Foi realizada a implantação de um laboratório para testes de detectores com radiação de nêutrons. Uma sala foi reformada e adaptada para ser o Laboratório de TestescomNêutrons(LTN) no subsolo do prédio do Laboratório de Calibração de Instrumentos do IPEN. Foi criada uma sala de controle do sistema de exposição e posicionamento da fonte e para o operador responsável pelos procedimentos de testes dos instrumentos. Foi desenvolvida uma blindagem adequada para a fonte de 241Am(Be), previamente calibrada no Laboratório Nacional de Metrologia das Radiações Ionizantes (LNMRI), num sistema padrão primário. Um arranjo de irradiação automatizado foi implantado, possibilitando a variação da distância fonte-detector por meio de um comando à distância por um painel eletrônico localizado na sala de controle. Os resultados obtidos do levantamento radiométrico permitiram avaliar as condições existentes no LTN e a sua classificação. Foi realizado um estudo de estabilidade a curto e a médio prazo da resposta de vários detectores de nêutrons, que apresentaram resultados dentro do limite recomendado pela norma internacional. A influência da radiação espalhada foi determinada por duas técnicas: Método de Monte Carlo e método experimental, com a utilização de um cone de sombra e um detector de radiação de nêutrons portátil calibrado no LNMRI. Alguns monitores portáteis foram testados no arranjo estabelecido. Dos resultados obtidos por meio da simulação foi possível concluir que a estrutura do LTN está em concordância com os resultados obtidos em outros laboratórios que oferecem o mesmoserviço. / A laboratory for testing of detectors with neutron radiation was established. A room was renovated and adapted for the Testing Laboratory with Neutrons (LTN). A control room was created for the exposure and positioning of the source system and for localization of the operator responsible for the testing procedures of the instruments. An adequate shielding was developed for the 241Am(Be) source, previously calibrated at the National Metrology Laboratory of Ionizing Radiation (LNMRI), using a primary standard system. The set-up of the automated irradiation was established for the variation of the source-detector distance through a remote control by an electronic panel located in the control room. A radiometric survey was undertaken to evaluate the conditions at LTN and its classification. A study of the short and medium-term stability of the response of various detectors was realized, and the results were within the international recommended limits. The influence of the scattered radiation was determined by two techniques: Monte Carlo method and experimentally using a shadow cone and a portable radiation detector calibrated at LNMRI. Some portable monitors were tested at the established set-up. From the results obtained through the simulation, It was shown that the LTN structure is in agreement with the results obtained in other laboratories that offer the same service.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas commonly produced in manure pits. When the manure is disturbed through manure handling activities such as pressure washing, agitating, and pumping out manure, H2S is released. During these activities H2S concentrations increase quickly and reach hazardous concentrations. Many fatalities from high H2S concentrations during manure handling activities have been reported internationally as well as in the Midwest. Occupations in general industry that have identified the potential for high H2S concentrations use monitors to warn worker of high H2S concentrations. However, in agriculture the adoption of H2S monitors is low. To encourage farmers to adopt H2S monitors, interactive training materials were created. Displays were deployed to locations that farmers frequent such as agricultural stores, extension offices, and cooperatives. Agricultural stores are defined here as locations that sell agricultural supplies wholesale, or retail, and services. These displays contained educational materials, two H2S monitors, and two types of bump testing gas for farmers to use. Along with the display passive trainings, six in-person trainings were completed where participants filled out surveys. The survey asked questions about the farmers knowledge and use of H2S monitors, likelihood of purchasing a H2S monitor in the future, easiest bump testing gas to use and the one preferred for future bump testing, and the location that farmers would prefer to go to for bump testing and monitor education. Survey participants were placed into two groups: livestock producers and commercial manure applicators. A total of 43 surveys were completed by these groups. The majority of both livestock producers and commercial manure applicators knew what H2S monitors were, but less than half of the participants actually used H2S monitors. Outreach focusing on H2S monitor use and maintenance should be continued. Hydrogen sulfide monitor use and maintenance training had the more attendance when added to an already existing training or meeting such as the manure applicator trainings or livestock producer meetings. In the survey, livestock producers and commercial manure applicators were asked the easiest type of bump testing gas where both groups chose that the calibration gas is easiest to use. When prices were included in the survey question for both bump testing gas systems, many more of livestock producers and commercial manure applicators responded that they could see themselves using neither in the future. Price of bump testing systems ($130-$220) can be a potential barrier for some farmers to not bump test their monitors, it would be beneficial for multiple farmers to share one bump testing system. Putting a bump testing system in at agricultural stores, cooperatives and extension offices would allow many farmers to use it. Commercial manure applicators reported that they had no preference in future locations for bump testing and monitor advice between the agricultural store, cooperatives, and extension offices. Livestock producers preferred agricultural stores a little more than cooperatives and extension offices, but all three locations should be used for continuing H2S monitor education. In our study agricultural stores had the most bump tests recorded, bump testing gas used, they purchased a bump testing system for their customers.

