Sensores com material magnetoelástico vêm sendo desenvolvidos pois possibilitam medidas sem contato de fios (wireless). Apresentam variação da frequência de ressonância (redução) quando submetidos a um carregamento de massa. Podem ser empregados para detecção e determinação de grandezas físicas através de instrumentação remota que vem se tornando cada vez mais importante. As grandezas podem ser desde a quantificação de pH até a detecção da presença de microrganismos. Neste trabalho descrevemos um sistema de detecção rápida e wireless de grandezas físicas como pH e a presença de microorganismos. São utilizados como substrato tiras de material magnetoelástico amorfo Metglas 2826MB3. O material foi cortado em tamanhos de 30 mm x 6 mm e 5 mm x 1 mm, através de uma serra de micro corte, sendo parte destas logo em seguida foram revestidas com finas camadas de Cr e Au através de sputtering. Foi desenvolvido um dispositivo portátil com a função de análise de frequência de ressonância das fitas magnetoelásticas. Este dispositivo pode operar completamente de forma autônomo ou em conjunto com computador. Ele é composto de um central de processamento, circuitos auxiliares e interface de entrada e saída de dados. A operação do dispositivo portátil está em expor o material magnetoelástico (transdutor/sensor) a um campo magnético variável com o tempo, que por sua vez responde com uma onda elástica longitudinal que é detectada de forma magnética. Foram realizados ensaios com o transdutor (superfície livre) e também após a aplicação de camadas sensíveis ao pH e bem como a captura de microrganismo. Para os sensores detectores de pH foram utilizadas tiras do transdutor revestidas com Cr e Au sendo nestas aplicada uma camada de cistamina (CYS) para gerar aderência do polímero de pH sintetizado a partir de monómeros de ácido acrílico e acrilato de isooctilo. O sensor de pH foi exposto a uma faixa de pH (1,5 a 7,5) sendo analisado através do dispositivo portátil e comparado com analisador de rede Agilent E5061B. As medidas da frequência de ressonância do sensor de pH apresentaram uma variação de 70 Hz/pH para sensores 30 mm x 5 mm e para sensores de 5 mm x 1 mm foi de 1000 Hz/pH. Também foram realizadas medidas com o transdutor funcionalizado com Poli- L-Lisina para captura de S. cerevisiae. Com a aderência da S. cerevisiae à superfície do sensor, houve uma redução da frequência de ressonância em 531 Hz, que concorda quantitativamente com valores calculados para este carregamento de massa. / Submitted by Ana Guimarães Pereira (agpereir@ucs.br) on 2016-08-09T17:17:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Mateus Beltrami.pdf: 5990387 bytes, checksum: 8b30dc1a304d4ed66593186686b04ee2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-09T17:17:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Mateus Beltrami.pdf: 5990387 bytes, checksum: 8b30dc1a304d4ed66593186686b04ee2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-09 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, FAPERGS / Sensors with magnetoelastic materials are being developed for possible wireless measurements. They show variation of the resonance frequency (decrease) when subjected to a loading mass. May be employed for detection and determination of physical quantities via remote instrumentation that is becoming increasingly important. These quantities could be the pH of a solution or the detection of the presence of microorganisms. In this work, we describe a rapid and wireless detection system for physical quantities such as pH and the presence of microorganisms. We used as substrates strips of amorphous magnetoelastic material Metglas 2826MB3. The material was cut into strips with sizes of 30 mm x 6 mm and 5 mm x 1 mm, using a micro-dicing saw. Part of these were coated with thin layers of Cr and Au through sputtering. We developed a portable electronic device with the function of determining the resonance frequency of the magnetoelastic strips. This device can operate completely standalone or in conjunction with a computer. It is composed of a central processing, auxiliary circuits and input and output interface of data. The portable device produces a variable magnetic field, which in turn produces a longitudinal elastic wave which is detected magnetically. Tests were carried out with the bare transducer as well as after the application of pH-sensitive layers or material for the capture of microorganisms. For pH sensors we used transducer strips coated with Cr and Au and then applied a layer of cystamine (CYS) to promote adherence to the copolymer of acrylic acid and iso-octyl acrylate. The pH sensor was exposed to a range of pH (1.5 to 7.5) and was measured using the portable device and compared with results from an Agilent E5061B Network Analyzer. The measurements of the resonance frequency of the pH sensor showed a 70 Hz/pH variation for strips of 30 mm x 6 mm and 1000 Hz/pH for strips measuring 5 mm x 1 mm. Measurements were also carried out with the transducer functionalized using poly-l-lysine to capture S. cerevisiae. With the adherence of S. cerevisiae on the sensor surface, there was a reduction of the resonance frequency 531 Hz, which agrees quantitatively with values calculated for mass loading.

