The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of linear position transducers (LPTs), The Open Barbell System (OBS) and Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer System (TWAS), in comparison to criterion measure Optotrak Certus (OC3D). Further, we aimed to compare LPTs against each other. Twenty-five resistance-trained males were recruited, and reported to the laboratory for one day of data collection. Subjects performed one-repetition maximum (1 RM) testing of the squat, then had a standardized rest before completing one set to failure with 70% 1 RM. There was no significant difference in average velocity (AV) between either LPT vs. OC3D. T-tests revealed significant differences between LPTs and OC3D peak velocity (PV) (OBS: p=0.02080; TWAS: p<0.01). A significant difference was detected between OBS and TWAS PV (p<0.01). OBS and TWAS demonstrated concurrent validity compared to OC3D for AV (OBS: p=0.2014; TWAS: p=0.5466). Neither LPT was a valid measure ofPV (OBS: p=0.0208; TWAS: p<0.01). / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi desenvolver um modelo de transdutor paramétrica de alto desempenho do tipo cavidade reentrante supercondutora (ressonante em 10 GHz) para ser implementado no detector brasileiro de ondas gravitacionais. Estes transdutores monitorarão as vibrações mecânicas de uma massa ressonante esférica de Cu-AI(6%) com 65 em de diâmetro em uma faixa de frequência de 3200 ±200Hz. Várias geometrias, materiais e métodos foram testados e comparados para otimizar parâmetros como os fatores-Q mecânico e elétrico. Por fim, um modelo inédito foi construído. Neste modelo, o acoplamento mecânico com a antena é feito por contração térmica e o acoplamento elétrico com o circuito externo é feito por acoplamento eletromagnético remoto. As membranas (que fecham as cavidades) foram totalmente fabricadas a partir de lâminas de nióbio com 99,8 o/o de pureza e 0,05 mm de espessura, enquanto nióbio RRR300 foi utilizado para construir o restante do transdutor. O projeto das novas dimensões de cavidade reentrante atingiu fator-Q elétrico de 5 x 105 e df jdx de 8 x 1014 Hzjm, aumentando respectivamente em duas e dez vezes os valores dos modelos anteriores. Em condições criogênicas, o fator de acoplamento crítico ({J ~ 1) entre a sonda e a cavidade foi conseguido com a sonda afastada 4,0 mm do interior da cavidade. Este efeito permite eliminar o uso do complexo sistema de antenas micro-fitas tradicionalmente adotado. O resultado final foi a construção de um conjunto completo de oito transdutores paramétricas do tipo cavidade reentrante que, acoplados à antena esférica, poderão atingir a sensibilidade espectral h~-10-21 Hz-1 /2 em futuro próximo. / The main purpose of this work was to develop a model of parametric transducer of superconducting reentrant cavity type (ressonant in 10 GHz) with high performance to be implemented in the Mario Schenberg brazilian gravitational wave detector. These transducers will monitor the mechanical vibrations of the 65 em diameter CuAI(6%) I spherical resonant mass in the 3200 ± 200 I-lav frequency range. Many geometries, materiais and methods were tested and compared to optimize parameters such as electric and mechanical Q-factor. Finally, a new model was built. In this model, the mechanical coupling with the spherical antenna is done by thermal contraction and the electrical coupling with the externai circuit is done by remate electromagnetic coupling. The menbranes (which dose the cavities) were completely manufactured from niobium foil with 99,8 o/o purity and 0,05 mm thíckness, whíle niobium RRR300 was used to build the remainder of the transducer. The design of the new dímensions of reentrant cavity reached electrical Q-factor of 5x105 and df jdx of 8 x 1014 Hzjm, increasing respectively in two and ten times the values of the previous models. At cryogenic conditions, the criticai coupling factor (/3 ~ 1) between the probe and the cavity was obtained with probe moved 4,0 mm away from the cavity. This effect allows to eliminate the use of complex microstrip antenna system, which was traditionally adopted. The final result was the construction of a complete set of eight parametric transducers that,attached to the spherical antenna, will possibly reach the sensitivity h -10-21 Hz-112 in the near future.

