<p>The project has been performed in a close collaboration with Hörsam who works in the field of hearing technology. In a first meeting with the company, the Project group was showed a few existing storage boxes for hearing aids. The company thought they were unnecessarily large with plenty of unused space and wanted a new, smarter solution to be developed.</p><p>The project began with user studies in which audiologists, maintenance technicians, future users and others were interviewed. The purpose was to obtain their views on today's storage boxes and to find out how well the users maintained their hearing aids. It proved to be a large lack of knowledge regarding the management of hearing aids within the users. As a result, new ways to clean their hearing aids were found. The group decided, therefore, to include extra batteries and cleaning articles in the storage box. It would give the user a sense of security, knowing they have everything they need in one place.</p><p>If earwax or moisture gets stuck in the sound channels to the hearing aid, the sound will disappear completely or partially. It is similarly, if the batteries run out. Hearing aid batteries last only about two weeks after activation and they are very small and difficult to handle for people with stiff joints. In the current situation, there are a variety of cleaning articles with different designs. Each hearing aid manufacturers have basically their own kit. Despite this, it is the same tools that are recommended by all. This is a brush, a loop, a cloth, a long needle and an air blower. In some cases the use of a rod with a magnet helps to facilitate replacement of batteries. The batteries are magnetic and therefore easily stuck on the rod, which help the user to handle the batteries. </p><p>After several suggestions of solutions the result became a storage box that the group has chose to call Skötsam. It has a soft and handy shape that offers the user a good grip. Skötsam is fitted for both those who only have one hearing aid and for those who have one to each ear. In the battery compartment there is space for at least two extra batteries, depending on its size. The different cleaning articles are located in a smart and clever way, while all functions are easy to use. In a comparison with today's storage boxes Skötsam have seven new features. It has been tested by future users with successful results. Even audiologists and technicians and others who have tried Skötsam are very satisfied with the result. All the requests and demands set out during the project have been met.</p>

Graduation date: 2002

A fully automated method for content-based color image retrieval is developed to extract color and shape content of an image. A color segmentation algorithm based on the k-mean clustering algorithm is used and a saturated distance is proposed to discriminate between two color points in the HSV color space. The feature set describing an image includes main object shape, which is extracted using the morphological operations. The computed image features are tagged within the image and a graphical user interface is presented for retrieving images based on the color and shape of the objects. The experimental results using natural color images demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed method. / Graduation date: 2000

Both consumer and descriptive analyses were used to study the shelf-life of packaged, roasted and ground coffee in order to evaluate the utility of using sensory data in a shelf life model, and to examine the ability of consumers to detect a difference between treated and control samples. Two types of coffee, which differed in bean roast, blend and origin, were evaluated and were referred to as moderate roast and high roast. Samples were packaged under <2%, 9%, or 21% oxygen in airtight laminated foil packages. Over the course of 84 days, the samples were stored in 20��C, 30��C, or 40��C conditions and samples for all treatments were removed throughout the storage. The control samples were packaged at <2% oxygen and stored at -35��C for the duration of the study. Descriptive results illustrated a time trend in the moderate roast coffee along Factor 1, characterized by changes in the attributes of paper aroma, paper flavor, paper aftertaste, wood flavor, body, and oily mouthfeel. This trend resulted in significant differences between the control and the 40��C high oxygen 7 day stored samples in paper aroma (p=0.000) and paper flavor (p=0.000), as well as significant differences between the control and the 40��C high oxygen 49 day stored samples in paper aroma (p=0.002), paper flavor (p=0.000), paper aftertaste (p=0.000), body (p=0.000), and wood flavor (p=0.002). Factor I data from the 40��C high oxygen, moderate roast coffee were utilized in an Arrhenius shelf-life model. A second order model was fit to the data, indicating curvature in relationship for the rate of change over temperature for Factor 1 attributes. The model successfully generated a predictive curve for storage at 40��C. Consumers evaluated 30��C stored samples packaged under high oxygen and stored for either 4 or 7 days, and packaged under low oxygen and stored for 42 and 84 days. Consumer results indicated that it was difficult for consumers to detect differences between the moderate roast coffees. Consumers were readily able to tell significant differences between the high roast coffee treatments and the control sample (p<0.05). / Graduation date: 2000

Wet thermal oxidations of polycrystalline Si₀.₅₄Ge₀.₄₆ films at 600°C for 30 and 50 min were carried out. A stable mixed oxide was obtained for films that were oxidized for 50 min. For film oxidized for 30 min, however, a mixed oxide with Ge nanocrystallites embedded in the oxide matrix was obtained. A trilayer gate stack structure that consisted of tunnel oxide/oxidized polycrystalline Si₀.₅₄Ge₀.₄₆/rf sputtered SiO₂ layers was fabricated. We found that with a 30 min oxidized middle layer, annealing the structure in N₂ ambient results in the formation of germanium nanocrystals and the annealed structure exhibits memory effect. For a trilayer structure with middle layer oxidized for 50 min, annealing in N₂ showed no nanocrystal formation and also no memory effect. Annealing the structures with 30 or 50 min oxidized middle layer in forming gas ambient resulted in nanocrystals embedded in the oxide matrix but no memory effect. This suggests that the charge storage mechanism for the trilayer structure is closely related to the interfacial traps of the nanocrystals. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

A.J. Lephakis. / "March 27, 1950." / Bibliography: p. 32. / Army Signal Corps Contract No. W36-039-sc-32037 Project No. 102B Dept. of the Army Project No. 3-99-10-022

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Feb. 6, 2007). PDF text: vii, 138 p. : ill. (some col.). UMI publication number: AAT 3216420. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche format.