abstract: The United States building sector was the most significant carbon emission contributor (over 40%). The United States government is trying to decrease carbon emissions by enacting policies, but emissions increased by approximately 7 percent in the U.S. between 1990 and 2013. To reduce emissions, investigating the factors affecting carbon emissions should be a priority. Therefore, in this dissertation, this research examine the relationship between carbon emissions and the factors affecting them from macro and micro perspectives. From a macroscopic perspective, the relationship between carbon dioxide, energy resource consumption, energy prices, GDP (gross domestic product), waste generation, and recycling waste generation in the building and waste sectors has been verified. From a microscopic perspective, the impact of non-permanent electric appliances and stationary and non-stationary occupancy has been investigated. To verify the relationships, various kinds of statistical and data mining techniques were applied, such as the Granger causality test, linear and logarithmic correlation, and regression method. The results show that natural gas and electricity prices are higher than others, as coal impacts their consumption, and electricity and coal consumption were found to cause significant carbon emissions. Also, waste generation and recycling significantly increase and decrease emissions from the waste sector, respectively. Moreover, non-permanent appliances such as desktop computers and monitors consume a lot of electricity, and significant energy saving potential has been shown. Lastly, a linear relationship exists between buildings’ electricity use and total occupancy, but no significant relationship exists between occupancy and thermal loads, such as cooling and heating loads. These findings will potentially provide policymakers with a better understanding of and insights into carbon emission manipulation in the building sector. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2018

O presente trabalho pretende estudar a disposição a pagar do consumidor brasileiro por produtos com maior eficiência energética. Entender o quanto o consumidor está disposto a pagar por um ganho de eficiência pode contribuir na elaboração de políticas públicas para o setor elétrico, e na criação de incentivos à indústria para produção e investimentos neste tipo de tecnologia. O trabalho utiliza-se de uma pesquisa de campo sobre posse de equipamentos e hábitos de uso, realizada pela Eletrobrás/Procel em 2005. A metodologia empregada segue a linha de trabalhos já realizados em outros países, a exemplo dos estudos realizados por Dubin e McFadden (1984) e Sammer e Wüstenhagen (2006). Os resultados encontrados apontam para uma subestimação dos consumidores quanto à avaliação da economia proporcionada por produtos mais eficientes. Sendo assim, abre-se espaço para campanhas de conscientização e valorização dessas tecnologias ou incentivos monetários para consumo dos mesmos. / The focus of this research is to investigate the Brazilian consumer\'s willingness to pay for products with more energy efficiency. Measuring how much the consumer is willing to pay could provide us with good insights that may help in discussing politics regarding the electric sector, plus it may guide politics in taking actions and decisions on incentives in order to promote this kind of more efficient technological products. This investigation is based on a field research regarding the possess of appliances and their uses, consisting of 4310 household questionnaires. The methodology applied follows previous work on this field and similar studies made for other countries. Examples are Dubin e McFadden (1984) for space and water heating in the USA and Sammer e Wüstenhagen (2006) for washing machines in the Switzerland. The results make clear an underestimation of the monetary economy due to the use of more efficient products. Therefore, there\'s an opportunity for the government to motivate and promote this kind of technology, either through advertising for and awareness of the general population, or through subsides to the industry to produce more efficient products or monetary incentives for the their purchases.

Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de investigar a atividade eletromiográfica (EMG) dos músculos temporal (porção anterior) e masseter em portadores de maloclusão Classe II de Angle, durante tratamento ortopédico funcional com a técnica “Reabilitação Dinâmica e Funcional dos Maxilares” (RDFM). Foram analisados dez pacientes com dentição mista, na faixa etária de seis a doze anos (média 8,6). Os registros EMG foram executados no ato da instalação da aparatologia (T1), após seis meses (T2) e um ano de tratamento (T3). Eletrodos bipolares de superfície eram posicionados bilateralmente na porção anterior do músculo temporal e na região média do músculo masseter. Um eletromiógrafo acoplado a um programa de computador (K6-I EMG Eight Channel Surface Electromyography da Myo-tronics), registrou a atividade muscular nas condições experimentais: 1 - Posição de Repouso (PR); 2 - Apertamento em Máxima Intercuspidação Habitual (AMIH); 3 - Apertamento Molar Bilateral com Rolete de Algodão (AMBA); 4 - Apertamento Máximo com o uso de Aparelho (AAPA) e 5 - Mastigação Habitual com Hiperbolóide (MH). As atividades médias dos músculos estudados foram analisadas estatisticamente pela Análise de Variância e teste complementar de Tukey. Pelos resultados conclui-se que: 1) na posição de repouso, a atividade dos músculos temporal (porção anterior) e masseter diminuiu significativamente após seis meses de terapia; não houve diferença estatística entre os músculos, apesar das alterações terem sido numericamente mais evidenciadas na porção anterior do temporal; após um ano de tratamento (T3) as médias EMG apresentaram valores maiores em relação ao período de seis meses (T2) e menores que o registro inicial (T1), demonstrando uma adaptação muscular durante o tratamento com RDFM; porém essas diferenças não foram estatisticamente significantes; 2) não houve diferença estatística entre as condições AMIH, AMBA e AAPA, porém essas foram significativamente diferentes da MH; 3) nessas condições a atividade EMG aumentou significativamente após um ano de tratamento (T3) e o músculo masseter apresentou atividade estatisticamente maior que a porção anterior do músculo temporal. / The aim of this study was to investigate the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the anterior portion of the temporal and the masseter muscles, in subjects with an Angle Class II malocclusion, during treatment with functional orthopedic appliance (Functional Dynamic Rehabilitation of Jaw - FDRJ). Ten patients with mixed dentition, age 6-12 years (mean 8.6), were evaluated. The EMG registrations were taken at just appliances insertion (T1), at the end of six months (T2), and after one year by therapy (T3). Bipolar surface disk electrodes were placed into the bilateral anterior portion of the temporal and media region of the masseter muscles. An electromyography, that was connected into a computer program (K6 I, EMG Eight Channel Surface Electromyography of Myo-tronics), has recorded the muscular actions in the experimental conditions: 1- rest position of the mandible (RP); 2– maximum intercuspal clenching (MIC); 3– bilateral molar clenching with cotton rolls (BMCR); 4– maximum clenching with appliance in the mouth (MCA), and 5– habitual chewing (HC). The mean values of the muscular activities were evaluated statistically through variance analysis and complement test of the Tukey. The results lead to conclude that: 1) in the rest position, the activity of the anterior temporal and the masseter muscles decrease significantly after six months of therapy; despite more numerical alteration was found in anterior temporal, there was no statistical difference among muscles; after one year of the treatment (T3), the EMG activity showed values greater than six months (T2), and lower than initial record (T1), that demonstrated a muscular adaptation, during the treatment with FDRM; but theses differences were not statistically significant; 2) there was no statistic difference among MIC, BMCR and MCA conditions, but these conditions were significantly different of the HC; 3) in these conditions, the EMG activity had significant increased after one year of treatment (T3), and the activity of the masseter muscle was statistical greater than the anterior portion of the temporal muscle.

