De ökande luftföroreningarna i Europa är ett allvarligt miljöproblem, och vägtransporterna är en av de största orsakerna till detta. För att ta itu med detta problem och uppfylla nya utsläppskrav måste efterbehandlingssystemen för avgaser förbättras. Det är viktigt att förstå sammansättningen, egenskaperna och mängden partiklar (PM) som produceras av dieselmotorer för att kunna minska partikelutsläppen med dieselpartikelfiltret (DPF). Denna studie ger en djupgående analys av partikelutsläpp från tunga dieselmotorer, med fokus på att förstå källorna till partikelutsläpp, deras inverkan på partikelns struktur och reaktivitet. Olika filter för att samla in partiklarna användes och analyserades. Dessutom utvecklades och diskuterades en extraktionsmetod för att avlägsna partiklarna från filtren. Förhållandet mellan aska och sot samt kinetiska oxidationsparametrar har undersökts för flera prover från sex- och åttacylindriga motorer under olika driftscykler. Morfologiska egenskaper hos aska och sot undersöktes med SEM. Askfraktionen uppskattades ligga mellan 3 och 23 procent av den totala PM-sammansättningen. Askans elementära sammansättning undersöktes med hjälp av EDS och ICP. Viktförlustkurvor erhölls med TGA och de kinetiska parametrarna för sotoxidation beräknades med den icke-isotermiska metoden. Aktiveringsenergierna, som befanns ligga i intervallet 145-162 kJ/mol, visade att alla de testade sotproverna hade en liknande reaktivitet. Ytterligare studier behövs för att förbättra insamlings- och analysmetoderna för att uppnå tillförlitliga resultat. / The rise in air pollution in Europe is a pressing environmental health concern, and road transport is a major contributor. To address this issue and meet new emission standards, exhaust aftertreatment systems must be improved. Understanding the composition, properties, and amount of particulate matter (PM) produced by diesel engines is critical for reducing PM emissions with the diesel particulate filter (DPF). This research provides an in-depth analysis of PM emissions produced by heavy-duty diesel engines, with focus on understanding the sources of PM emissions, their impact on the structure and on the reactivity of the PM. Various filters to collect the particulate were employed and critically analysed. Furthermore, an extraction procedure to remove the PM from the filters was developed and discussed. Ash to soot ratio and kinetic oxidation parameters have been investigated for several samples deriving from 6-cylinder and 8-cylinder engines during different operational cycles. Morphological features of ash and soot were investigated with SEM. The ash fraction was estimated to lie between 3 and 23 percent in the total PM composition. Ash elemental composition was carried out through EDS and ICP. Weight loss curves were obtained with TGA and the soot oxidation kinetic parameters were calculated with the non-isothermal multiple-ramp rates method. The activation energies, which were found to be in the range of 145-162 kJ/mol, demonstrated that all of the soot samples tested had a similar reactivity. Further studies are needed to improve the collection and analysis methods in order to achieve reliable results.

En nedgång har setts i Sverige och Europa när det gäller luftföroreningar de senast årtiondena. Nedgången beror bland annat på minskade emissioner från industrier, övergång från uppvärmning med olje- och kolpannor till fjärrvärme och förbättrad bränslekvalitet. Denna studie utvärderar lufthalts- och nedfallsmätningar gjorda i närheten av pappers- och massaindustrin Korsnäs i Gävle. Mätserierna startar vid sent 1970-tal och går fram till årsskiftet 2009/2010. Nedfall av stoft, sulfat, natrium, kalcium och lufthalter av svaveldioxid samt sot studerades. Jämförelser gjordes med Korsnäs miljöförbättrande åtgärder och emissioner under tidsperioden och med andra mätningar gjorda i Sverige och Gävleborgs län. Studien visade en nedgång av svaveldioxidhalterna i luften. Detta stämmer bra med en kraftig reduktion av svavelemissionerna från fabriksområdet under tidigt 1990-tal då installationer av reningsanläggningar skedde på de största emissionskällorna av svaveldioxid. En minskning av svavelhalten i eldningsoljan från Karskär Energi AB, ett energikombinat ägt av Korsnäs på samma fabriksområde, bidrog under samma tidperiod även till emissionsminskningen. Sothalten visade ingen nedåtgående trend under perioden men var säsongsberoende med i genomsnitt högre halter på vinterhalvåret. Troligtvis berodde detta på förbränningsanläggningar i närområdet, så som enskild förbränning och Karskär Energi AB. Fördelning av de högsta lufthalterna visade inte högre halter av svaveldioxid och sot när medelvindriktningen var ostlig och därmed blåste från fabriksområdet mot mätstationen utan när vindriktningen var sydvästlig och blåste från inlandet. Det