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This study investigates the impact that loading animations have on perceived  performance. Two sets of usability tests were conducted to obtain the data for this study. In the first set of usability tests, 15 participants were observed. The second set was performed online with 45 participants who answered a questionnaire after using the prototype. Five different loading animations were tested: Spinner, Loading bar, a detailed animation, an animation with aquote and a skeleton loading screen. The participants were asked at the end of the usability tests to rate which one of the loading screens were the fastest and the slowest. Results suggested the kind of animation used in a loading screen does have an effect on perceived performance. The loading screen with no animation received a generally lower rating compared to the one with animations. Loading animations intended to entertain and distract the user received a higher rate compared to common loading animations such as Spinners and Loading bars.

It is well known that composite materials have a poor resistance to the damage caused by the impact of foreign objects on their outer surface. There are various methods for improving the impact damage tolerance of composite materials, such as: fiber toughening, matrix toughening, interface toughening, throughthe- thickness reinforcements and selective interlayers and hybrids. Hybrid composites with improved impact resistance would be particularly useful in military and commercial civil applications. Hybridizing composites using shape memory alloys (SMAs) is one solution since SMA materials can absorb the energy of impact through superelastic deformation or recovery stress reducing the effects of the impact on the composite structure. The SMA material may be embedded in the hybrid composites (SMAHC) in many different forms and also the characteristics of the fiber reinforcements may vary, such as SMA wires in unidirectional laminates or SMA foils in unidirectional laminates only to cite two examples. Recently SMA fibers have been embedded in 2-D woven composites. As part of this PhD work, the existing theoretical models for woven composites have been extended to the case of woven SMAHC using a multiscale methodology in order to predict the mechanical properties and failure behavior of SMAHC plates. Also several parts of the model have been coded in MATLAB and validated against results extracted from the literature, showing good correlation.

<p>In order to increase the independence in everyday life of the elderly population, we have developed a lifting aid for loading in the private car trunk. Independence from outside assistance affects self-esteem in a positive direction and can help increase the quality of life for a large group of individuals. As people age and experience changes in performance, it is important that aids and support is available, particularly to reduce the experience of aging and it’s increasing physical limitations. The aim was to develop a function prototype characterized by simplicity, which facilitates loading of the private car</p><p>trunk.</p><p>The project was conducted at the request of Autoadapt AB, which is one of the leading</p><p>actors in car adaptations for individuals with disablilities. A function prototype of the product Easy Load has been produced through dynamic product development and its</p><p>various tools. In an attempt to meet the requirements of simplicity and ease of use,</p><p>concepts such as universal design and usability affected the project.</p><p>In order to find a user need that could form the basis of the project, proceedings began</p><p>with a pre-study that included observations and group interviews of members in a</p><p>pensioner club in Halmstad. The Product development work continued with several</p><p>brainstorming sessions with participants from a number of the university's engineering</p><p>programs. Ideas from the sessions, together with the results from the benchmarking,</p><p>formed the basis for final product design and function. A key requirement was that the</p><p>product could be fitted in sedan car models with easy grips and without any permanent</p><p>fixings.</p><p>Construction of the prototype was made mostly in the University’s mechanical</p><p>workshop, using both self-constructed and sourced components. Stress and installation</p><p>testing and risk analysis pursuant to FMEA highlighted deficiencies that the project</p><p>group sought to adjust. In cases where this did not happen, the project group made</p><p>concrete improvement proposals to simplify further development.</p><p>This project shows that lifting aids products without permanent fixings are possible to develop for use in sedan car models. Specific product criteria have been met through a designed function prototype for loading in the private car trunk.</p>

We model Pup Matching, the logistics problem of matching or pairing semitrailers known as pups to cabs able to tow one or two pups simultaneously, as an NP-complete version of the Network Loading Problem (NLP). We examine a branch and bound solution approach tailored to the NLP formulation through the use of three families of cutting planes and four heuristic procedures. Theoretically, we specify facet defining conditions for a cut family that we refer to as odd flow inequalities and show that each heuristic yields a 2-approximation. Computationally, the cheapest of the four heuristic values achieved an average error of 1.3% among solved test problems randomly generated from realistic data. The branch and bound method solved to optimality 67% of these problems. Application of the cutting plane families reduced the average relative difference between upper and lower bounds prior to branching from 18.8% to 6.4%. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)