In the household appliance industry, heat pump systems have been used for a long time in refrigerators and freezers to cool food, and the industry has driven the development of small, high-quality, low-price heat pump components. In the last few decades, heat pump systems have been introduced in other household appliances, with the express purpose of reducing electricity consumption. Heat pump tumble dryers have been on the market since 2000 and dominate the market today. A heat pump dishwasher was introduced on the market in 2014 and a heat pump washing machine in 2016. The purpose of adding a heat pump system in these three products was to decrease electricity consumption. Papers I and II used a methodology where transient simulation models were developed and used to increase knowledge about how to decrease electricity consumption for a tumble dryer and a dishwasher by adding a heat pump system. Papers II to V showed that a lower electricity consumption and lower global warming potential together with an energy-efficient drying method, where no humid air evacuates to the kitchen, give a heat pump dishwasher competitive advantages compared to any conventional dishwasher currently on the market. Using simulations, this dissertation concludes that a future commercial heat pump dishwasher, using R600a as a refrigerant, will reduce electricity consumption and total equivalent warming impact (TEWI) by 50% compared to the conventional dishwasher. The willingness from the customer chain to pay extra for this heat pump dishwasher is because of the decreases electricity consumption and the fact that no humid air evacuates to the kitchen. This willingness makes the heat pump dishwasher to a variant which have possibility to succeed on the future market. The challenge for the manufacturer is to develop and produce a high-quality heat pump dishwasher with low electricity consumption, predict future willingness to pay for it, and launch it on the market at the right moment with the right promotion in order to succeed. / The competition in the household appliances industry is strong. Manufacturers are continuously trying to develop, produce and sell product functions and features with good profit. To continually develop new features that the customer chain is willing to pay for is a key factor for a manufacturer to survive. In this study has a heat pump system been added as a new feature to a dishwasher. The first heat pump dishwasher was introduced on the market in 2014 and the heat pump system was only used to heat the dishwasher. Comparing that first heat pump dishwasher was a new closed drying method introduced in this study where no humid air evacuates to the kitchen. Experiments and simulations showed that a dishwasher with an added heat pump system can decrease the total electricity consumption by 50% when cleaning and drying the dishware comparing to an on market conventional dishwasher. The willingness from the customer chain to pay extra for this heat pump dishwasher is because of the decreases in electricity consumption and the fact that no humid air evacuates to the kitchen. This willingness makes the heat pump dishwasher to a variant which have possibility to succeed on the future market.

This work is a feminist study that aims to address a gap in knowledge about the working lives and learning of those employed in electronic, globalising industries, such as localisation. While much is known generally about the under-representation of women in SET (Science, Engineering and Technology), there has been less detailed study that explores the gendering of working lives in electronic knowledge industries which are a crucial part of the technological globalising process. Taking the localisation industry as a case, the present work addresses this lack. Localisation involves making an electronic product or website linguistically and culturally appropriate for people to use in another country/region and language. Workers in the industry adapt printed and electronic texts (and products) for distribution in overseas markets. The study is based on interviews with 10 workers and company owners from the UK, continental Europe, Ireland and South America. A critical feminist approach supports the analysis of interview data using CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis), and participant observation at a conference to reveal power relations which are seemingly hidden in the virtual sphere. Remote forms of working, mediated through the use of ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies) predominate in the industry. The findings are presented in three areas of analysis. Firstly, in relation to workers’ identities the study revealed that technology was a discursive resource used symbolically. While technology represented quality, domestication was used antithetically to indicate its lack. In the analysis this constituted a technologisation of identities. Secondly, workers’ learning trajectories revealed tensions in between knowledge work and accreditation. In relation to technology per se, image creation was central to localisation and the separation of the image from work practices concealed workers’ contributions. In this way the emotional labour invested in the production of the localised image was hidden. Thirdly, the study revealed ways in which global structures interacted with industry boundaries and intersected gendered cultures with implications for professional learning.

