The work deals with the analysis of a marketing campaign to place the new Mercedes A class on the market. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate marketing communication and propose its improvement. This aim is based on the analysis results of marketing communications and marketing research's results. The theoretical part is focused on the theory of marketing communication, and situational analysis. In the introduction of the practical part of my thesis I deal with automotive market and the closer description of cars Mercedes Benz Class A. There is also elaborated situational analysis and analysis of marketing communication. Through survey I try to verify the achievement of the marketing communication and determine what changes causes communication in awareness, knowledge, attitudes and purchase intentions of the target group. Based on the obtained results are formulated conclusion and recommendations.

This diploma thesis aims at comparing strategies of French car manufacturers Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroën on international markets. The first chapter is focused on unveiling the particularities of different markets with paying special attention to distinguishing traditional automotive centres from emerging economies. The second part of the thesis presents Renault and its activities on international markets. Renault's activities are more profoundly studied through analysis of production (geographic distribution and its evolution, methods of entering new markets) and sales. The same structure is applied to the third chapter concerning PSA Peugeot Citroën. The author comes to a conclusion that even though France and Europe remain the main markets for both car makers their importance declines to the benefit of developing countries. Moreover, it was found out that both car manufacturers are entering new markets via cooperation with other car makers.

This diploma thesis primarily deals with current position of the biggest Czech automaker Skoda Auto in the Chinese and Indian markets. Document involves the analysis of initial entry conditions, as well as general marketing environment of both countries. Skoda Auto company, member of the German concern Volkswagen, operates in Asia only for a few years and so far it has reached very good results. Extremely promising is the market in China, where significant increase of sales is expected in the next years. Indian demand for cars is relatively smaller and harder to forecast. In both markets Skoda is facing tough competition of local and global automakers, therefore high importance lies in brand positioning. Part of the thesis is also SWOT analysis and identification of all main marketing mix tools.

The first chapter presents SKODA AUTO a.s. The second chapter deals with the theorethical background of automotive industry. Then the thesis deals with intersection with customer needs and car market in CR. The fourth chapter deals with introduction of czech car market. Fifth chapter: there is provided analysis of performance of czech family car market. Final part of thesis deals with recomendation how to rearrange the product portfolio.

A dual, double-acting propulsion system is analyzed to determine how efficiently it can convert the potential energy available from liquid nitrogen into useful work. The two double-acting pistons (high- and low-pressure) were analyzed by using a Matlab-Simulink computer simulation to determine their respective mechanical efficiencies. The flow circuit for the entire system was analyzed by using flow circuit analysis software to determine pressure losses throughout the system at the required mass flow rates. The results of the piston simulation indicate that the two pistons analyzed are very efficient at transferring energy into useful work. The flow circuit analysis shows that the system can adequately maintain the mass flow rate requirements of the pistons but also identifies components that have a significant impact on the performance of the system. The results of the analysis indicate that the nitrogen propulsion system meets the intended goals of its designers.

Olika typer av blodcancer är några av de vanligast förekommande cancerformerna i världen. Ju tidigare sjukdomen upptäcks och beroende på vilken typ av blodcancer någon drabbats av ser prognosen i många fall god ut då dagens behandlingsmetoder under flera år effektiviserats. Dock finns det fall där patienter inte svarar på traditionella terapier som cytostatika och stålning eller gånger där sjukdomen kommer tillbaka i aggressivare former. I dessa fall krävs andra metoder för att försöka behandla och bota cancern.   En metod som på senare tid fått mycket uppmärksamhet i forskarvärlden är användandet av kroppens egna immunceller som behandlingsform mot blodcancer. Genom att rena fram en patients egna T-celler från ett blodprov, kan dessa sedan genetiskt modifieras till att känna igen specifika tumörassocierade antigener (TAA) som bara vissa typer av cancerceller uttrycker. Metoden går ut på att T-cellerna får chimära antigen-receptorer (CAR), som uttrycks på cellytan, där CAR-T cellerna sedan injiceras tillbaka till patienten. CAR-T cellerna känner igen cancercellerna och attackerar sedan, med målet att patienten efter behandlingen inte ska ha några cancerceller kvar i kroppen.   Kliniska försök gjorda på patienter med olika typer av blodcancer har visat lovande resultat, särskilt gällande patienter som fått återfall av blodcancertypen Akut Lymfatisk Leukemi (ALL). De som fått delta i studierna har haft mycket dåliga prognoser och har innan blivit behandlade med de konventionella behandlingsterapierna, men utan eller med mycket dåligt resultat. Förhoppningar som väckts från dessa forskningsresultat har lett till diskussion att CAR-T celler kan komma att förändra cancervården och i framtiden kanske vara en lika vanlig behandlingsmetod som strålning eller kemoterapi. Dock kvarstår många problem som forskarna måste lyckas lösa innan CAR-T celler kan räknas som konventionell. Bland annat finns stora risker att patienter vid behandling kan drabbas av cytokinfrisläppningssyndrom (CRS, eng. cytokine release syndrome), där immunförsvaret kan attackera kroppens egna organ som i värsta fall kan leda till döden. Cancercellerna kan även komma tillbaka efterbehandling, då de har utvecklat en resistens mot CAR-T cellerna. Metoder för att undvika dessa toxiska responser och göra T-cellerna mer effektiva är bara några av de problem som kvarstår.

