In recent years, research in the field of automation has been advancing quickly in the direction of wireless networks of sensors and actuators. This development has introduced a need to reduce the amount of communication. A number of different alternative schemes have been proposed. They are usually divided into event-triggered schemes and self-triggered ones. The main purpose of this Master's thesis was to further develop and evaluate the sesampling schemes, focusing on their needed communication. The effect on control performance by the different schemes was also taken into account. Because of the difficulty in performing a theoretical comparison, the thesis focused on evaluating the schemes in simulations and in experiments on real industrial processes. The results indicate that simply using a slower periodic scheme may reduce as much communication without losing much performance as the more flexible schemes. This would imply that investing further into the other schemes may be of waste. However, using an event-triggered scheme with improvements introduced in this report may offer some advantages when it comes to performance and simplicity in setup. Maybe more importantly, it is safer during rapidly changing conditions, which also makes it very unlikely that a slow periodic sampler would ever be implemented on a real system. The results in general are very positive with communication reductions of over 90% when using a well tuned base sampling interval and over 99% when the comparison is made to current implementations in the industry, all without significant loss of performance.

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This thesis investigates topology optimization techniques for periodic continuum structures at the macroscopic level. Periodic structures are increasingly used in the design of structural systems and sub-systems of buildings, vehicles, aircrafts, etc. The duplication of identical or similar modules significantly reduces the manufacturing cost and greatly simplifies the assembly process. Optimization of periodic structures in the micro level has been extensively researched in the context of material design, while research on topology optimization for macrostructures is very limited and has great potential both economically and intellectually. In the present thesis, numerical algorithms based on the bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization method (BESO) are developed for topology optimization for various objectives and constraints. Soft-kill (replacing void elements with soft elements) formulations of topology optimization problems for solid-void solutions are developed through appropriate material interpolation schemes. Incorporating the optimality criteria and algorithms for mesh-independence and solution-convergence, the present BESO becomes a reliable gradient based technique for topology optimization. Additionally, a new combination of genetic algorithms (GAs) with BESO is developed in order to stochastically search for the global optima. These enhanced BESO algorithms are applied to various optimization problems with the periodicity requirement as an extra constraint aiming at producing periodicity in the layout. For structures under static loading, the present thesis addresses minimization of the mean compliance and explores the applications of conventional stiffness optimization for periodic structures. Furthermore, this thesis develops a volume minimization formulation where the maximum deflection is constrained. For the design of structures subject to dynamic loading, this thesis develops two different approaches (hard-kill and soft-kill) to resolving the problem of localized or artificial modes. In the hard-kill (completely removing void elements) approach, extra control measures are taken in order to eliminate the localized modes in an explicit manner. In the soft-kill approach, a modified power low material model is presented to prevent the occurrence of artificial and localized modes. Periodic stress and strain fields cannot be assumed in structures under arbitrary loadings and boundaries at the macroscopic level. Therefore being different from material design, no natural base cell can be directly extracted from macrostructures. In this thesis, the concept of an imaginary representative unit cell (RUC) is presented. For situations when the structure cannot be discretized into equally-sized elements, the concept of sensitivity density is developed in order for mesh-independent robust solutions to be produced. The RUC and sensitivity density based approach is incorporated into various topology optimization problems to obtain absolute or scaled periodicities in structure layouts. The influence of this extra constraint on the final optima is investigated based on a large number of numerical experiments. The findings shown in this thesis have established appropriate techniques for designing and optimizing periodic structures. The work has provided a solid foundation for creating a practical design tool in the form of a user-friendly computer program suitable for the conceptual design of a wide range of structures.

