In hydrological and hydraulic modelling, river geometry is a crucial input data. Recent investigations have been looking at methods to improve the description of cross sections extracted by DEM derived by satellite images. SRTM derived DEM are often lacking precise information as the sensors cannot detect the submerged river parts, but, on the other hand, it is available on a global scale which makes it very attractive and useful, especially in data scarce regions. This study aims at applying the so called “slope break” method to improve river cross section geometry extracted from SRTM DEM. The report is divided into three parts: a) The making of a Matlab-code to improve cross sections geometry extracted by satellite derived DEM; b) an application of the code to real cross-sections from the river Po in Italy and c) hydraulic simulations with and without SRTM modified cross sections to test the performance of the method, in collaboration with senior colleagues. The Matlab successfully performs the slope break point and finds, when appropriate, the approximated lowest point zmin of the cross section below the water surface. The comparison of the river geometry of the modified SRTM cross sections versus LiDAR available cross sections show the good performance of the method in improving the river geometry description. This code can simplify the work and improve many SRTM river cross sections in an effective way. The hydraulic simulations performed with and without the modified cross sections show how the modified SRTM model improves when compared to LiDAR results

Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act requires thermal power generating facilities to minimize adverse environmental impact resulting from the operation of cooling water intake structures (CWIS). Adverse environmental impact can occur when aquatic organisms are impinged on traveling water screens. Modified traveling screens were developed to improve the post-impingement survival of organisms. These screens have been used at a few power plants and are now being considered at additional facilities to reduce the mortality of juvenile and adult fish. Existing biological efficacy data show that post-impingement survival is highly variable by species. The majority of previous installations are at estuarine facilities. As such, there is a lack of biological efficacy data with many of the freshwater species commonly impinged at CWIS. In addition, most of the existing modified screen installations were installed prior to 1990. Since that time, improvements in screen designs have increased survival. For these reasons, the existing biological efficacy of the new screen designs was limited and largely unknown for many freshwater species. The mortality, injury, and scale loss rates of 10 species of freshwater fish impinged and recovered with a modified traveling screen were evaluated in the laboratory. Species tested included: golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas); fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas); white sucker (Catostomus commersoni); bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus); channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus); hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis); bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus); largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides); yellow perch (Perca flavescens); and freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens). Fish were impinged at 0.3, 0.6, or 0.9 m•s-1 velocity. Mortality, injury, and scale loss rates were generally low. Mortality rates did not exceed 5% for any species and velocity tested, indicating that this technology has potential to substantially reduce impingement mortality at CWIS. Despite a general trend toward increasing mortality at higher velocities, velocity was only a significant factor in the mortality of bluegill (P=0.0005). Injury and scale loss rates were low for most species tested, although they were more variable than observed rates of mortality. There was a trend toward lower mortality, injury, and scale loss in larger fish. In all cases where fish length was a significant factor (P<0.05), the pattern of decreasing mortality, injury, and scale loss as fish increased in length was constantly observed. Additional tests were undertaken with channel catfish, fathead minnow, and golden shiner to assess the effect of duration of impingement on mortality, injury, and scale loss. Longer durations of impingement appeared to result in higher mortality, injury, and scale loss, especially at durations of impingement greater than 6 minutes. However, longer durations of impingement could be avoided at most cooling water intake structures by continuously rotating screens.

Wide bandgap (WBG) devices and power electronic converters (PEC) that enable the dynamic control of energy and high-power density designs inevitably contain defects including sharp edges, triple points, and cavities, which result in local electric field enhancements. The intensified local electric stresses cause either immediate dielectric breakdown or partial discharge (PD) that erodes electrical insulators and accelerates device aging. With the goal of addressing these dielectric challenges emerging in power-dense applications, this dissertation focuses on 1) modeling the dielectric characteristics of supercritical fluids (SCFs), which is a new dielectric medium with high dielectric strength and high cooling capability; and 2) establishing the optimal fabrication conditions of electrets, which is a new dielectric solution that neutralizes locally enhanced electric fields. In this dissertation, the dielectric breakdown characteristics of SCFs are modeled as a function of pressure based on the electron scattering cross section data of clusters that vary in size as a function of temperature and pressure around the critical point. The modeled breakdown electric field is compared with the experimental breakdown measurements of supercritical fluids, which show close agreement. In addition, electrets are fabricated based on the triode-corona charging method and their PD mitigation performance is evaluated through a series of PD experiments. Electrets are fabricated under various charging conditions, including charging voltage, duration, polarity, and temperature with the goal of identifying the optimal condition that leads to effective PD mitigation. The PD mitigation performance of electrets fabricated based on these charging conditions is further assessed by investigating the impact of various power electronics voltage characteristics, including dv/dt, polarity, switching frequency, and duty cycle. Electret based electric field neutralization approach is further utilized in increasing the critical flashover voltage associated with the surface flashover voltage. Moreover, due to the high mechanical strength of epoxy composites at cryogenic temperatures, in this dissertation, epoxy-based electrets are fabricated as a solution to PD in high temperature superconducting cables. The experimental demonstrations conducted with electret in this dissertation is dedicated for the establishing the electret based electric field neutralization approach as a dielectric solution for the dielectric challenges in power electronics driven systems.

