Oscillating positive displacement pumps are used in many industrial sectors. Mechanical stroke generators / drives such as crank drive, spring-cam drive etc have reached a high technological level, but to which are set mechanical limits. Especially in the smallest dosing range <1 l/h at a pressure range from 100 … 400 bar considerable optimisation is still required with regard to precision and continuity / control range of the dosing flow. In order to expand the current application possibilities for the diaphragm metering pump technology, it is necessary to use new drive systems such as linear motor technology. A linear motor is an electric drive unit which transmits the oscillating delivery movement of the dosing pumps directly to the displacer (hydraulic piston, diaphragm, etc.) without any mechanics, so that highly dynamic movements can be carried out with maximum precision, an individual kinematic profile and a control range of 1:200. The examples of gas odorization and filling processes show how the linear motor drive can be used to technologically solve and even optimize the customer's process requirements. The linear motor pump can realize an integrated 3-parameter control and is therefore suitable for almost any kinematically solvable dosing task.

This paper presents a conceptual study aiming to improve the compactness of electro-hydraulic compact drives (ECD ). In most current ECD architectures, gas accumulators are used as volume compensators for the flow imbalance emerging whenever asymmetric single rod cylinders are used. To stay within a required reservoir pressure range typically from two to four bar, a large gas volume is required, compromising system compactness. Combining conventional ECD architectures with a bootstrap reservoir offers a greater degree of freedom in system design, which enables downsizing or avoidance of the gas volume. Another potential benefit by including a bootstrap reservoir is the possibility of elevating the backpressure of the ECD thus enhancing drive stiffness, expanding the application range and market acceptance. Based on an open analysis of the solution space occurring when introducing a bootstrap reservoir, three system architectures are selected for a conceptual study. The results show that the downsizing potential is strongly dependent on the maximum friction force and the area ratio of the bootstrap reservoir pistons, while a linear analysis reveals that for some system architectures the bootstrap reservoir may severely influence the system dynamics. Simulation results confirm the functionality of the proposed system architectures, and show that a potential for downsizing/avoiding the gas volume, as well as increasing the ECD stiffness is present.

This diploma thesis summarises the life and work of Ondřej Suchý with an emphasis on his journalistic activities in the press, radio and television. One of Suchý's projects in the Czechoslovakian TV was being a TV presenter in Kavárnička dříve narozených (1985-1995). He worked intermittently in the Czech radio from 1962 to 2018, presenting programmes such as Padesátník (1992-2008) or Nostalgické muzeum zábavy (1997-2008). As for the printed media, his name is mainly connected with a children's magazine Sedmička (1968-1971) and with an insert of Svobodné Slovo, Kvítko. This thesis also marginally covers Suchý's artistic work: he used to make a living as a caricaturist (he was known for his cartoon jokes about mice) or as a music lyric writer (he co-operated with Karel Černoch, Hana Hegerová or Dagmar Patrasová). He has also published over 50 books, mainly nonfiction; he focuses on biographies of famous actors, actresses, comedians and singers from the 1930s to 1960s. Further chapters cover his personal and professional relationship with his older brother Jiří, a critical assessment of his work by means of periodic reviews and an analysis of Suchý's journalistic methods. There is also an attachement which includes a thematic photo gallery.