Abstract Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis (PFAPA) is a syndrome characterized by regular, high-fever episodes with healthy periods in between. In a classic phenotype of the syndrome, the fevers begin in childhood before the age of five, and fever flares are accompanied by aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and/or cervical adenitis. The etiology of the syndrome is unknown, but tonsillectomy (TE) has been shown to be an effective treatment for the disease. The purposes of this study were as follows: (1) to assess the long-term outcome of PFAPA patients treated by TE with either the classic or incomplete phenotype (later onset of the disease and/or missing oropharyngeal symptoms), (2) to compare the health and growth of PFAPA patients with healthy controls, and (3) to compare the histological and microbiological findings of the tonsils of PFAPA patients with controls via conventional and modern sequencing technologies. In this approximately 9-year follow up, 97% (n = 56) of patients with the classic phenotype and all patients (n = 50) with the incomplete phenotype achieved a prompt and constant response after TE. There were no differences in either the length of fever episodes or flares between patients with both the classic and incomplete phenotypes. The health and growth of 119 PFAPA patients was compared to that of sex- and age-matched controls (n = 230), and no differences in prevalence of chronic diseases or growth were found between the groups. Infections, oral thrush, and pollen allergy were more common in the history of the PFAPA patients than in the controls. Microbiological and histological findings of the tonsils of PFAPA patients (n = 31) were compared with the findings of the controls (n = 24) who had undergone TE for other reasons. Biofilm formation and Candida albicans were more frequently found among PFAPA patients than the controls, but Staphylococcus aureus, varicella zoster, and herpes simplex viruses were more common in the controls. While comparing the bacterial microbiota between the groups, we found significant differences in the presence and relative abundance of many bacteria. For example, Cyanobacteria were more common and abundant in the case samples than in the controls. Because the long-term outcome after TE was excellent, both in classic and incomplete PFAPA patients; a new diagnostic criteria for the syndrome is proposed. The microbes of the tonsils in PFAPA patients differ from that of the controls, which may play an important role in triggering the inflammatory processes that lead to symptoms of PFAPA. / Tiivistelmä Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, adenitis (PFAPA) syndrooma, on oireyhtymä, jossa potilaat kärsivät hyvin säännöllisesti ilmaantuvista, toistuvista kuumejaksoista, joiden välillä potilaat ovat terveitä. Klassisessa tautimuodossa kuumeilut alkavat lapsuudessa ennen viiden vuoden ikää ja kuumevaiheeseen liittyy liitännäisoireita: suun limakalvojen rakkuloita, nielutulehdusta ja/tai kaulan imusolmukkeiden suurentumista. Oireyhtymän syytä ei tiedetä, mutta nielurisaleikkaus (TE) on osoittautunut tehokkaaksi hoidoksi. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli (1) arvioida PFAPA potilaiden vointia pitkäaikaisseurannassa TE:n jälkeen ja vertailla taudinkuvaa niiden PFAPA potilaiden välillä, joilla oli klassinen PFAPA tai epätyypillinen PFAPA. (2) Lisäksi tutkimme myös TE:lla hoidettujen PFAPA potilaiden sairastuvuutta, yleistä terveydentilaa ja kasvua vertaamalla näitä sukupuoli- ja ikävakioituihin kontrolleihin ja (3) selvitimme mikrobiologisia ja histologisia löydöksiä PFAPA potilaiden nielurisoissa verrattuna muista syistä TE:ssa käyneiden lasten nielurisoihin. Tässä noin yhdeksän vuoden seurannassa TE:n jälkeen oli täysin parantunut 97% (n = 56) potilaista, joilla oli klassinen PFAPA, ja kaikki (n = 50) potilaat, joilla oli epätyypillinen PFAPA (tauti oli alkanut viiden ikävuoden jälkeen ja/tai klassiset liitännäisoireet puuttuivat). Kuumeprofiilit eivät muilta osin eronneet ennen nielurisaleikkausta näissä ryhmissä. PFAPA potilaiden (n = 119) kasvu ja yleinen terveydentila eivät eronneet väestökontrolleista (n = 230). Krooniset ja autoimmuunisairaudet olivat yhtä harvinaisia molemmissa ryhmissä. Potilaat raportoivat sairastaneensa enemmän infektioita ja sammasta lapsuudessa ja heillä oli enemmän siitepölyallergioita. PFAPA potilaiden (n = 31) ja muista syistä TE:ssa käyneiden lasten (n = 24) nielurisojen mikrobiologiaa ja histologiaa tutkittiin ja vertailtiin. Biofilmimuodostusta nielurisan pinnalla ja Candida albicansia löytyi enemmän tapauksilta kuin kontrolleilta, kun taas Staphylococcus aureusta, varicella zoster- ja herpes simplex -viruksia tavattiin enemmän kontrolleilla. Myös mikrobiomi erosi ryhmien välillä, esimerkiksi syanobakteerit olivat yleisempiä PFAPA risoissa kuin kontrolleilla. Klassisten ja epätyypillisten PFAPA potilaiden terveydentila TE:n jälkeen oli pitkäaikaisseurannassamme erinomainen ja siksi ehdotamme, että PFAPA –syndrooman diagnostisia kriteereitä tulisi muuttaa. Nielurisojen mikrobisto on erilainen kontrolleihin verrattuna ja tällä voi olla merkitystä PFAPA syndrooman inflammatorisessa prosessissa.