totala stoft- och kalciumnedfallet visade ingen nedgång men hade i genomsnitt högre uppmätta halter på sommarhalvåret. Sulfatnedfallet visade högre halter under sent 1980-tal för att därefter minska och natriumnedfallet minskade något under perioden. Inga tydliga kopplingar kunde ses mellan lufthalter respektive nedfall och emissionerna från fabriksområdet när dataserierna sorterades efter vindriktning, vindhastighet och efter sommar- respektive vinterhalvår. Nedfall och lufthalter var inte högre, förutom för svaveldioxid, när jämförelser gjordes med andra mätningar i Sverige och Gävleborgs län och samtliga mätningar låg under periodens gällande nationella gränsvärden. / A decline has been seen in Sweden and Europe when it comes to air pollution the last decades. The decline is partly due to reduced emissions from industries, switching from heating using oil and coal boilers to district heating and better fuel quality. This study evaluates deposition and air concentration measurements made in the vicinity of the pulp and paper industry Korsnäs in Gävle. The measurement series starts at the late 1970s and goes up to year-end 2009/2010. Deposition of dust, sulphate, sodium, calcium and air concentrations of sulphur dioxide and soot were studied. Comparisons were made with Korsnäs environmental measures and emissions during the same time period and with other measurements made in Sweden and Gävleborgs County. The study showed a decrease in sulphur dioxide concentrations in the air. This fits well with a major reduction of sulphur emissions from the factory area in the early 1990s when installations of treatment plants were made at the largest emission sources of sulphur dioxide. Reducing the sulphur content of fuel oil from Karskär Energi AB, an energy combine owned by Korsnäs in the same factory area, contributed to the decrease during the same time period. Air concentrations of soot showed no downward trend over the years, but were seasonal, with higher average soot concentrations in the winter. This was most likely caused by the burning of fuel oil from both the private sector and Karskär Energi AB. The largest air concentrations did not show higher levels of sulphur dioxide and soot when the mean wind direction was easterly and thus blew from factory area toward the monitoring station but when the wind direction was southwesterly and blew from inland. The total dust and calcium deposition showed no decline but had higher average measured levels in the summer. Sulphate deposition showed high levels during the late 1980s but has thereafter decreased. The sodium deposition decreased a little during the time period. No clear connection was found between deposition/air concentrations and emissions from the factory area when the data series were sorted by wind direction, wind speed and after the summer and winter months. Depositions and air concentrations were not higher except for sulphur dioxide when the comparison was made with other measurements in Sweden and Gävleborg County. All measurements were below the then current national limits.

A search for self through historical reconstruction constitutes a crucial concern of the American postmodern historical novels of Pynchon, Barth, Mailer, Coover, and Doctorow. This concern consists of a self-conscious dramatization, paralleled by contemporary theorists' arguments, of the constructedness of history and individual subject. A historian-character's process of historical inquiry and narrative-making foregrounded in these novels represents the efforts by the postmodern self to (re)construct identity (or identities) in a constructing context of discourse and ideology.

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New, old novels, contemporary fictions that parody the forms, conventions, and devices of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novels, form a significant and increasingly popular subclass of postmodernist fiction. Paradoxically combining realistic and metafictional conventions, these works establish an ironic dialogue with the past, employing yet simultaneously subverting traditional fictional techniques. / In this dissertation, I subject five new, old novels--John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor and LETTERS, Erica Jong's Fanny, T. Coraghessan Boyle's Water Music, and John Fowles's The French Lieutenant's Woman--to a detailed analysis, which compares the parodic role of archaic devices in each contemporary novel to the serious use made of such devices in the past. I argue that new, old novels, by juxtaposing old and new world views, foreground the ontological concerns of fiction and suggest that literary representation is constitutive rather than imitative of reality. Their examination of the relationship between fiction and reality places them at the centre of contemporary concern.