Sensores com material magnetoelástico vêm sendo desenvolvidos pois possibilitam medidas sem contato de fios (wireless). Apresentam variação da frequência de ressonância (redução) quando submetidos a um carregamento de massa. Podem ser empregados para detecção e determinação de grandezas físicas através de instrumentação remota que vem se tornando cada vez mais importante. As grandezas podem ser desde a quantificação de pH até a detecção da presença de microrganismos. Neste trabalho descrevemos um sistema de detecção rápida e wireless de grandezas físicas como pH e a presença de microorganismos. São utilizados como substrato tiras de material magnetoelástico amorfo Metglas 2826MB3. O material foi cortado em tamanhos de 30 mm x 6 mm e 5 mm x 1 mm, através de uma serra de micro corte, sendo parte destas logo em seguida foram revestidas com finas camadas de Cr e Au através de sputtering. Foi desenvolvido um dispositivo portátil com a função de análise de frequência de ressonância das fitas magnetoelásticas. Este dispositivo pode operar completamente de forma autônomo ou em conjunto com computador. Ele é composto de um central de processamento, circuitos auxiliares e interface de entrada e saída de dados. A operação do dispositivo portátil está em expor o material magnetoelástico (transdutor/sensor) a um campo magnético variável com o tempo, que por sua vez responde com uma onda elástica longitudinal que é detectada de forma magnética. Foram realizados ensaios com o transdutor (superfície livre) e também após a aplicação de camadas sensíveis ao pH e bem como a captura de microrganismo. Para os sensores detectores de pH foram utilizadas tiras do transdutor revestidas com Cr e Au sendo nestas aplicada uma camada de cistamina (CYS) para gerar aderência do polímero de pH sintetizado a partir de monómeros de ácido acrílico e acrilato de isooctilo. O sensor de pH foi exposto a uma faixa de pH (1,5 a 7,5) sendo analisado através do dispositivo portátil e comparado com analisador de rede Agilent E5061B. As medidas da frequência de ressonância do sensor de pH apresentaram uma variação de 70 Hz/pH para sensores 30 mm x 5 mm e para sensores de 5 mm x 1 mm foi de 1000 Hz/pH. Também foram realizadas medidas com o transdutor funcionalizado com Poli- L-Lisina para captura de S. cerevisiae. Com a aderência da S. cerevisiae à superfície do sensor, houve uma redução da frequência de ressonância em 531 Hz, que concorda quantitativamente com valores calculados para este carregamento de massa. / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, FAPERGS / Sensors with magnetoelastic materials are being developed for possible wireless measurements. They show variation of the resonance frequency (decrease) when subjected to a loading mass. May be employed for detection and determination of physical quantities via remote instrumentation that is becoming increasingly important. These quantities could be the pH of a solution or the detection of the presence of microorganisms. In this work, we describe a rapid and wireless detection system for physical quantities such as pH and the presence of microorganisms. We used as substrates strips of amorphous magnetoelastic material Metglas 2826MB3. The material was cut into strips with sizes of 30 mm x 6 mm and 5 mm x 1 mm, using a micro-dicing saw. Part of these were coated with thin layers of Cr and Au through sputtering. We developed a portable electronic device with the function of determining the resonance frequency of the magnetoelastic strips. This device can operate completely standalone or in conjunction with a computer. It is composed of a central processing, auxiliary circuits and input and output interface of data. The portable device produces a variable magnetic field, which in turn produces a longitudinal elastic wave which is detected magnetically. Tests were carried out with the bare transducer as well as after the application of pH-sensitive layers or material for the capture of microorganisms. For pH sensors we used transducer strips coated with Cr and Au and then applied a layer of cystamine (CYS) to promote adherence to the copolymer of acrylic acid and iso-octyl acrylate. The pH sensor was exposed to a range of pH (1.5 to 7.5) and was measured using the portable device and compared with results from an Agilent E5061B Network Analyzer. The measurements of the resonance frequency of the pH sensor showed a 70 Hz/pH variation for strips of 30 mm x 6 mm and 1000 Hz/pH for strips measuring 5 mm x 1 mm. Measurements were also carried out with the transducer functionalized using poly-l-lysine to capture S. cerevisiae. With the adherence of S. cerevisiae on the sensor surface, there was a reduction of the resonance frequency 531 Hz, which agrees quantitatively with values calculated for mass loading.

