Occlusion effects result from amplification of low frequency components of body- transmitted sound when the ear canal is occluded with hearing protection devices, hearing aids, or other canal-sealing inserts. Since the occlusion effect will enhance the hearing of bodily- generated sounds and result in distorted perception of one's own voice, many people report annoyance with hearing aids and hearing protectors that produce occlusion effects. Previous research has studied the effects of ear device insertion depth and influence of the location of the bone vibrator, which has typically been used as the excitation stimulus. However, the effects of monaural vs. binaural, ear device material, and different excitation stimuli were not investigated. In this research study, the effect of left/right ear canal on the occlusion effect, which was measured objectively as the sound pressure level difference in dB, was investigated. Also, an experiment to determine the effect of earplug types (differing in material and design), insertion depth, and excitation sources was conducted. Lastly, the noise attenuation capability of medical balloon-based earplugs was tested. Ten subjects, six male and four female, volunteered for the three separate experiments. They were subjected to the three earplug types (foam earplugs, premolded flanged earplugs, and medical balloon-based earplugs), two earplug insertion depth levels of shallow and deep (only feasible with the foam earplug and the balloon-based earplug), and two levels of excitation sources, one of which was a forehead-mounted bone vibrator and the other a self vocal utterance of "EE" to 65 decibels A-weighted (dBA). The attenuation capability of the medical balloon- based earplugs were tested via monaural Real-Ear-Attenuation-at-Threshold (REAT) test per ANSI S3.19-1974 and compared to that of a Peltor H10A earmuff. Experimental results of the first experiment demonstrated that left right ear canal SPL measurements were not statistically different, and therefore subsequent measurements of occlusion effects for the second experiment were conducted via a monaural left ear measurement protocol. The results of the second experiment confirmed significant effects of insertion depth on the occlusion effect. At the shallow insertion, the occlusion effects, on average, were greater by 11.2 dB(linear) (dBZ) then the deep insertion measured at 500 Hz. The effects of earplug type were mixed. At the shallow insertion, earplug type did not influence the occlusion effect. However, the mean occlusion effect, measured at the 1/3-octave band centered at 500 Hz, of deeply inserted balloon-based earplugs was larger than that of foam earplugs by 3.7 dBZ. Excitation sources that were used as the sound energy stimuli to elicit occlusion effects did not show statistically significant differences. The Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), as calculated per ANSI S3.19-1974, of the medical balloon-based earplug was 10 dB while that of a Peltor H10A earmuff was 24 dB. Although the medical balloon-based earplug did not prove to be a high attenuation-hearing protector, it produced a unique flat attenuation across the frequency spectrum, as compared to the typical increasing-with-frequency attenuation, pointing to its potential utility for applications wherein the pitch perception of sound is important. / Ph. D.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) come in many sizes and degrees of hybridization. Mild hybrid systems, where a simple idle stop strategy is employed, eliminate fuel use for idling. Multiple motor hybrid systems with complex electrically continuously variable transmissions in passenger cars, SUVs and light duty trucks have large increases in fuel economy. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) takes the electrification of the automobile one step further than the HEV by increasing the battery energy capacity. The additional capacity of the battery is used to propel the vehicle without using onboard fuel energy. Commercial software of great complexity and limited availability is often used with sophisticated models to simulate powertrain operation. A simple method of evaluating technologies, component sizes, and alternative fuels is the goal of the model presented here. The objective of this paper is to define a PHEV model for use in the EcoCAR competition series. E85, gaseous hydrogen, and grid electricity are considered. The powertrain architecture selected is a series plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (SPHEV). The energy for charge sustaining operation is converted from fuel in an auxiliary power unit (APU). Compressed hydrogen gas is converted to electricity via the use of a fuel cell system and boost converter. For E85, the APU is an engine coupled to a generator. The results of modeling the vehicle allow for the comparison of the new architecture to the stock vehicle. In combination with the GREET model developed by Argonne National Lab, the multiple energy sources are compared for well to wheel energy use, petroleum energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. / Master of Science