Goal The goal of our pilot study was to evaluate the effect of short-term home based sensomotoric Training program (six weeks) in healthy adults on dynamic postural stability. We used the SOT at baseline and post the training program to evaluate the effect. Methodology The number of participants in this experiment was 10 healthy students, the number of males was 8 and 2 females, they were all between the age of 23 and 40 (mean 29.5 and ± S.D = 5.1 years). The sensory organization test was conducted at baseline and post the home based sensomotoric training program by using the dynamic posturography SMART Balance Master System (NeuroCom). The somatosensory (SOM), visual (VIS), vestibular (VEST), preference (PREF) and composite equilibrium outcome measures of the sensory organization test were evaluated. Results The VIS sensory system has significantly improved also the VEST sensory system with p-value < 0.05. The SOM sensory system had no significant improvement also the PREF sensory system with p-value > 0.05, while the overall composite equilibrium had a significant improvement with p-value > 0.05. Conclusion According to our findings the short-term home based sensomotoric training program has a positive effect in terms of improving the overall dynamic balance in healthy adults. Keywords Dynamic...

Title: Evaluation of postural stability of athletes - a literature review Objectives: Thesis will address retrieval processing rating Dynamic Postural Stability of athletes . Compares analysis or results of research or investigations of different laborers working with this theme. It also mentions tests and machines used in clinical practice. It also investigates in what sports was postural stability tested and how or with what results. The most advanced, currently the most recognized dynamic posturography with impartial value is EquiTest device from NeuroCom. Therefore, the practical part focuses primarily on the results of examination of this device and make statistics about that. Methods: The diploma thesis has descriptive and analytical character. It is elaborate as a literary review . Results: The study includes 142 studies, of which only 11 concern the assessment of postural stability of athletes. Sports disciplines include tennis, football, baseball, tai-chi, taekwondo, gymnastics, basketball, softball. Entire EquiTest testing battery (which contains 7 test in total - Sensory Organization Test, Motor Coordination and Control Test, Adaptation Test, Unilateral Stance Test, Limits Of Stability Test, Rhytmics Weight Shift, Weight Bearing Squat) is almost never used in assessments although it's a...

L’extensa implantació del control digital als entorns industrials, científics, comercials, professionals i domèstics ha revelat, d’ençà dues dècades, la gran sensibilitat d’aquests dispositius davant sobtats i breus descensos de tensió al subministrament elèctric de xarxa: aturades de plantes a processos productius, re – arrancades a processadors i sistemes de telecomunicació, etc.; i la causa sol esdevenir aparentment inexplicable pels usuaris. La normalització de les conseqüències, però, pot equivaler a un dia sencer de producció nul•la. L’ínfima correlació mostrada pels fenòmens esmentats amb anomalies al sistema elèctric proper (un client pot patir sèries conseqüències, per bé que el client veí només ha percebut una oscil•lació a l’enlluernat, i tots dos comparteixen la mateixa escomesa) sumada amb l’absència contrastada d’interrupció elèctrica suposà, al començament, un major grau d’incertesa, no només pels consumidors; també per a les empreses elèctriques. Fou necessari analitzar el problema en les seves vessants “microscòpica” i “macroscòpica” per a determinar la causa eficient: registrar la forma d’ona al punt de subministrament afectat i fer l’inventari de tots els incidents al Sistema Elèctric del mateix moment. La causa: els sots de tensió produïts per incidents elèctrics a xarxes remotes respecte el subministrament. Davallades sobtades (entre el 80 i el 10% del valor nominal) i ràpides (entre 10 ms i 1 s) al valor eficaç de la tensió subministrada, sense pas per “Zero”, produïdes, principalment, per curt - circuits perfectament detectats i eliminats a xarxes d’Alta Tensió (AT), molt allunyats de la conseqüència observada. A Catalunya, hom comptabilitzen afectacions davant curt - circuits a les interconnexions amb l’Aragó, Castelló i França. La present Tesi Doctoral estableix: • La metodologia per a modelar el Sistema Elèctric de Potència; • La sistematització del binomi causa (curt - circuit) – efecte (sot de tensió); • La personalització estadística de risc pel sot de tensió segons comarques; • Un sistema de protecció eficaç per a limitar la durada dels sots. La metodologia ha estat enfocada a la utilització sistemàtica, tal que per a cada curt - circuit esdevingut a la xarxa AT es pugui establir, en temps real, las capçaleres de subministrament afectades pel sot de tensió, així com la magnitud i la durada del mateix. L’entorn d’aplicació triat ha estat el Sistema Elèctric de Catalunya, per bé que la metodologia i sistemàtica són exportables, de forma natural, a