Cette thèse consistait à étudier les marchés périodiques à Bangkok selon les objectifs suivants ; (1) étudier les modèles de développement et le processus de la naissance des activités commerciales appelées « marché périodique urbain » dans Bangkok (2) connaître les effets des marchés périodiques urbains, leur influence sur la ville et le comportement des habitants (3) connaître les éléments qui ont la potentialité de faire naître les marchés périodiques urbains en effectuant des études comparatives des marchés périodiques urbains qui sont apparus dans divers lieux. La première étape est l'étude des documents relatifs à cette étude. Les théories et les concepts relatifs à ce sujet ont été étudiés. Les variables principales sont ; la pauvreté et le statut de la population, la densité de la population et le système de contrôle étatique. Les variables secondaires sont ; les activités et les composants de la ville et le comportement des acheteurs et des vendeurs. L'étape suivante est la compilation d'informations de différentes organisations pour la classification de l'ensemble des marchés périodiques trouvés. Les fonctionnaires de l’État en charge de la réglementation ont été interrogés afin de comprendre le système de contrôle de telles activités. Nous avons également fait une observation et une interrogation des acheteurs et les vendeurs. Les statistiques de la population, le nombre des emplacements des marchés périodiques et les cartes ont été récoltés, afin d’analyser les relations de la densité des différents types de population avec tous les emplacements des marchés périodiques et les composantes urbaines. Enfin, nous avons sélectionné les trois marchés périodiques urbains pour faire une enquête sur les comportements des vendeurs et des acheteurs en utilisant les questionnaires. Les emplacements et leurs composants environnants ont été analysés pour une compréhension plus claire. Les résultats de cette étude sont (1) Le niveau des revenus de la population influe sur le choix d'un marché périodique, qui émerge en raison de la nécessité ou la demande d'un espace de vente et de marchandises à bas prix. Là, nous pouvons trouver les vendeurs qui font cette activité comme un travail supplémentaire, tandis que les acheteurs ont d'autres raisons telles que gagner du temps. (2) Les marchés périodiques apparaissent en général pour les acheteurs et les vendeurs d'une région éloignée venant à l'endroit à la certaine période de temps, plutôt que pour les gens dans les quartiers ou les environs eux-mêmes. Cela peut désigner la commodité des transports au point, où certaines activités réunissent les gens et donc un marché périodique se produit. (3) Les réglementations de l'État dépendent des caractéristiques des emplacements. L'Etat s’implique toujours dans l'émergence et l'existence d'un marché périodique dans le processus d'autorisation. Cependant, il a été constaté que des marchés périodiques à Bangkok peuvent facilement avoir lieu à cause du contrôle qui n’est pas trop strict. (4) Les petits marchés périodiques se dispersent généralement vers des endroits où les gens se rassemblent, comme les bureaux et les communautés. Les très grands marchés périodiques se trouvent dans des domaines spécifiques autorisées par l'Etat. Nous avons constaté que les activités dans un espace et les composants ne sont pas toujours les facteurs qui influent directement sur l'émergence des marchés périodiques. Des marchés périodiques peuvent exister dans les zones où il n'y a pas un grand nombre des gens qui se rassemblent, mais certains autres facteurs ont été créés pour les attirer. (5) Les comportements des vendeurs et des acheteurs varient avec les composants de l'espace, les gens et le nombre des jours de vente. Ce qui est plus important est que la plupart des acheteurs voient les marchés périodiques comme des lieux de détente plutôt que des lieux pour acheter des marchandises. / This research involved the study of periodic markets in Bangkok with the following objectives: (1) to study the development and emerging procedures of urban periodic markets in Bangkok, (2) to know the impact of urban periodic markets on the city and lifestyles of the population, and (3) to determine the factors leading to the emergence of urban periodic markets in Bangkok which will be useful for the study of other cities that have tendency for periodic markets. The first step of this work was the investigation of relevant documents and work, leading. Theories and concepts related to this type of market were also studied. Variables were then stipulated for the investigation of Bangkok area. The principle variables comprised poverty and population's income ranges, density of different population, namely, local people, students, workers, and tourists, and state's regulations. The supplementary variables were urban components and activities and behaviours of buyers and sellers. The next step was compilation of information from different organizations for the classification of the entire periodic markets found. State's officers in charge of activity regulations were interviewed in order to understand the control system. Buyers and sellers were interviewed and statistics on population, number, and locations of periodic markets including maps were compiled to analyze the relationships of density of different types of population, all periodic market locations, and urban components. Finally, the three selected urban periodic markets were studied on behaviours of sellers and buyers using questionnaire, and the locations together with surrounding components were investigated for