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is proposed to simulate the connection response of practical in-service conditions and test the performance of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) premium threaded connections. A plug-in is developed in Abaqus/CAE for creating the 360-degree full 3D parametric finite element model with helical threads as an effective design and analysis tool. All size, position and material data of the model are parameterized. The premium connection plug-in accepts input from the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for further modification. Each premium connection component is programed as a collection of single-purpose independent functions organized as an independent module in order to allow users to modify specific function behavior conveniently. A main program is designed as an Abaqus kernel plug-in to achieve all the functions by calling these independent functions, making the plug-in flexible. Each single script file is not too long to jeopardize readability. The GUI of the plug-in is designed with proper layout arrangement and illustrations to make the plug-in user-friendly and easy to use. The premium connection FE model is used in a virtual test to validate the model against the ISO 13679 test protocol and is used to develop the seal metrics for points on the ISO 13679 sealability envelope. The plug-in can be used to develop and evaluate the design envelope of the premium connection. / Master of Science

Today there is no mobile application that simultaneously indicates the electricity consumption of a household and the solar cell's electricity production. Our expectation of the mobile application Watt-sun is to achieve an increased level of interest, usage and understanding of solar electricity. The solar cell’s electricity production depends on the season, time of the day and weather, thus making it difficult to estimate the amount of electricity the solar cells produce. Watt-sun visualizes and compares the solar cell’s electricity production and the user’s consumed electricity using graphs. Watt-sun helps the user to distribute the electricity consumption over the day such that an increased proportion of the produced solar electricity is used. The result of the performed user tests indicates that the mobile application helps the user to increase the proportion of solar electricity out of the total electricity consumption. By utilizing the electricity of the solar cells more efficiently, it will in turn contribute to a reduced usage of other electrical sources. Accordingly, the emission's of greenhouse gases can be reduced. / Idag finns det ingen mobilapplikation som samtidigt indikerar elförbrukningen i ett hushåll och elproduktionen från en solcell. Vår förhoppning med mobilapplikationen Watt-sun är att öka intresset, användningen och förståelsen av solceller. Solcellens elproduktion beror på årstid, tid på dygnet samt väder, vilket gör det svårt att uppskatta mängden el solcellerna producerar. Watt-sun visualiserar och jämför solcellens elproduktion och användares elkonsumtion med hjälp av grafer. Watt-sun underlättar för användaren att förflytta sin elkonsumtionen över dygnet så att en större andel av den producerade solelen används. Resultatet av de utförda användartesterna indikerar att mobilapplikationen underlättar för användaren att öka andelen solel av den totala elkonsumtionen. Genom att solelen utnyttjas bättre, kommer det i sin tur att bidra till ett minskat behov av andra elkällor och kan därmed minska utsläppen av växthusgaser.

A seqüência de pulsos RMN-CWFP (Ressonância Magnética Nuclear - Precessão Livre de Onda Contínua) tem encontrado diversas aplicações na ciência. O presente trabalho analisa a grande sensibilidade dessa seqüência em relação a variações de seus parâmetros espectrais, exclusivamente em uma caracterização teórico-experimental da RMN-CWFP em fluxos do tipo plug-flow, exemplificados por medidas online através do transporte de sementes por uma esteira sob um campo magnético constante no tempo. Foram feitas simulações e medições em várias condições, variando os fatores que influenciam as medidas, como ângulo de nutação (?), ângulo de offset (?), tempo entre pulsos (Tp), gradiente (G), velocidade (v) e tempos de relaxação longitudinal (T1) e transversal (T2). Em determinadas condições fixas de ângulo de nutação, precessão, tempo entre pulsos, gradiente e velocidade, foi observado que poderia existir um ponto nulo com dependência entre T1 e T2. Esse fenômeno foi estudado e algumas aplicações foram sugeridas. O trabalho também validou a seqüência de pulsos CWFP em fluxo como ferramenta para análises quantitativas da massa de óleo em sementes. / The NMR-CWFP pulse sequence (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance - Continuous Wave Free Precession) has met several applications in the science. The present work analyses the high sensibility of this sequence to its spectral parameters variation, exclusively in a theoretical and experimental characterization of the flow NMR-CWFP of the kind plug-flow, exemplified by online measures by seeds transport through a mat under a magnetic field constant in time. Simulations and measurements were made on several conditions, varying the factors that have measurement influence, like flip angle (??, offset angle (??, time between pulses (Tp), gradient (G), velocity (v) and longitudinal and transversal relaxation times (T1 and T2). Under certain conditions of flip angle, precession, time between pulses, gradient and velocity, it was noticed that there might be a null point with T1 and T2 dependence. This phenomenon was studied and some applications have been suggested. The work has also validated the CWFP pulse sequence as a quantitative tool to quantitative analysis of seeds oil mass.