qualsevol altre sistema elèctric trifàsic de corrent altern. / La implantación masiva del control digital en entornos industriales, científicos, comerciales, profesionales y domésticos ha puesto de manifiesto, durante los últimos veinte años, la gran sensibilidad de los mismos ante súbitos y breves descensos de tensión en la alimentación eléctrica procedente de la red: paradas de planta en procesos productivos, re – arranques en procesadores y sistemas de telecomunicación tienen lugar; y la causa de los mismos suele ser aparentemente inexplicable para los usuarios. La normalización de las consecuencias, en ocasiones, equivale a un día de producción nula. La escasa correlación mostrada por dichos fenómenos con anomalías en el sistema eléctrico cercano (un cliente padece consecuencias serias, mientras que el cliente vecino solamente ha percibido una oscilación en el alumbrado y ambos se alimentan del mismo tramo eléctrico) sumada con la ausencia contrastada de interrupción eléctrica supuso, en los inicios, un mayor grado de incertidumbre tanto para los consumidores como para las empresas eléctricas. Fue necesario analizar el problema a nivel “microscópico” y “macroscópico” para determinar la causa eficiente: registrar la forma de onda en el punto de suministro afectado y revisar todos los incidentes habidos en el Sistema Eléctrico en dicho instante. La causa: los huecos de tensión producidos por incidentes eléctricos en redes alejadas del suministro. Descensos súbitos (entre el 80 y el 10% del valor nominal) y rápidos (entre 10 ms y 1 s) en el valor eficaz de la tensión suministrada, sin paso por “cero” de la misma, producidos, principalmente, por cortocircuitos perfectamente detectados y eliminados en redes de Alta Tensión (AT), y situados muy lejos de la consecuencia observada. En el caso de Catalunya, se han contabilizado afectaciones ante cortocircuitos en interconexiones con Aragón, Castellón de la Plana y Francia. La presente Tesis Doctoral establece: • La metodología para modelar el Sistema Eléctrico de Potencia; • La sistematización para el binomio causa (cortocircuito) – efecto (hueco); • La personalización del riesgo estadístico de hueco vs. comarcas; • Un sistema protectivo eficaz para limitar duración de los huecos. Dicha metodología se ha orientado a la utilización sistemática, tal que para cada cortocircuito que tenga lugar en la red AT pueda establecerse, en tiempo real, las cabeceras de suministro afectadas por hueco de tensión, la magnitud y la duración del mismo. Como entorno de aplicación, se ha utilizado el Sistema Eléctrico de Catalunya, si bien la metodología y sistematización son exportables, de forma natural, a cualquier otro sistema eléctrico trifásico de corriente alterna. / The massive introduction of digital control in industrial, scientific, commercial, professional and domestic environments has revealed, over the last twenty years, the great sensitivity of them to sudden and short voltage dips in the electrical power grid: shutdowns of productive process plants, re - starts of processors and telecommunications systems take place, and the cause of them is often apparently inexplicable to the users. The normalization of the consequences sometimes is equivalent to a day without production. The weak correlation shown by these phenomena with anomalies in the nearby electrical system (i.e. in the same portion of a common distribution network, a customer may suffer serious consequences, while the adjacent customer has only percept a swing in the lighting) together with the absence of electrical power interruption represented, in the beginning, a great degree of uncertainty for both consumers and utilities. It was necessary to analyze the problem at the "microscopic" and "macroscopic" levels to determine the efficient cause: record the waveform at the affected plants and review all the disturbances occurred in the Power System at the same instant of time. The cause: voltage dips caused by electrical disturbances away from the supply. Sudden decreases (between 80 and 10% of the nominal value) and fast (between 10 ms and 1 s) in the supplied rms voltage, produced mainly by short-circuits perfectly detected and eliminated in High Voltage (HV) networks, and located far away from the observed consequence. In the case of Catalonia, affectations due to short-circuits in interconnects with Aragon, Castellón de la Plana and France have been recorded. This thesis provides: • A methodology useful to model the Power System; • A systematic analysis for cause – effect: from short – circuit to voltage dip; • A particularization voltage dip statistic risk for each county; • A reliable protective system to ensure time – limitation for voltage dips. The presented methodology is oriented to the systematic use, such that for every short - circuit that takes place in the HV network, the magnitude and duration of voltage dips that appear in the distribution can be established in real-time. As the application framework, the Catalan Power System is used, although the methodology and systematization are exportable, to any other alternating three-phase power system.