Many people around the world suffer from neurological injuries of various sorts that cause serious difficulties in their lives, due to the loss of important sensory and motor functions. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) provides a possible solution to these difficulties by means of a feedback connection allowing the target organ (or organs) to be controlled by electrical stimulation. The control signals can be provided using recorded data extracted from the nerves (electroneurogram, ENG). The most common and safe approaches for interfacing with nerves is called cuff electrodes which deliver the required feedback path for the implantable system with minimum risk. The amount of recorded information can be improved by increasing the number of electrodes within a single cuff known as multi-electrode cuffs (MECs) configuration. This strategy can increase the signal to noise ratio for the recorded signals which have typically very low amplitude (less than 5μV). Consequently multiple high gain amplifiers are used in order to amplify the signals and supply a multi-channel recorded data stream for signal processing or monitoring applications. The signal processing unit within the implantable system or outside the body is employed for classification and sorting the action potential signals (APs) depending on their conduction velocities. This method is called velocity selective recording (VSR). Basically, the idea of this approach is that the conduction velocity of AP can be determined by timing the appearance of the signal at two or more points along the nerve and then dividing the distance between the points by the delay. The purpose of this thesis to investigate an alternative approach using artificial network for APs detection and extraction in neural recording applications to increase the velocity selectivity based on VSR using MECs. The prototype systems impose four major requirements which are high velocity selectivity, small size, low power consumption and high reliability. The proposed method has been developed for applications which require online AP classification. A novel time delay neural network (TDNN) approach is used to decompose the recorded data into several matched velocity bands to allow for individual velocity selectivity at each band to be increased. Increasing the velocity selectivity leads to more accurate recording from the target fibre (or fibres) within the nerve bundle which can be used for applications that require AP classification such as bladder control and the adjustment of foot drop. The TDNN method was developed to obtain more information from an individual cuff without increasing the number of electrodes or the sampling rate. Moreover, the optimization of the hardware implementation for the proposed signal processing method permits savings in power consumption and silicon area. Finally, a nerve signal synthesiser and noise generator for the evaluation of the VSRmethod is described. This system generates multiple artificial AP signals with a time offset between the channels with additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) to simulate the MEC and hence reduce the cost and the number of the animals required for experimental tests.

The ability to numerically determine the received signal in an ultrasound pulse-echo system is very important for the development of new ultrasound applications, such as tissue characterization, complex object recognition, and identification of surface topology. The output signal from an ultrasound pulse-echo system depends on the transducer geometry, reflector shape, location and orientation, among others, therefore, only by numerical modeling can the output signal for a given measurement configuration be predicted. This thesis concerns about the numerical modeling and optimal design of annular array based ultrasound pulse-echo system for object recognition. Two numerical modeling methods have been implemented and evaluated for calculating received signal in a pulse-echo system. One is the simple, but computationally demanding Huygens Method and the other one is the computationally more efficient Diffraction Response for Extended Area Method (DREAM). The modeling concept is further extended for pulse-echo system with planar annular array. The optimal design of the ultrasound pulse-echo system is based on annular array transducer that gives us the flexibility to create a wide variety of insonifying fields and receiver characteristics. As the first step towards solving the optimization problem for general conditions, the problem of optimally identifying two specific reflectors is investigated. Two optimization methods, the straightforward, but computationally intensive Global Search Method and the efficient Waveform Alignment Method, have been investigated and compared.

"Abstract Conventional ultrasound imaging systems use array transducers for focusing and beam steering, to improve lateral resolution and permit real-time imaging. This thesis research investigates a different use of array transducers, where the acoustic field and the receiver characteristics are designed such that the energy of the output signal from targets of a specified geometry is maximized. The output signal is the sum of the received signals obtained using all the possible combinations of transducer array elements as transmitter and receiver. This work is based on annular array transducers, but is applicable for any array configuration. The first step is the development of software for the efficient modeling of the wave interaction between transmitted field and target, and between the transducer and receiver field. Using this software, we have calculated the received signal for each combination of an array element as transmitter and the same or another array element as receiver, leading to an N x N received signal matrix for an N element array transducer. A waveform optimization algorithm is then implemented for the purpose of determining the set of delays for the individual array elements, which maximizes the energy of the sum of the received signals. In one implementation of this algorithm, the received signal with the maximum energy is considered as a reference signal, and specific delays are applied to the other signals so that any two signals produce a maximum correlation. This leads to an N x N delay matrix, which, however, is not readily implemented in a practical real-time system, which uses all the elements in an array transducer simultaneously to customize acoustic fields. Hence, the values in this delay matrix are fed into a linear programming optimizer tool to obtain a set of delay values, which makes its implementation practical. The optimized set of delays thus obtained is used to maximize the energy of the received signal for a given transducer and target geometry and hence to enhance the reflectivity of that target. It is also important to check the robustness of the optimized set of delays obtained above, for a given target geometry. Robustness refers to the sensitivity of the optimization to variation in target geometry. This aspect is also evaluated as a part of this thesis work."