Over the past several years, some of the platforms in the Gulf of Mexico have been damaged completely, such that conventional P&A operations may not be possible. In these cases, plugging fluid needs to be pumped through an intervention well and dropped several thousand feet in water to settle above a packer and seal the well. The current P&A material of choice is cement, but cement is miscible in water, which dilutes and contaminates the cement. Therefore, alternate plugging materials need to be used for these operations. This paper discusses the development of a cost-effective Epoxy P&A method and the challenges of using Epoxy. First, the impact of seawater, oil, and pipe dope on the curing process remains unknown. Secondly, the yield strength of Epoxy with and without the contaminating chemicals must be equal to or better than cement. Finally, previous tests have shown significant losses of Epoxy to the walls of the wellbore during the 7,000-ft drop. 2 High temperature curing and compression tests were performed on contaminated epoxy samples to determine the effectiveness of the epoxy plug. To reduce material losses, an improved method for introducing the epoxy into the target zone was developed. This method takes advantage of a narrow window in the cure process where the curing process can be suspended by quenching the partially cured liquid epoxy in water at room temperature, thereby changing the liquid epoxy into solid beads. The beads can then be pumped into the wellbore, where they liquefy at wellbore temperature, 200°F, then cure into a solid plug. Seawater was found to accelerate the cure time, while all contaminants tested reduced the fracture strength by more than 25% compared to pure resin. The yield strengths of contaminant mixtures, however, remained relatively constant, with the greatest drop being only 11%. The use of solid epoxy beads was found to have a compressive strength 50% greater than Portland cements I&II. In addition, the application mentioned herein eliminates the need to prepare the plug material on site. These advantages greatly contribute to reducing the costs of an epoxy P&A operation, to potentially being USD 0.7 million cheaper than a Portland cement operation.

This work contains the design solution and implementation of importing data mining tool Weka to the Visual Studio and Microsoft SQL Server 2012 by Managed Plug-in algorithm. In this thesis is describe, how is possible to create new Managed Plug-In algorithm and how is possible to import tool Weka into it. To use tool Weka in the new Managed Plugin Algorithm, is used the IKVM port. The IKVM can create from Weka tool new C# library, which can be used by Managed Plug-in Algorithm.

A seqüência de pulsos RMN-CWFP (Ressonância Magnética Nuclear - Precessão Livre de Onda Contínua) tem encontrado diversas aplicações na ciência. O presente trabalho analisa a grande sensibilidade dessa seqüência em relação a variações de seus parâmetros espectrais, exclusivamente em uma caracterização teórico-experimental da RMN-CWFP em fluxos do tipo plug-flow, exemplificados por medidas online através do transporte de sementes por uma esteira sob um campo magnético constante no tempo. Foram feitas simulações e medições em várias condições, variando os fatores que influenciam as medidas, como ângulo de nutação (?), ângulo de offset (?), tempo entre pulsos (Tp), gradiente (G), velocidade (v) e tempos de relaxação longitudinal (T1) e transversal (T2). Em determinadas condições fixas de ângulo de nutação, precessão, tempo entre pulsos, gradiente e velocidade, foi observado que poderia existir um ponto nulo com dependência entre T1 e T2. Esse fenômeno foi estudado e algumas aplicações foram sugeridas. O trabalho também validou a seqüência de pulsos CWFP em fluxo como ferramenta para análises quantitativas da massa de óleo em sementes. / The NMR-CWFP pulse sequence (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance - Continuous Wave Free Precession) has met several applications in the science. The present work analyses the high sensibility of this sequence to its spectral parameters variation, exclusively in a theoretical and experimental characterization of the flow NMR-CWFP of the kind plug-flow, exemplified by online measures by seeds transport through a mat under a magnetic field constant in time. Simulations and measurements were made on several conditions, varying the factors that have measurement influence, like flip angle (??, offset angle (??, time between pulses (Tp), gradient (G), velocity (v) and longitudinal and transversal relaxation times (T1 and T2). Under certain conditions of flip angle, precession, time between pulses, gradient and velocity, it was noticed that there might be a null point with T1 and T2 dependence. This phenomenon was studied and some applications have been suggested. The work has also validated the CWFP pulse sequence as a quantitative tool to quantitative analysis of seeds oil mass.