För att hantera den förändrade situationen i närområdet måste Försvarsmakten öka sin operativa förmåga och med det, även sin rekrytering. För specialförbanden har utebliven värnplikt inneburit en reducerad rekryteringsbas samtidigt som Försvarsmakten, för att öka sin operativa förmåga, bl.a. skapat förband med specifika kompetenser, förmågor och uppgifter vilket i sin tur lett till en konkurrenssituation avseende bemanning. För specialförbanden har detta tillsammans med ett lågt utfall från uttagningstesterna inneburit en utmaning att tillgodose det operativa behovet av systemets viktigaste resurs, personalen. Denna kvalitativa studie som baseras på semistrukturerade intervjuer och en workshop syftar till att, utifrån operativ personal vid specialförbanden, fördjupa förståelsen för hur utfallet av uttagningstesterna skall kunna förbättras. Studiens identifierade drivkrafter, som ligger till grund för individer att söka till samt fullfölja de fysiskt och psykiskt krävande uttagningstesterna, analyseras därför gentemot motivationsteorier, organisatoriska perspektiv och psykologiska begrepp. Studien tyder på att även om drivkrafterna för att söka till respektive fullfölja testerna skiljer sig åt, så bidrar dessa tillsammans med stödjande funktioner till individens förmåga att härda ut, vilken är avgörande för att fullfölja uttagningstesterna.  Utifrån resultatet kan specialförbandens attraktion utformas och riktas på ett tydligare sätt. Vidare kan befintliga urvalskriterier vidareutvecklas för att ur det totala antalet sökande, kunna kalla de individer med bäst förutsättningar att lyckas fullfölja och klara uttagningsprocessen. / The Swedish Armed Forces needs to increase the recruitment rate and operational capability in order to handle the developing situation in the region. For the Special Forces, the lack of conscripts has meant a reduced recruitment at the same time as the rest of the Armed Forces, in order to increase operational capability, has created units with specific skills, abilities and tasks, which in turn have led to a competitive situation regarding the staff. This together with a high attrition rate from selection process has led to a challenge meeting the operational demand regarding the Special Forces most valuable asset, the personnel. This qualitative research, based on semi-structured interviews and a workshop with operational personnel at the Special Forces aims to increase the understanding of how the outcome of the selection process can be improved. The driving factors identified in this research, which form the basis for individuals to apply to the Special Forces and complete the physically and psychologically demanding selection tests, are hence analysed in relation to motivational theories, organizational perspectives and psychological terms. The study indicates that the drive for applying to and completing the selection differ, however, both of them combined with supportive functions contribute to the individual's ability to persevere and are crucial elements for completing the selection process.  Based on the results attraction of the Special Forces can be designed and directed more accurately. Furthermore, existing selection criteria can be refined in order to, out of the total number of applicants, be able to select the individuals with the best chance to successfully complete the selection process.

Cloud storage services allow users to store and access data in a secure and flexible manner. In recent years, cloud storage services have seen rapid growth in popularity as well as in technological progress and hundreds of millions of users use these services to store thousands of petabytes of data. Additionally, the synchronization of data that is essential for these types of services stands for a significant amount of the total internet traffic. In this thesis, seven cloud storage applications were tested under controlled experiments during the synchronization process to determine feature support and measure performance metrics. Special focus was put on comparing applications that perform client side encryption of user data to applicationsthat do not. The results show a great variation in feature support and performance between the different applications and that client side encryption introduces some limitations to other features but that it does not necessarily impact performance negatively. The results provide insights and enhances the understanding of the advantages and disadvantages that come with certain design choices of cloud storage applications. These insights will help future technological development of cloud storage services.

Electric motors are one of the biggest consumers of electricity in the world with a consumption of almost 45 % and it is predicted to increase. Since electric motors play an important role today and in the future, it is important that businesses take their responsibility to make them as sustainable as they can possibly be. Today’s product development models are often based on the idea that the customer buys the product and is responsible for the products use phase. This results in the manufacturer focusing on getting a competitive price for the customer by reducing the cost for manufacturing and delivery, which often is negative for the customer. The latter phases, use and end-of-life, are often the greatest contributors of costs and environmental impact. One way for businesses to take their responsibility is to have an environmental focus throughout their products life cycles, i.e., to apply a circular business model. This primarily means to focus on the main principles of circular economy: to reduce, reuse and recycle. ABB is a company in the electric motor and drive industry with ambitious commitments for 2030 which includes to have at least 80 % of their products and solutions covered by a circularity approach and achieve carbon neutrality across their own operations. This Master thesis studies the environmental impact of an ABB synchronous medium