This report aims to investigate the economical possibilities of implementing mobility services, such as electrical carpool and electrical bicyclepool, in the upcoming mobility house Brandmästaren in Rosendal, Uppsala. A model based on a travel habit survey in Uppsala has been developed in order to calculate the need of vehicles. Thereafter the financial profits are calculated depending on the need of vehicles and according to different scenarios regarding how many people that potentially will join the mobility hub. The profits are then compared to the profits from a conventional parking house, in order to decide whether the mobility system is economically viable. The results concluded the following. The most suitable mobility system for Rosendal includes 104 bicycles, 36 cargo bicycles and 94 cars. For a supplement rent of 50 SEK per user connected to the mobility center, the break-even point for the business model where bicycles are rented is when 30.56% of the residents are connected to the system. For the business model where bicycles are bought the break-even point is 18.28%. A sensitivity analysis on the number of hours the service is assumed to be used showed that the profitability would not change to a significant extent. The highest break-even point after the sensitivity analysis was 34.40%. After comparison to other mobility services in Sweden, the conclusion was that the number of connected users needed was relatively low, hence the results shows that the mobility house has the potential of being more profitable than conventional parking house.

abstract: Driving is the coordinated operation of mind and body for movement of a vehicle, such as a car, or a bus. Driving, being considered an everyday activity for many people, still has an issue of safety. Driver distraction is becoming a critical safety problem. Speed, drunk driving as well as distracted driving are the three leading factors in the fatal car crashes. Distraction, which is defined as an excessive workload and limited attention, is the main paradigm that guides this research area. Driver behavior analysis can be used to address the distraction problem and provide an intelligent adaptive agent to work closely with the driver, fay beyond traditional algorithmic computational models. A variety of machine learning approaches has been proposed to estimate or predict drivers’ fatigue level using car data, driver status or a combination of them. Three important features of intelligence and cognition are perception, attention and sensory memory. In this thesis, I focused on memory and attention as essential parts of highly intelligent systems. Without memory, systems will only show limited intelligence since their response would be exclusively based on spontaneous decision without considering the effect of previous events. I proposed a memory-based sequence to predict the driver behavior and distraction level using neural network. The work started with a large-scale experiment to collect data and make an artificial intelligence-friendly dataset. After that, the data was used to train a deep neural network to estimate the driver behavior. With a focus on memory by using Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) network to increase the level of intelligence in two dimensions: Forgiveness of minor glitches, and accumulation of anomalous behavior., I reduced the model error and computational expense by adding attention mechanism on the top of LSTM models. This system can be generalized to build and train highly intelligent agents in other domains. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Computer Engineering 2020

