This diploma thesis should bring not only working machine into the branch of agricultural industry, but also new approach to design. Obviously, the contribution of technical innovations, which are required in this segment, is concerned, too. All knowledge and concepts come from the practise of this field. The project partly takes up the pre-diploma thesis called Vision of the agricultural cutting machine with container arrangement and shares some details of the concept as such. The technical part was solved during the winter term within the scope of the subject Machines and equipment. From this project will be adopted all bases of constructional innovations of agricultural machine concept.

The aim of the Master´s thesis is to devise complex design of minitractor that is going to fulfil temporary technological and constructive innovative components with respect to total attractive visual style. In a theoretical part I explored various market trends that I decided to assess in a practical part. Finally I designed an articulated minitractor with the technology of dual turning in combination with removable cab and the next innovative elements that supported the total design inspired by up to date car industry.

Autonomous driving might increase safety and profitability of trucks in many applications. The mining industry, with its enclosed and controlled areas, is ideal for early implementation of autonomous solutions. The possibility of increased productivity, profitability and safety for the mining industry and the mining area as a ground for development could, through collaboration, result in many benefits for both mining companies and truck manufactures. Scania must investigate how these autonomous vehicles should be constructed. The project goal is thereby to develop a chassis layout concept for an autonomous truck. The concept should improve profitability and safety for transportation of materials within the mining industry while minimizing the introduction of new components to Scania. The chosen approach is based on the Ulrich & Eppinger method for product development including generation and selection of concepts. Product requirements were specified from identified customer needs. The generated concepts were evaluated against these requirements and comparisons were performed with weighted matrices. Some benefits of the final chassis layout concept are a higher load carrying capacity, more robust component placement and higher ground clearance. The vehicle concept would also be able to operate in underground mines with low roof clearance which could open new market segments for Scania. However, the concept requires development to gain higher performance on load carrying components in the chassis front. The suggested concept shows that Scania could build and deliver autonomous mining vehicles with optimized chassis layouts based on Scania’s existing components within a near future. / Autonom körning kan öka säkerheten och lönsamheten för lastbilar i många applikationer. Gruvindustin, med dess avgränsade och kontrollerade områden, är ideal för tidig implementation av autonoma lösningar. Möjligheten till ökad produktivitet, lönsamhet och säkerhet med gruvindustrin och gruvområderna som plats för utveckling kan, genom samarbete, resultera i många fördelar för både gruvföretagen och lastbilstillverkarna. Scania måste därmed undersöka hur dessa autonoma fordon bör konstrueras. Projektmålet är därmed att ta fram ett koncept på en chassilayout för en autonom lastbil. Konceptet bör öka lönsamheten och säkerheten för transport av material inom gruvindustrin medan introduktionen av, för Scania, nya komponenter minimeras. Det valda angreppssättet är baserat på Ulrich & Eppingers metod för produktutveckling inkluderande generering och urval av koncept. Produktkraven specificerades utifrån de identifierade kundkraven. De framtagna koncepten utvärderades mot dessa krav och jämförelser genomfördes med viktade matriser. Några fördelar hos det slutgiltiga chassilayoutskonceptet är högre lastkapacitet, mer robust komponentplacering och högre markfri gång. Fordonskonceptet har även möjlighet att köra i underjordiska gruvor med låg takhöjd vilket kan öppna upp nya marknadssegment för Scania. Dock kräver konceptet utveckling för att nå högre prestanda hos lastbärande komponenter i främre chassi. Det föreslagna konceptet visar att Scania skulle kunna bygga och leverera autonoma gruvbilar med optimerad chassilayout baserat på Scanias existerande komponenter inom en snar framtid.