The topic of this thesis is the study of energy storage systems operating with wind power plants. The motivation for applying energy storage in this context is that wind power generation is intermittent and generally difficult to predict, and that good wind energy resources are often found in areas with limited grid capacity. Moreover, energy storage in the form of hydrogen makes it possible to provide clean fuel for transportation. The aim of this work has been to evaluate how local energy storage systems should be designed and operated in order to increase the penetration and value of wind power in the power system. Optimization models and sequential and probabilistic simulation models have been developed for this purpose. Chapter 3 presents a sequential simulation model of a general windhydrogen energy system. Electrolytic hydrogen is used either as a fuel for transportation or for power generation in a stationary fuel cell. The model is useful for evaluating how hydrogen storage can increase the penetration of wind power in areas with limited or no transmission capacity to the main grid. The simulation model is combined with a cost model in order to study how component sizing and choice of operation strategy influence the performance and economics of the wind-hydrogen system. If the stored hydrogen is not used as a separate product, but merely as electrical energy storage, it should be evaluated against other and more energy efficient storage options such as pumped hydro and redox flow cells. A probabilistic model of a grid-connected wind power plant with a general energy storage unit is presented in chapter 4. The energy storage unit is applied for smoothing wind power fluctuations by providing a firm power output to the grid over a specific period. The method described in the chapter is based on the statistical properties of the wind speed and a general representation of the wind energy conversion system and the energy storage unit. This method allows us to compare different storage solutions. In chapter 5, energy storage is evaluated as an alternative for increasing the value of wind power in a market-based power system. A method for optimal short-term scheduling of wind power with energy storage has been developed. The basic model employs a dynamic programming algorithm for the scheduling problem. Moreover, different variants of the scheduling problem based on linear programming are presented. During on-line operation, the energy storage is operated to minimize the deviation between the generation schedule and the actual power output of the wind-storage system. It is shown how stochastic dynamic programming can be applied for the on-line operation problem by explicitly taking into account wind forecast uncertainty. The model presented in chapter 6 extends and improves the linear programming model described in chapter 5. An operation strategy based on model predictive control is developed for effective management of uncertainties. The method is applied in a simulation model of a wind-hydrogen system that supplies the local demand for electricity and hydrogen. Utilization of fuel cell heat and electrolytic oxygen as by-products is also considered. Computer simulations show that the developed operation method is beneficial for grid-connected as well as for isolated systems. For isolated systems, the method makes it possible to minimize the usage of backup power and to ensure a secure supply of hydrogen fuel. For grid-connected wind-hydrogen systems, the method could be applied for maximizing the profit from operating in an electricity market. Comprehensive simulation studies of different example systems have been carried out to obtain knowledge about the benefits and limitations of using energy storage in conjunction with wind power. In order to exploit the opportunities for energy storage in electricity markets, it is crucial that the electrical efficiency of the storage is as high as possible. Energy storage combined with wind power prediction tools makes it possible to take advantage of varying electricity prices as well as reduce imbalance costs. Simulation results show that the imbalance costs of wind power and the electricity price variations must be relatively high to justify the installation of a costly energy storage system. Energy storage is beneficial for wind power integration in power systems with high-cost regulating units, as well as in areas with weak grid connection. Hydrogen can become an economically viable energy carrier and storage medium for wind energy if hydrogen is introduced into the transportation sector. It is emphasized that seasonal wind speed variations lead to high storage costs if compressed hydrogen tanks are used for long-term storage. Simulation results indicate that reductions in hydrogen storage costs are more important than obtaining low-cost and high-efficient fuel cells and electrolyzers. Furthermore, it will be important to make use of the flexibility that the hydrogen alternative offers regarding sizing, operation and possibly the utilization of oxygen and heat as by-products. The main scientific contributions from this thesis are the development of - a simulation model for estimating the cost and energy efficiency of wind-hydrogen systems, - a probabilistic model for predicting the performance of a gridconnected wind power plant with energy storage, - optimization models for increasing the value of wind power in electricity markets by the use of hydrogen storage and other energy storage solutions and the system knowledge about wind energy and energy storage that has been obtained by the use of these models. / Paper 1 is reprinted with kind permission of ACTA Press. Paper 2 is reprinted with kind permission of Elsevier/ Science Direct. http://www.elsevier.com, http://www.sciencedirect.com Paper 3 is reprinted with kind permission of IEEE.

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Storage devices are rapidly changing, and we need to adapt the OS storage software stack to keep up with the changes. Such a re-evaluation of the storage software stack is especially required for mobile platforms because they are relying on inexpensive flash storage devices having very different performance characteristics from the familiar hard disk.In this thesis work, we first show the importance of storage in mobile platforms; contrary to conventional wisdom, we find evidence that storage is a significant contributor to application performance on mobile devices. Then, we explore the solution space for flash storage; user-level library for selective logging, host-side write buffering layer, and OS buffer replacement scheme for flash storage have been studied. Finally, we build an integrated solution for smartphone storage, named Fjord. In the Fjord study, we re-design logging and RAM buffering solutions for smartphones, and also propose fine-grained reliability control mechanisms. We prove that non-volatile logging can improve storage performance remarkably. Understanding the characteristics of cloud-backed applications and controlling the reliability constraint for chosen cloud-backed applications can achieve additional significant performance gain.We implement and evaluate our solution on a real Android smartphone, and demonstrate significant performance gains for everyday apps on such platforms.