In this thesis we developed the Green's Function for a tapered equivalent cylinder model of dendritic electrical propagation. We then use the Green's Function to develop a Carleman linear embedding scheme which is used to estimate the effects of a nonlinear ion channel hot-spot on the tapered cylinder solution. Mathematica© was used to implement the Carleman embedding scheme.

In recent years, both a significant increase in electrical demand and a large influx of intermittent renewable energy sources have put a considerable stress on the nation’s electrical grid. Conventional power flow control techniques such as capacitor banks and tap-changing transformers are incapable of adequately handling the rapid fluctuations in power supply and demand that today’s grid experiences. Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) controllers are a practical way to compensate for such rapid power fluctuations. One type of shunt FACTS controller is the Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), which uses fully controllable switches to source or sink reactive power to a point on the grid, thus reducing voltage fluctuations due to load changes. The purpose of this thesis is to model and simulate the operation of two Distribution STATCOMs (D-STATCOMs) operating on the same point on the grid. These D-STATCOMs also utilize parallel full-wave rectifiers that directly connect the ac grid to the dc capacitor of the D-STATCOMs. Parameters such as power loss, reaction time, stability, and THD are measured for several test scenarios. Results from this thesis show that two D-STATCOMs operating on the same point can be stable and effective under a wide range of conditions. This thesis also concludes that the inclusion of parallel rectifiers with the D-STATCOMs results in no performance improvement of the D-STATCOMs.

A current meter has been designed, intended for surveillance of low-power battery driven devices with a large dynamic range in their current consumption. Among such devices may, for example, be nodes in a wireless sensor network (WSN). The large dynamic range originates in the nodes’ states from an active mode for data collection and communication to a sleep mode for preserving very limited energy and prolonging the lifetime of the device. The active mode draws current up to hundreds of milliamperes whilst the sleep mode’s current may be as low as 22 nA. This makes the dynamic range larger than 6 orders of magnitude. To perform measurements that prevail over noise sources and resolution of involved components, an increase in the SNR must be made. If the current is measured with a shunt resistor, this may be done by varying its resistance as required. The resistance should be as high as possible to maximize the SNR, but low enough such that the burden voltage of the current meter is kept within tolerances of the device. A literature study was done, and with the gained knowledge a circuit was designed and simulated in LTSpice. Then a printed circuit board (PCB) of the circuit was designed and implemented using Altium Designer (an ECAD program), manufactured and hand-soldered. The final PCB was tested but shown to have some design flaws that deteriorated the performance, for example too frequent switching of the current range.

No description available.

Bakgrund: Normaltryckshydrocefalus (NPH) är ett neurologiskt tillstånd som innefattar psykiska funktionsnedsättningar, demenssymtom, inkontinens samt problem med gång. Behandlingen för detta är via shuntoperation. Gångförmågan undersöks via gångtester innan och efter ett tapptest, som sedan ligger till grund för att diagnos ska kunna ställas.   Syfte: Syftet med arbetet var att undersöka gångförmågan hos patienter med NPH genom att jämföra gångtesters resultat mätt i sekunder innan tapptest och shuntoperation med resultat efter shuntoperation, samt jämföra skillnader mellan män och kvinnor.    Metod: För studien valdes en kvantitativ metod med en deskriptiv komparativ design. Data som bearbetats i den aktuella studien kommer från ett pågående forskningsprojekt på ett universitetssjukhus där det samlats in resultat av tre gångtester innan shuntoperation och tre månader efter. Totalt var det 161 patienter med NPH i forskningsstudien varav 129 inkluderades i den aktuella studien. Av dessa var 65 stycken män och 64 stycken kvinnor. Gångtesterna som jämförs är Timed up and go (TUG), 10 meter walk test (10 MWT) och 3 meter backwards walk (3 MBW).   Resultat: Resultatet visade på en signifikant förbättring i alla gångtester tre månader efter shuntoperation jämfört med innan operation, samt att det inte förelåg någon signifikant skillnad mellan män och kvinnor. TUG förbättrades med 5 sekunder, 10 MWT förbättrades med 4 sekunder samt att 3 MBW förbättrades med 4 sekunder.   Konklusion: Resultaten visar på att det sker en signifikant förbättring i gångtester för patienter med NPH som genomgått en shuntoperation. Vidare forskning krävs för att säkerställa att gångtesterna är relevanta för personer med NPH, samt för att uppnå ett standardiserat testbatteri som går att applicera över hela populationen. / Background: Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a neurological condition that causes cognitive symptoms, dementia, incontinence and difficulties with walking. The treatment for this is shunt surgery. The ability to walk is examined with walking tests before and after a tap test, which then forms the basis for a diagnosis.   Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine patients with NPH ability to walk through comparison of the results of walking tests measured in seconds before lumbar puncture test and shunt surgery with the results three months after shunt surgery, as well as comparing differences between men and women.   Method: A quantitative method with a descriptive and comparative design was chosen for this study. Data in the current study comes from an ongoing research project at a university hospital that has c ollected data of results of three walking tests before and three months after shunt surgery. In total data from 161 patients with NPH was collected of which 129 patients was included in the current study. Of these were 65 men and 64 women. The walking tests compared are Timed up and go (TUG), 10 meter walk test (10MWT) and 3 meter backwards walk (3MBW)  Results: The results showed a significant improvement in all walking tests before compared to three months after shunt surgery and that there was no significant difference between men and women. The results of TUG improved by 5 seconds, 10MWT by 4 seconds and 3MBW by 4 seconds.  Conclusion: The results show that there is a significant improvement in walking tests for patients with NPH who have undergone shunt surgery. Further research is required to ensure that the walking tests are relevant for people with NPH, as well as to achieve a standardized test battery that can be applied to the entire population.

There are limited methods of assessing pulmonary function in horses at rest. In this study, we developed clinical techniques to measure gas exchange efficiency in horses. These techniques were then used to evaluate horses with varying degrees of lower respiratory disease. Three groups of horses (Group 1: asymptomatic, n=6; Group 2: symptomatic only with rebreathing, n=11; Group 3: symptomatic at rest, n=9) were selected based on physical exam, transtracheal aspirate, and thoracic radiographs. Blood samples were obtained from the transverse facial artery and jugular vein. Maximal end-tidal CO₂ tension (E_TCO₂) was measured by an infrared capnograph through a facemask. Alveolar O, tension, alveolar dead space fraction (V_DB/V_T), and physiologic shunt fraction (Q_S/Q_T) were calculated using standard formulas. Horses with both mild and severe signs of lower respiratory disease had significant (p<0.05) differences in gas exchange indices at rest compared to asymptomatic horses. Albuterol was administered to seven of the Group 2 horses from a metered-dose inhaler through an equine facemask at a dose of 90 μg per 100 kg. Blood samples and tidal gas samples were obtained 15 minutes post-treatment, and Q_S/Q_T and (V_DB/V_T) were calculated. Albuterol caused significant (p<0.05) hypoxemia 15 minutes following inhaled administration. This was accompanied by a significant increase in Q_S/Q_T, suggesting that the hypoxemia was due to increases in which the ratios of ventilation to perfusion were decreased. / Master of Science

The objective of this thesis is to develop a dual-functional approach to effectively mitigate the earthquake induced vibrations of low- or mid-rise buildings, and at the same time to efficiently harvest utility-scale energy by using an optimally configured multi-resonant electromagnetic shunt in base isolation. In this research, two multi-resonant shunt configurations, parallel and series, were proposed and optimized based on the H2 criteria when the base isolation system is subjected to ground acceleration excitations. The performance of the proposed multi-resonant electromagnetic shunt was compared with traditional multiple tuned mass dampers (TMDs) applied to the base isolation system. It shows that, for multiple TMDs and multi-resonant electromagnetic shunt dampers with 5% total stiffness ratio, the parallel shunt electromagnetic shunt can achieve the best vibration mitigation performance among other types of multi-resonant dampers, including parallel TMDs, series TMDs and the series electromagnetic shunt damper. Case study of a base-isolated structure was analyzed to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-resonant electromagnetic shunt. It shows that both multi-mode shunt circuits outperform single mode shunt circuit by suppressing the primary and the second vibration modes simultaneously. Comparatively, the parallel shunt circuit is more effective in vibration mitigation and energy harvesting, and is also more robust in parameter mistuning than the series shunt circuit. The time history response analysis shows that, under the recorded Northridge earthquake, the instant peak power and total average power capable to be harvested by the multi-resonant shunt can reach up to 1.18 MW and 203.37KW, respectively. This thesis further experimentally validated the effectiveness of the multi-resonant electromagnetic shunt on a scaled-down base-isolated building. The impact hammer test shows that the multi-resonant electromagnetic shunt can achieve enhanced vibration suppression by reducing the first resonant peak by 27.50dB and the second resonant peak by 22.57dB regarding the primary structure acceleration. The shake table test shows that under scaled Kobe and Northridge earthquake signals, the electromagnetic shunt can effectively reduce the vibration resonant peak value by 38.92% and 66.61%, respectively. The voltage simultaneously generated in the multi-mode shunt circuit was also obtained, which demonstrated the dual functions of the multi-resonant electromagnetic shunt in base isolation. / Master of Science

HINTERGRUND: Im Zustand der Herzinsuffizienz sind die Plasmaspiegel des atrialen natriuretischen Peptids (ANP) erhöht. ANP wird durch Herzmuskelzellen bei atrialer (und dadurch kardiomyozytärer) Dehnung freigesetzt. Eine Reihe von Plasmafaktoren, welche bei der Herzinsuffizienz aktiviert sind, bewirken ebenfalls eine ANP-Freisetzung durch die Interaktion mit G(alpha-q)-gekoppelten Rezeptoren und der daraus resultierenden Aktivierung der Proteinkinase C (PKC). Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, im Vergleich von normalen und insuffizienten Rattenherzen die dehnungsinduzierte ANP-Sekretion sowie die Rolle der PKC bei der basalen ANP-Freisetzung zu analysieren. METHODIK: Durch Anlegen eines infrarenalen aortokavalen Shunts (4 Wochen) wurde eine volumeninduzierte Herzinsuffizienz in Wistar Ratten erzeugt. Die ANP-Freisetzung wurde am isoliert, retrograd perfundierten Herzmodell analysiert. Durch Umstellen auf anterograde Perfusion (Perfusionsdruck: 10mmHg) wurde eine atriale De! hnung induziert. Die Aktivierung der PKC fand durch Zugabe von PMA (Phorbol-12-Myristat-13-Azetat) zum Perfusat im Vergleich zu Vehikel statt. Alle Versuchsreihen wurden mit Herzen von shunt- sowie scheinoperierten Tieren durchgeführt. ERGEBNISSE UND DISKUSSION: Nach Shuntoperation war die ANP-Basalfreisetzung deutlich gesteigert und könnte die erhöhten ANP-Plasmaspiegel bei Patienten mit Herzinsuffizienz erklären. Dagegen wurde durch atriale Dehnung (als adäquaten Freisetzungsreiz am gesunden Herzen) keine weitere Steigerung der ANP-Freisetzung in der Shuntgruppe bewirkt. Die ANP-Freisetzung am insuffizienten Herzen ist im Vergleich zur normalen Herzfunktion somit verändert. Unter PKC-Stimulation sank die Freisetzung von ANP in der Shuntgruppe erheblich ab, wogegen es in der Kontrollgruppe zu keiner signifikanten Änderung der ANP-Sekretion kam. Damit wurde der Verdacht erhärtet, dass die Proteinkinase C in die abweichende Regulation der ANP-Freisetzung bei Herzinsuffizie! nz involviert ist. / BJECTIVE: Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) are markedly increased in congestive heart failure. ANP has been shown to be released by cardiomyocytes during atrial (and thereby cardiomyocytical) stretch. Several factors that are activated in heart failure as well enhance ANP release through the interaction with G(alpha-q)-coupled receptors and the consequent activation of proteinkinase C (PKC). The goal of this study was to analyse stretch induced ANP secretion and to investigate the involvement of PKC in the regulation of ANP release in heart failure compared to normal hearts. METHODS: Volume overload induced heart failure was produced by an infrarenal aortocaval shunt (4 weeks) in Wistar rats. ANP release was analysed in an isolated retrogradly perfused heart preparation. Atrial stretch was induced by switching to anterograd perfusion (perfusion pressure: 10mmHg). For PKC activation PMA (phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate) was added to the perfusate and compar! ed to vehicle treatment. All experiments were performed with shunt and sham operated rats. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: After shunt operation ANP baseline release was considerably augmented and could thus explain elevated ANP plasma levels in heart failure patients. In contrast, atrial stretch as an adequate secretion stimulus in control hearts did not further enhance ANP release in hearts of shunt operated animals. The ANP secretion in heart failure therefore seems to differ from the ANP secretion in the healthy state. Stimulation of PKC markedly decreased ANP release in the shunt group, whereas it did not have any significant effect on ANP release in the control group. In conclusion, the role of the proteinkinase C in ANP release differs between normal and failing hearts and seems to be involved in the deviating regulation of ANP release in states of heart failure.

O uso de materiais piezelétricos no desenvolvimento de dispositivos para o aproveitamento de energia provinda de vibrações mecânicas, Energy Harvesting, tem sido largamente estudado na última década. Materiais piezelétricos podem ser encontrados na forma de finas camadas ou pastilhas, sendo facilmente integradas a estruturas sem aumento significativo de massa. A conversão de energia mecânica em energia elétrica se dá graças ao acoplamento eletromecânico dos materiais piezelétricos. A maioria das publicações encontradas na literatura exploram o uso de dispositivos eletromecânicos ressonantes, sintonizados na frequência de operação da estrutura, maximizando assim, a energia elétrica de saída dada uma certa condição de operação. O desempenho desses dispositivos ressonantes para coletar e armazenar energia é altamente dependente da adequada sintonização da sua frequência de ressonância com a frequência de operação do sistema/estrutura. Este trabalho apresenta o projeto, otimização e análise de incertezas de um dispositivo coletor/armazenador de energia que consiste em uma placa sob duas condições de contorno, engastada-livre (EL) e deslizante-livre (DL), com massa sísmica e materiais piezelétricos conectados a um circuito shunt. Um modelo em elementos finitos de placa laminada piezelétrica conectada a circuitos R e RL é utilizado combinando as teorias de camada equivalente e deformação de cisalhamento de primeira ordem. A disposição/quantidade de material piezelétrico bem como a massa sísmica acoplados à estrutura foram otimizadas utilizando-se um Algoritmo Genético, levando em conta análises mecânica (modelo mecânico, geometria, peso) e elétrica (modelo elétrico, circuito armazenador). Além disso, o efeito de incertezas dos parâmetros dielétrico e piezelétrico do transdutor, e da indutância elétrica ligada em série ao circuito coletor/armazenador de energia foi estudado. Os resultados indicam que a inclusão de uma indutância sintética ao circuito pode melhorar a coleta de energia em uma banda de frequência e, ainda, que a otimização geométrica pode reduzir a quantidade de material piezelétrico sem no entanto diminuir significativamente a energia gerada. / The use of piezoelectric materials in the development of devices to harvest energy from mechanical vibrations (Energy Harvesting) has been widely studied in the last decade. Piezoelectric materials can be found in the form of thin layers or patches easily integrated into structures without significant mass increase. The conversion of mechanical energy into electric power is provided by the electromechanical coupling of piezoelectric materials. Most publications in the literature explore the use of resonant electromechanical devices, tuned to the operating frequency of the host structure, thus maximizing the power output given a certain operating condition. The performance of these resonant devices to harvest and store energy is highly dependent on the proper tuning of its resonance frequency with the operation frequency of the system/structure. This work presents a design, optimization and uncertainty analysis of energy harvester device consisting of a plate with tip mass and piezoelectric materials connected to shunt circuits. Two boundary conditions are used for the plate, cantilever (EL) and sliding-free (DL). A coupled finite element model with R and RL circuits, combining equivalent single layer and first order shear deformation theories, was used. The distribution and volume of piezoelectric material and the tip mass coupled to the structure were optimized using a Genetic Algorithm, accounting for both mechanical (mechanical model, geometry, weight) and electric (electric model, storer circuit) analyses. Furthermore, the effect of uncertainties of transducer dielectric and piezoelectric constants and electric inductance connected in series with harvesting circuit was studied. The results indicate that the inclusion of a synthetic inductance can improve energy harvesting performance over a frequency range and also that the geometric optimization may reduce the piezoelectric material volume without diminishing significantly the harvested energy.

Esta tese apresenta uma análise numérica do controle de vibrações estruturais através de cerâmicas piezelétricas em extensão conectadas a circuitos ativo-passivos compostos por resistência, indutância e fonte de tensão. Para tal, um modelo de elementos finitos de vigas sanduíche com três camadas elásticas e/ou piezelétricas foi desenvolvido. Realizou-se também uma modelagem dos componentes do circuito elétrico e seu acoplamento à estrutura gerando assim uma equação de movimento acoplada para a estrutura com elementos piezelétricos conectados aos circuitos elétricos. Uma análise harmônica das equações obtidas foi realizada para se obter uma avaliação preliminar dos efeitos causados pelos componentes elétricos do circuito na estrutura. Observou-se que os elementos passivos do circuito, resistência e indutância, tem não somente um efeito de absorvedor dinâmico de vibrações mas, também, promovem uma amplificação da autoridade de controle no caso de se atuar através da fonte de tensão. Usando a metodologia tradicional de projeto de absorvedores dinâmicos de vibrações, derivou-se expressões para os valores de resistência e indutância de modo a maximizar o desempenho passivo do sistema. Uma análise do efeito de incertezas das constantes piezelétricas e dielétricas da cerâmica piezelétrica considerada e dos componentes de resistência e indutância do circuito elétrico no desempenho do controle passivo e ativo-passivo de estrutura tipo viga cantilever foi realizada. O objetivo desta análise foi quantificar robustez e sensibilidade do controle proposto. Em sequida, um estudo de otimização dos valores de resistência e indutância do circuito elétrico em função da tensão elétrica de controle máxima a ser aplicada em uma placa com diversos atuadores piezelétricos foi realizado. Finalmente e também para a estrutura tipo placa, uma análise de incertezas da rigidez da cola na interface entre estrutura e atuadores piezelétricos e seus efeitos no desempenho do controle passivo e ativo-passivo foi realizada. / This work presents a numerical analysis of the structural vibration control using piezoelectric materials in extension mode connected to active-passive electric circuits composed of resistance, inductance and voltage source. For that, a finite element model for sandwich beams with three elastic or piezoelectric layers was developed. A modeling of the electric circuit dynamics and its coupling to the structure with piezoelectric elements was also done. A harmonic analysis of the resulting equations was performed to yield a preliminary evaluation of the effects caused by the electric circuit components on the structure. It was observed that the passive circuit components not only lead to a dynamic vibration absorber effect but also to an amplification of the control authority in case of actuation using the voltage source. Using the standard methodology for the design of dynamic vibration absorbers, expressions were derived for the resistance and inductance values that optimize the passive vibration control performance of the system. An analysis of the effect of uncertainties of piezoelectric and dielectric constants of piezoelectric ceramic and resistance and inductance components of the shunt circuit on the passive and active-passive control performance for a cantilever beam structure was performed. The objective of this analysis was to quantify robustness and sensitivity of the proposed control. Then, an optimization study of the values of resistance and inductance of the shunt circuit as a function of the maximum control voltage to be applied on a plate with several piezoelectric actuators was performed. Finally and also for the plate structure, an analysis of uncertainties in the stiffness of the adhesive interface between structure and piezoelectric actuators and their effects on the performance of passive control and active-passive was performed.