This study aimed at defining useful guidelines for the design of an armored truck cab. Particularly, the quality and performance of ballistic steel were defined, considering not too high demanding requirements. Two steel grades, corresponding to hardness of 500 HB and 600 HB, and three different suppliers were selected. After dividing the truck cab into main areas, a FEM simulation was performed. The investigated model considered a specific standardized threat to impact against a double layer steel protection. Due to the high strain rates involved, the formation of adiabatic shear bands has been observed. However, the main purpose of the model was to find an ultimate thickness protection layout of armored steel plates. Thereby, the thicknesses to be attributed to the various components of the main areas could be estimated. Two alternatives were therefore hypothesized: the first considering the critical thickness case of penetration, and the second, an oversized version, supposed to be more resistant to penetration. It was thus possible to estimate the weight of the truck cab for the two above mentioned alternatives, and verify such hypothesized weight complied with the assigned requirement. A possible cutting operation was then considered in order to optimize the use of the steel plates. An estimation of the pre-series production costs of was finally derived. / Denna studie gjorde det möjligt att definiera användbara indikatorer och följa en möjlig multitasking-strategi för utformningen av en bepansrad lastbilshytt. Fallstudien syftade till att definiera kvalitet och prestanda av stål, vilket är ett av de vanligaste materialen för skydd, främst i de fall där kraven inte är så stora. Två stålkvaliteter motsvarande hårdhetsvärdena 500 HB och 600 HB valdes från var och en av tre materialleverantörer. Efter att ha delat upp truckhytten i några huvudområden startades en FEM-simulering med programvara från Impetus Afea. Modellen behandlade ett specifikt hot som var större än det önskade kravet på ett dubbelskiktsskydd. På grund av de inblandade höga deformationshastigheterna har bildningen av adiabatiska skjuvband observerats. Huvudsyftet med modellen var emellertid att hitta en ultimat skyddslayout för tjockleken, så att de tjocklekar som skulle tillskrivas de olika komponenterna i huvudområdena kunde härledas. Två alternativ antogs därför, det ena med tanke på den ultimata tjockleken och den andra med tanke på en skyddslayout som antas vara mer motståndskraftig mot penetrering. Det var således möjligt att uppskatta hyttens vikt för de två alternativen och kontrollera att den uppfyllde de fastställda kraven. Därefter övervägdes en möjlig skäroperation för att optimera användandet av de tillgängliga stålplattorna.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T18:33:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nelson de Castro Neto.pdf: 2115044 bytes, checksum: 7806fca6e1d6460ad7b9cb7c757e1e50 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-30 / Family farming in organic agriculture sees a strategy to promote their economic and social development, adding value to their products. This new perspective has been constructed and expressed in the idea of "sustainability in the field." In this sense, the family farm and agro-ecological production, combined with the practices conscious consumption, can occupy an important place in the business landscape and represent an integrated environmental conservation, social and economic. Seeking to assist the manufacturer in the conversion of production, the Itaipu binational (IB) in 2003, through the project Cultivating Good Water (CAB), intended to encourage and assist farmers in 29 municipalities in Paraná Watershed 3 (BP3), located in West of Paraná. The question that guides this study is: from the perception of farmers, the conversion from conventional to organic production - from the CAB project - has brought benefits and value to producers involved in the project? The methodology used in this study was qualitative, with semi-structured interviews and descriptive analysis, assuming the character of a case study. The survey's target sectors were small farmers, associations, cooperatives and business management, linked to the CAB project. The results obtained in this work allowed a social and economic analysis with respect to the conversion of organic family farmers from the BP3. In the social aspect, it was possible to clarify questions about earnings, relationships and stimulate the creation of cooperation networks. In the economic aspect, it was found that for farmers converting to organic production means higher income and better economic expectations. For respondents, this type of cultivation is well suited to family farms, providing a cost reduction and less dependence on external inputs. In conclusion, we found that the main benefits brought to farmers in the region under study, refer to the issues surrounding community health, healthy eating and quality of life for everyone involved in organic production chain. However, advances are needed with regard to technical assistance and technology to increase production capacity. / A agricultura familiar vê na agricultura orgânica uma estratégia para promover seu desenvolvimento econômico e social, agregando valor aos seus produtos. Essa nova perspectiva vem sendo construída e se expressa na ideia de sustentabilidade no campo . Nesse sentido, a agricultura familiar como produção agroecológica, somada às práticas de consumo consciente, pode ocupar um espaço importante no cenário comercial e representar uma ação integrada na preservação ambiental, social e econômica. Buscando auxiliar o produtor nesta conversão da produção, a ITAIPU BINACIONAL (IB) em 2003, por meio do projeto Cultivando Água Boa (CAB), pretendeu estimular e auxiliar os agricultores familiares em 29 municípios da Bacia Hidrográfica do Paraná 3 (BP3), localizada no Oeste do Paraná. A questão que orienta este estudo é: a partir da percepção dos agricultores, a conversão da produção convencional para orgânica - a partir do projeto CAB - trouxe benefícios e agregação de valor aos produtores envolvidos no projeto? A metodologia utilizada neste trabalho foi qualitativa, com entrevistas semiestruturadas e de análise descritiva, assumindo o caráter de um estudo de caso. Os setores alvo da pesquisa foram os produtores familiares, associações, cooperativas e as empresas gestoras, vinculadas ao projeto CAB. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho possibilitaram uma análise social e econômica com relação à conversão dos produtores da agricultura familiar orgânica do BP3. No aspecto social, foi possível esclarecer questões sobre ganhos, relacionamentos e o estímulo à criação de redes de cooperação. Já no aspecto econômico, identificou-se que para os produtores a conversão para produção orgânica representa maior renda e melhores expectativas econômicas. Para os entrevistados, este tipo de cultivo se adapta bem à agricultura familiar, oferecendo uma redução de custo e uma menor dependência de insumos externos. Para concluir, identificou-se que os principais benefícios trazidos para os agricultores na região em estudo, referem-se às questões que envolvem a saúde da comunidade, alimentação saudável e qualidade de vida para todos os envolvidos na cadeia produtiva orgânica. Entretanto, avanços são necessários no que se refere à assistência técnica e tecnologia para o aumento de capacidade produtiva.