Bakgrund Att förlösas med kejsarsnitt fortsätter att öka internationellt och något nationellt och är även förenligt med risker. Kejsarsnittsfrekvensen varierar stort i Sveriges olika län och tros delvis bero på att kriterier och rutiner för kejsarsnitt skiljer sig åt. Syfte Att beskriva hur operationssjuksköterskans roll i det interprofessionella teamet vid kejsarsnitt framställs i riktlinjer vid svenska sjukhus som utför kejsarsnitt Metod En totalundersökning av Sveriges sjukhus riktlinjer vid kejsarsnitt ledde till att en tvärsnittsstudie med kvantitativ deskriptiv design användes. Riktlinjerna färgkodades utifrån ett systemteoretiskt perspektiv och en granskningsmall gjordes för att enhetligt kunna beskriva hur operationssjuksköterskans roll framställs i respektive riktlinje. Ett reliabilitetstest på mallen gjordes och Cronbach’s alfa beräknades till 0,891. Resultat 29 av 41 av Sveriges sjukhus som utför kejsarsnitt är representerade i studien. Operationssjuksköterskans roll identifierades slutligen utifrån fyra strukturer; direkt omnämnd, indirekt omnämnd, del i det interprofessionella teamet och beskriven utifrån variabler. Vid analys av riktlinjerna utifrån granskningsmallen, framkom det att i elektiva riktlinjer var det 4 sjukhus som hade över 75 % av variablerna i sina riktlinjer, vid akuta 8 och urakuta 11. Slutsats Riktlinjerna är mer samstämmiga i beskrivningen av operationssjuksköterskans roll vid urakuta riktlinjer dock inte alltid med en arbetsbeskrivning. En tydlig framställning av operationssjuksköterskans roll skulle kunna uppnås genom att använda variabler i den framtagna granskningsmallen och därmed bidra till ökad patientsäkerhet och mer likvärdig vård. / Background Cesarean delivery continues to increase internationally and somewhat nationally and also includes risks. The frequency varies greatly in Sweden's counties and is believed to be partly due to that the criteria and routines for cesarean sections differ. Aim To describe how the operating room nurse in the interprofessional team in cesarean section is stated in guidelines at Swedish hospitals that perform cesarean sections.  Method A total survey of Sweden's hospital guidelines for cesarean sections led to the use of a cross-sectional study with a quantitative descriptive design. The guidelines were color-coded based on a systems theory perspective and a review template was made to be able to uniformly describe how the operating room nurse is presented in each guideline. A reliability test on the template was done and Cronbach's alpha was calculated to be 0.891. Result 29 of 41 of Sweden's hospitals that perform cesarean sections are represented in the study. The operating room nurse was ultimately identified based on four structures; directly mentioned, indirectly mentioned, part of the interprofessional team and described based on variables. When analyzing the guidelines based on the review template, it emerged that in elective guidelines, there were 4 hospitals that had over 75 percent of the variables in their guidelines, in acute 8 and in emergency 11.  Conclusion The guidelines are more consistent in the description of the operating room nurse in emergency procedures, although not always with a work description. A clear presentation of the operating room nurse could be achieved by using variables in the developed review template and thus contribute to increased patient safety and more equal care.

This study explores the genesis of the presence of the fetus in American culture by examining the evolution of American medical attitudes towards the unborn (1800-1865) in the lead up to the Physicians Crusade Against Abortion in the mid 19th century. Specifically, it analyzes how American allopathic physicians reconciled their denunciation of abortions for reproductive limitation with their approval of abortions for medical reasons, shedding light on how American physicians resolved maternal-fetal conflict. The study begins with an exploration of the medicalization of childbirth in the 18th century and how it created medical concern for the fetus. The forceps could spare the pregnant woman the craniotomy operation (collapse of the fetal skull) and save the fetus. However, not all cases of obstructed labour could be solved with the forceps, and as physicians displaced midwives as the principal birth attendants, they were confronted with the prospect of performing craniotomy on a live fetus. As they dreaded this outcome, they proposed two operations to circumvent it: the Caesarean section and induced premature labour. This shows that medicalization created concern for the fetus, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy. With new embryological research in the 1820s, concern for the fetus was extended to all stages of pregnancy and expressed itself in advice to women to guarantee a healthy child. The publication of Alfred Velpeau’s Principles of Tokology and Embryology was influential because it both normalized the fusion of embryology and obstetrics, and it justified recourse to early abortion in cases of contracted pelvises. Indications for the medical use of abortion began to multiply as a result of this shift, even as physicians denounced clandestine abortion and sought to criminalize it. This study argued the medical ideology of vitalism, as articulated by Xavier Bichat, was key in resolving maternal-fetal conflict in favour of the pregnant woman. Vitalism characterized fetuses as having the same functions as a plant and this lower level of functioning justified the sacrificing of fetal life in certain circumstances. Vitalism also viewed women to as having more sensibility, more cerebral activity, and more social ties. Therefore, women were viewed as the more deserving human being in maternal-fetal conflict.