The growth of non-linear devices has increased the harmonics pollution in distribution systems. Under industrial competition, the concern over power quality, especially harmonic distortion, has increased due to the new generation of load equipment. This equipment has been fully automated electronically, so it is very sensitive to any power quality disturbances. Electrical power organizations have set standards to limit the harmonics pollution in the distribution systems; however, the enforcement of the standards has to be disciplinal, by applying a penalty fee for any customer or utility that exceeds the standard limits. In order to apply the penalty fee properly, precise detection of harmonics pollution sources must be considered. The bus voltages and the line currents in the entire system have to be known in order to obtain accurate identification, which can be achieved by monitoring the distribution system. The large number of sensors needed to monitor the distribution system increases the cost of the monitoring system; therefore, the sensors have to be installed in an optimum way that decreases their quantity and their construction fixed costs. This thesis offers a new optimization approach for allocating the monitors in the distribution system. The Vertex-Colouring approach reduces the monitoring system cost by placing the harmonics pollution monitors in minimum cost locations where they can observe all the buses and branches of the distribution system. The number of monitors is affected by the percentage of nonlinear loads in the distribution network; thus, investigations on lightly polluted systems, medium polluted systems, and heavily polluted systems have been presented. The relation between the harmonics pollution level from one side, and the nonlinear load types, power ratings, and voltage levels from the other side has been highlighted as important observations of the polluted systems investigation. The Total Harmonic Powers (THP) method has been used to identify the harmonics pollution sources. In addition to its simplicity, The THP method is efficient, and requires the network voltage and current values which can be provided by the proposed monitoring system. The ability to apply the THP method on any distribution system has been scrutinized in order to confirm its validity for distribution systems.

This report analyzes the impact of some important factors on the prediction of detection probabilities for radiation portal monitors (RPMs). The application of innovative detection technology to improve operational sensitivity of RPMs has received increasing attention in recent decades. In particular, two alarm algorithms, gross count and energy windowing, have been developed to try to distinguish between special nuclear material (SNM) and naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). However, the use of the two detection strategies is quite limited due to a very large number of unpredictable threat scenarios. We address this problem by implementing a new Monte Carlo radiation transport simulation approach to model a large set of threat scenarios with predefined conditions. In this report, our attention is focused on the effect of two important factors on the detected energy spectra in RPMs, the mass of individual nuclear isotopes and the thickness of shielding materials. To study the relationship between these factors and the resulting spectra, we apply several advanced statistical regression models for different types of data, including a multinomial logit model, an ordinal logit model, and a curvilinear regression model. By utilizing our new simulation technique together with these sophisticated regression models, we achieve a better understanding of the system response under various conditions. We find that the different masses of the isotopes change the isotopes’ effect on the energy spectra. In analyzing the joint impact of isotopes’ mass and shielding thickness, we obtain a nonlinear relation between the two factors and the gross count of gamma photons in the energy spectrum. / text

The growth of non-linear devices has increased the harmonics pollution in distribution systems. Under industrial competition, the concern over power quality, especially harmonic distortion, has increased due to the new generation of load equipment. This equipment has been fully automated electronically, so it is very sensitive to any power quality disturbances. Electrical power organizations have set standards to limit the harmonics pollution in the distribution systems; however, the enforcement of the standards has to be disciplinal, by applying a penalty fee for any customer or utility that exceeds the standard limits. In order to apply the penalty fee properly, precise detection of harmonics pollution sources must be considered. The bus voltages and the line currents in the entire system have to be known in order to obtain accurate identification, which can be achieved by monitoring the distribution system. The large number of sensors needed to monitor the distribution system increases the cost of the monitoring system; therefore, the sensors have to be installed in an optimum way that decreases their quantity and their construction fixed costs. This thesis offers a new optimization approach for allocating the monitors in the distribution system. The Vertex-Colouring approach reduces the monitoring system cost by placing the harmonics pollution monitors in minimum cost locations where they can observe all the buses and branches of the distribution system. The number of monitors is affected by the percentage of nonlinear loads in the distribution network; thus, investigations on lightly polluted systems, medium polluted systems, and heavily polluted systems have been presented. The relation between the harmonics pollution level from one side, and the nonlinear load types, power ratings, and voltage levels from the other side has been highlighted as important observations of the polluted systems investigation. The Total Harmonic Powers (THP) method has been used to identify the harmonics pollution sources. In addition to its simplicity, The THP method is efficient, and requires the network voltage and current values which can be provided by the proposed monitoring system. The ability to apply the THP method on any distribution system has been scrutinized in order to confirm its validity for distribution systems.