Nowadays, the interest in smart appliances, which enable consumption reduction or consumption shifting approach, grows up. Such appliances can react to actual situation in the distributional network. From the energy distributor point of view, the activity of these appliances brings improvement of stability in the distribution network, while for the end customer there is possibility of the saving money. This thesis describes a transformation of standard fridge to smart fridge controlled by microcomputer Raspberry Pi. The smart fridge can communicate with supervisor system and according to its instructions change its behavior (temperature set point). The appliance can be manually controlled by a group of buttons, while its state can be visualized on the alphanumeric display. Last but not least way to control the appliance is through a web interface. The thesis also describes design of printed circuit board (PCB), which is designed for connection of all necessary sensors and actuators to Raspberry Pi. Software equipment is designed in the C++ program language.

The goal of this master's thesis is to design and implement a system for recognition of home appliances based on their power consumption characteristics. This system should identify the individual home appliances from measurements of the total household consumption. The acquired data could be used for statistics of usage of a particular appliance and subsequent detection of errors or non-standard behavior of the measured device. An important part of my work is a design and hardware implementation of a unit for measuring and a system for processing the measured signal. The first version of my project uses pulse output of an electrometer to measure the energy. This method does not provide a sufficient sample rate but it's a quick way to obtain data for processing and analysis. The second version monitors the power consumption with a multi-purpose AC converter which measures active and reactive power with the desired sample rate. The data is then processed and recognized by two classifiers - HMM and KNN.

The study aimed to explore and describe consumers’ reliance on brands, specifically the Country of Origin (COO) of brands as a heuristic, i.e. the perceived quality of a selected category of interior merchandise and to subsequently explain how COO influences consumers’ quality perceptions and product choices. The study focussed on major household appliances, due to the prominence of brand names and the COO on these products. In other interior merchandise product categories such as furniture and textile products, the brand name and COO is not necessarily that prominent or visible. A survey was conducted in the Tshwane metropolitan, which is a wealthy urban area in South Africa and a key role player in the economic sector. The study was conducted in the context of an emerging economy, where international brands have penetrated the market and made a wider range of products and brands available to the consumer. The data was collected by using convenience sampling methods supplemented by snowball sampling. It involved the self-completion of a structured questionnaire by 450 willing respondents who fit the prerequisite for the study, i.e. males and females, 25 years and older who belong to the middle to upper socio-economic group (earn R5000 or more per month) and who have an education level of grade 12 or higher, regardless of population group. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, as well as exploratory factor analysis, specifically Principal Axis Factoring, using an Oblimin rotation with Kaiser Normalization to determine the underlying factors associated with the quality indicated by brand names and the associations consumers make of brand names and specific product characteristics. Calculations of means, standard deviations, Cronbach’s Alpha, Anova, t-tests and post hoc Sheffe’s tests were calculated where significant differences between demographics were investigated for further interpretation. The study concluded that consumers are relatively brand conscious, men more so than women and that they are brand familiar in terms of various major household appliance brands. Quality as the most important branded product meaning were confirmed, as well as the use of brands as an indicator of performance and functional product attributes, i.e. value for money. Brands are also frequently used, especially by females, as an indicator of the product’s environmental and ethical compliances, but less so to infer its status implications. The study did however confirm younger consumers use brand names to a greater extent to infer social status than older consumers. It also revealed that the Black and other population group use brand names as an indication of status characteristics significantly more than White consumers. Consumers seem to have little knowledge of the COO of brands; they do however have strong stereotypes of Western and Eastern countries as well as South Africa, where Western countries enjoy more positive stereotypes than the others. These stereotypes also seem to strongly influence their overall quality perceptions of major household appliances, especially in terms of durability, performance and prestige. The COO of a brand can therefore have implications for its brand equity and should be addressed in brand management and marketing initiatives. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Consumer Science / MConsumer Science / Unrestricted