Honey bees are some of the most important pollinators for agriculture in the world and are pivotal to the health of worldwide ecosystems. Like all insects, bees struggle with exposure to parasites, diseases, and other environmental factors that can negatively affect the overall health of the colony. Recently, a new unexplainable phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been wreaking havoc on bee populations worldwide. As a result, a system capable of tracking bees is required to understand the different contributions of chemicals, parasites, etc. to CCD. This research seeks to show data supporting the development of systems for an X-band harmonic radar system. Overall, it was found the harmonic oscillator’s conversion and antenna efficiency were the most important design factors for determining detectability at increased ranges. Therefore, multiple harmonic oscillators were simulated and developed at a fundamental frequency of 5 GHz with these design factors in mind.

This thesis reports an optical dipole trap for atomic calcium. The dipole trap is loaded from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) of calcium atoms cooled near the Doppler limit (~1 mK). The dipole trap is formed by a large-frame argon ion laser focused to 20 microns into the center of the MOT. This laser runs single-line at 488 nm with a maximum power of 10.6 watts. These parameters result in a trap of 125 mK for calcium atoms in the 4s3d 1D2 state. The 488 nm light also photo-ionizes the trapped atoms due to a near-resonant transition to the 4s4f 1F3 level. These ions leave the trap and are detected to determine the trap decay rate. By measuring this decay rate as a function of 488 nm intensity, we determine the 1F3 photo-ionization cross section at this wavelength to be approximately 230 Mb.

Wire Electric Discharge Machining (wire-EDM) is a non-traditional machining process. Controlled electric sparks are successively used to vaporize part of a workpiece along a programmed path in order to machine a desired part. Because there is no tool that comes in direct contact with the workpiece, it is possible to machine thin, delicate parts. This thesis was designed to observe and analyze the differences in cutting capabilities for a conventional wire-EDM machine when cutting thin-walled sections from five commonly used metals utilizing a variation of roughing and finishing passes. The five metals that were used in this study are: Aluminum 6061 T6, Yellow Brass SS360, 420 Stainless Steel, D2 Tool Steel at 25 to 30 RC, and D2 Tool Steel at 60 to 65 RC. The thin-walled sections were constrained on each end by the parent material to which they remained attached, and they ranged in thickness from 0.05 millimeters (0.002 inches) increasing incrementally by 0.05 millimeters (0.002 inches) until they reached a thickness of 0.30 millimeters (0.012 inches). A Sodick AQ325L wire-EDM machine was employed to perform the machining. It was observed that differences exist in the capabilities of cutting thin-walled sections from the five different metals. This could be both observed visually through inspection and statistically through the analysis of each data set obtained by measuring the resultant thickness of each section. It was also observed that differences exist for the same material while utilizing the variations of cutting parameters: a roughing with no finishing passes, a roughing with one finishing pass, and a roughing with three finishing passes. Thus both the material properties and the cutting parameters play a significant role in determining the capability of cutting thin-walled sections with a wire-EDM machine.

This thesis applies Kenneth Burke's method of logology as exemplified in The Rhetoric of Religion to analyze the Mormon text Doctrine and Covenants Section 88. This method of logology is based on the assumption that what is said about God in theology reveals a religion's use of language to influence human motives. The logological method uses six analogies to discover the motives implicit in religious terminologies. These six analogies are as follows: words-Word, Matter-Spirit, the Negative, the Titular, Time-Eternity, and the Formal.This study revealed that the terminology contained in Doctrine and Covenants uses motives far diferent from the motives of traditional Christianity as described by Burke. Primary differences include the existence of a cluster of god-terms that describes a universal hierarchy, and emphasis on and affirmation of the physical, and an emphasis on the positive. An examination of these terms and motives can help Mormons better appreicate the advantages inherent in their terminology as exemplified in Section 88.

This bachelor thesis was made in collaboration with Scania. The objective was to find the cause for defects found in some rear axle welds. It was known axle material was coated with anti-corrosive oil. Oils were examined through ICP-AES, and then compared to the composition found on the surface of the steel samples. Elements found in the oils vastly differed from one another. One of the oils contains large amounts of aluminium while the other contains high levels of calcium. When samples surfaces were analysed using EDS, phases consisting of aluminium and calcium were observed. These results indicate that the wrong anti-corrosive had been used for the axle material which gave substandard welds. The oil used contained elements with a low vaporisation temperature, such as calcium. This causes instabilities in the keyhole, leading to collapse. Collapse of the keyhole facilitates the formation of defects.