clearer understanding. Following is the results of the study. (1) The level of incomes of the people affects the choice for a periodic market, which emerges due to the need for a selling space and low-price merchandise. However, this is not the major reason for other markets where buyers have higher purchasing power. There, we may find sellers who do it as a hobby or as a supplementary job, while buyers have other reasons such as time-saving. (2) Urban periodic markets usually emerge where both buyers and sellers from a remote area rather than areal people themselves come to the place at certain period of times. This may denote convenience of transportation at that point or some activities that gather people temporarily and hence a periodic market occurs. (3) The state's regulations depend on the areal characteristics. The state is always involved in the emergence and existence of a periodic market in the process of authorization. However, it was found that periodic markets in Bangkok could easily take place because the control is still not strict. (4) Small periodic markets usually disperse towards places where people gather, such as office areas, community areas. Big periodic markets are found in specific areas authorized by the state. We found that areal activities and components may not always be the factors directly affecting the emergence of periodic markets. Periodic markets can exist in areas where not a great number of people gather, but some other factors have been created to attract people. (5) The behaviours of sellers and buyers vary with the areal components, people, and the number of selling days. More importantly, buyers also see periodic markets as a place for relaxation rather than a place to buy merchandise. Thus, we frequently find a lot more teenagers in some markets than adults.

An algorithm is presented which computes a state feedback for a standard linear system which not only stabilizes, but also dampens the closed-loop system dynamics. In other words, a feedback gain vector is computed such that the eigenvalues of the closed-loop state matrix are within the region of the left half-plane where the magnitude of the real part of each eigenvalue is greater than the imaginary part. This may be accomplished by solving one periodic algebraic Riccati equation and one degenerate Riccati equation. The solution to these equations are computed using numerically robust algorithms. Finally, the periodic Riccati equation is unusual in that it produces one symmetric and one skew symmetric solution, and as a result two different state feedbacks. Both feedbacks dampen the system dynamics, but produce different closed-loop eigenvalues, giving the controller designer greater freedom in choosing a desired feedback.

SammanfattningTriply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS)-baserade nätverksstrukturer har snabbt blivit populära i flera tillämpningar, exempelvis medicinska implantat, värmeväxlare, stötdämpareoch lättviktskonstruktioner. Gyroidstrukturen är förmodligen den mest kända och använda, men en mängd varianter existerar med extremt goda egenskaper vid additiv tillverkning. Nätverkenkan printas helt utan stödstrukturer och kan erhålla mekaniska egenskaper i nivå̊ med de relativa bulkegenskaperna. I detta projekt skall mekaniska egenskaper för TPMS-baserade provbitar SLS-printade i PA11 undersökas genom dragprov, böjprov, slagseghetsprov och kompressionsprov. Dessutom ska det undersökas om byggriktning och orientering i skrivarens byggkammare har betydelse för materialets mekaniska egenskaper. Utöver detta kommer även en materialmodell byggas upp för analys med hjälp av Abaqus.Slutsatserna från examensarbetet var att både byggriktning och orientering i skrivarens kammare har betydelse för materialegenskaperna. Med resultaten från proverna ges rekommendationen att rikta stavarna från kammarens dörr inåt och med orienteringen liggandes. Även drogs slutsatsen att nätverksstrukturer når upp i nivå med de relativa bulkegenskaperna för trepunkts böjprov, dock endast med en ram runt hela provbiten. Det räckte ej med endast ram under och över / Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS)-based structures have quickly become popular inmany applications, for example medicinal implants, heat exchangers, shock absorbers and lightweight constructions. The gyroid structure is probably the most known and used, but plenty of variations exist with extremely good properties for additive manufacturing. The networks can be printed completely without support structures and can obtain mechanical properties in line with the relative bulk properties.This project shall evaluate the mechanical properties of TPMS-based test specimens SLSprinted in PA11 through compression testing, tensile testing, impact testing and three-point flexural testing. It shall also be determined if build direction and orientation in the printer’s build chamber effects the material’s mechanical properties. In addition to this will a material model be constructed for finite element analysis in Abaqus.The conclusions from this bachelor’s thesis are that both build direction and orientation in the printer’s build chamber effects the material mechanical properties. Based on the results from the tests the recommendation is given to direct the test specimens inward from the chamber’s door and to orient the specimens flat. The conclusion is also drawn that network structures can reach the relative bulk properties in three-point flexural test, however only with a frame encompassing the entire specimen. A frame only on top and bottom wasn’t enough.