Foi realizada a implantação de um laboratório para testes de detectores com radiação de nêutrons. Uma sala foi reformada e adaptada para ser o Laboratório de TestescomNêutrons(LTN) no subsolo do prédio do Laboratório de Calibração de Instrumentos do IPEN. Foi criada uma sala de controle do sistema de exposição e posicionamento da fonte e para o operador responsável pelos procedimentos de testes dos instrumentos. Foi desenvolvida uma blindagem adequada para a fonte de 241Am(Be), previamente calibrada no Laboratório Nacional de Metrologia das Radiações Ionizantes (LNMRI), num sistema padrão primário. Um arranjo de irradiação automatizado foi implantado, possibilitando a variação da distância fonte-detector por meio de um comando à distância por um painel eletrônico localizado na sala de controle. Os resultados obtidos do levantamento radiométrico permitiram avaliar as condições existentes no LTN e a sua classificação. Foi realizado um estudo de estabilidade a curto e a médio prazo da resposta de vários detectores de nêutrons, que apresentaram resultados dentro do limite recomendado pela norma internacional. A influência da radiação espalhada foi determinada por duas técnicas: Método de Monte Carlo e método experimental, com a utilização de um cone de sombra e um detector de radiação de nêutrons portátil calibrado no LNMRI. Alguns monitores portáteis foram testados no arranjo estabelecido. Dos resultados obtidos por meio da simulação foi possível concluir que a estrutura do LTN está em concordância com os resultados obtidos em outros laboratórios que oferecem o mesmoserviço. / A laboratory for testing of detectors with neutron radiation was established. A room was renovated and adapted for the Testing Laboratory with Neutrons (LTN). A control room was created for the exposure and positioning of the source system and for localization of the operator responsible for the testing procedures of the instruments. An adequate shielding was developed for the 241Am(Be) source, previously calibrated at the National Metrology Laboratory of Ionizing Radiation (LNMRI), using a primary standard system. The set-up of the automated irradiation was established for the variation of the source-detector distance through a remote control by an electronic panel located in the control room. A radiometric survey was undertaken to evaluate the conditions at LTN and its classification. A study of the short and medium-term stability of the response of various detectors was realized, and the results were within the international recommended limits. The influence of the scattered radiation was determined by two techniques: Monte Carlo method and experimentally using a shadow cone and a portable radiation detector calibrated at LNMRI. Some portable monitors were tested at the established set-up. From the results obtained through the simulation, It was shown that the LTN structure is in agreement with the results obtained in other laboratories that offer the same service.