voltage motor and drive during their life cycle. This thesis also studies how a circular business model can affect the environmental impact the motor contribute with today. Assessing the environmental impact was done with a life cycle perspective in accordance to ISO 14044, using the world’s most used tool for these kinds of analyses, SimaPro. The results of the assessment showed that the total climate impact during the whole life cycle of the motor and drive is 4.38•106 kg CO2 eq. The use phase of the motor and drive was the biggest contributor, with almost 99 % of total climate impact. The electricity used in this phase and the long lifetime of these machines, in this case 20 years, contributes to the great impact. Important environmental impact categories identified from studying the motor and drive during their lifecycles are ionizing radiation, human toxicity (both non-cancer effects and cancer effects) and freshwater ecotoxicity. The results also showed that by only looking at the contribution of the components of the motor, the climate impact is 7.35•104 kg CO2 eq. A total of 43 % of the emissions comes from the stator and 30 % from the rotor. For the drive the total impact is in total 6.83•104 kg CO2 eq. The biggest contributor is the semiconductor, with 50 % of the total impact of the machine followed by the housing with 21 %. Answering research question two, regarding the circular business model, was done by interviewing key players at ABB and people with knowledge in the area as well by studying literature. Potential measures for a circular business model were for example increasing the efficiency of the motor, designing for refurbishment and recycling, partnerships and changing the motor application after use. Increased efficiency of the motor was identified as a very impactful measure since it can affect the use phase, which is the biggest contributor of climate impact. The identified measures impact the material and energy flows in different ways, most of them prevent extraction of new raw material. This study can be used for an indication of where the environmental hotspots are for a MV electric motor and drive. It can be concluded that a circular business model could bring benefits on material and energy flows such as reduced energy use in the use phase, decreased use of raw material in production and reduced use of fuel for transportation.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Belt-drives are used in many applications such as industrial machines, washing ‎machines, and accessory drives for automobiles and other vehicles. Multibody dynamics/finite ‎element numerical models have become an effective way to predict the dynamic response of ‎belt-drives. In this thesis, a high fidelity numerical model was built using a multibody ‎dynamics/finite element code to simulate a belt-drive. The belt-drive transmits power from a ‎turbine of a Rankin cycle (that uses the exhaust waste heat of the internal combustion engine as ‎heat source) to the crank shaft of the engine. The code uses a time-accurate explicit numerical ‎integration technique to solve the multibody dynamics differential equations. The belt was ‎modeled using three-node beam elements to account for the belt axial and bending ‎stiffness/damping, while the pulleys, shafts and tensioner body were modeled as rigid bodies. ‎The penalty technique was used to model normal contact between the belt and the pulleys. An ‎asperity-based friction model was used to approximate Coulomb friction between the belt and ‎the pulleys. The dynamic response predicted using the model was validated by comparing it to ‎experimental results supplied by Cummins Inc. A parameter sensitivity study was performed to ‎evaluate the change in response due to change in various belt-drive parameters. A fatigue ‎model was developed to predict the belt fatigue life using output from the explicit finite ‎element code including normal and tangential forces between the belt and the pulleys and belt ‎tension. The belt fatigue life was evaluated for alternative belt-drive configurations in order to ‎find the configuration with the longest life.‎

Zeitreisen und Reisen mit Überlichtgeschwindigkeit sind zwei Menschheitsträume; sie beflügeln die Fantasie und bieten Stoff für skurrile Geschichten. Eine Arbeit zum Thema „Zeitreisen und Reisen mit Überlichtgeschwindigkeit“ zwingt zu einer Auseinandersetzung mit dem Begriff der „Zeit“. Die Vielschichtigkeit und der antinomische Charakter dieses Begriffes machen es schwer, „Zeit“ genauer zu fassen. Zeit tritt uns entgegen als Form der Wahrnehmung in ihrer zutiefst subjektiven Seite, als biologischer Rhythmus, als soziales Phänomen im Sinne einer kollektiven Zeitbestimmung, aber eben auch als physikalischer Parameter. Einsteins Relativitätstheorie revolutioniert unsere Vorstellungen von Raum und Zeit, indem sie sich vom newton-mechanischen Konzept des absoluten Raumes und der absoluten Zeit löst. Sie macht aber das, was bei Wells zehn Jahre vorher noch reine Fiktion war, zu einem für die Physik diskussionswürdigen Thema, nämlich das „Problem der Zeitreisen“. Einsteins Spezielle Relativitätstheorie (1905) erlaubt durch den von ihr vorhergesagten Effekt der Zeitdilatation „Reisen in die Zukunft“, und die Einstein’sche Gravitationstheorie lässt geschlossene zeitartige Linien als Lösungen ihrer Gleichungen zu (z. B. Gödel-Kosmos, Anti-de-Sitter-Kosmos). Allerdings würde eine Reise auf einer Zeitschleife sofort ein ganzes Bündel von Paradoxien (z. B. Großvater-Paradoxon, Informationsparadoxon) und semantischen Inkonsistenzen nach sich ziehen. Obwohl erstaunlicherweise die fundamentalen Gesetze der Physik (abgesehen von extrem seltenen und makroskopisch nicht in Erscheinung tretenden quantenmechanischen Effekten) bei einer Zeitumkehr nicht verletzt würden, scheint es in der Natur doch ein grundsätzliches Verbot von Vergangenheitsreisen zu geben. Der Physiker Dieter Zeh, dessen Position im Schlusskapitel der Arbeit näher beleuchtet wird, vertritt