A utilização de ondas guiadas em técnicas de monitoramento de integridade estrutural tem se mostrado uma alternativa interessante para economia de tempo e de custos de operação. Técnicas com ondas guiadas apresentam a característica de monitorar trechos extensos de uma estrutura a partir de um único ponto de acesso, permitindo a inspeção de partes remotas e de difícil acesso. Entre os modos fundamentais de propagação de ondas guiadas em chapas, o modo SH0 possui a vantagem de não ser dispersivo, além de sofrer menores atenuações ao se propagar em superfícies em contato com fluidos. Neste trabalho é proposto um modelo de transdutor do modo SH0 de forma omnidirecional em uma chapa de aço utilizando um arranjo com cerâmicas piezoelétricas, que permita inspecionar determinada área de um componente através de um único modo de propagação. Para caracterizar e compreender o comportamento da resposta obtida foram realizadas simulações numéricas parametrizando características do modelo proposto, como o número de elementos piezoelétricos e dimensões geométricas dos componentes do transdutor. Para validação dos resultados do modelo numérico foram construídos modelos experimentais do transdutor, os quais foram instalados sobre uma chapa de aço de 2mm de espessura para verificação dos modos de propagação emitidos. Avaliando a relação entre intensidades de cada modo emitido e a qualidade da emissão de SH0 foi possível identificar as frequências que apresentaram resposta com a característica desejada. Também foi verificado o comportamento dos transdutores construídos ao serem excitados por ondas propagando na chapa, avaliando a sua utilização também como receptores. / The use of guided waves in structural health monitoring techniques has already proved to be an interesting alternative to reduce inspection time and overall operational costs. Guided waves techniques enable monitoring large structures from one single access point, allowing the inspection of distant and hard access parts. Among the fundamental propagation modes of guided waves in plates, the SH0 mode has the advantage of being non dispersive, as well as being subject to less attenuation when propagating through surfaces in contact with fluids. In this work, it is proposed one omnidirectional SH0 mode transducer in a steel plate using a piezoelectric ceramic array, which allows inspecting a component area through a single propagation mode. Numeric simulations parameterizating features of the transducer, such as the number of piezoelectric elements and the geometric dimensions of the transducer’s components, were developed to characterize and investigate the effect on the output response. To validate the numeric simulation results, experimental models of the transducer were built, which were installed on a 2mm thick steel plate to verify the generated propagation modes. The analysis of the relation between the intensity of each mode generated in the plate and the emission quality of the SH0 mode allowed the identification of frequencies that presented the most desirable response characteristics. The behavior of the built transducers was also studied when they were excited by waves propagating through the plate, evaluating the use of the transducers as signal receptors.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / by William Daniel Hillis. / M.S.

Thesis. 1978. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 67-68. / M.S.

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 91-92. / by Robert Gregory Clarke. / B.S.

Há vários métodos descritos na literatura sobre a forma como os piezoeletretos ou ferroeletretos podem ser fabricados, sendo que cada uma dessas técnicas apresenta suas vantagens e desvantagens. Por exemplo, espumas de polipropileno (PP) são fáceis de serem processadas em grande escala aliada a um baixo custo de produção, entretanto, seu efeito piezoelétrico é dependente da temperatura, assim como não há um controle dos vazios internos durante sua fabricação, ocasionando uma heterogeneidade da geometria desses vazios. Por outro lado, em outros métodos as dimensões das cavidades podem ser controlada e polímeros termicamente mais estáveis podem ser utilizados, no entanto, a um maior custo de produção. Em relação aos métodos que visam a produção dos piezoeletretos, neste trabalho é apresentada uma nova técnica baseada em termo selagem e template de água para criar piezoeletretos com canais tubulares abertos. Este tipo de estrutura vazada foi inicialmente produzida pela laminação de filmes de etileno propileno fluorado (FEP) com o template de politetrafluoretileno (PTFE) entre eles, sendo o template descartado após a laminação, gerando resíduos. Com a substituição do template de PTFE pela água na etapa de produção dos novos piezoeletretos, foi possível eliminar o descarte de resíduos sólidos ao mesmo tempo em que um tratamento químico foi efetuado na superfície do filme. Pelo método desenvolvido, a estabilidade térmica do piezoeletreto foi melhorada sem a necessidade de um tratamento prévio ou posterior dos filmes, diminuindo assim o custo de produção. Outro método inovador para produção dos piezoeletretos também foi exposto neste trabalho. Essa inovação consiste na fabricação de piezoeletretos com cavidades controladas por meio da impressão de filmes de ABS. Para a impressão dos filmes uma impressora 3D de baixo custo foi utilizada. / There are several methods described in the literature on how piezoelectrets or ferroelectrets can be manufactured, each of these techniques present their advantages and disadvantages. For example, foamed polypropylene (PP) are easy to be processed on a large scale combined with a low cost of production, however, its piezoelectric effect is temperature dependent, and there is no control of internal voids during its manufacture, causing a heterogeneity of the geometry of these empty. Furthermore, in other methods the cavities dimensions can be controlled and more thermally stable polymers can be used, however, with a higher production cost. Regarding the methods for producing piezoelectrets, in this work we present a new technique based on hot sealing and water template for creating multi-layered piezoelectrets with open-tubular channels. This type of voided structure have been initially produced by laminating fluoroethylene-propylene (FEP) films with a polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) template in between although the template was discarded after lamination, creating residual waste. With the replacement of the PTFE template by water in the production step of the new piezoelectrets, it was possible to eliminate the disposal of solid waste at the same time a chemical treatment was performed on the film surface. By the developed method, the piezoelectrets thermal stability was improved without the need for a prior or subsequent treatment of the films, reducing the production cost. Another innovative method for production of piezoelectrets was also exposed in this work. This innovation consists in manufacturing piezoelectrets with cavities controlled by printing ABS films. In order to print the films, a 3D printer was used.