Anyone who has thought about installing their own solar panels has been faced with one of the biggest obstacles, price or location. The startup company Watt-s aims to solve this problem by offering to sell smaller parts of already existing solar power plants. We have developed the system Sun Watch which uses smart plugs to measure the power consumption of household devices. How much a user's measured consumption is compensated for by their solar panels is then presented in a web application. Sun Watch is the foundation of a system that will take Watt-s a step further, making it more desirable to invest in solar energy. Before a system building upon Sun Watch can be deployed, further improvement to security, scalability and the user interface is required. The tests from the evaluation, where smart plugs from two different companies were used, show that the system has the potential to work well with the correct hardware. The results were different for each smart plug model, one of which does not fulfil the requirements on the system. The tests showing the current power consumption in real-time and the comparison between production and consumption failed in half of the attempts. The conclusion from this is uncertain, either an API is reporting incorrect information or one of the tested smart plugs is not functioning correctly. / Alla som förespråkar solenergi har inte möjlighet att sätta upp egna solceller, och därför erbjuder Watt-s möjligheten att köpa en andel av en redan befintlig solcellsanläggning. Vi har utvecklat systemet Sun Watch som använder smart plugs för att mäta energiförbrukning av hushållsapparater. I en webbapplikation presenteras hur stor del av en användares uppmätta förbrukning som kompenseras av de inköpta solcellerna. Sun Watch är grunden till ett system som ska ta Watt-s produkt ett steg längre och på så sätt göra det mer attraktivt att investera i solceller. För att kunna lansera en tjänst som bygger på Sun Watch behöver säkerheten, skalbarheten och användargränsnittet förbättras. Testerna från utvärderingen, där smart plugs från två olika företag användes, tyder på att systemet har potential att bli bra med rätt hårdvara. Resultaten för utvärderingen blev annorlunda för dessa två smart plugs, varav en inte uppfyllde kraven för systemet. Både testerna för att visa pågående förbrukning i realtid och jämförelse av produktion och förbrukning misslyckades i hälften av försöken. Detta tyder antingen på ett fel med ett av API:en eller att en modell av de smart plugs som testades inte fungerar som den ska.

I detta examensarbete har en studie utförts för att ta fram och jämföra metoder att modellera krökta vangstycken av stål med komplexa geometrier i programmet Tekla Structures. Avgränsningen för studien har varit att jämföra två metoder: Metod 1 använder verktygen Complex Polybeam Creation i kombination med Surface Generation Between Polybeams i Tekla, och Metod 2 trappverktyget Spiral Staircase. En vindeltrappa från projektet Patienten och Princeton, Sankt Eriks ögonsjukhus i Hagastaden, har använts för att testa de komplexa geometrier som denna vindeltrappa medför. Utifrån detta har Tutorials av de båda metoderna skapats, för att läsaren enkelt ska kunna följa och genomföra samma steg. Resultatet av examensarbetet är att båda metoderna fungerar för modellering, beroende på vilken typ av geometri som skapas. Efter modellering med trappverktyget Spiral Staircase gick det inte att ta fram korrekta tillverkningsritningar av de horisontella plåtarna, till skillnad från Metod 1. Slutsatsen av studien är att vid enbart snabb modellering av cirkulära geometrier samt framtagning av tillverkningsritningar för vertikala krökta plåtar, kan med fördel Metod 2 användas. Däremot vid framtagning av tillverkningsritningar av komplexa och icke cirkulära geometrier lämpar sig Metod 1 bäst. / In this thesis, a study has been conducted to develop and compare methods of modeling curved stringer made of steel with complex geometries in the Tekla Structures program. The delimitation of the study has been to compare two methods: Method 1 uses the Complex Polybeam Creation tools in combination with Surface Generation Between Polybeams in Tekla, and Method 2 uses the tool Spiral Staircase. A spiral staircase from the project Patienten and Princeton, Sankt Eriks Eye Hospital in Hagastaden, Stockholm, has been used to test the complex geometries that this spiral staircase entails. Based on this, Tutorials of the two methods have been created, so that the reader can easily follow and implement the same steps. The result of this thesis is that both methods work for modeling, depending on the type of geometry that is created. After modeling with the tool Spiral Staircase, correct manufacturing drawings of the horizontal plates could not be obtained, unlike Method 1. The conclusion of the study is that with only rapid modeling of circular geometries as well as production of manufacturing drawings for vertical curved plates, Method 2 can be used with advantage. However, in the production of manufacturing drawings of complex and non-circular geometries, Method 1 is best suited.