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Gu, Wenbo. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstract also in Chinese. / Acknowledgment --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii / 摘要 --- p.iii / List of Figures --- p.vi / List of Tables --- p.vii / List of Abbreviations --- p.viii / Contents --- p.ix / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1. --- Arterial blood pressure and its importance --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2. --- Current methods for non-invasive blood pressure measurement --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2.1. --- The auscultatory method (mercury sphygmomanometer) --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2.2. --- The oscillometric method --- p.5 / Chapter 1.2.3. --- The tonometric method --- p.7 / Chapter 1.2.4. --- The volume-clamp method --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3. --- Blood pressure estimation based on pulse arrival time --- p.8 / Chapter 1.4. --- Objectives and structures of this thesis --- p.10 / Chapter 2. --- Hemodynamic models: relationship between PAT and BP --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1. --- The generation of arterial pulsation --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2. --- Pulse wave velocity along the arterial wall --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2.1. --- Moens-Korteweg equation --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2.2. --- Bergel wave velocity --- p.18 / Chapter 2.3. --- Relationship between PWV and BP --- p.19 / Chapter 2.3.1. --- Bramwell-Hill´ةs model --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.2. --- Volume-pressure relationship --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.3. --- Hughes' model --- p.22 / Chapter 2.4. --- The theoretical expression of PAT-BP relationship --- p.23 / Chapter 3. --- Estimation and calibration of arterial BP based on PAT --- p.25 / Chapter 3.1. --- PAT measurement --- p.25 / Chapter 3.1.1. --- Principle of ECG measurement --- p.25 / Chapter 3.1.2. --- Principle of PPG measurement --- p.26 / Chapter 3.1.3. --- Calculation of PAT --- p.28 / Chapter 3.2. --- Calibration methods for PAT-BP estimation --- p.29 / Chapter 3.2.1. --- Calibration based on cuff BP readings --- p.30 / Chapter 3.2.2. --- Calibration by hydrostatic pressure changes --- p.31 / Chapter 3.2.3. --- Calibration by multiple regression --- p.33 / Chapter 3.3. --- Model-based calibration with PPG waveform parameters --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3.1. --- Model-based equation with parameters from PPG waveform --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3.2. --- Selection of parameters from PPG waveform --- p.36 / Chapter 4. --- Cuffless calibration approach using PPG waveform parameter for PAT-BP estimation --- p.43 / Chapter 4.1. --- Introduction --- p.43 / Chapter 4.2. --- Experiment I: young group in sitting position including rest and after exercise states --- p.43 / Chapter 4.2.1. --- Experiment protocol --- p.43 / Chapter 4.2.2. --- Data Analysis --- p.44 / Chapter 4.2.3. --- Experiment results --- p.46 / Chapter 4.3. --- Experiment II: over-month observation using wearable device in sitting position --- p.48 / Chapter 4.3.1. --- Body sensor network for blood pressure estimation --- p.49 / Chapter 4.3.2. --- Experiment protocol and data collection --- p.50 / Chapter 4.3.3. --- Experiment results --- p.50 / Chapter 4.4. --- Experiment III: contactless monitoring in supine position --- p.51 / Chapter 4.4.1. --- The design of the contactless system --- p.52 / Chapter 4.4.2. --- Experiment protocol and data collection --- p.53 / Chapter 4.4.3. --- Experiment results --- p.53 / Chapter 4.5. --- Discussion --- p.55 / Chapter 4.5.1. --- Discussion of Experiments I and II --- p.55 / Chapter 4.5.2. --- Discussion of Experiments II and III --- p.57 / Chapter 4.5.3. --- Conclusion --- p.58 / Chapter 5. --- Cuff-based calibration approach for BP estimation in supine position --- p.61 / Chapter 5.1. --- Introduction --- p.61 / Chapter 5.2. --- Experiment protocol --- p.61 / Chapter 5.2.1. --- Experiment IV: exercise experiment in supine position in lab --- p.61 / Chapter 5.2.2. --- Experiment V: exercise experiment in supine position in PWH --- p.63 / Chapter 5.3. --- Data analysis --- p.65 / Chapter 5.3.1. --- Partition of signal trials and selection of datasets --- p.65 / Chapter 5.3.2. --- PPG waveform processing --- p.66 / Chapter 5.4. --- Experiment results --- p.68 / Chapter 5.4.1. --- Range and variation of reference SBP --- p.68 / Chapter 5.4.2. --- PAT-BP individual best regression --- p.69 / Chapter 5.4.3. --- Multiple regression using ZX and arm length --- p.72 / Chapter 5.4.4. --- One-cuff calibration improved by PPG waveform parameter --- p.72 / Chapter 5.5. --- Discussion --- p.74 / Chapter 6. --- Conclusion --- p.76