In this thesis, central configurations, regularization of Simultaneous binary collision, linear stability of Kepler orbits, and index theory for symplectic path are studied. The history of their study is summarized in section 1. Section 2 deals with the following problem: given a collinear configuration of 4 bodies, under what conditions is it possible to choose positive masses which make it central. It is always possible to choose three positive masses such that the given three positions with the masses form a central configuration. However, for an arbitrary configuration of 4 bodies, it is not always possible to find positive masses forming a central configuration. An expression of four masses is established depending on the position x and the center of mass u, which gives a central configuration in the collinear four body problem. Specifically it is proved that there is a compact region in which no central configuration is possible for positive masses. Conversely, for any configuration in the complement of the compact region, it is always possible to choose positive masses to make the configuration central. The singularities of simultaneous binary collisions in collinear four-body problem is regularized by explicitly constructing new coordinates and time transformation in section 3. The motion in the new coordinates and time scale across simultaneous binary collision is at least C^2. Furthermore, the behavior of the motion closing, across and after the simultaneous binary collision, is also studied. Many different types of periodic solutions involving single binary collisions and simultaneous binary collisions are constructed. In section 4, the linear stability is studied for the Kepler orbits of the rhombus four-body problem. We show that, for given four proper masses, there exists a family of periodic solutions for which each body with the proper mass is at the vertex of a rhombus and travels along an elliptic Kepler orbit. Instead of studying the 8 degrees of freedom Hamilton system for planar four-body problem, we reduce this number by means of some symmetry to derive a two degrees of freedom system which then can be used to determine the linear instability of the periodic solutions. After making a clever change of coordinates, a two dimensional ordinary differential equation system is obtained, which governs the linear instability of the periodic solutions. The system is surprisingly simple and depends only on the length of the sides of the rhombus and the eccentricity e of the Kepler orbit. In section 5, index theory for symplectic paths introduced by Y.Long is applied to study the stability of a periodic solution x for a Hamiltonian system. We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for stability of the periodic solution x in two and four dimension.

The term spatiotemporal chaos refers to physical phenomena that exhibit irregular oscillations in both space and time. Examples of such phenomena range from cardiac dynamics to fluid turbulence, where the motion is described by nonlinear partial differential equations. It is well known from the studies of low dimensional chaotic systems that the state space, the space of solutions to the governing dynamical equations, is shaped by the invariant sets such as equilibria, periodic orbits, and invariant tori. State space of partial differential equations is infinite dimensional, nevertheless, recent computational advancements allow us to find their invariant solutions (exact coherent structures) numerically. In this thesis, we try to elucidate the chaotic dynamics of nonlinear partial differential equations by studying their exact coherent structures and invariant manifolds. Specifically, we investigate the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation, which describes the velocity of a flame front, and the Navier-Stokes equation for an incompressible fluid in a circular pipe. We argue with examples that this approach can lead to a theory of turbulence with predictive power.

Harnessing solar energy has become a promising clean and renewable energy source alternative to fossil fuels since the development of low-cost dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and organic photovoltaic solar cell devices. Their power-conversion efficiencies, below 13% and 9% respectively, still limit the economic viability of these technologies. The geometry and optical properties of photonic crystals can be used to improve the absorption and charge collection efficiencies of these devices. This thesis describes the fabrication of TiO2 DSSC and ZnO-polymer solar cell devices based on a three-dimensional photonic crystal structure. Photonic crystal polymer structures were produced by holographic lithography and thermally stabilized in order to be used as templates for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of various metal oxides. For this purpose, an ALD apparatus was built and ALD processes for the growth of TiO2, ZnO, Al2O3, ZnO:Al, and Zr3N4 were established and deposited on photonic crystal templates. After ALD, the template was removed by calcination at 500°C, at which ZnO:Al films lost their conductivity of 250 S/cm preventing their use as transparent conducting oxide (TCO) electrodes. The produced 90 nm TiO2 photonic crystal shell DSSC and TiO2 inverse replica devices based on the dye N-719 and iodine/iodide redox electrolyte provided power-conversion efficiencies of 0.9% and 0.49% respectively and their diffusion lengths were 2× and 3× longer than that of a nanocrystalline reference device respectively. ZnO-polymer devices, comprising a P3HT layer as absorber and PEDOT:PSS film as hole-transporter, were also investigated.