die Auffassung, dass die Science-Fiction-Literatur zum Thema „Zeitreisen“ überwiegend auf einfachen begrifflichen Fehlern beruhe. Die in Anlehnung an die Allgemeine Relativitätstheorie konstruierten Vorgänge seien bestenfalls genauso „theoretisch möglich“ wie ein Gas, das sich von selbst in einer Ecke des Gefäßes versammelt. Die vorliegende Arbeit erörtert Ansätze für „Zeitmaschinen“ und superluminale Prozesse, die in Einklang mit der modernen Physik stehen. Besprochen werden u. a. die Tachyonen-Hypothese, Tiplers rotierender Zylinder, der Gödel-Kosmos, der Anti-de-Sitter-Kosmos, die sogenannten „Wurmlöcher“ und die Alcubierre-Metrik. Zugleich sollen Ansätze vorgestellt werden (z. B. Eternalismus, Viele-Welten-Modell, Prinzip der konsistenten Geschichte), die Lösungsversuche für die Paradoxien von Vergangenheitsreisen bieten. Um die Reisen in die Vergangenheit und Reisen mit Überlichtgeschwindigkeit scheint es zu stehen wie mit einer Anfrage an Radio Jerewan; die Antwort lautet stets: „Im Prinzip ja, aber …“ Doch die Faszination dieser Idee wird weiterhin Stoff für die „Fiction“ liefern. / Time travel and superluminal travel are two of mankind's dreams. They inspire our imagination and provide material for bizarre stories. A work on the subject of time travel and superluminal travel forces us to re-examine our concept of "time". The complexity and the contradictory nature this subject makes it difficult to be more precise about "time". On its deepest subjective side, time is a means of perception, a biological rhythm, a social phenomenon in terms of our collective understanding of time. But it is also a physical parameter. Einstein's Theory of Relativity revolutionised our idea of space and time by freeing us from the Newtonian concept of absolute space and absolute time. The "problem of time travel", a subject that Wells wrote about just ten years before as mere fiction, was now a discussion worthy of physics. Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity (1905), by predicting the effects of time dilation, allowed for "travels into the future" and Einstein's Theory of Gravity used closed time-like lines for solutions to calculations about time travel (for example, the Gödel Universe and the Anti-de Sitter Universe). However, a trip to a time warp would immediately involve a whole set of paradoxes (for example, the grandfather paradox and the information paradox) and semantic inconsistencies. Surprisingly, the fundamental laws of physics (apart from extremely rare and non-emergent macroscopic quantum mechanical effects) are not violated by the concept of time reversal. Yet, in nature, there still seems to be a fundamental prohibition against time travel to the past. Physicist Dieter Zeh, whose position is more closely presented in the final chapter of this work, supports the view that science fiction literature on the subject of "time travel" is overwhelmingly based on simple conceptual errors. The processes used in this literature, which are based on the General Theory of Relativity, at best, are just as "theoretically possible" as a gas which gathers itself into the corner of a container. This work discusses approaches for "time machines" and superluminal travel which are consistent with modern physics. Some of the discussions that will be presented are the tachyon hypothesis, Tipler's rotating cylinder, the Gödel Universe, the Anti-de Sitter Universe, so-called "wormholes" and the Alcubierre-metric. At the same time, approaches will be presented (for example, Eternalism, the Many-Worlds Interpretation and the Consistent Histories Approach) that will provide attempts to find a solution for paradoxes regarding time travel to the past. Questions about time travel to the past and superluminal travel are like the questions asked on Radio Yerevan. The answer is always, "In principle yes, but…" But the fascination about time travel will continue to provide material for "fiction".

Considering the rapid increase in the ICT (Information &amp; Communication Technology) products in use, there is a risk of an increase in GHG emissions and electronic waste accumulation in the ICT sector. Therefore, it becomes important to account for the emissions in the ICT sector in order to take steps to mitigate them. There are several methods put forward under ETSI, ITU-T, GHG protocol, etc., which can be used to measure the emissions in the ICT sector. Two such methods are Product Life Cycle Assessment (PLCA) and Spend-based, which are used in this study to account for scope 3, category 1 emissions in the ICT sector. Scope 3, category 1 emissions are released during the raw material acquisition and part production phase of the ICT product’s life cycle and account for a major portion of the overall emissions. As the ICT sector is a very huge field of study in itself, two ICT products, namely smartphones and laptops, are considered in this study to calculate their overall scope 3, category 1 emissions. A list of influential components in smartphones and laptops is defined to be included in the Excel Management Life Cycle Assessment (EMLCA) tool to calculate the scope 3, category 1 emissions. A comprehensive comparison between PLCA and Spend-based methods is also studied during the process of calculating their emissions. These observations are then used to make critical analyses and compare the two methods under results and discussions based on various parameters described under them. Both the methods were found to be suitable for calculating the emissions, with some uncertainty, although the Spend-based method was a quicker approach to do so. The PLCA method, although more complex, was found to be more suitable for ICT product eco-design. Both methods required a different set of primary data and were sensitive to various components in smartphones and laptops. This study illustrates the parameters that affect PLCA and Spend-based methods and discusses the pros and cons of them depending on the situations they are used in.