Adaptation to environmental changes is important for the survival of living organisms. Under extreme abiotic conditions, organic molecules (such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids) are prone to damage. Under these conditions stress response mechanisms are activated, either to prevent the source of damage or to promote the rapid turnover of damaged molecules. Like all photoautotrophic organisms, cyanobacteria are sensitive to high light intensity and oxidative stress, which induces damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. My thesis is divided in two subjects related to particular stress responses in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: 1) the role of Deg/HtrA proteases and 2) investigations on the small CAB-like proteins. Deg/HtrA proteases are ATP-independent serine endopeptidases with a characteristic C-terminal PDZ domain. These proteases are largely dispersed among living organisms, with many different functions, mostly involved in protein quality control. The genome of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 contains three genes coding for Deg/HtrA proteases: HtrA, HhoA and HhoB. These proteases are essential for survival under high light and heat stress, and may overlap in their functions. During my Ph.D. studies I focused on the identification of the precise localization of the Deg/HtrA proteases in the cyanobacterial cell, analyzed the biochemical properties of recombinant Synechocystis Deg/HtrA proteases in vitro and adopted proteomic and metabolomic approaches to study the physiological importance of these proteases. My data show that Deg/HtrA proteases are not only important in stress response mechanisms under adverse conditions, but are also involved in the stabilization of important physiological processes, such as polysaccharides biosynthesis and peptidoglycan turnover. The small CAB-like proteins (SCPs) belong to the light harvesting-like family of stress induced proteins and are thought to be involved in the photoprotection of the photosynthetic apparatus. Five small CAB-like proteins where identified in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (ScpA-E). In my studies I identified another relative to the SCPs, LilA, which I found to be co-transcribed with ScpD. I also focused on the subcellular localization and identification of potential interaction partners of the SCPs.

A human-centered approach when developing new support systems in vehicles has the potential to enable the driver to make safe decisions in the transition between manual and automatic control. However, careful considerations have to be taken. Not only would the design of the systems, in terms of interface be important, but also what kind of activities the systems support. The aim of this study was to identify an appropriate activity to support the cognitive processes for truck drivers, develop an interface for this activity, and evaluate it in driving situations. This was executed in three sub-studies: the Pre-study, the Design-study, and the Evaluation study. In the Pre-study, the aim was to investigate for what kind of driver-related activity distribution and long haulage truck drivers need a driver support and interface. This was investigated via contribution from truck drivers, HMI/Ergonomics experts, as well as engineers. The activity chosen to support was detecting objects around the vehicle. However, reconsiderations were made due to constrains in the simulator. Suggested by Scania’s Vehicle Ergonomics group a holistic system was chosen; an interface approach enabling for more technologies to be included within the same interface, reducing the amount of modalities a driver can be exposed to. The Design-study addressed the aim of designing an interface for the Holistic system with truck drivers’ cognitive workload in focus. A LED-prototype was built running along the window edges inside the cab of Shania’s Vehicle Ergonomics groups’ simulator, to create warning signal concepts. Literature findings, the LED-prototype, and the simulator were used in an iterative process to design and improve warning signal concepts, until two final concepts were created. The holistic system informs of hazards around and near the vehicle by lighting the area risky objects occurs to guide drivers’ attention and this was done either with 1) the informative display or, 2) the directional display. The Informative display conveys information of a hazard location and type, and the Directional display exclusively conveys information of the hazard location. The Evaluation study explored how drivers were affected by, and how they perceived, the holistic interface design regarding mental workload and hazard detection. A user simulator test was designed to collect data within the areas of ‘Event detection’, ‘Workload’, ‘Driving performance’ and ‘Subjective opinion’. Fourteen professional truck drivers assessed three conditions: 1) Baseline (driving without a system), 2) the Informative display, and, 3) the Directional display, while being exposed to potential hazards. To further increase workload, a secondary task was performed at the end of each condition. The results showed that the Informative display did not only result in more ‘Detection hits’, instances when a driver responded to a present hazard, but also significantly decreased reaction time to detect a hazard. However, in terms of acceptance, the two concepts were considered equally preferred. As the Informative display showed to be more efficient in terms of hazard detection, this should be investigated further. A holistic interface enables for more systems to be included within the same interface, reducing the amount of alarms and modalities drivers are exposed to if designed skillfully. Thus, more support systems can be included in future vehicles, without causing unnecessary distraction when applying a holistic interface approach. / Ett människocentrerat förhållningsätt vid utveckling av nya stödsystem i fordon möjliggör för förare att ta säkra beslut i övergången mellan manuell kontroll och automation. Men noggranna överväganden måste tas. Inte bara systemets utförande i form av gränssnittet är av stor vikt, utan även vilken typ av aktivitet som stöds. Syftet med denna studie var att identifiera en lämplig aktivitet att stödja lastbilsförares kognitiva processer, utveckla ett gränssitt för denna aktivitet och utvärdera gränssnittet i en körsituation. Detta utfördes i tre substudier: Förstudien, Designstudien samt Utvärderingsstudien. Förstudiens syfte var att undersöka för vilken typ av körrelaterad aktivitet distributions- och långtransportförare behövde ett förarstöd och gränssitt. Detta undersöktes med bidrag från lastbilsförare, HMI/Ergonomi experter samt ingenjörer. Den valda aktiviteten blev upptäcka objekt framför och kring lastbilen. Dock ändrades den valda aktiviteten på grund av begräsningar i simulatorn. Förslaget från Scanias Ergonomigrupp för förarhytten blev ett Holistiskt system istället; en gränssnittsstrategi som möjliggör att fler tekniker och system att inkluderas i samma gränssnitt, vilket minskar antalet modaliteter en förare kan bli utsatt för.  Designstudien behandlar syftet beträffande utformningen av gränssnittet för det holistiska systemet med avseende på lastbilsförares kognitiva belastning. En LED-prototyp byggdes, denna löpte längs med fönsterkanten i förarhytten på Scanias Ergonomigrupps simulator, för att skapa varningssignals-koncept. Resultat från litertur, LED-prototypen och simulatorn användes i en iterativ process för att utveckla och förbättra varningssignalerna. Det holistiska systemet informerar om faror runt fordonet genom att tända ljus i det område riskfyllda objekt upptäckts för att leda förarens uppmärksamhet och detta görs med något av de två utvecklade koncepten: 1) det informativa varningskonceptet eller 2) det riktningsgivande konceptet. Det informativa konceptet förmedlar information om farans placering och typ, medan det riktningsgivande varningskonceptet enbart förmedlar information om farans placering. Utvärderingsstudien utforskade hur förare påverkades av och hur de upplevde det holistiska gränssnittet med avseende på mentalbelastning och upptäckten av faror. Ett användartest i en simulatorutvecklades för att samla in data inom områdena Upptäckt av faror, Mentalbelastning, Körförmåga samt Subjektiv uppfattning. Fjorton professionella förare bedömde tre tillstånd: 1) Baslinje (körning utan ett system), 2) det informativa varningskonceptet och 3) det riktningsgivande varningskonceptet, medan de blev utsatta för potentiella faror. För att öka den mentala belastningen utfördes en sekundäruppgift vid slutet av varje tillstånd. Resultaten visade att det Informativa varningskonceptet inte enbart resulterade i fler upptäckta faror, tillfällen då förare reagerade på en närvarande fara, utan även signifikant minskade reaktionstider att upptäcka faror. Däremot föredrogs båda koncepten i samma utsträckning med avseende på acceptans. Då det informativa varningskonceptet visades sig mest effektivt gällande upptäckten av faror borde denna undersökas vidare. Ett holistiskt gränssitt möjliggör för fler system att inkluderas i samma gränssitt och minskar mängden alarm och modaliteter som en förare kan utsättas för om det designas skickligt. Om ett holistiskt gränssnitt tillämpas kan därmed fler stödsystem innefattas i framtida fordon utan att orsaka oönskad distraktion.

The Bronx Cocked Back And Smoking is a collection of multifarious prose performances recounting the historical, personal, social, political and cultural constructs of a city birthed by violence. This body of work is accompanied by video, audio, photography, and theatre performance texts. St. Mary’s Housing project, in the Bronx, is the foundation where most of this literary work takes place. The modern day Griot (storyteller) is a Poet, guiding his audience through the social inequalities and disparities that plague St. Mary’s community. The Poet shares personal traumatic insights while simultaneously utilizing writing as a form of survival to the conditions of the Bronx. This multi-platform performance highlights the metaphorical and physical concerns with the cycle of violence. This question is answered through the Poet’s choice by selecting the pen over the gun.