abstract: Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are soft sounds generated by the inner ear and can be recorded within the ear canal. Since OAEs can reflect the functional status of the inner ear, OAE measurements have been widely used for hearing loss screening in the clinic. However, there are limitations in current clinical OAE measurements, such as the restricted frequency range, low efficiency and inaccurate calibration. In this dissertation project, a new method of OAE measurement which used a swept tone to evoke the stimulus frequency OAEs (SFOAEs) was developed to overcome the limitations of current methods. In addition, an in-situ calibration was applied to equalize the spectral level of the swept-tone stimulus at the tympanic membrane (TM). With this method, SFOAEs could be recorded with high resolution over a wide frequency range within one or two minutes. Two experiments were conducted to verify the accuracy of the in-situ calibration and to test the performance of the swept-tone SFOAEs. In experiment I, the calibration of the TM sound pressure was verified in both acoustic cavities and real ears by using a second probe microphone. In addition, the benefits of the in-situ calibration were investigated by measuring OAEs under different calibration conditions. Results showed that the TM pressure could be predicted correctly, and the in-situ calibration provided the most reliable results in OAE measurements. In experiment II, a three-interval paradigm with a tracking-filter technique was used to record the swept-tone SFOAEs in 20 normal-hearing subjects. The test-retest reliability of the swept-tone SFOAEs was examined using a repeated-measure design under various stimulus levels and durations. The accuracy of the swept-tone method was evaluated by comparisons with a standard method using discrete pure tones. Results showed that SFOAEs could be reliably and accurately measured with the swept-tone method. Comparing with the pure-tone approach, the swept-tone method showed significantly improved efficiency. The swept-tone SFOAEs with in-situ calibration may be an alternative of current clinical OAE measurements for more detailed evaluation of inner ear function and accurate diagnosis. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Speech and Hearing Science 2012

This thesis studies the center wavelength accuracy of a Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor system that has a large number of sensor elements both as a function of wavelength and as a function of position. Determining the center wavelength of each of the fiber optic sensors is a critical parameter that ultimately determines sensor accuracy. The high density environment can result in degradation of accuracy of the center wavelength measurement. This thesis aims to quantify this measurement error both with theoretical and experimental studies. There are many sensing applications where optical fiber sensors are preferred over electrical sensors, such as the oil and gas industry where fiber optic sensors are used to monitor wells and pipelines due to their low signal degradation over long distances and immunity to harsh physical environments. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in particular have widespread use because of their versatility, measurement sensitivity, and distributed multiplexing abilities. In conventional wavelength multiplexing, up to 50 FBG sensors are spread out over a band of 100nm, each with a center wavelength difference large enough so that each element can be individually measured. However, numerous sensing applications require several hundred to over a thousand sensors cascaded together on a single fiber. These sensor arrays use a combination of WDM and TDM for measurements, where many FBG sensors with the same center wavelength are separated by a long enough length of fiber so that the reflected signals are separated in time. These Wavelength-to-Time Domain Multiplexing (W-TDM) measurements are enabled by Insight Photonic’s new ‘akinetically’ swept, all-semiconductor laser. This laser is a Vernier-Tuned Distributed Bragg Reflector (VT-DBR) device, capable of rapidly sweeping through different wavelengths without any moving parts. Attributes that make this laser superior to mechanically-swept lasers include: 1) short and long term consistent sweep-sweep reliability, 2) availability at many wavelengths, 3) a narrow linewidth with single longitudinal mode, and 4) the ability to do non-traditional sweep patterns that facilitate measurement of high-density sensor networks. In this thesis, experiments will be performed in the lab with the Insight VT-DBR laser to determine how accurately the center wavelength of a single Fiber Bragg grating can be measured. Experiments will also be performed with two and three FBGs to compare different algorithmic approaches to measurements. The second part of the thesis will simulate both single and multiple FBG sensor environments, comparing the center wavelength measurement accuracy results for different parameters including signal-to-noise ratios, wavelength point density, FBG loss and width, and multiple algorithmic approaches. The results of these experiments and simulations will demonstrate how accurate a FBG sensor system is at particular parameters, which will be useful to those designing a sensor network or performing similar experiments.

Modelling studies have shown that 1.5 and 3.0 MW wind turbines with blade sweep have an increased annual energy production (AEP) of approximately 5% when compared to straight-blade wind turbines. The objective of the research was to further increase below-rated, variable speed, power capture when using swept-blades. When operating in the variable speed region, the turbine’s torque is proportional to the square of the generator speed, and k is the proportionality constant (T = kΩ 2 ). Initial studies indicated that the value of k needed to be lowered from the original value to increase AEP. This proved to be slightly beneficial for the 3.0 MW turbine but not for the 1.5 MW turbine. The optimal tip speed ratio was too high for both turbines and limited the ability to increase AEP. Original swept-blade chords were designed to fit a linear pattern for manufacturing purposes, but it is believed this is no longer a necessary constraint. The blades were redesigned to have a non-linear chord distribution, which is based on the Betz optimal design method, and the resultant increase in solidity proved to be the solution for slowing down the blades’ rotational speed. The change in chord design proved to be beneficial for both 1.5 and 3.0 MW wind turbines and had immediate, measurable increases to AEP. An effort to further increase AEP was then conducted by using an alternative torque-speed controller, which used a different equation to relate speed and torque. This method only resulted in an increase of AEP for the 1.5 MW turbine. In conclusion, the highest recorded AEP increases from straight-blade values were 6.9% and 8.9% for the 1.5 and 3.0 MW turbines, respectively. The 1.5 MW turbine benefited from the custom controller and redesigned chords, whereas the 3.0 MW turbine only benefited from redesigned chords.

Desde o início da história da aviação, a cada novo projeto de aeronave, modificações são realizadas para se obter melhorias nas características aerodinâmicas como, por exemplo, diminuição do arrasto, aumento de sustentação, melhora na manobrabilidade em elevados ângulos de ataque, entre outras. Essas modificações podem ser feitas em diversas partes de uma aeronave como, por exemplo, no perfil aerodinâmico e enflechamento da asa, nas superfícies de controle e até em novas posições da entrada de ar do motor intake. Embora os conceitos de aeronaves com asas de enflechamento negativo, Canard e intake dorsal não sejam novos, ainda não existe uma aeronave que apresente essas três características juntas. Portanto, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo estudar uma aeronave não convencional com essas características. Para isso, testes foram realizados no túnel de vento do Laboratório de Aerodinâmica (LAE), do Departamento de Engenharia Aeronáutica da Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos, da Universidade de São Paulo. Três estudos foram realizados para diferentes ângulos de ataque da aeronave e diferentes ângulos de incidência de três pares de Canard projetados, que foram colocados em duas posições diferentes em relação à asa. No primeiro estudo, as forças aerodinâmicas atuantes na aeronave foram medidas por meio de uma balança aerodinâmica para se obter relações entre seus coeficientes e a eficiência conforme a troca dos pares de Canard. Posteriormente, o estudo do escoamento na entrada do intake dorsal englobou a relação entre a velocidade local no intake, a velocidade do escoamento livre e a recuperação de pressão total no mesmo. Por fim, um mapeamento da vorticidade no campo da asa foi realizado para se analisar a influência do Canard no escoamento raiz da asa. O modelo estudado obteve uma maior eficiência e menor arrasto em elevados ângulos de ataque para ângulos de incidência negativos de Canard. O Canard que se destacou nos dois primeiros estudos foi utilizado no estudo de mapeamento, porém, não apresentou uma influência no escoamento da raiz da asa como desejado. / Since the beginning of aviation history, in each new aircraft design, modifications are made to obtain improvements in aerodynamic characteristics such as drag reduction, increase of lift, improvement in maneuverability at high angles of attack. These modifications can be made in different parts of an aircraft, such as, aerodynamic profile, on the control surfaces and even in new intake positions. Although the concepts of aircraft with forward swept wing, Canard and dorsal intake are not new, there is still no aircraft that presents these three characteristics together. Therefore, the present work had as objective to study an unconventional aircraft with these characteristics. Wind tunnel tests were carried out in order to analyze the aerodynamic characteristics at the Aerodynamics Laboratory of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering of EESC-USP. Three studies were carried out for different angles of attack of the aircraft and different angles of incidence of three pairs of Canard, which were placed in two different positions in relation to the wing. In the first study, the aerodynamic forces acting on the aircraft were measured by an aerodynamic balance to obtain relations between their coefficients and the efficiency according to the change of the Canard pairs. Subsequently, the study of flow at the entrance of the dorsal intake included the relation between the local velocity at the intake and the velocity of the free flow and the total pressure recovery. Finally, a mapping of vorticity in the wing field was performed to analyze the influence of Canard on the boundary layer at the root of the wing. The model studied obtained higher efficiency and lower drag at high angles of attack at negative Canard angles of incidence. The Canard that stood out in the first two studies was used in the mapping study, however, it did not present an influence on the root of the wing as desired.

In Computer Graphics, in the context of shape modeling on a computer, a common characteristic of popular techniques is the possibility for the artist to operate on a shape by modifying directly the shape�s mathematical description. But with the constant increase of computing power, it has become increasingly realistic and effective to insert interfaces between the artist and the mathematics describing the shape. While in the future, shape descriptions are likely to be replaced with new ones, this should not affect the development of new and existing shape interfaces. Space deformation is a family of techniques that permits describing an interface independently from the description. Our thesis is that while space deformation techniques are used for solving a wide range of problems in Computer Graphics, they are missing a framework for the specific task of interactive shape modeling. We propose such a framework called sweepers, together with a set of related techniques for shape modeling. In sweepers, we define simultaneous-tools deformation, volume-preserving deformation, topology-changing deformation and animated deformation. Our swept-fluid technique introduces the idea that a deformation can be described as a fluid. In fact, the sweepers framework is not restrained to shape modeling and is also used to define a new fluid animation technique. Since the motion of a fluid can be considered locally as rigid, we define a formalism for handling conveniently rigid transformations. To display shapes, we propose a mesh update algorithm, a point-based shape description and a discrete implicit surface, and we have performed preliminary tests with inverse-raytracing. Finally, our technique called spherical-springs can be used to attach a texture to our shapes.

This thesis deals with receptivity mechanisms of three-dimensional, crossflow-dominated boundary layers. The receptivity of two model problems, a swept-flat-plate and a swept-wing boundary layer, is investigated by solving the parabolised stability equations (PSE) as well as by performing direct numerical simulations (DNS).Both flow cases are known to exhibit strong inflectional instabilities, the crossflow disturbances, whose excitation by external disturbances such as surface roughness or free-stream vorticity is studied. One focus is on worst-case scenarios. This involves the determination of optimal conditions, i.e. those disturbance environments yielding the largest possible response inside the boundary layer. A new method on the basis of the PSE is presented which allows to study optimal disturbances of swept-flat-plate boundary layers. These take the form of tilted streamwise vortices. While convected downstream they develop into streamwise streaks experiencing strong non-modal growth. Eventually, they turn into crossflow disturbances and undergo exponential growth. Non-modal growth is thus found to optimally excite crossflow disturbances and can be related to a receptivity mechanism of three-dimensional boundary layers. Evaluating effects of compressibility reveals that the potential for both non-modal and modal growth increases for higher Mach numbers. It is shown that wall cooling has diverse effects on disturbances of non-modal and modal nature. While destabilising the former it attenuates the growth of modal disturbances. Concave curvature on the other hand is found to be equally destabilising for both types of disturbances. The adjoint of the linearised Navier-Stokes equations is solved for a swept-wing boundary layer by means of DNS. The adjoint solution of a steady crossflow disturbance is computed in the boundary layer as well as in the free-stream upstream of the leading edge. This allows to determine receptivity to incoming free-stream disturbances and surface roughness as well as the corresponding worst-case scenarios. Upstream of a swept wing the optimal initial free-stream disturbance is found to be of streak-type which convects downstream towards the leading edge. It entrains the boundary layer a short distance downstream of the stagnation line. While minor streamwise vorticity is present the streak component is dominant all the way into the boundary layer where the optimal disturbance turns into a crossflow mode. Futher, the worst-case surface roughness is determined. It takes a wavy shape and is distributed in the chordwise direction. It is shown that, under such optimal conditions, the swept-wing boundary layer is more receptive to surface roughness than to free-stream disturbances. Another focus of this work has been the development and evaluation of tools for receptivity prediction. Both DNS and direct and adjoint solutions of the PSE are used to predict the receptivity of a swept-wing boundary layer to localised surface roughness. The configuration conforms to wind tunnel experiments performed by Saric and coworkers at the Arizona State University. Both the DNS and the PSE are found to predict receptivity amplitudes which are in excellent agreement with each other. Though the predicted disturbance amplitudes are slightly lower than experimental measurements the overall agreement with experimental results is very satisfactory. Finally, a DNS of the stabilisation of a transitional swept-wing boundary layer by means of discrete roughness elements is presented. This control approach is found to completely suppress transition to turbulence within the domain studied and confirms experimental results by Saric & coworkers. / QC 20111124

The effect of freestream turbulence on generation of crossflow disturbances over swept wings is investigated through direct numerical simulations.  The set up follows  the  experiments  performed  by Downs  et  al.  in their  TAMU  experi- ment.  In this experiment the authors use ASU(67)-0315 wing geometry which promotes  growth  of crossflow  disturbances.   Distributed  roughness  elements are locally placed near the leading edge with a span-wise wavenumber, to ex- cite the corresponding crossflow vortices.  The response of boundary layer to external disturbances such as roughness heights, span-wise wavenumbers, Rey- nolds numbers and freestream turbulence characteristics are studied.  It must be noted that the experiments were conducted at a very low level of freestream turbulence  intensity  (T u).   In this  study,  we fully  reproduce the  freestream isotropic homogenous turbulence through a DNS code using detailed freestream spectrum data provided by the experiment. The generated freestream fields are then applied as the inflow boundary condition for direct numerical simulation of the wing. The geometrical set up is the same as the experiment along with application of distributed roughness elements near the leading edge to precipi- tate stationary crossflow disturbances.  The effects of the generated freestream turbulence are then studied on the initial amplitudes and growth of the bound- ary layer perturbations.  It appears that the freestream turbulence damps out the dominant stationary crossflow vortices. / <p>QC 20130604</p>

One of the last remaining challenges preventing the laminarization of sweptwings is the control of unstable crossflow vortices. In low-disturbance environments the transition from laminar to turbulent flow on the swept-wing initially takes the path of receptivity, where surface roughness or disturbances in the environment introduce shortwavelength disturbances into the boundary layer. This is followed by development and linear growth of stationary crossflow vortices that modify the mean flow, changing the stability characteristics of the boundary layer. Finally, breakdown to turbulence occurs over a short length scale due to the high-frequency secondary instability. The receptivity mechanism is the least understood, yet holds the most promise for providing a laminar flow control strategy. Results of a 3-year flight test program focused on receptivity measurements and laminar flow control on a 30-degree swept-wing are presented. A swept-wing test article was mounted on the port wing of a Cessna O-2A aircraft and operated at a chord Reynolds number of 6.5 to 7.5 million. Spanwise-periodic, micronsized discrete roughness elements were applied at the leading edge of the swept-wing in order to excite the most unstable crossflow wavelength and promote early boundary layer transition. An infrared camera was used to detect boundary-layer transition due to changes in leading-edge roughness. Combined with the IR camera, a new technique of calibrating surface-mounted hotfilms was developed for making disturbance-amplitude measurements downstream of modulated roughness heights. This technique proved to be effective at measuring disturbance amplitudes and can be applied in future tests where instrumentation is limited. Furthermore, laminar flow control was performed with subcritically-spaced roughness. A 100% increase in the region of laminar flow was achieved for some of the conditions tested here.

A series of flight tests was performed using a swept-wing model mounted on a Cessna O-2 aircraft. The crossflow waves on the airfoil were excited by pneumatic spanwise-periodic distributed roughness elements (DREs). The objective of the experiment was to determine the roughness receptivity i.e. the relationship between roughness height and the amplitude of the unstable crossflow wave. The local skin-friction variation was measured using an array of calibrated and temperature-compensated hotfilm sensors. The amplitudes of the disturbance shear stress were compared to the amplitudes of the DREs. It was found that there is a relationship between the shear stress and DRE amplitude that needs to be studied more before any definitely conclusions can be made. It was also found that the sensitivity of the crossflow to DREs is highly dependent on the freestream turbulence levels.

Interwell tracers help us understand flow patterns within the reservoir and in getting reliable information of the reservoir continuity. Thus, one can obtain different information about the reservoir barriers, fractures and productivity from the amount of tracer produced at each tracer. The main objective of this study is an attempt to model interwell connectivity by analytically calculating missing tracer data in oil fields for the next step of the calculation of swept volume. The feasibility of using analytical solutions to estimate early data and check differences was carried out. In general; all of these applications refer to the applicability and relative ease of using tracers in oil field. The idea is to determine if it is possible to get a good estimate of the swept pore volumes at an early time before the tracer flood is finished since it often takes a long time to capture the complete tracer tail and there is great value in being able to get an early estimate of the results Results indicate that the extrapolation of tracer tail and using the residence time distribution method give accurate sweep volume predictions without the need to wait for long times to get the full tracer profile. / text