The rise of technology and digitalization has greatly impacted organizations, particularly in the field ofHuman Resources (HR). To stay competitive in this evolving landscape, HR departments are increasingly adopting Business Intelligence (BI) as a useful umbrella concept to collect, store, access, and analyze data for data-driven decision-making. However, as research states, many HR organizations struggle to fully leverage the benefits of BI and therefore only adapt mere basic BI capabilities. This study aims to address this gap by examining how HR organizations can develop their BI maturity and identify the key categories and factors that influence it, as well as highlight the main hurdles in the journey towards higher BI maturity. To fulfill this purpose, a case study was conducted which centered around semi-structured interviews with respondents from the case company. The results from the interviews show that there are several factors deemed important when assessing BI maturity and we classify these factors into Organization &amp; Structure, Data Governance and System, Tools &amp; Technology. This study’s results are for the most part consistent with previous research on assessing BI maturity. However, the focus on HR departments reveals some interesting findings. Within these categories, the following factors, among others, have emerged as important to consider. Namely organizational culture and a collaborative mindset to promote the adoption of higher levels of analytics through the entire organization. Moreover, making HR more impactful in the sense of actionability and by demonstrating a cause-effect relationship emerges as a central and multi-faceted aspect when assessing BI maturity. Organizational management of data centralization is also considered a significant factor for HR. In addition, another central aspect to regard is GDPR, as it directly affects the collection, storing and analysis of personal data, consequently becoming crucial for HR to assess. The study also identified hurdles hindering HR departments from reaching higher levels of maturity, such as cross-functional collaboration and data transparency between departments. Furthermore, GDPR legislation hinders the possibility of distributing certain data and combining sensitive data with other sources. Additionally, a barrier to the successful utilization of existing tools and systems is considered to be related to the competence of employees. / Teknikens och digitaliseringens framväxt har haft stor inverkan på organisationer, särskilt inom området för Human Resources (HR). För att förbli konkurrenskraftiga i denna föränderliga miljö använder HR-avdelningar i allt större utsträckning Business Intelligence (BI) som ett användbart paraplykoncept för att samla in, lagra, få tillgång till och analysera data för datadrivet beslutsfattande. Forskningen visar dock attmånga HR-organisationer kämpar med att utnyttja fördelarna med BI fullt ut och därför bara anpassar sig till de mer grundläggande BI-funktionerna. Den här studien syftar till att åtgärda denna brist genom att undersöka hur HR-organisationer kan utveckla sin BI-mognad och identifiera de viktigaste kategorierna och faktorerna som påverkar detta, samt belysa de viktigaste hindren på vägen mot högre BI-mognad. För att uppfylla detta syfte genomfördes en fallstudie som var centrerad kring semistrukturerade intervjuer med respondenter från fallföretaget. Resultaten från intervjuerna visar att det finns flera faktorer som anses vara viktiga vid bedömningen av BI-mognad och klassificerar dessa faktorer i Organisation &amp; Struktur, Datastyrning och System, Verktyg &amp; Teknologi. Resultaten från denna studie stämmer till största delen överens med tidigare forskning om bedömningen av BI-mognad. Fokuseringen på HR-avdelningar ger dock några intressanta resultat. Inom dessa kategorier har bland annat följande faktorer framkommit som viktiga att beakta. Specifikt framhävs organisationskultur och ett samarbetsinriktat tänkande för att främja antagandet av högre nivåer av analys genom hela organisationen. Dessutom framstår det som en central och mångfacetterad aspekt vid bedömningen av BI-mognad att göra HR mer betydelsefull, i form av handlingsförmåga och genom att visa på orsak-verkan samband. Den organisatoriska hanteringen av datacentralisering anses också vara en viktig faktor för HR. En annan central aspekt att beakta är dessutom GDPR, eftersom den direkt påverkar insamlingen, lagringen samt analysen av persondata och blir därav avgörande för HR att bedöma. I studien identifierades även särskilda hinder som håller tillbaka HR-avdelningar från att nå högre mognadsnivåer, till exempel tvärfunktionellt samarbete och datatransparens mellan avdelningar. Dessutom hindrar GDPR-lagstiftningen möjligheten att distribuera vissa uppgifter samt att kombinera känsliga uppgifter med andra källor och avdelningar. Dessutom anses ett hinder för ett framgångsrikt utnyttjande av befintliga verktyg och system vara relaterat till de anställdas kompetens.