“Development of a solar car body” is a bachelor thesis done at Jönköping University by two students studying mechanical engineering with a focus on product development and design. The project has been done for JU Solar Team, an organization where student develop and build a solar powered electric car with which they then use in the competition Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The body of the 2019 solar car is made from a carbon fiber monocoque which means that the body and chassis is made from one integrated component. This type of construction is both costly and complex and it has created a lot of trouble in the post processing of the body after it is received from the developer. The following report is explaining a conceptual development process of module-based body construction. The purpose is to simplify the development and allow for easier modification. Furthermore, the aim of the project has been to make it possible to move most of the production in-house at Jönköping University and show a concept that JU Solar Team can use in the development of upcoming solar car projects. Initially the project studied earlier CFD-simulations that has been made on the solar car from 2019 which was used as a basis for dividing the car into different modules. Since the aim was to make it possible to move the production in-house at Jönköping University it was deemed that 3D-printing was a plausible method for this, which the rest of the project was based upon. Conventional product development methods were then used to generate possible solutions that developed into a finished concept. Different types of methods for joining modules together have been explored which meet the defined criteria. Since a low weight that maximizes energy efficiency is essential when designing a car like this, a topology optimization process was used to study where material could be removed. This optimized construction was then verified by studying the static stress in the body, as well as comparing different materials based on weight, maximum stress and safety factors. The project resulted in a topologically optimized and module-based prototype where 30% of the original volume has been removed. The report ends with recommendations of materials and joining techniques as well as comments for further development of upcoming solar car projects. / ”Konceptutveckling av solbilskaross” är ett examensarbete utfört vid Jönköpings Tekniska Högskola inom utbildningen maskinteknik, produktutveckling och design. Projektet har genomförts i samarbete med JU Solar Team, en organisation där studenter utvecklar och tillverkar en soldriven elbil som medverkar i tävlingen Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. 2019 års solbilskaross är av en kolfiber-monocoque konstruktion vilket innebär att kaross och chassi är integrerat i en komponent. Denna konstruktion har skapat begränsningar vid efterhandskonstruktioner samt medfört en komplex och resurskrävande tillverkning. Följande rapport behandlar en konceptutvecklingsprocess av en modulbaserad karosskonstruktion med syfte att underlätta vid produktförändringar samt simplifiera tillverkningen. Vidare har projektets mål även varit att möjliggöra en tillverkning vid Jönköping University och påvisa ett koncept som JU Solar Team kan utnyttja till kommande solbilsprojekt. Inledningsvis i projektet analyserades tidigare CFD-simuleringar av 2019 års solbil vilket lade grunden för modulindelningen av karossen. Med anledning av att möjliggöra en tillverkning vid Jönköping University bedömdes additiv tillverkning vara en tillämplig metod vilket projektet sedermera utgick ifrån. Konventionella produktutvecklingsmetoder tillämpades för att generera lösningsförslag som sedan kunde bedömas och vidareutvecklas. Olika sammanfogningstekniker undersöktes för att studera hur de framtagna modulerna kan monteras baserat på uppsatta kriterier. Eftersom en låg strukturvikt är essentiellt för att maximera energieffektiviteten genomfördes en topologioptimeringsprocess för att studera var material kan avlägsnas. Den optimerade konstruktionen verifierades sedan genom spänningsberäkningar och analys av olika material baserat på vikt, maxspänning och säkerhetsfaktor. Projektet resulterade i ett topologioptimerat och modulbaserat koncept av karossen där 30% av ursprungsvolymen har avlägsnats. Rapporten avslutas med rekommendationer av materialval och sammanfogningsmetod, samt kommentarer för vidare arbete till kommande solbilsprojekt.

Orientador: Sérgio Tosi Rodrigues / Resumo: O envelhecimento populacional está associado a profundas mudanças sociais, econômicas e culturais. O comprometimento perceptual e cognitivo resultante do envelhecimento pode provocar falhas durante o desempenho da condução de automóvel. Os fatores humanos desempenham um papel fundamental nos riscos de acidentes de trânsito. O objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar os efeitos do envelhecimento do motorista e da luminosidade do ambiente sobre o tempo de reação da frenagem, durante a condução simulada de automóveis. Quinze motoristas adultos jovens e quinze motoristas idosos realizaram uma tarefa de condução na qual foram mensurados os tempos de reação envolvidos na frenagem (retirada do pé do pedal do acelerador e acionamento do pedal de freio) em um simulador de direção de um automóvel. A tarefa dos participantes foi seguir por um percurso de 5 km um carro à frente, que freava bruscamente acendendo a luz vermelha traseiro do carro, em duas condições: uma com luminosidade diurna e outra com luminosidade noturna. Um pré-teste de tempo de reação simples utilizando os pedais de acelerador e freio, fora do cenário simulado da condução, foi realizado como situação controle. Os dados da condução simulada foram submetidos à análise de variância do grupo (adultos, idosos) por luminosidade (diurna, noturna), com medidas repetidas no segundo fator. Nas condições de condução do veículo, os idosos mostraram tempo de reação maior tanto para retirar o pé do acelerador quando para acionar... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Population aging is associated with profound social, economic and cultural changes. The perceptual and cognitive impairment resulting from aging can cause failures during car driving performance. Human factors play a key role in the risks of traffic accidents. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of driver’s aging and ambient luminosity on the braking reaction time during simulated car driving. Fifteen young adult drivers and fifteen elderly drivers performed a driving task in which the reaction times involved in braking (removing the foot from gas pedal and pressing brake pedal) were measured in a car driving simulator. Participants’ task was to follow a car in front of them during a 5 km path, which braked abruptly with the rear red light turning on, in two conditions: day and night light conditions. A simple reaction time pre-test utilizing gas and brake pedals, out of the simulated driving scenario, was conducted as a control situation. Data from driving conditions were submitted to a group (adults, elderly) by luminosity (day, night) analysis of variance, with repeated measures in the second factor. During driving conditions, the elderly group showed greater reaction time to release the gas pedal and to press the brake pedal; the same occurred to the total reaction time in the total reaction time. Interestingly, reaction times during day light luminosity were greater than those during night luminosity for gas pedal and total reaction times. Results are disc... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre