, a number of stress mitigating measures are proposed and their effects are analyzed. Undoubtedly, the notch stress concept today is gradually gaining more and more acceptance among other fatigue analysis practices, hence the need for an estimation of the actual surface stresses along fillet weld toes, has become imperative. Towards this, different 2-D geometries are tested against stress concentration factors developed at weld toes, which are calculated on the basis of maximum in-plane principal stresses over nominal stresses in mode I pure bending and pure tension respectively. Moreover, validation with corresponding results from literature is provided. Finally, three different concepts for reducing the maximum surface stresses are presented. The first one proposes grinding of the weld toe area and formulation of an artificial U-notch or a part- circular profile. The second one applies to non-penetrating welds and assumes the existence of a root gap of a specific geometry which is related to the fatigue life and stress concentration factor of the fillet weld joint. Last but not least, the relatively recent concept of the variable radius notch is discussed, even though it is applicable mostly to notched bodies, not weld joints. Afterwards, a Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics analysis of reference 2D fillet weld model is demonstrated. A number of geometrical parameters considered at previous stage for their impact on surface Stress Concentration levels at the weld toe region, have been correlated to fatigue life benefits in terms of increased number of stress cycles till failure. An extensive analysis of 9 different T-butt weld joint geometries has been provided in order to investigate how positively a possible SCF reduction can affect the fatigue life of a weld joint. Essential geometric variations (weld angle, length, toe radius, root slot) were considered in the 2D model. All calculated benefits both in pure bending and pure tension cases have been reported accordingly. Based on a linear interpolation of the points scatter (SCF, N-cycles) both in banding and tension, it was observed that a surface stress mitigation of 1% could lead to 1,33 up to 2,5% fatigue life benefit in the range of SCF=2 – 2,5. It is evident so far that the geometrical optimization of a weld joint in respect of notch stress mitigation can be a powerful tool both in shipbuilding and maintenance practice in the future. However, technically wise their application may incur high initial costs of improved tools of welding and post welding treatment and robots even though it would consist a cost effective solution in a medium/long term basis. Finally, the above process is followed by a reliability analysis of the most critical geometrical parameters affecting the fatigue life of a fillet weld joint. Reliability assessment results concerning medium, high and low cycle fatigue are provided and a comparative analysis of each factor‟s impact on fatigue life has been carried out.

As wind industry is developing steadily oshore, the wind turbine spacing remainsa key element for maximizing revenues and reducing loading from turbineswake interaction. In the case of relatively close to shore oshore wind farms, orlarge arrays onshore, the turbulence intensity coming from dierent sectors canhave an eect on wake growth and decay. In an attempt to obtain wind featuresat site, some boundary conditions for micro-siting simulation are found, using acommercial RANS ow solver CFD software was used. The approach in this workcould be described more practical than theoretical and could be more useful fordevelopers than pure CFD specialists.By simulating with three dierent roughness length for open sea, with theappropriate and contextual assumptions, for the oshore Lillgrund wind farm,vertical proles and turbulence intensity were extracted from the WindSim softwareat the meteorological mast position and enabled measurement comparison.In a second attempt to compare the eect of the wind and turbulence prolespreviously obtained, a sector of interest is simulated with the actuator disc model.In general, the site conditions over the large-scale domain evaluated by thecommercial software are satisfactory after adjusting the roughness length for theopen sea. The turbulence intensity trend for various in ow angle is capturedby the simulations and computed wind proles are for the most part adequately.A comparison of spring and winter ltered measurements enable discussion uponsome sectors disagreement. As for the small-scale actuator disc model using thedeveloped site conditions, the result is over-estimated by the simulations, especiallyfor the second row downstream.